Clear eyes, full hearts, can't . . . think of an original slogan?
In a letter obtained by The Hollywood Reporter earlier this week, Friday Night Lights creator Peter Berg slams Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney for co-opting the show's signature inspirational catchphrase, "Clear eyes, full hearts, can't lose," frequently uttered by Coach Eric Taylor (played by Kyle Chandler).
"I was not thrilled when I saw that you have plagiarized this expression to support your campaign by using it on posters, your Facebook page and as part of your stump speeches," Berg writes. "Your politics and campaign are clearly not aligned with the themes we portrayed in our series."
Adds the showrunner, "The only relevant comparison that I see between your campaign and Friday Night Lights is in the character of Buddy Garrity — who turned his back on American car manufacturers selling imported cars from Japan." (Garrity, a former Dillon Panthers football player and diehard fan, owns a car dealership in the fictional town of Dillon, Texas.)
Berg says although he wishes Romney and his family "all the best" — and that he's flattered that members of the former Massachusetts governor's team are fans of the show — the candidate's "use of the expression falsely and inappropriately associates Friday Night Lights with the Romney/Ryan campaign . . . we are not in any way affiliated with you or your campaign. Please come up with your own campaign slogan."
Scott Porter, who played the Dillon Panthers' former starting QB on the beloved drama, took to Twitter on Thursday to weigh in on his former boss' new beef with Romney.
"Both parties using it to win votes. And my boy Pete Berg didn't even trademark it. Shame," he wrote. "Oh. And by the way . . . Obama did it first. And more classy."
