‘Last Week Tonight’ Host John Oliver Makes Fun of Eminem Case in New Zealand Court
In case you didn't know, Eminem's currently waging a legal battle against New Zealand's National Party for allegedly using his seminal track, "Lose Yourself," in one of their 2014 campaign ads. The ridiculousness of lawyers spitting Slim Shady lyrics was lost on no one, and so it's only natural Last Week Tonight host John Oliver poke fun at the situation during one of his episodes.
If you've been following Eminem's case against the National Party, you already know the party, somewhat brazenly, named their clearly "Lose Yourself"-inspired instrumental, "Eminem-esque." Oliver absolutely let them have it for the move.
"If you are going to rip off someone else's work, maybe don't include the name of the person you're ripping off," Oliver said this past Sunday (May 7). "Call it something less obvious like 'This May or May Not Be Copyright Infringement,' or 'Please Don't Tell Anybody About This,' or 'Blurred Lines.'"
Oliver next bounced to an actual video of the trial, specifically the part where they're rocking some robes while bumping the anthemic track from the 8 Mile soundtrack.
Speaking in court a little less than two weeks back, Eminem's lawyer, Gary Williams, made it clear just how big a deal "Lose Yourself" actually is. “The song ‘Lose Yourself,’ is without doubt the jewel in the crown of Eminem’s musical work,” Williams said in his opening statements in the courtroom.
He continued, “Not only did the song win an Academy Award for best original song in a movie, it also won two Grammy awards.” Williams went on to say that when “Lose Yourself” is “licensed, it can command in the millions of dollars. That’s how valuable it is.”
Williams made some pretty inarguable points there, didn't he? In any case, you can peep Oliver's hilarious video for yourself below.
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