The Stroumboulopouli

The Stroumboulopouli

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Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Rusty and Jerome leave the CBC Museum Over Gemini scandal

If you recall the Gemini Awards this past fall, (and who doesn't?) you may remember a certain puppet retirement skit. There was a little heated debate about the puppet skit on this blog at the time in the comment section. Well someone else took note of what those puppets were up to... Here is the story from The Globe and Mail

Here is the puppet's Gemini moment on youtube...




What we need on youtube is more Gemini moments like the opening skit. No controversy there.

15 comments:

Kyle said...

It's probably better that it's NEVER found. I'm so glad I don't watch television anymore.

Anonymous said...

Ahhh... if my last memories of Rusty and Jerome are enjoying a beverage and getting a little "action"... then so be it!! LOL

Steph A. said...

OH MY GOODNESS...

Anonymous said...

Could someone get an update from our boyfriend on this. I suspect he knows more then he lets on!

Anonymous said...

Uhhhhh... Yeah. Really not sure where to go with this...

Kudos to the Globe on your 'journalistic' efforts?

Now that you've tackled the puppet crisis - what's next? I hear tale there's big trouble over at Treehouse TV - best get on it.

Anonymous said...

What a concept - getting the permission from a family or artist to use their work!

nadinebc said...

I just blogged about that whole mess myself. Could not believe it became such an issue.

Loved the opening skit by the way- almost makes me wish I had seen the show.


Almost.

Jenuine said...

Wow.
So much for Canadian humour, eh?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AL-bLZzihbw

It's too bad that people can't lighten up just a little. The skit was written for an adult audience, which might I add, was extremely tame, considering what they could have filmed!
It's too bad the Homme family is removing the puppets from the CBC museum, but perhaps as was suggested in some of the G&M comments, they should be put into a children's museum for families to view.
Hmmmmm.....a retirement home for out of work puppets....haven't we heard of this someplace before?

Speaking of puppets - can we talk about these new 2010 Olympic mascots?
Did the Canadian committee team-up with Pokemon? According to my 4yr old nephew, they certainly did!
Spirit Bear? Really?
I mean, mascots are supposed to be "cute", but.....Doh!

Mich said...

Where does the intellectual property line fall with The Friendly Giant? Does CBC own the rights to the show and the family owns the physical puppets? Does the CBC really have to get permission or is this permission granted from the family really more of a courtesy notice that the puppets are going to be used? Is the issue all about who has the right to say what is or is not used?

On one hand, I see CBC's side of things, it's their show they can do what they want with the characters and elements of shows that they own. (If they indeed do own the rights to the show and anything associated with the show).

On the other hand, I can see the family being upset because it's not a nice, happy tribute with family-friendly humour. It had some adult edge to it... is that a good thing? Bad thing? Do puppets not grow up like the rest of us do? Are adults, the viewing audience of the Geminis, not able to understand that it's humour and that it's not actually what happened to the puppets? What is the point of this brouhaha? To bring light that CBC alledgely broke copyright with a show that appeared on a network? That CBC possibly besmirched so-called "national icons"? That the CBC alledgely did not seek permission from the family to use the puppets?

It sounds, from the subsequent apology article (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/LAC.20071128.FRIENDLY28/TPStory/TPNational/Television) that are ongoing issues between the CBC and Homme family and that this was the straw that broke the camel's back.

So what's the issue? That the character use was a breach of copyright or the context it was used? I suppose it depends on which way you look at things.

668 aka neighbour of the beast said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
668 aka neighbour of the beast said...

i wasn't going to weigh in on this but here goes...

cbc does not own the puppets. they are on loan to them from the family. there is a contractual obligation to seek permission before using them. (this is the case with a lot of items that are loaned to various museums). if i was the family, i'd be upset. not because of the skit (that's a different issue) but because my property is being used without my permission. if i create something, i want to control it. if that's what my contract says. (which is something i would never sign away. and bitch at my friends when they do.)

add in the fact that the cbc didn't treat bob homme that great at the end, and i don't blame the family one bit. to me, they were doing the cbc a favour by letting them display the puppets and either somebody screwed up by not going thru proper channels. or more likely, they knew they wouldn't get permission and so didn't bother. perhaps to generate even more controversy.

Anonymous said...

Is it sad that I still find this skit funny even after the article? or that I find the article funny too?
C'mon there was barely anything bad in the video. I didn't even know who those puppets were(not from my generation so how was I suppose to). Even if it was Barney or something that I watched when I was a kid I would still find it funny(could be because Im a teenager).
The CBC should have asked yes but whos benifiting from taking the puppets out of the museum?

Anonymous said...

I am disgusted as should anyone else with half a brain. To besmirch a man's work (Homme's) and to disgrace his legacy, not to mention offend and embarrass his family is unconscionable. And NO I will NOT lighten up, perhaps JENUINE you should GROW UP a bit. I think its high time the CBC was held accountable for its biased programming and its disgusting (at times) humour. Why should my tax dollars go to supporting garbage?

Pete said...

This makes Air Farce, Little Mosque On The Prairie and Corner Gas look funny. Enough said.

Anonymous said...

What a great resource!