"Whoa."
-Joey Lawrence, Blossom
"Whoa."
- Keanu Reeves, "The Matrix"
Most Hollywood insiders are privy to the long-standing feud between 80's sitcom-hunk Joey Lawrence and 90's slacker-hunk Keanu Reeves.The feud, which is a decades-long clash over who has rights to the catchphrase 'whoa', has been tabloid fodder for years. Reeves has made no secret his hatred for Lawrence, often referring to him as 'dancing monkey-boy' during interviews, and once even claiming that he would 'kill Joey Lawrence until he's dead' during a Rolling Stone interview in 1993.
It seems now the two actors will have a chance to face off in person, as reports have surfaced of a Lawrence vs. Reeves 'whoa off' at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Both actors have relied heavily on the catchphrase 'whoa' and have invested a great deal of time and effort in developing their delivery. Lawrence opted for a more 'dumb jock' approach, while Reeves relied on a 'idiot stoner' intonation. Although a date has not been set, publicists for both Lawrence and Reeves are not denying the event.
"Joey Lawrence immortalized the catchphrase 'whoa' when he starred in the sitcom Blossom," said Lawrence's agent Phil Freeney. "If you remember, whenever Joey's character Joey would get some heavy news, or learn something interesting, or see a hot girl, he would utter the great line 'whoa'. It brought delight to people all over the world. Then Keanu bastardized the phrase by bringing it to his Bill and Fred movies, and The Matrix. It seemed unoriginal then, and it's unoriginal now - three Matrix movies later."
Added Freeney, "He's a dick, too."
Reeves' agent, Gloria Wholen, said Keanu is quite passionate about his catchphrase and he would do anything to protect its integrity. "When Keanu first broke out the 'whoa' in 1989, the world was going through a tought time. The Tiananmen Square Massacre had just happened in China, and America was dealing with the end of the Cold War. Keanu brought smiles to millions of faces and lips with that catchphrase. It his his and only his. Anyone else who utters that word is an imposter."
According to Wholen, when Reeves got word that Lawrence was using his own version of 'whoa' on Blossom, he went 'apeshit'.
"I've never seen Keanu destroy a hotel room, at least while he was sober, and that night he absolutely trashed his room at the Chateau Marmot in New York city," Wholen said. "When I finally reached him, he was sweating, shaking and bloddy from shattering a mirror. All he could do was look up at me and cry. That catchphrase was his whole career."
The rest, as they say, is Hollywood history. Reeves sued Lawrence in 1990 to retain rights of the phrase, but lost in district court when a judge ruled the catchphrase was 'not unique to either actors' vocabulary'. The judge also noted that 'both actors could benefit from expanding their verbiage and learning some new words that have multiple syllables.
According to Wholen, when Reeves got word that Lawrence was using his own version of 'whoa' on Blossom, he went 'apeshit'.
"I've never seen Keanu destroy a hotel room, at least while he was sober, and that night he absolutely trashed his room at the Chateau Marmot in New York city," Wholen said. "When I finally reached him, he was sweating, shaking and bloddy from shattering a mirror. All he could do was look up at me and cry. That catchphrase was his whole career."
The rest, as they say, is Hollywood history. Reeves sued Lawrence in 1990 to retain rights of the phrase, but lost in district court when a judge ruled the catchphrase was 'not unique to either actors' vocabulary'. The judge also noted that 'both actors could benefit from expanding their verbiage and learning some new words that have multiple syllables.
Years passed as the actors careers took different paths - Reeves went on to make the Matrix trilogy, while Lawrence spent much of his time lamenting his own declining popularity. Lawrence even went to far as to book a mall tour in 1993, 'The Whoa Show', which was cancelled after three dates due to poor ticket sales after fans discovered he would merely point at things in the mall and say 'whoa'.
In 1999, Lawrence hit rock bottom as Reeves rode his 'whoa' to stardom in the first of the Matrix movies.
"When I saw the commercial for The Matrix on tv, I was living with my parents and delivering pizzas for Dominoes. My career was in shambles and my wife had just left me for my younger brother. Then I saw Keanu's fat face saying my line, and it became the new catchphrase for the whole movie," said Lawrence. "That's when I decided I had to do something."
And do something he did. Lawrence wasted no time in contacting boxing promoter Don King, and presented an idea to get his life back on track, and win back his beloved catchphrase - a 'whoa off' with Reeves. King declared the idea 'somewhat brilliant' and set about contacting Reeves' people. As it turns out, Reeves was not at all interested in the opportunity.
"I spent the better part of 1999 and 2000 trying to get Keanu to commit to this battle, and he wouldn't even return my calls," King said. "Then just last week, his chauffer called and said it was on. I haven't been this excited since Tyson ate Holyfield's ear."
Details of the battle are not confirmed, but the Staples center has been booked for the night of July 29th under the ominous title of 'W.O.', which could stand for 'whoa-off'.
In 1999, Lawrence hit rock bottom as Reeves rode his 'whoa' to stardom in the first of the Matrix movies.
"When I saw the commercial for The Matrix on tv, I was living with my parents and delivering pizzas for Dominoes. My career was in shambles and my wife had just left me for my younger brother. Then I saw Keanu's fat face saying my line, and it became the new catchphrase for the whole movie," said Lawrence. "That's when I decided I had to do something."
And do something he did. Lawrence wasted no time in contacting boxing promoter Don King, and presented an idea to get his life back on track, and win back his beloved catchphrase - a 'whoa off' with Reeves. King declared the idea 'somewhat brilliant' and set about contacting Reeves' people. As it turns out, Reeves was not at all interested in the opportunity.
"I spent the better part of 1999 and 2000 trying to get Keanu to commit to this battle, and he wouldn't even return my calls," King said. "Then just last week, his chauffer called and said it was on. I haven't been this excited since Tyson ate Holyfield's ear."
Details of the battle are not confirmed, but the Staples center has been booked for the night of July 29th under the ominous title of 'W.O.', which could stand for 'whoa-off'.
No comments:
Post a Comment