Not like I will ever see the movie, but this was mildly interesting:

Acccording to MTV.com, "The Dukes of Hazzard" made more than $30.5 million last weekend, placing it in the number one spot. However, the intellectual property debacle behind the scenes has been less publicized by the studio.

As you probably know, the movie was based on a popular television show from the 1970s. What you may not know is that the television show was based on a little known 1974 movie, Moonrunners. Warner Brothers attained the rights to make the movie into a television series in 1978. According to a lawsuit earlier this year, the movie rights remained with the producer of the original movie. In fact, a preliminary injunction ordered Warner Brothers to cease marketing and postpone the release until the issue was resolved. Since Warner had already spent $53 million making the movie and had started the $30 million advertising push, settlement was definitely an option.

In the end, the copyright holder obtained $17.5 million for the rights to a movie that nobody has seen. Of course, if I come upon Moonrunners in the future, you can bet I'll watch now.

Is this where I mention Jessica Simpson's freakishly mannish jaw?



Why yes. Yes it is.