Mr. T takes no pity on Best Buy

Reuters ^ | May 1, 2003

[WaveThatFlag]

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tough-guy actor Mr. T is famed for his scowl and now he is glaring at an electronics retail chain that the former "A Team" star says stole his likeness and made him look like a fool in their ads.

[WaveThatFlag]

My prediction for the trial? PAIN.

[GulliverSwift]

I pity the foo who takes on Mista T.

[martin_fierro]

Per The Mr. T'inator:

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Tough-guy actor Mr. T gunna be famed for his scowl and now BA Baracus gunna be glaring at an electronics retail chain that crazy that darn former "A Team" star says stole his likeness and made him look like a fool in their ads. What's all that about? That guy's crazier than Murdock.

Mr. Come on, you can do better than that! T, who lent his famous gold-adorned image to everything from TV shows and movies to action figures and a breakfast cereal in that darn 1980s, jibba jabba'd Minnesota-based Best Buy Co. Inc. You couldn't take on a bunch of girlscouts singlehandedly! made unauthorized use of his 1982 breakout role in "Rocky III" to hawk its wares. My fist's gonna see you later if you don't get that lizard away from me!

some 50-year-old Chicago-born actor sued that darn company in Los Angeles Superior Court Tuesday, demanding that crazy it stop using his image and pay him unspecified damages. Must be one of Hannibal's plans.

A Best Buy (BBY: Jibba Jabba , Estimates) spokesman jibba jabba'd the darn company does not comment on pending litigation.

the darn lawsuit accuses Best Buy, one of that darn nation's largest appliance retail chains, of running a November 2002 ad campaign featuring a boxing scene from "Rocky III," in which Mr. Fool! T and Sylvester Stallone fight.

some chain allegedly altered the "noble and serious" boxing sequence by digitally removing Stallone and making it appear that darn Mr. Stop jibba jabbrin' and start liftin'!!! T wuz boxing with a "middle aged, balding, out-of-shape" Best Buy salesman. Stop jibba jabbrin' and start liftin'!!!

"At no time did Mr. The fool's crazy! T consent to Best Buy's use of his likeness, photograph and voice ... Foo! to promote Best Buy," that darn lawsuit jibba jabba'd . Don't touch my van, sucka! "Best Buy's portrayal of Mr. Crazy Fool! T as a fool thus has some likelihood of injuring Mr. Dont stay up late, eat all your greens. Remember I love you. I'll see you soon. T's business reputation and of diluting the crazy distinct quality of Mr. Hey man, This time we're gonna do it my way! T's professional persona."

the former pro wrestler, born Laurence Tureaud, got his big break playing boxer Clubber Lang opposite Stallone in the darn third installment of that darn "Rocky" saga. What you doin'?!? You can't drive, sucka!!

Helluva guy lent his out-sized personality and trademark line "the Faceman pity the darn fool," to his role of Sergeant Bosco "Helluva Attitude" Baracus on TV's "the A Team" starting in 1983. Got no time for the Jibba Jabba. At the height of his popularity, his mutton-chop mug wuz everywhere -- in a Saturday morning cartoon, on an action figure, on countless TV guest appearances. Foo! But in the mid-1990s, T dropped out of sight to battle cancer, which the crazy T beat in 2001.

Mr. Crazy Murdock! T re-emerged on-screen in 2002's "Not Another Teen Movie" and as a pitchman for a Helluva -distance telephone service.What's this Jibba Jabba?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

I remember the first time he was on television.

It was an event called something like "The World's Toughest Bouncer" or some such.

The final competition was an obstacle course of sorts. Somewhat like the "Superstars" course except it was set inside a bar.
The contestants had to navigate around a dance floor, over and around tables without upsetting the drinks on them and ten run up a ramp and open a door to a DJ's booth and ring a bell.

Mr. T slid across the dance floor, regained his feet, leaped over every table, vaulted over the rail on the ramp and ran up the ramp and dove head first through the door, splintering it in the process as he exploded through it, arms outstretched to grab the bell and rip it from its wall mount. He did the whole course in something like 8 seconds. The next closest time was something around 20 seconds.

What a juggernaut he was.

[WaveThatFlag]

If I remember correctly, there was also a dwarf toss as part of the obstacle course. Or was that a different competition?

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

If I remember correctly, there was also a dwarf toss as part of the obstacle course.

The competition I saw, I believe, part of "ABC's Wide World of Sports" on a really slow sports weekend back in...oh...the 1970's?

I don't remember Dwarf tossing being part of it. Hadn't been "invented" yet. Just my guess.

[uglybiker]

Mr. T has gone up against bigger guys than this!

Mr. T vs. Katz

[CounterCounterCulture]

I recall a dwarf toss as well. Those were the days.

[abner]

bumping for later.

[BunnySlippers]

[The Hon. Galahad Threepwood]

I'm no lawyer, but I'd think the permission of the copyright owner is all that Best Buy needed.

[mountaineer]

Is that a gold-plated pie tin?

[BunnySlippers]

Maybe it's for cocaine. Note that there is a gold spoon right above it. Either that or he carries his plate and spoon with him to eat ... panning for gold?

[TC Rider]

I'd never seen 'Buffet' jewelery before.

[BunnySlippers]

I saw him driving along Wilshire Boulevard some years ago in a bright RED Bentley convertible. Even in LA he was hard to miss. :)

[Jhoffa_]

I always thought he spoke and sounded like Gary Coleman on steroids.

Never did care much for him actually.

[Freakazoid]

Gimli says, "NOBODY TOSSES A DWARF!"

[Oztrich Boy]

Tough-guy actor Mr. T is famed for his scowl and now he is glaring at an electronics retail chain that the former "A Team" star says stole his likeness and made him look like a fool in their ads.

Jane Eyre after Rochester has been blinded and disfigured in the fire.
Rochester: "Jane, tell ne the truth. Am I hideous?"
Jane: "Oh yes sir. Very. You always were, you know."

[WaveThatFlag]

Now that I think about it, there was definitely a dwarf toss, and it was definitely the bouncer contest. They explained it by saying a great bouncer has to be great at throwing people out of bars, so this is a measure of skill-level at his profession. In my opinion, the whole show was a set-up, geared at introducing Mr. T to the public.

[WaveThatFlag]

I always thought he spoke and sounded like Gary Coleman on steroids.

And who can forget his heartwarming guest appearance on a very special Diff'rent Strokes. A lot of people feel that the show jumped the shark on that episode.