Dagnabbit. I bet even with the new special edition of Sports Night, they couldn’t go back in and REMOVE THAT DAMN LAUGH TRACK. It was wrong and dumb and bad and distracting from awesome Sports Night.
As it turns out, a law professor who researched the subject says that it’s virtually certain that “Happy Birthday” is not, in fact, under copyright, and that the copyright holders (who are not the representatives of the sisters, and who probably do not own the whole of the copyright, and who seemingly obtained at least part of what they do have under corrupt circumstances) are basically just extorting money from people.
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I was in a TGIF’s last Friday and got to watch first hand some of the variants the staff cooked up because they couldn’t sing Happy Birthday.
Good God, it nearly put me off my appetite.
….well, that and the fried mac & cheese.
If anyone ever wants to say that copyright law isn’t restrictive or sometimes downright Draconian, show them this clip.
If that doesn’t change their mind, nothing will.
Dagnabbit. I bet even with the new special edition of Sports Night, they couldn’t go back in and REMOVE THAT DAMN LAUGH TRACK. It was wrong and dumb and bad and distracting from awesome Sports Night.
As it turns out, a law professor who researched the subject says that it’s virtually certain that “Happy Birthday” is not, in fact, under copyright, and that the copyright holders (who are not the representatives of the sisters, and who probably do not own the whole of the copyright, and who seemingly obtained at least part of what they do have under corrupt circumstances) are basically just extorting money from people.
Man, I miss this show. How is it this didn’t succeed and we got like 8 seasons of Everyone Loves Raymond?
Coren: You are doubting the awesome power of Peter Boyle.
Coren: It was the laugh track. Seriously, it’s hideous. 🙂
I believe the co-anchor later said “It took two people to write happy birthday?”