Pennywise isn’t the only clown causing chaos.
Comedian Tig Notaro is “extremely” disappointed that SNL‘s “Birthday Clown” sketch, in which host Louis C.K. hires a clown to cheer him up, has a lot in common with her “Clown Service,” in which she hires a clown to cheer her up. In a statement released to Entertainment Weekly, Notaro brought up the “p” word — “plagiarizing” — and mentioned that she “recently learned that a writer/director who was fully aware of ‘Clown Service’ when I was making it, actually worked on Louis C.K.’s clown sketch that is in question.”
While it’s true “Birthday Clown” and “Clown Service” share a similar premise, the execution is different. For one thing, only one ends with a clown getting murdered. Also, it seems unlikely that C.K., who released her album Live on his website and is listed as an executive producer on Amazon’s One Mississippi, would knowingly rip-off Notaro, although she notes “Louis C.K. and I have not communicated in any way for nearly a year and a half.”
Here’s the full note.
“It has been impossible for me to ignore the cacophony of voices reaching out personally and publicly about the potential plagiarizing of my film ‘Clown Service’ (a film that I screened at Largo in Los Angeles for over a year and it premiered at Vulture’s Comedy Festival in NYC as well as numerous film festivals around the country and I am currently screening on my national tour).
While I don’t know how all this actually happened, I did find it extremely disappointing.
Here is what I can tell you:
First off, I have recently learned that a writer/director who was fully aware of ‘Clown Service’ when I was making it, actually worked on Louis C.K.’s clown sketch that is in question.
Secondly, Louis C.K. and I have not communicated in any way for nearly a year and a half.
And finally, I never gave anyone permission to use anything from my film.
I hesitated to even address any of this, but I think it is only right to defend my work and ideas and moving forward, I plan to continue screening ‘Clown Service’ with the joy and pride I always have.“
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Clowns are bad news.
(Via Entertainment Weekly)
