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Idiotarod Vs. CSI: NY

Jen Chung

Published Jan 8, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Jen Chung

Published Jan 8, 2007

Modified Mar 7, 2008

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Best email we've received today - aside from all the speculation on what the damn gassy smell is:

After contacting Carts of Brooklyn Racing Association (COBRA)* about this very issue, it appears that the producers of CSI:NY ARE using the name Idiotarod in press releases in regards to Wednesday's episode "Obsession." COBRA, and all shopping cart racers of New York and the country, will not take this disrespect. One, they used the name with out our permission. Two, they are portraying us as thieves and murders. Three, CSI:NY is a crappy show.

Expect a press release from COBRA by tomorrow morning. And perhaps, just perhaps, a show of strength outside of CBS's NY offices on Wednesday afternoon.

Links:
COBRA's Official Idiotarod 2007 Site. (registration now available)
COBRA's November conversation with the producers of CSI:NY (MP3)
Some nice photos of COBRA 2006 and our kick ass, make you weak, burn your soul theme song.

*Team COBRA won the 2005 award for Best Sabotage, the 2006 award for Best in Show (and should have won Best Sabotage), and are organizers of the 2007 Idiotarod.

What is the CSI: NY episode description?

Obsession

A man found dead in the snow with a price tag hanging from inside his stomach leads the CSIs to the annual Idiotarod race where young New Yorkers in creative costumes race decorated shopping carts from Brooklyn to Manhattan as if they were dog sleds.

Dude, if there's one group of New Yorkers you don't want to piss off, it's the Idiotarod folks!

We highly recommend you listen to the MP3 - here's a brief transcript:

Oscar

: A few of us have talked. And everyone's very enthusiastic about the possibilities here.
CSI lady: Oh, great
Oscar: ...We have lots of ideas about how to make this work out great for both of us. Of course we have some concerns about how the race is represented and how this event our organization produces is represented out there. Whether or not the we use the name Idiotarod, it'll still be pretty clear to people, I think, about what the episode is referring to and it's going to represent us either way, so we think it's best for us to be involved. And that could be a very exciting process. We'd definitely like to work with you to get it right.

I can hear in your voice, you know, the drive for authenticity and your understanding of the excitement of the race and how much drama a good show could get out of this race. The drama. The glory of victory. The agony of defeat. The sabotage. The bribery. The intrigue. Dancing monkeys and clowns and whatnot.

Do you smell this? Do you smell that in the air? That's the smell of an Emmy.

CSI Lady laughs and continues to laugh as...

Oscar: I smell an Emmy right now...and possibly a Golden Globe and ...possibly a Heisman...if we did this right.

Apparently the CSI production people called to get clearance on using the name...which they didn't - the video preview calls it "Idiot Run" but Oscar is right, it's totally Idiotarod.

Tagged

brooklyn

cbs

emmy

get out

golden globe

idiotarod

manhattan

mp3

new york

new yorkers

News: NYC

people

photos

race

run

Shopping

smell

snow

the smell

video

Wednesday

Jen Chung

Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

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