In our column that takes you inside the world of media: Ricky Gervais hilariously calls out the woke brigade PLUS Raygun and Sam Worthington both have PR disasters
*You can watch a video version of this column in the player above
RAYGUN CALLS IN THE LAWYERS
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Is there anyone out there who doesn’t think Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s performance at the Olympic Games was nothing more than a cynical attempt to make a name for herself?
Australia’s Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes during the Round Robin Battle at the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. (AP Photo/Frank Franklin) Credit: FRANK FRANKLIN II/AP Well, for anyone still giving Olympic ‘athlete’ the benefit of the doubt, her actions this weekend might finally set you straight. Just hours before Raygun: The Musical was set to debut in Sydney, Gunn’s lawyers threatened legal action, forcing comedian Steph Broadbridge to shut the production down.
*You can see the video message from Broadbridge in the player above
“Rachael Gunn’s management and legal team is committed to protecting her intellectual property and ensuring that her brand remains strong and respected,” Born Bred said in a statement.
Ahhh, so it’s all about protecting her brand. Interesting.
Satire and parody is protected under Australian law, so Gunn’s lawyers took a trademark out on the comedian’s poster. Whether an action performed at the Olympics can be trademarked remains to be tested in court, but there’s no doubt receiving a legal letter can be scary and is likely to work against people who can’t afford ongoing legal fees.
To make matters worse, the comedian has apologised to Raygun for the negativity she has received over the legal action, telling The Project “If you’re watching I just want to say I’m really sorry for any negativity that you might have received as a result of this,”.
Meanwhile, Gunn continues to cash in on her fame after taking the Australian Olympic Committee for a ride. The simple idea that she feels she can trademark a performance at the games suggests to me her participation in Paris was nothing more than a plan to become famous.
She was not up to the standard of her competitors and should not have taken part but now she is using that fame to continue making cash (many suspect she will be appearing on Channel 10’s I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here). Her brand is now considered so important she now has lawyers threatening comedians.
That seems very unAustralian to me.
WORTHINGTON SNAPS
Much has been made of Sam Worthington’s comments to 7NEWS journalist Sally Bowrey at the GQ Man of the Awards.
Bowrey was doing a live cross for 7NEWS Sydney when she inadvertently introduced Lara Worthington as her maiden name Lara Bingle. Worthington was quick to speak up, “Her name is Lara Worthington,” he said.
“It’s only been ten years.”
7NEWS reporter Sally Bowrey on the red carpet with Sam and Lara Worthington Credit: Seven Sure, but she is known the world over as Lara ‘where the bloody hell are you’ Bingle, not Lara ‘Sam Worthington’s Wife’. Was it really that big a deal she needed to be corrected, and embarrassed live on air.
Red carpets are hard, especially if you’re covering them live. You’re trying to wrangle talent, and when you do you’re trying to keep them occupied with small talk while you’re waiting for the studio to come to you. You’re worried that any moment they might get bored of waiting too long and leave, leaving you with no-one to talk to.
“All you have is hope that there’ll more than just tumbleweeds rolling down the red carpet when the news anchor says, “Over to you!”,” Sally herself noted on this website a few days ago.
Now while this cross would have been planned ahead of time, can you imagine the pressure on Sally dealing with a noisy red carpet, a studio that could be running late and trying to make small talk with Sam and Lara Worthington when they’ve turned up?
Especially when he was the star of the night.
The raw vision of this cross, which is in the video player above, shows Sally telling her guests they have about 20 seconds to wait until Mark Ferguson crosses to her. She then faces the camera and waits for her cue as Sam and Lara adjust in the background.
She is nothing but professional.
His actions were not.
These stars have all the power, so if one decides to put you in your place it is embarrassing.
And it only gets worse if it becomes a headline story, like this encounter did.
My one takeout from this is the support Sally has received and the backlash against Sam Worthington. In the scheme of things it wasn’t the meanest thing we’ve seen on the4 red carpet, but it just wasn’t necessary.
As Spiderman says, ‘With great power comes great responsibility’ and when you are the star you have all the power Sam, just remember that.
RICKY GERVAIS CALLS OUT WOKE THEATRE
It turns out going to see a theatre show is proving too much for some, with signs now warning of potential harm.
Comedian Ricky Gervais posted a notice that had been placed in the lobby for a performance of the classic Pirates Of Penzance. Despite The Gilbert and Sullivan classic gracing stages across the world since 1879, apparently the antics contained within the musical are too much for modern audiences.
Rickey Gervais posted this notice at a London Theatre Credit: Instagram The sign posted on Gervais’ Instagram feed reads:
London Coliseum
The Pirates of Penzance
Please note this production contains references to alcohol misuse and mild violence.
Please speak to a staff member for more information.
“I need to do a gig at this theatre now just to see what notice they have to put up 😂😂😂😂” Gervais hilariously observed.
Has it really come to this? If this play causes you anxiety, maybe the problem is you.
INSIDE MEDIA is published every Monday ad Thursday.
Rob McKnight is the co-owner of TV Blackbox.