ricky gervais

Svelte Ricky Gervais Will Never Stop Making Fun of Fat People

3:42AM Kyle Buchanan | It appears that Ricky Gervais has taken Simon Pegg’s weight-related criticism to heart, as the Oscars-eschewing star has begun slamming the overweight in the press, causing some controversy. And he’s not taking it back!

For Your Razzie Consideration: ‘The Spirit’

9:10AM Seth | The Oscar race may be all over the place, but at least the Razzies have a clear front runner this year. Still, a slickly packaged FYC spot never hurts. [via TotalFilm.com] More »

Oscar-Eluding Ricky Gervais Just Fine With Obscure Flops, Thank You Very Much

3:19AM STV | Despite its principals’ best efforts, the Ricky Gervais Oscar-hosting whispers simply will. Not. Die. But Gervais, who has downplayed the possibility since his Emmy-saving bit in September involuntarily sprung him into candidacy, has his foot squarely on the rumor’s throat today with his strongest denial yet. And we paraphrase: Who wants that bullshit job, anyway? More »

Ricky Gervais and Thandie Newton Add British Class to Sarah Palin Porn Film

2:54AM Kyle Buchanan | Ricky Gervais said recently that Sarah Palin could have played his role in The Office, and it looks like turnabout is fair play for the comedian, who took part in his own Sarah Palin pas a deux on Graham Norton’s talk show this week. Never fear, Simon Pegg’s portly rival wasn’t playing the veep candidate himself — that honour fell to Thandie Newton, extending the political impersonation duties she honed playing Condi Rice in W. Oh, one other thing? According to Norton, the script he had both actors read was a scene from Nailin’ Paylin, the instantly notorious, Hustler-produced porn film starring a decidedly more fulsome Palin doppleganger. Lest you ever doubt the ability of British actors to spin gold from dross, the Gervais/Newton recreation immediately racked up five Oscar nominations from an insecure, California-bred Academy. [Graham Norton] More »

8:20AM Kyle Buchanan | Handbags and Gladrags: If the presidential election doesn’t work out for Sarah Palin, Ricky Gervais thinks she has a future in television comedy. Comparing her to the role he played in the UK version of The Office, he says, “Sarah Palin is David Brent. She is! There’s so much comedy value in watching her talk.” Certainly, we can’t think of an Office moment as awkward as that Katie Couric interview — but does that make John McCain her Gareth? In other news, Gervais is playing hard-to-get when it comes to the Oscars, which he has been tipped to host. “I don’t think I’d get the freedom I needed,” he told the BBC. Executive producer Bill Condon, if we even hear you so much as mention the words, “Howie Mandel”… [Yahoo] More »

Peace Restored Between Simon Pegg and ‘Fat Idiot’ Ricky Gervais

6:20AM Kyle Buchanan | Yesterday, we brought you news of a budding feud between two British funnymen genuinely beloved at Defamer HQ: Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg and possible Emmy host Ricky Gervais. If you’ll recall, Pegg appeared on a British radio program and branded Gervais an “idiot” for his comments on the British film industry, eventually dismissing him as “one of the fat people in LA.” Yesterday, Gervais took to his blog to respond: More »

In the Battle of the British Funnymen, Simon Pegg Calls Ricky Gervais a ‘Fat Idiot’

6:25AM Kyle Buchanan | In the annals of celebrity feuds, we tend to prefer the light-hearted frivolity of a Seth Green/Shia LeBeouf dustup to the knock-down, “no one gets away unscathed” fights like Alec Baldwin on Greg Garcia. That’s why we’re so stymied by the latest and most unlikely entry in the feud genre: the war of words between Shaun of the Dead star Simon Pegg and Ricky Gervais, the Emmy-honored creator of Extras and The Office. So far, the battle (instigated by Pegg’s mouthy appearance on a British radio show) is one-sided, but we fear a rebuttal from Gervais could embroil both talented comedians in a zero-sum rivalry. The Telegraph has the scoop: