"FNL" Series Creator Accuses Mitt Romney of Plagiarism - "FNL" Author Fires Back

[JamesG]

"Friday Night Lights" Creator Accuses Mitt Romney of Plagiarism in Threatening Letter (Exclusive)
10/12/2012
by Matthew Belloni


Peter Berg, the writer-director of the "Friday Night Lights" movie and television series, is not pleased that Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney has co-opted a phrase from the show for his campaign appearances.

In a letter to the Romney campaign sent Friday and obtained exclusively by The Hollywood Reporter, Berg calls the use of "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose" an act of stealing.

See The Full Letter Here: http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/sit..._to_Romney.pdf



"Your politics and campaign are clearly not aligned with the themes we portrayed in our series," Berg writes in the letter.

"The only relevant comparison that I see between your campaign and Friday Night Lights is in the character of Buddy Garrity -- who turned his back on American car manufacturers selling imported cars from Japan."







Romney has used the "Clear Eyes" phrase — which originated as a rallying cry for the high school football team on the "FNL" television series — in several campaign speeches, and it appears on his Facebook page.

The Republican presidential nominee and his wife, Ann, are fans of the series, which ended its five-year run on NBC and DirecTV last year. Romney said in Iowa earlier this week that the phrase is "compelling."

"That's Americans," he told an audience. "We have clear eyes — we know what we believe. Full hearts — we love this country and we can't lose. This is a time for Americans to make a choice. We're going to take back this country."





In the letter, Berg challenges Romney and says that invoking the phrase "falsely and inappropriately associates Friday Night Lights with the Romney/Ryan campaign."

Berg is an outspoken Barack Obama supporter, as well as a successful writer-director (Battleship, Hancock). But in an interesting twist, Buzz Bissinger, who wrote the popular book about an Odessa, Tex, high school football team that formed the basis for the movie and TV series, recently wrote that he's supporting Romney.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr...accuses-378606











Friday Night Lights Author Slams Peter Berg's Letter to Mitt Romney: "Uninformed and Offensive"
10/12/2012
by Matthew Belloni


Buzz Bissinger, the author of the Friday Night Lights book that formed the basis for the movie and television show, is slamming the creator of the TV show's letter asking Mitt Romney not to use a key phrase from the show in campaign appearances.

On Friday, Peter Berg, who directed the 1994 film and created the NBC/DirecTV series, penned a letter to the Romney campaign calling the Republican presidential candidate's use of the phrase "Clear Eyes, Full Hearts, Can't Lose" an act of "plagiarism" that "falsely and inappropriately associates Friday Night Lights with the Romney/Ryan campaign."





Now Bissinger, who also is Berg's cousin, is responding to the letter in equally vitriolic fashion.

"I love Pete but he is being childish and petulant," Bissinger says in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter. "He should be flattered that Romney is honoring his show. Obama tried to use the slogan as well but unsurprisingly was ineffective in getting the message across."





Bissinger, a well-known author and magazine contributor, wrote the 1990 nonfiction book about high school football in Texas that formed the basis for television series that aired for five seasons on NBC and DirecTV. He recently penned an article endorsing Romney in the presidential race.

In the statement to THR, Bissinger calls out what he sees as hypocricy.

"Berg is just another member of the Hollywood glitterati whose idea of liberalism is making sure their Mexican gardeners get paid only several dollars below minimum wage," he writes. "He has no idea what and who Romney is about. I find his letter uninformed and offensive."





Bissinger also takes Berg to task for calling himself the creator of "FNL".

"And I am frankly sick and tired of Berg and everyone else acting as if he was the creator of Friday Night Lights. Without the book there never would have been a television show. He should feel lucky that anyone cares about it."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr...ey-berg-378729