Blake Lively decided to capitalize on recent news when she released a new commercial on Tuesday that parodied Gwyneth Paltrow’s highly publicized ski trial.
In the 35-year-old actress’s video, Dr. Irving Scher, who will be familiar to eagle-eyed viewers of the Utah trial thanks to his intriguing defense of Paltrow.
During the process, he drew a stick-figure diagram on a dry-erase board to illustrate the actress’s version of events.
For Blake’s new ad, promoting her non-alcoholic mixer Betty Buzz, he mocks himself by mimicking his testimonial with comedic stick figures to promote the drink’s fruity flavors.
The clip opens with an unseen female narrator saying, “Is it true that Betty Buzz is the most sparkling fizzy drink in the world?” We called in an expert witness to find out.’
Familiar face: Blake Lively has Dr. Irving Scher, a standout from Gwyneth Paltrow’s Utah ski trial, featured in her new Betty Buzz ad, released Tuesday
In the news: Scher testified as an expert witness for Paltrow, who was sued by retired optometrist Terry Sanderson after he claimed she had a skiing accident; seen March 21 in Park City, Utah
Keeping busy: Lively’s new ad comes just after she starred in another ad for National Gin & Tonic Day on April 9; seen February 2022 in NYC
Instead of the slightly more abstract drawings Scher used during Paltrow’s trial, he now had smiling stick figures on the white board, each of which was a Betty Buzz bottle.
“Look, when you look at a person drinking Betty Buzz meyer lemon soda, they have a smile on their face,” he said, adding an arrow pointing to the figure’s humble face.
The ad got crazier as it went on: “Another person drinks sparkling grapefruit buzz and says out loud, ‘Mmm! Betty Buzz tastes great.'”
Then he reached down to draw a line to where the stick figure’s stomach would have been, which he circled.
“And of course, in both cases, the Betty buzz goes into their stomachs here, which is consistent with the laws of physics and Newton’s laws,” he said with a straight face.
The line referenced one of his buzzier statements from the ski test, stating that “Paltrow’s version conforms to the laws of physics.”
To match the atmosphere of the test images, the commercial appeared to contain lower quality digital images than what would normally be used for a slick ad.
The humorous clip ended with a close-up of the Betty Buzz drinks and a hyperbolic recap of the narrator.
‘Case closed! Betty Buzz is probably the best sparkling drink in the world scientifically,’ she said quickly.
Weighing In: Scher testified at trial that “Paltrow’s version [of the crash] is in accordance with the laws of physics; seen March 28 with its white sign
Laughter: Scher seemed to have created new comic stick figures that all drank Betty Buzz bottles
Taking it seriously: “And of course, in both cases, the Betty buzz goes into their stomach here, which is consistent with the laws of physics and Newton’s laws,” he said deadpan as he circled a figure’s stomach
Putting words in his mouth: Scher objected after the narrator claimed he said that ‘Betty Buzz is probably the best sparkling drink in the world scientifically’
But then Scher started. “I didn’t necessarily say that,” he protested.
“You did, and you also said, ‘Case closed.’ Thank you, Dr. Scher,’ she concluded.
But he wanted to have the last word. “No, that’s what you said,” he shot back.
‘What happens now?’ he asked in a confused voiceover before the commercial came to an end.
Blake parodied the Utah case in which retired optometrist Terry Sanderson sued Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 skiing accident.
Sanderson originally sued Paltrow in 2019, though the ongoing coronavirus pandemic delayed the process until he and the Royal Tenenbaums star finally duke it out in court.
The collision occurred on February 26, 2016 at Flagstaff Mountain. The venue is part of the Deer Valley Resort, located near Park City, a popular skiing destination and home of the Sundance Film Festival.
The medical professional claimed that Paltrow collided with him that day during a beginner’s ski course, and later sued her for $300,000 in damages.
Sanderson alleged that Paltrow skied wildly and too fast and hit him from behind, reportedly causing “permanent traumatic brain injury, four broken ribs, pain, suffering, loss of joy, emotional distress and disfigurement.”
He also claimed she left him and skied off without seeking medical attention.
Fun with it: Blake parodied the Utah case in which retired optometrist Terry Sanderson (L) sued Gwyneth Paltrow over a 2016 ski collision; seen March 30
Teetotaler: Blake is not a drinker, but she founded Betty Buzz after spending a lot of time mixing cocktails for her husband Ryan Reynolds, who has an interest in Aviation Gin
However, Paltrow resisted, claiming that it was Sanderson who had run into her from behind.
She only asked for a token $1, which the jury awarded her, though Sanderson was also on the hook for her attorney fees, which are likely in the six figures.
Lively’s new ad comes not long after she starred in another clip for her Betty Buzz brand to celebrate National Gin & Tonic Day on April 9.
On her Betty Buzz website, she states she’s not a drinker — even though her husband Ryan Reynolds has a stake in Aviation Gin and is the drink’s regular spokesperson.