If you read the Michael Palin Diaries, you will see Eric has always been like this. He’s never satisfied with anything, and likes making a lot of noise whenever the opportunity arises.
That was my first thought! “What’s Idle Thoughts done, then?”
As long as ol’ Eric is in a lawsuit-happy mood, d’you think he’ll also go after David Chase for last night’s Sopranos? The scene where Phil taunts Tony a second time-a?
I think it’s entirely possible that Idle meant it as a joke.
Whether he did or not, it ought to be treated as one.
IANACopyrightL, but is the coconuts gag really something that Idle, or the Pythons as an entity, need to protect? Everyone knows it’s their gag (even if the Goons did it first, as someone claims). It’s associated so strongly with them that I don’t see how there could be any doubt about ownership. If Shrek’s people did try to claim it was original with them, they’d be scoffed at as an artist would if he submitted “Christina’s World” to an exhibition. I honestly don’t see the harm.
Me, too! There’s nothing to see here. I’m going to bed.
Idle whooshing…
IANABEE (I am not a British entertainment expert) but wasn’t the point of the Holy Grail joke that they took an old and well-known music hall/pantomime stage effect and showed it right out in the open instead of behind the scenes? I don’t think that Monty Python can claim any real ownership of the idea, and even as an “out in the open” joke were probably only the first to do it in film rather than on stage.
Are you half a BEE?
This, from the guy who came up with The Rutles? The Pit is too good for him. :rolleyes:
Well, he came up with the name, anyway.
Is that a BI?
Why did my mind immediately make this sound absolutely obscene?
He is Devo!
No. He is not Eric.
Need doesn’t enter into it.
I think you’ve got it backwards. If it’s obvious that it belongs to you, that makes it *easier *to make an infringement claim.
IIRC Alton Brown did a similar type of parody- much smaller scale I know, but just to say I doubt its the first time.
I still want his autograph. One step closer to the full set.
Scrolling scenery? Lifted from “When Things Were Rotten” and from even before that. I think the sight gag goes back to Spike Milligan.
You’re no fun anymore.
Legally, he’s probably as screwed as a lone knight vs a bunny.
However morally: he was involved in the project and they didn’t ask him
If they just gone and done a coconut clapping joke that’d be funny. That’d be homage. But to have him involved in the project and do the joke behind his back is rude.
He’s offended by it and I can understand that. Screw the extremely rich bastards who run the shrek films. And give it to the rich pythons.