Sports Night (TV Series)
Intellectual Property (1998)
Josh Charles: Dan Rydell
Quotes
-
Isaac : Someone holds the copyright to "Happy Birthday"?
Dan Rydell : The representatives of Patty and Mildred Hill.
Isaac : Took two people to write that song?
Dan Rydell : Go figure.
-
Dana Whitaker : Okay, Dan, here's the thing. You're gonna be 15 seconds short on the Bucks/Pacers game. I have two options for you. Option one is that the attendance at the game, 11,323, turns out to be exactly the same as the population of...
Jeremy Goodwin : Hoisington, Kansas.
Dana Whitaker : Hoisington, Kansas.
Dan Rydell : And option two?
Dana Whitaker : Talk slower.
-
Dan Rydell : I've got the intellectual property cops crawling up my butt.
Isaac : The intellectual property cops?
Dan Rydell : Yeah.
Isaac : Are crawling up your butt?
Dan Rydell : The heat's all over me.
Isaac : What the hell are you talkin' about, Dan?
Dan Rydell : I sang happy birthday to Casey on air.
Isaac : When?
Dan Rydell : Well, on his birthday, Isaac...
-
Dan Rydell : No one understands the value of a healthy hunch.
Isaac : Our lawyers understand the value of a healthy hunch. It's $400 an hour, plus court costs.
-
Dan Rydell : By the way, do you know what you got me for my birthday? A box of Mallomars.
Casey McCall : You like Mallomars.
Dan Rydell : I love Mallomars, but these weren't $2, 500 Mallomars.
Casey McCall : They were good Mallomars.
Dan Rydell : They were fine Mallomars. All I'm saying is you could have had the four remaining Spice Girls serve them to me in hot pants - I still say I got gypped.
-
Dan Rydell : It's against the law to sing Happy Birthday on television.
Malory Moss : Federal Copyright law.
Dan Rydell : Happy Birthday is protected material?
Malory Moss : Yes.
Dan Rydell : Who holds the copyright to Happy Birthday?
Malory Moss : The representatives of Mildred and Patty Hill.
Dan Rydell : Mildred and Patty Hill.
Malory Moss : The authors.
Dan Rydell : The authors?
Malory Moss : They wrote it.
Dan Rydell : They wrote the song.
Malory Moss : Did you think that song just happened?
Dan Rydell : Well, yeah.
Malory Moss : Huh. Well, it didn't.
Dan Rydell : Live and learn.
Malory Moss : Yes indeed.
-
Casey McCall : You've known for awhile now that she's been seeing this guy, Gordon.
Dan Rydell : Yes.
Casey McCall : And you didn't tell me about it.
Dan Rydell : Right.
Casey McCall : Why?
Dan Rydell : I thought you might be upset. I can see now I was wrong.
Casey McCall : Look, I'm not upset, all right. I've known Dana for 15 years. She just does this thing from time to time.
Dan Rydell : You mean have a personal life?
Casey McCall : Yeah. She just does it to make me jealous.
Dan Rydell : I don't think it's gonna work, do you?
Casey McCall : My behavior is not motivated by jealousy, Danny. This is not jealousy.
Dan Rydell : What is your behavior motivated by?
Casey McCall : ...It's an emotion I'm having a difficult time putting my finger on at the moment, but uh, it will come to me.
-
Casey McCall : I took care of my body and my body just deserted me at that moment.
Dan Rydell : No, your brain deserted you. Your body is fine.
Casey McCall : I have a broken ankle. You're not concerned I have a broken ankle?
Dan Rydell : Where does it hurt?
Casey McCall : ...In my ankle, Danny. It hurts in my ankle.
Dan Rydell : You shouldn't move it.
Casey McCall : I can't move it.
Dan Rydell : Well, then you're all set.
-
Casey McCall : There's a fly in the studio.
Dana Whitaker : A fly?
Casey McCall : Yes, a big one. It's been in here about 3 days now.
Dana Whitaker : Dave, there's a fly in the studio?
Dave : I'm not seeing it.
Dana Whitaker : Casey says there's a fly.
Dave : [to Chris] Is there a fly in our studio?
Chris : I'm not hearing anything.
Dave : [to Dana] There ain't no fly.
Dana Whitaker : Casey, there's no fly.
Casey McCall : Dana, there is a fly in the studio the size of a bald eagle. And every time he buzzes my head on a flyby, it sounds like a sound check at a Black Sabbath concert. You're not picking this up?
Dana Whitaker : Dan, is there a fly in the studio?
Dan Rydell : Let him work through it.
-
Dan Rydell : What's the problem?
Malory Moss : During your broadcast on September 5th, you sang Happy Birthday to your partner, Casey McCall.
Dan Rydell : Yeah, but I can explain that. Wait, it was his birthday. Why do I have to explain that?
Malory Moss : You sang Happy Birthday on the air.
Dan Rydell : Dana cleared it.
Malory Moss : Who's Dana?
Dan Rydell : Dana Whitaker, the producer of the show.
Malory Moss : Oh yes. Well, my predecessor didn't clear it.
Dan Rydell : Who's your predecessor?
Malory Moss : Marty Sheinbaum.
Dan Rydell : Who's Marty Sheinbaum?
Malory Moss : My predecessor.
-
Dan Rydell : Look, I don't have a whole lot of time...
Malory Moss : Listen, I think it's sweet that you and your partner sing to each other on television. Others may thing that it's vaguely gay, but I disagree.
Dan Rydell : [Dan looks at woman sitting behind him, who smiles meekly] Thank you.
Malory Moss : Nonetheless, you can't do it anymore.
Dan Rydell : Why not?
Malory Moss : It's against the law.
Dan Rydell : It's against the law to be vaguely gay?
Malory Moss : It's against the law to sing Happy Birthday on television.
Dan Rydell : That doesn't sound quite right to me.
Malory Moss : It is.