Gawker: defamer, simon pegg

More Amazing Pictures Released From 'Star Trek: Muppet Babies'

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:46:33 EDT

Yesterday, we spent time dissecting Entertainment Weekly's new cover devoted to the J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek, starring a Marfan's-afflicted Katie Holmes and the president of Pi Kapp. Today, even more images were released for the film, which comes out next summer but is being heavily promoted now, in October, because the strike-wary studios have fuck-all for you until next year. Let's have a look, shall we?

Here is your Enterprise crew, from left to right: Chekov, Young Kirk, Ricky Gervais's hated rival, Bones, Sulu, and Uhura. NEEDS MOAR TYLER PERRY.

Spock and Young Kirk's first meeting goes poorly when a thetan-wary Spock applies this very unconventional "personality test."

Meet Eric Bana as the film's Romulan villain, Nero. Fun fact: Abrams originally approached Russell Crowe for this part. Sadly, the A-list casting move was heavily lobbied against by the cash-strapped craft services department.

Young Kirk's tragically far-ranging quest for a "cold brewski, braugh," leads him to crash-land on this ice planet.

The all-white reinvention of the Enterprise's bridge was so Apple Store-reminiscent that ''People would joke, 'Where's the Genius Bar?''' says Abrams in EW. Sadly, this may explain why the crew had to wildly overpay for something as simple as a pair of pointy earbuds.

'Star Trek': New Movie, New Vision [EW]

Peace Restored Between Simon Pegg and 'Fat Idiot' Ricky Gervais

Kyle Buchanan — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 16:25:00 EDT

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:

This, from the Daily Mail Online, is not so flattering... "Simon Pegg calls Gervais a fat idiot."

Loads of journalists called for a response. This is what I gave them.

"Simon is not only one of my favourite British comic actors but he is also quite astute, as according to my last medical, I am approximately 22lb over my ideal weight." Ricky Gervais.

Pegg brought the brouhaha full circle on his own blog:

So apparently I have "slammed" Ricky Gervais in the press as being a "fat idiot". Oh dear. Ricky's comments about the British film industry were definitely a little unfair but whatever I said on Heart FM was intended in the spirit of mutual teasing that myself Ricky have always indulged in. I am not in a position to genuinely accuse anybody of being fat, or for that matter of being an idiot. Whatever public feud is subsequently encouraged/fueled/blown out of proportion as a result of this, it is entirely the doing of those gleefully stood around clapping their hands and shouting "fight".

It is true however that we used to be lovers.

Sx

p.s. Ricky and I have laughed about this, although his initial response was "It's glandular you cunt."

Glad that's settled. Now, can we go back to believing in British peace and civility — at least until a war of words breaks out between a ready-to-rumble Hugh Laurie and Russell Brand?

SIMON’S BLOG: Ricky [Myspace]

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

Kyle Buchanan — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 16:25:00 EDT

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:

While promoting his new film, How To Lose Friends And Alienate People, Pegg was asked if he, like Gervais, felt under pressure from the LA lifestyle.

Pegg, 38, said: "He says a lot of things, that man.

"He said there'd been no good British films since 1950. What an idiot. If you go to LA, you can get sucked into that.

"I've seen people go there and suddenly become rake-thin because there is a slight pressure on you to be thin.

"I've seen a lot of fat people there."

Jamie Theakston, who was interviewing Pegg for a radio show commented that Gervais was apparently not receiving that kind of pressure.

Pegg said: "He's one of the fat people in LA, yes."

Simon, picking on Ricky Gervais will get you nowhere — just ask Joan Rivers! As fans of both actors, we're reluctant to pick sides, but we can't help but think Pegg has made a crucial mistake. Though we loved Simon in Shaun of the Dead and Hot Fuzz, we're pretty sure that after this fight, that Oscar for Run, Fatboy, Run just got a whole lot more unlikely.

Simon Pegg brands Ricky Gervais a 'fat idiot' [Telegraph]