By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
July 9, 2003
The lawsuit between Viacom and director Spike Lee may be settled, but that doesn’t mean the filmmaker is happy. He told GLARE Tuesday, “I think that when people settle, no one’s happy because it’s a compromise. But we’ll all move on. I would like to state that I have no affiliation whatsoever with Spike TV–never did and never will.”
The settlement, terms of which were undisclosed, clears the way for the TNN cable channel to change its name to Spike TV, as originally planned for June 16. Lee had claimed in his suit that even TNN president Albie Hecht said people associated “Spike” with him.
“It’s settled, but I can’t really comment on it at the time,” Lee said. “But one day I will.”
Ironically, Lee’s next project is a pilot for Showtime, which is owned by Viacom. “Sucker Free City” deals with Chinese and African-American gangs in San Francisco.
