Freaky Trigger served with cease and desist order

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Quick note to regular readers. Freaky Trigger is currently down as we consult a lawyer regarding the cease and desist notice we received yesterday from Universal Pictures of an article Ned wrote about Xanadu. Hopefully it should be back up later, but we appear to have attracted a number of predatory law firms so this thing might keep happening and Tom is obviously concerned about his position.

We will keep you updated.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 10:53 (twenty years ago)

IDIOT PETE

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 10:56 (twenty years ago)

Idiot Ned more like.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 10:57 (twenty years ago)

you're a month early

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:01 (twenty years ago)

i don't understand, what did Ned write that caused lawyers ask for a cease and desist? :-(

― nathalie barefoot in the head (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:05 (twenty years ago)

i suppose we'll never know

― kate/baby loves headrub (papa november), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:11 (twenty years ago)

persumably this affects all sites on the server?

― ilkley lido (gareth), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:14 (twenty years ago)

wow, someone's paying attention!

― NRQ, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:16 (twenty years ago)

yes gareth, just another temporary glitch by the look of things. have a great solution in the pipeline that'll sort things out tho, so hold tight for that

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

(shouldn't this be posted on ilm also?)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:19 (twenty years ago)

i was wondering why Freaky Trigger is banned from my work web proxy!!

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:21 (twenty years ago)

I must admit i went through the posts on blogger this morning to try and wheedle out the source and it all seems rather innocuous to me (however I will not of course be repeating said liebel as I have always posted with my work address etc etc.)

It is remarkable that of all the things written on the site it is not Tanya or NRQ slagging off David Thompson what does it, but a relatively harmless assertion that a particular film is not much cop (and a comparison to whit about how much not much copness it is) that gets us into trouble.

I have spoken to a friend well versed in these things though and he says test cases in this area are so minor that it might be fun to repost and take them on. Apparently we cannot use the Hustler Magazine v. Fallwell, 485 US 46, 108 S.Ct 876, 99 L.Ed.2d 41 (1988) as a fallback as the piece actually isn't funny.

― Pete (Pete), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:26 (twenty years ago)

Pete Baran served with cease and desist order

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:27 (twenty years ago)

sven we can use washington vs munchausen as a fallbackj

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:28 (twenty years ago)

this is all very mystifying. can u be asked to 'cease and desist' slagging things off? this appears to be the case///

― NRQ, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

STOP BEING MEAN!

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:30 (twenty years ago)

If I could turn the page
In time then I’d rearrange just a day or two
Close my, close my, close my eyes

But I couldn’t find a way
So I’ll settle for one day to believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(you can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

Although I’m not making plans
I hope that you understand there’s a reason why
Close your, close your, close your eyes

No more broken hearts
We’re better off apart let’s give it a try
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(you can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies

If I could turn the page
In time then I’d rearrange just a day or two
Close my, close my, close my eyes

But I couldn’t find a way
So I’ll settle for one day to believe in you
Tell me, tell me, tell me lies

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(you can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)

Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me lies, tell me, tell me lies)
Oh, no, no you can’t disguise
(you can’t disguise, no you can’t disguise)
Tell me lies
Tell me sweet little lies
(tell me, tell me lies)

― Masked Gazza, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:31 (twenty years ago)

I would like to bring to light the 2003 case of Bewildered And Emotionally Distressed Online Collective Of ILE vs Pete Barang regarding the alleged closure of ILX

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:34 (twenty years ago)

Wtf, a libel charge because Ned criticized a film? Did he make personal insults there or what?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:35 (twenty years ago)

i put it to you mr bastard that this is a NOTHING BUT A TISSUE OF TRUTHS!!

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)

Objection!

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:36 (twenty years ago)

luckily my 'Million Dollar Baby Is A Big Pile Of Shit' microsite is hosted elsewhere

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:37 (twenty years ago)

powerfailure@redbus.news

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

i have used google's 'cached' function and i'm all 'wtf'??? can george lucas now sue david thomson? can i sue jerry the nipper? wah?

― NRQ, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:38 (twenty years ago)

my gmail address is redbulldozers at gmail dot com.

just saying like.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

Boy, do I Love that X3nadu flick! Oh my goodness yes.

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

what the fuck?!? so from now on you can't post negative reviews?!?

― nathalie barefoot in the head (stevie nixed), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:40 (twenty years ago)

in corgan vs raggett, m'lud, was it not held that admiration taken beyond the realm of reason is ipso fatso STALKING?

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:40 (twenty years ago)

mark s, you're in contempt of court. One more outburst and by god I'll birch you here and now.

― Markelby (Mark C), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

The last thing I saw in my RSS feed before everything went down is one of those near-useless intro links reading "When I knew Olivia Newton-John at high school... Ned Raggett". Sadly by the time I attempted to click on it the site had been taken down and it was error messages all the way.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:42 (twenty years ago)

all stand for judge markelby! (and if you'll stand for him ect ect)

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)

also: DUB DOB DEE to THREAD!!

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:43 (twenty years ago)

They must have some real problems in the glass walled offices to worry about reviews of 20+ year old movies. Criminy, they had to pay someone on their legal staff to write the order. Don't they have better things to do with their cash?

― Earl Nash (earlnash), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:44 (twenty years ago)

writing is fun!

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:44 (twenty years ago)

Jub-Jub Don Cheadle would have the lot of you thrown out without a moment's pause

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:45 (twenty years ago)

Yeah, well I'll stand up here and say that I've seen "Xanadu", and it fucking sucked. Come and get me fuckers.

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:45 (twenty years ago)

I believe this may be related to the release of the digitally-remastered director's cut in a couple of months time, Earl.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

Would it be a really bad idea of me to post the google archive link here?

(I have read the off piece fwiw)

― mark grout (mark grout), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:46 (twenty years ago)

'... hordes or angry sub-par stand-ups jeered the plaintiff as he took the stand...'

― NRQ, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

email me w/link plz mr grout!

― Pashmina (Pashmina), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

me too please

― kate/baby loves headrub (papa november), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:47 (twenty years ago)

wait wait surely dub-dub is hostile to the media obsession with trivia and celebrity at the expense of TRUTH? i am not sure FT has such a strong case after all... !!

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:48 (twenty years ago)

let's get old skool on their asses. Rumpole to thread.

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:49 (twenty years ago)

I think it would be a SPECTATULARLY bad idea to post the link here.

Mind you, having re-read it just now, it does seem to be rather inoccuous. Have IMDB and Amazon received similar orders, one must ask? (I haven't looked, but I bet they've got some "THIS FILM SUX!" reviews as well on their pages)

― Johnney B (Johnney B), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:50 (twenty years ago)

I think I found it by myself, but it's so meh that I'm not even sure.

― kate/baby loves headrub (papa november), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

I've already posted my email address upthread.

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

i think the item, and all of Ned's reviews for that matter, should be posted on as many blogs and public msg boards as possible, several times.

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:51 (twenty years ago)

there must be some plans that they're making with the film.. maybe a remake!!! oh no!!!

― ken c (ken c), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:52 (twenty years ago)

Thank god Tom saw sense and canned the idea of a Blog Seven 'Politics' month or they'd have been inundated with angry Downing Street press officers. Still, I'm sure 'Blog Seven: Envelopes' will be fun nontheless.

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:53 (twenty years ago)

Xanadu 2: The Case For Curly's Electric Boogaloo AKA Nazi Gold

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 11:54 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 166 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

Ned Raggett found guilty of violation of section catorze of libel laws

― green uno skip card (ex machina), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 17:55 (twenty years ago)

I FEAR TEH MAFFIA

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 17:56 (twenty years ago)

section catorze
Después de mí, el diluvio- diluvio de mierda!

― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 18:22 (twenty years ago)

I think I might have been the only person who got Stevem's reference upthread but k-blimey is that what Vanilla Ninja look like? Why had I assumed they were Japanese (as opposed to robots)?

― Matt DC (Matt DC), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 18:47 (twenty years ago)

because you focussed on the Ninja part as opposed to the Vanilla part?

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 18:51 (twenty years ago)

ah, ein reizendes farce, das meine netherregionen tickles! ich bin außer mich mit Gelächter und Freude.

― latebloomer: Klicken für Details (latebloomer), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:01 (twenty years ago)

i think i wrote on my blog a long time ago about how the people making xanadu must have ashtrays of coke waiting for them after each take... if ned said something worse than that, wow.

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:05 (twenty years ago)

this is too bizarre, especially since Xanadu was one of three 1980 musicals some Seattle (and B.C.) ILxors saw just this past weekend, and had a thread about here...

and also the Xanadu 2006 thread on ILM yesterday.

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:12 (twenty years ago)

Ned mentioned something about rimming, percocet, Gene Kelly, and Olivia N-J. Enough said.

x-post

― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:13 (twenty years ago)

I just read Ned's post (cached) and I have no idea what could be objectionable about it at all.

(xpost Wait, I missed that part!)

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:14 (twenty years ago)

someone post the cached version! [or email it to me]

― maria tessa sciarrino (theoreticalgirl), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:16 (twenty years ago)

http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:1n_YRCWodhIJ:www.freakytrigger.co.uk/see/2004_09_01_dys_archive.html+raggett+xanadu+site:freakytrigger.co.uk&hl=en

It's about halfway down the page.

― jaymc (jaymc), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:17 (twenty years ago)

Fuck this shit.. it was a hyperbolized rant about the movie and nothing more. Anyone who sues over this shit deserves to go to a hell filled with his or her own bullshit.

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:31 (twenty years ago)

I read that earlier and my reaction was all THAT'S IT!?
Good thing for Matt Prindle he doesn't review movies....

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:40 (twenty years ago)

MARK

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

TS: Mark Prindle vs. Matt Pinfield

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:41 (twenty years ago)

I wonder if I should say anything.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:43 (twenty years ago)

oh you mean that ISN'T it?

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:45 (twenty years ago)

Haha, wouldn't it be funny if it turned out one of Ned's MORTUL ENEMAES was actually the entertainment lawyer in question...

KAILUM RAWBURT WAHDEL : Universal entertainment lawyer

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

― donut debonair (donut), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:48 (twenty years ago)

If Moulin Rouge didn't work for you, don't get anywhere near this.

Hahaha exactly.

― moley (moley), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 20:51 (twenty years ago)

Where is a serious lawyer who aims suing?

― The Ghost of Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:15 (twenty years ago)

anyone still looking for the cached version of ned's story may not be my uncle.

― mark p (Mark P), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 21:44 (twenty years ago)

So does this thread go into the same category as the one about the Ricardo the troll?

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:04 (twenty years ago)

Because if it does, as I presume, Pete got me again.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

Plus he has the weirdest sense of humor on the planet.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:13 (twenty years ago)

(Sorry to ruin your fun.)

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:15 (twenty years ago)

Nedykins hope ur alrite babes x0x

― Big NED Fan, Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:18 (twenty years ago)

tuomas he is a CRIMINAL and NOT TO BE TRUSTED

― mark s (mark s), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:32 (twenty years ago)

That's why we call him CBT.

― Leon the Fatboy (Ex Leon), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:33 (twenty years ago)

"free speech is being destroyed every day in our great, wonderful democracy."

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 22:39 (twenty years ago)

Hey Aaron, is your new handle a reference to Tarwater? I always thought that line was "Don't ever antagonize the Hun"!

― Momus (Momus), Tuesday, 1 March 2005 23:52 (twenty years ago)

MOMUS GET ONE MAUS HOS MON HOOTS

― ano, Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:14 (twenty years ago)

Hi Nick,
Haven't seen you round here in a while. Seems like there is a thread on the other board called Pretentious that is crying out for your contribution.

― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 00:17 (twenty years ago)

Actually the name is Peter C. Baran which is an anagram of Crap E Banter.

(Pete Baran is an anagram of Barnet Ape of course)

― Pete (Pete), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 10:50 (twenty years ago)

It's Pynchon Momus. Don't Ever Antagonize The Horn is a Tristero thing from The Crying of Lot 49, like We Await Silent Tristero's Empire.

― Don't Ever Antagonize The Horny (AaronHz), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 14:39 (twenty years ago)

Hey, doesn't FT know that Xanadu is a place where no one dared to go?

― Aaron W (Aaron W), Wednesday, 2 March 2005 22:00 (twenty years ago)

It should be a place that nobody cares to go.

― Pete (Pete), Thursday, 3 March 2005 14:34 (twenty years ago)

like Sidcup

― Sven Bastard (blueski), Thursday, 3 March 2005 14:38 (twenty years ago)

I've been to the Tesco in Sidcup. Far too many times.

(it's the nearest one to the naturist campsite at St. Mary Cray, where I was dragged to on holiday far too much as a child)

― caitlin (caitlin), Thursday, 3 March 2005 20:30 (twenty years ago)

four years pass...

Revive!!

WTF?!?!

― Mr. Snrub, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 03:07 (fifteen years ago)

yeah.

So, what happened in the end?

― Mark G, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 07:53 (fifteen years ago)

they all died

― mdskltr (blueski), Tuesday, 24 November 2009 09:32 (fifteen years ago)

RIP

― "your shades, man, they're shite..." (electricsound), Tuesday, 24 November 2009 09:34 (fifteen years ago)

I knew I should have hung on for the last five minutes.

― Mark G, Tuesday, 24 November 2009 09:40 (fifteen years ago)

So, since nobody's saying anything, I assume this subject is off limits. But it is strange that nobody even bothered to revive this thread in four-and-a-half years.

― Mr. Snrub, Wednesday, 25 November 2009 01:08 (fifteen years ago)

Er, wasnt the whole thread a misfired april fools joke?

― hulk would smash (Trayce), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 01:20 (fifteen years ago)

april foolish

― lyrically launched salvo on a plethora of esteemed artist (The Reverend), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 06:46 (fifteen years ago)

So, since nobody's saying anything, I assume this subject is off limits.

Haven't you noticed that almost everyone who spoke up on the first half of this thread has since mysteriously disappeared?

― Space Battle Rothko (Matt DC), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 09:57 (fifteen years ago)

Stevie Nixed? Ken C? Me?

― Mark G, Wednesday, 25 November 2009 10:05 (fifteen years ago)

Replaced by robots. Sorry to have to break it to you...

― so says surgeon snoball (snoball), Wednesday, 25 November 2009 10:12 (fifteen years ago)

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