Ruin My Week
6. Bill Murray using copyrighted music from the Doobie Brothers and getting hilariously roasted by their lawyer
Apparently when you write a letter to a famous comedian on behalf of your clients asking to be paid for the use of copyrighted music in a commercial…you feel some pressure to be funny.
Well the lawyer representing the Doobie Brothers rose to the challenge, penning a comically-composed legal request that Murray himself probably appreciated in which he roasts Murray on everything from his ugly shirts to the Garfield movies.
The letter in an easier-to-read format:
Dear Mr. Murray:
We’re writing on behalf of our clients, the Doobie Brothers. The Doobie Brothers perform and recorded the song Listen to the Music, which Tom Johnston of the Doobie Brothers wrote. It’s a fine song. I know you agree because you keep using it in ads for your Zero Hucks Given golf shirts. However, given that you haven’t paid to use it, maybe you should change the name to “Zero Bucks Given.”
We understand that you’re running other ads using music from other of our clients. It seems like the only person who uses our clients’ music without permission more than you do is Donald Trump.
This is the part where I’m supposed to cite the United States Copyright Act, excoriate you for not complying with some subparagraph that I’m too lazy to look up and threaten you with eternal damnation for doing so. But you already earned that with those Garfield movies. And you already know that you can’t use music in ads without paying for it.
We’d almost be OK with it if the shirts weren’t so damn ugly. But it is what it is. So in the immortal words of Jean Paul Sartre, “Au revoir Golfer. Et payez!”
Sincerely,
Peter T. Paterno
of King, Holmes, Paterno & Soriano LLP
7. Pete Davidson humoring a fan with the same name as his ex
It must be great to have a teeming horde of fans trying to hug you…and it must be a bit less great during a global pandemic. Nevertheless it seems the cast of SNL still does meet-and-greets with fans after their shows and that they are still real people despite their fame.
One fan learned this firsthand when she waited for Pete Davidson to emerge and yelled at a man who famously dated Ariana Grande that “my name is Arianna too!”
Without missing a beat Davidson responded “Oh, well, let’s get married then!”
Davidson’s good-natured deadpan response sent her over the edge and made her year.
8. Britney Spears endearing message to her LGBTQ fans for pride month
Britney Spears has legions of loving fans (who want her to be set free) so when she sent them a supportive message for Pride Month the response was very positive.
There was something so funny and down-to-earth about the video, with its questionable grammar and off-screen shout at her partner to pipe down, that it quickly became a meme, only contributing to Britney’s legend.
Happy Pride Month 🌈🌈🌈🌈 !!!! I love my LGBTQ+ fans so much …. you all bring me so much joy and I am proud to support you ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜 !!!! PS Sam …… 🤫🤫🙄😂😜💋 !!!! pic.twitter.com/5JbbzWqn7W
— Britney Spears (@britneyspears) June 23, 2020
9. Gal Gadot’s reaction to trying Taco Bell for the first time
Apparently actor, model, and Wonder Woman Gal Gadot had never tried Taco Bell before this, her 35th year. That may be shocking to some but keep in mind that Gadot is from Israel, did a stint in the army, and is now a major movie star. She’s been slightly busy.
Regardless, the world could not let her indifference to various meat and bean-filled tortilla concoctions stand and she finally gave in, trying some TB on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, where she previously made history by trying a Reese’s peanut butter cup.
So what did the star of the soon-to-be-released Wonder Woman: 1984 think?
Folks, we have a winner.
10. Paul Rudd says the line and fainting ensues
By now you’re likely aware of the massively popular “Look at us” meme that sprang from univerally-beloved actor Paul Rudd’s appearance on Hot Ones….well a woman happened to be flying on the same plane as Rudd and was tempted to reenact the scene with him.
She ultimately chose to just greet him normally which was apparently the right call as the actor thanked her for being a normal human. HOWEVER when she later ran into Rudd again he used the moment to make her fangirl dreams come true.
11. The Backstreet Boys pulling off a socially-distanced concert that was actually good
Early in the pandemic folks were wondering if any sort of Zoom-based musical performance could work and one of America’s most venerable boy bands responded with a video that proved that it actually can.
While we were technically worlds apart they…reached to our hearts.
12. Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman’s whole fake feud
One plays Wolverine and one plays Deadpool but both… are well-liked. Yeah there’s really no controversy here but that hasn’t stopped Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman from trying to create one in 2020.
The two highly charismatic actors have been in a fake feud for some time now, popping up repeatedly to troll one another while promoting each others’ business and charity ventures like Aviation Gin and Laughing Man Coffee.
Reynolds recently narrated an ad for Jackman’s charity coffee company that featured the actor in a very non-laughing mood before having his coffee. Social media trolling followed as usual.
Their animosity may be fake but it is delightful.
