# Can Spike Lee's huge head fit through the courtroom door? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [June 15, 2003, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027 "2003-06-15T15:49:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 3:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/21 "2003-06-16T03:47:55Z")
**Evil Captor**. Thank you for your answers. You’re excused from jury duty. By the way, what exactly _is_ your background in the law? ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/22 "2003-06-16T04:03:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by RexDart \* > \*\*Since the Knicks have been irrelevant (and utterly abysmal) since 1999, so has Spike Lee. \*\* Missed **25th Hour** eh? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/23 "2003-06-16T04:40:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\ ***Evil Captor**. Thank you for your answers. You’re excused from jury duty. > > By the way, what exactly _is_ your background in the law? \*\* Unindicted co-conspirator, mostly. BTW, I didn’t notice that I was in a courtroom. I thought this was a public discussion board. In short, your notion that a legal degree is necessary to comment on the Spike Lee suit is amusingly off-base. Try again later. Bring pie. ---
**Author:** ![Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troy_mcclure_sf/32/4150_2.png) [@Troy\_McClure\_SF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Troy_McClure_SF)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/24 "2003-06-16T07:52:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Evil Captor \*\*\*Try again later. Bring pie. \*\* Brilliant use of pie, I must say. ---
**Author:** ![gruntz\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@gruntz\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gruntz_1)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 8:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/25 "2003-06-16T08:02:54Z")
Well hell, time to rip up all the railroads, charge roalities from hair dressers that give a “Spike” hair style, and change the name of a volleyball term just so that uppity retard says he owns the name Spike. But really… should this kind of stupidity really suprise us who live in a country where people get millions for spilling their (GASP!!!) hot coffe in their laps?? This is just a sad ploy for him to get back into the news, and yet another example of why our legal system is a fu#@ing joke. And iI must agree with those before me, the Judge should stop sniffing so much glue, cause he obviously does not have many brain cells left to kill. ---
**Author:** ![Xploder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/a183cd/32.png) [@Xploder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xploder)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 8:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/26 "2003-06-16T08:14:27Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Murcielago \* > \*\*_Midgets Gone Wild_. \*\* I’d most definitely watch that shit… ---
**Author:** ![Typo\_Negative](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/typo_negative/32/484_2.png) [@Typo\_Negative](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Typo_Negative)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/27 "2003-06-16T08:27:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*So, the fact that a NY State Supreme Court Judge thinks it merits going to trial means _bubkes_? > > Go for it, **Spike**! \*\* C’mon, **sam**. **Evil** has a point. From the blurb you quoted: > [@](#): > > In the age of mass communication, a celebrity can in fact establish a vested right in the use of **only their first name or a surname,"** Manhattan State Supreme Court Justice Walter Tolub said But Spike Lee doesn’t do this, and never has. If he has an excluse right to ‘Spike’, then does he not also have an excluse right to ‘Lee’? This can get pretty ridiculous. Now, if someone were to market a CherTV, one might reasonable expect that to feature Cher. Because the name Cher is so closely identified with her and pretty much her alone. Not so with Spike. Until you hear _Lee_ along with it, you do not really think of the director. And in the IMD, there are 6 directors called Spike. [Christ, he’s not even the hottest director with that moniker!](http://www.imdb.com/Name?Jonze,+Spike) _Being John Malkovich_ and _Adaptation_ have generated more buzz than most anything Spike Lee has put out. And better too, IMO, except _maybe_ for _He got game_. ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/28 "2003-06-16T11:34:09Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by gruntz#1 \* > \*\*But really… should this kind of stupidity really suprise us who live in a country where people get millions for spilling their (GASP!!!) hot coffe in their laps?? \*\* The coffee in question gave the woman third degree burns on her upper thighs. It was VERY, VERY hot coffee. The woman initially just wanted to be reimbursed for the medical costs of the burn treatments, but the asshole corporation – McDonald’s – refused to do just that and so by the time things got to court, millions were at stake. I know it’s an urban legend among conservatives, but there’s just no truth to the story. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/29 "2003-06-16T13:19:08Z")
You have to admit, it’s a great way to finance the next Spike Lee movie. ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/30 "2003-06-16T13:52:54Z")
OK, I’ll bite: [/quote] “In the age of mass communication, a celebrity can in fact establish a vested right in the use of only their first name or a surname,” [/quote] How about the fact that THE GUY’S NAME IS SHELTON!?! To me that reads that he may have a claim to the name ‘Shelton TV’. If Shelton gets as much as ¢50 in this lawsuit, I’m going to start going by the stage name “Good Morning”. My lawyer and I will sit back and wait for the milions to roll in! ---
**Author:** ![astorian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ad7895/32.png) [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/31 "2003-06-16T16:28:29Z")
Is British comic Spike Milligan still alive? If so, he had the name WAY before Shelton Lee was born. I’d say Mr. Milligan should sue the hell out of Shelton, and make him give up the name. Then we’ll see how many people want to watch a “Shelton Lee Joint.” ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/32 "2003-06-16T16:34:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by astorian \* > \*\*Is British comic Spike Milligan still alive? \*\* Alas, no. ☹ He died last year. ---
**Author:** ![Gorgon\_Heap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/f475e1/32.png) [@Gorgon\_Heap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorgon_Heap)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/33 "2003-06-16T16:45:52Z")
Are you saying _Shelton_ actually calls his films “joints?” Is that supposed to mean they are good enough to smoke? ---
**Author:** ![cuauhtemoc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecb155/32.png) [@cuauhtemoc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cuauhtemoc)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/34 "2003-06-16T18:00:58Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Governor Quinn \* > \*\*You have to admit, it’s a great way to finance the next Spike Lee movie. \*\* Joint. You said “movie”. The proper term for a Spike Lee movie is “joint”. Sorry to nitpick, but we don’t want him suing us, do we? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![jeevmon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@jeevmon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jeevmon)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/35 "2003-06-16T18:27:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoGoodNamesLeft \* > \*\* > How about the fact that THE GUY’S NAME IS SHELTON!?! To me that reads that he may have a claim to the name ‘Shelton TV’. > > If Shelton gets as much as ¢50 in this lawsuit, I’m going to start going by the stage name “Good Morning”. My lawyer and I will sit back and wait for the milions to roll in! \*\* Every movie he’s ever made, every commercial he’s ever directed, etc., etc. has been under the name Spike Lee. Saying “his name is Shelton” completely misses the point. He has been doing business as Spike Lee, and is widely known by that name. Just like Julius Henry Marx was known as Groucho. What is real name may happen to be is completely irrelevant. The question is, what do people know him as. And they know the man as Spike Lee. I’m not convinced that his suit will ultimately fly, but that belief is based on my skepticism about his ability to show likelihood of confusion. Not that I think he has no rights because his mama named him Shelton. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/36 "2003-06-16T19:02:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by samclem \* > \*\*If I’m not mistaken, that would not fly. The fact that “Spike” was a bulldog in a cartoon _predating_ Spike Lee’s fame would tend to make such a claim irrevelent. > > Next? \*\* Uh, yeah. I actually understand that. But thanks anyway! Note to self: must use smilies to denote sarcasm. ---
**Author:** ![Governor\_Quinn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/d26b3c/32.png) [@Governor\_Quinn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Governor_Quinn)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/37 "2003-06-16T19:47:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by cuauhtemoc \* > \*\*Joint. You said “movie”. The proper term for a Spike Lee movie is “joint”. Sorry to nitpick, but we don’t want him suing us, do we? 😃 \*\* You mean that he WON’T sue us for using the words “Spike”, “Lee”, and “Joint” together? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/38 "2003-06-16T21:02:22Z")
Just to be the devil’s advocate, when I first saw a trailer for Spike TV, one of the first thoughts I had was to wonder if Spike Lee was involved. I don’t think it’s that much of a stretch for Mr. Lee’s position on the matter, although the remedy could be as simple as a tagline which reads “NOT a Spike Lee joint.” That may even work in the network’s favour… -FK ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/39 "2003-06-16T21:52:33Z")
How about a disclaimer at the bottom during ads for the channel saying “Not associated with SHELTON Lee”… ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2003, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027/40 "2003-06-16T22:17:29Z")
For those who enjoy irony, [Mark Roesler](http://www.cmgww.com/staff/) (no less than a **valedictorian** of Alexandria Monroe High School) engaged in a legal battle against Shelton “Spike Lee” Jackson and established: _“that Malcolm X’s widow controls the rights to ‘X’ used in association with her husband instead of Lee, director of the movie, Malcolm X”_. It seems that Mr. Jackson (Lee) feels that other people’s monikers belong to him too. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-spike-lees-huge-head-fit-through-the-courtroom-door/182027.md?page=3)