Jamie Oliver in the soup over Village People trailer
Last Updated: Saturday, December 19, 2009 | 2:49 PM ET
CBC News
Related
British TV chef Jamie Oliver has a new series called Jamie's American Road Trip. (HarperCollins Canada)A lawyer for the Village People, the iconic group from the 1970s and 1980s, has threatened legal action against a British network for airing a promotion with star chef Jamie Oliver dressed as all six members.
Channel 4 is running a trailer for Oliver's TV series Jamie's American Road Trip, in which the young chef is dressed up as a construction worker, a cowboy, a traffic cop, a Native American, a sailor and a biker.
Those were characters used by the group, whose hits include YMCA, Macho Man and In the Navy.
During the promotional film, the characters (all played by Oliver) are making their way through an airport. One of the characters Oliver plays has a whisk down his pants while another has his sea salt confiscated — mistaken for drugs.
Lawyer John Giacobbi sent the network a letter stating "the Village People are still a huge, multimillion-dollar global business."
The names and costumes of the Village People are trademarked.
Channel 4 released a statement to The Guardian newspaper saying the Village People had had four months to take action and hadn't done so.
"We are confident that the promotional campaign for Jamie's American Road Trip does not infringe any copyright/trademark rights which the Village People may have. No parties have received a formal legal claim from the Village People and, if one is received, it will be vigorously defended."
Share Tools
- Glee's 'unintentional' tribute to Whitney Houstonby Arts Online Feb. 15, 2012 5:40 PM When Glee included a rendition of I Will Always Love You, sung by Amber Riley (Mercedes), in its Valentine's Day episode, it was pure serendipity. The performance had been planned as one of several songs celebrating love and, after Whitney Houston's untimely death Saturday, the network added a line of tribute to the woman who made the song famous.
Top News Headlines
- Tories move to curb 'bogus' refugees
- The Conservative government is poised to change the refugee system yet again in an attempt to deter what it considers "bogus" claimants, CBC News has learned. more »
- Children of immigrants challenged at school, home
- By 2016, foreign-born youth and Canadian-born youth from immigrant families will make up a quarter of the country's population, according to predictions by the Canadian Council on Social Development. As their numbers grow, more attention is being paid to their successes and failures. more »
- 2 NDP MPs back final Commons vote to kill gun registry
- Two NDP MPs broke party ranks to vote with the government in the final House of Commons vote on scrapping the long-gun registry. more »
- B.C. house party trial hears from tearful teens
- Two teenagers cried as they testified at the trial of a B.C. woman who was charged after a teen died while her son was hosting a party at her house in 2008. more »
Latest Arts & Entertainment News Headlines
- Hudson Bay Co. archives includes film treasure trove
- A Hudson's Bay Co. collection of films from the early 20th century showing fur-trading life in the North has been transferred back to Winnipeg and is to be screened at the Archives of Manitoba. more »
- Missing Karel Appel works found in British warehouse
- More than 400 works by Dutch artist Karel Appel have been discovered in a British storage warehouse a decade after they went missing. more »
- Montreal museum offers reward after artifact theft
- Quebec police are seeking the recovery of two ancient artifacts stolen from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts last fall, with a substantial reward offered. more »
- The Artist, Hugo spotlight film preservation
- While The Artist and Hugo are showered with attention ahead of the upcoming Academy Awards, cinema experts say the movies are also shining a much-needed spotlight on the issue of film preservation. more »
Q Blog
The great monogamy debate Feb. 15, 2012 1:41 PM Is it time to start taking alternatives to monogamy seriously in our culture? Listen in to the Q debate and let us know what you think.
CBC Books
- Choosing a Valentine's Day gift for the book lover in your life Feb. 15, 2012 2:45 PM CBC Books' Erin Balser and her partner, Matt Elliott, on the challenge of giving your sweetheart a book for Valentine's Day.
- Drummond report on Ontario calls for cutbacks
- Barefoot girl's icy trek not blamed on babysitter
- 2 NDP MPs back final Commons vote to kill gun registry
- Immigrants the proudest Canadians, poll suggests
- Honduras prison fire kills hundreds
- Bodyguard hired for bully victim in Fredericton
- Legalize pot, say former B.C. attorneys general
- Canadian housing market cools in January
- Russians' abusive plane tirade to cost them $19K
