Adult Swim EVP and creative director Mike Lazzo just fought back against David Cross and H. Jon Benjamin on Reddit for the second time over “Icelandic Ultra-Blue.†Not long after Cross and Benjamin posted an open letter to Lazzo on Facebook yesterday detailing their frustrations over Lazzo allegedly ripping off the time slot and no-promotion concept behind their 2009 pilot Paid Programming (for details, see part 1 and part 2 of the dispute), Lazzo took to Reddit again to address their claims, and it’s pretty similar to his first response. Read the entire post from Lazzo below; Cross and Benjamin have not yet responded.
Dear David Cross and Jon Benjamin I enjoyed the rambling analysis of my letter. And yes I remember Jan, Bonnie and Terry, Bill and Ted. But forgive me, outside of lifting three 8-track tapes from Rich’s when I was fifteen, I just don’t remember stealing. I don’t think you remember me stealing either. I think you read the considerable press about Too Many Cooks and went batshit crazy with professional jealousy. Otherwise why wait years after Icelandic to ding me with your classic professional slander. No matter. You’ve now reasonably informed me that the whole (sole) point of contention is that you told me to air Icelandic under the heading of paid programming and urged me not to tell anyone about it so that people could enjoy the process of figuring out what the hell they just watched. Okay. You’re right. No doubt I blithely stole whatever that was. Didn’t you tell me to? I am missing something else? Like we, David Cross and Jon Benjamin, want our just due ($) as creators of any adult swim 4am time period containing any such programs that people have fun producing. Okay. That’s wrong. In your vivid memory of our meeting do you recall any discussion of anything adult swim had made, was making, had scheduled, was scheduling, etc…or did we just talk about your project? (Also golf, which is a great fun.) Your agent? I told him the project was too intellectualized to be, admittedly, confusingly polite, but next time (hopefully!) I’ll just tell him no fucking way it was worth the money. Thieves in the building? Oh yes. Many, thankfully. It’s the basic nature of creativity, you intellectual dimwit(s). And I’d say there goes the argument but due to my love of poor writing you will find these points confusing and incomprehensible. Ah, Sunday night. I close out this latest bored edition with—if we made Icelandic all in for 60K I swear to God I will eat the category birthing giant live on television at 4am and if we didn’t, will you? Mike Lazzo
UPDATE: H. Jon Benjamin has responded.