Ricky Gervais: I Hate Exercising in Public
By Ann Clark
People.com
October 12, 2008

No swank Hollywood gyms for British comedy star Ricky Gervais.

The creator of the award-winning series The Office says he and girlfriend Jane Fallon recently bought a place in New York with "a gym in the basement."

"So I never have to exercise in public," Gervais, 47, tells the November issue of Britain's Psychologies Magazine.

"My favorite thing in the world is to come home, have a swim, put my pajamas on and open a bottle of wine," he adds. "That's it for me."

Gervais, who tried his hand at being a pop star before stand-up comedy, writing and directing, also reflects on his love-hate relationship with mirrors.

"Twenty years ago, it was a joy. I used to love standing in front of the mirror going 'Yeah!' Now it's just disappointing," he says. "But I spent so much time looking at myself in my twenties, I'm probably just starting to break even."

“Ghost Town”: Gervais, Kinnear share spooky tales
By David Germain
The Associated Press
September 10, 2008

TORONTO (AP) - In real life, Ricky Gervais does not believe in ghosts. Put them on the big-screen, however, and he's more than game to see dead people.

Gervais, who stars in the supernatural romantic comedy "Ghost Town," always is willing to tag along with a filmmaker telling a good story about things from beyond.

"I'm a skeptic across-the-board of ghosts and elves and ESP and the afterlife. But it doesn't change the fact that the romance of Hollywood lets you take someone on board on a journey against their will, really, if it's done well," Gervais said in an interview at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "Ghost Town" premiered ahead of its theatrical release Sept. 19. "For an hour and half while I'm watching `The Bishop's Wife,' I believe in angels. While I'm watching `A Christmas Carol,' I do believe in ghosts, and while I'm watching `Miracle on 34th Street,' I believe in Father Christmas."

“Ghost Town" casts the British actor as misanthropic Manhattan dentist Bertram Pincus, who likes his job because people cannot talk to him while he's stuffing cotton balls in their mouths or taking molds of their teeth.

A near-death experience while under anesthesia leaves him with the ability to see ghosts — and they literally are everywhere, in the park, at his office, crowded around his bed at night. Pincus is the key to letting them rest in peace, if only he can muster the decency to help them clear up unfinished business they have with loved ones.

Greg Kinnear co-stars as Frank Herlihy, a conniving adulterer in life who maintains his scheming ways after he's snuffed out in a sidewalk accident. Frank promises Pincus that he can make the pesky ghosts go away forever if the dentist will break up the impending remarriage of his widow, Gwen Herlihy (Tea Leoni).

Along the way, Pincus learns that by shutting himself off from love and companionship, he's essentially a dead man walking himself.

"`A Christmas Carol' I think is the best ghost story ever told," Gervais said. "It's amazing, and I took something from that, about this guy who doesn't realize there's more to the world than just being a punctual, professional dentist. He's missing out on what's important, which is human connection."

Kinnear's favorite supernatural tale is "The Exorcist," which he saw with a friend while living in Greece as a boy.

"We had heard about it, and my friend told me there's a shot of the devil in it, and we had heard enough to know that this thing is going to be scary, so I was good and worked up when I arrived. But nothing, of course, can prepare you for that movie," Kinnear said.

"There was also `Darby O'Gill and the Little People,'" Kinnear said, referring to the 1959 supernatural fantasy set in Ireland that featured a terrifying banshee foretelling doom. "That banshee scared the bejesus out of me. The banshee stands still as one of the great ghosts in the movie world. Although I did see it recently on cable. I was like, showing my daughter. I saw a little bit of it and said, `Look at that scary thing.' And she's like, `Yeah, well. OK, whatever.'"

"Ghost Town" co-writer and director David Koepp shares Gervais' skepticism about spirits and hauntings.

"I don't believe in ghosts, but I believe fervently in ghost stories," said Koepp, who also made the ghost tale "Stir of Echoes." "They have this bigger-than-life premise that people will accept and drama that can be neatly structured around it, because they're about loss and longing and love. They touch on so many deeply felt human emotions."

Among Koepp's favorite ghost stories: the 1930s and '40s supernatural fantasies "Topper," "Blithe Spirit" and "The Ghost and Mrs. Muir."

For scary ghost stories, he prefers the classics over modern Hollywood's special-effects extravaganzas, hushed tales such as 1963's "The Haunting," whose fear factor arose more from what remained unseen than any actual manifestations.

"There's another good one, the Ray Milland movie `The Uninvited.' It has one of the best ghost or haunted-house moments I remember," Koepp said.

A failed songwriter, Milland's character initially is charmed by his new working space, an attic in a seaside house, and he gushes enthusiastically about how he'll be able to write there. Over the course of a few minutes, though, some sinister presence changes his mood.

"He starts saying stuff like, `Well, who am I kidding, I'm never going to write a song. I'm a miserable failure.' By the end of this four-page scene, he's sort of looking down at the rocks on the beach and contemplating suicide, and he just looks and says, `I hate this room,'" Koepp said. "It's great, because it's the house working on you. Great. No special effects. Just creepy."

Ricky 'intimidated' by Greg
Metro.co.uk
September 8, 2008

Gervais revealed that he was quite worried about working with Greg Kinnear. The twosome play comedic rivals in Ghost Town, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

"It was awful. He (Greg) didn't know what he was doing. And after about a couple of days, he started to get it," he joked.

He then added: "I was intimidated. He's done like about 30 something films and I thought, this is going to be embarrassing. They know their lines, and they know where they stand. I did Alias and I didn't look down. It's awful. I was worried about getting it wrong. It's just rubbish so I've just got to be given freedom.

"If I do a scene where I have to open the door, I'm going to be up and down all day. So I ask if I can just say, 'come in'? It's just little things like that that helps. Greg was a professional. I think in the first day, he was thinking, 'why am I working with this idiot?'"

Ricky Gervais sees dead people
Reuters
September 7, 2008

TORONTO (Reuters) - Ricky Gervais sees dead people. And he has found them to be a demanding bunch in his new movie "Ghost Town" as they clamour for help and attention from the only man who knows they're there.

That man is antisocial dentist Bertram Pincus (Gervais), who hates chit-chat, doesn't like the living much, and now, after a colonoscopy gone wrong, suddenly starts seeing ghosts.

The romantic comedy, which also stars Greg Kinnear and Tea Leoni, provides a first leading role on the big screen for Gervais, who made his name as David Brent in the comedy TV series "The Office" and won critical acclaim for his HBO TV series "Extras."

A master in deriving comedy from awkward social situations, Gervais makes the transition to the big screen with a series of droll one-liners. Pincus is hardly a grown-up version of the young Cole Sear from 1999's "The Sixth Sense," played by Haley Joel Osment, whose line "I see dead people" has become a part of pop culture and movie history.

In fact, "Ghost Town," is about as far from a supernatural thriller like "Sense" as a comedy can get and unlike Sear, who is haunted by ghosts, Pincus sees his rough exterior softened.

He falls in love with his neighbour Gwen (Leoni) as her ghost hubby Frank (Kinnear) tries to persuade him to engineer a break up between Gwen and her fiance, a humourless lawyer.

It's one of many favours the ghosts seek from Gervais, as they follow him in the street, crowd into his waiting room or sit patiently on his bed at night.

Asked about his thoughts on the supernatural, Gervais told a news conference at the festival that "I don't believe in ghosts or ESP or any of those things."

But then, after a stern look from director David Koepp," he quickly changed his answer. "I do believe in ghosts...It was a documentary."

Gervais said he was surprised that his first starring movie role wasn't something he and his long-time collaborator on "The Office" and "Extras," Stephen Merchant, had created together.

The writer and actor said he has read hundreds of scripts over the years for lead roles that just didn't feel right for him, so he had been taking smaller parts in movies such as "Night at the Museum" and "Stardust."

Before accepting the "Ghost Town" role, Gervais told reporters he had a few rules: no nudity or kissing because "no one wants to see that", no shots of him talking to himself alone in a room, "because no one does that." And he promised Koepp he would probably ruin at least 30 percent of the scene takes by giggling through them.

Gervais said he knew he lacked big screen experience and he initially was nervous about acting alongside stars such as Kinnear, but now that it's done, he thinks he has a future.

"I'd like to play a bad guy, like the worst person ever," he deadpanned. "Hannibal Lecter, but with less moral conscience"

"Ghost Town" opens in U.S. theatres on September 19.

(Reporting by Janet Guttsman, Ka Yan Ng and Cameron French)

Ricky Gervais snubbing British movies
By Daniel Kilkelly, Entertainment Reporter
Digital Spy
August 30, 2008

Ricky Gervais has admitted that he is avoiding British movies as they cannot compare to their rivals in the US.

The Extras funnyman turned down a series of film offers before agreeing to take the starring role in Ghost Town, a forthcoming American fantasy-comedy movie.

"[Ghost Town] is absolutely the best script I've read for a movie," Gervais told Empire magazine. "I must have turned down over a hundred movies over the years because they have to tick a lot of boxes for me to be interested."

"The Americans are just better at it than us," he continued. "There's an odd exception, but when it comes to making movies we don't really cut the mustard. Not since about 1950."

Gervais also revealed that he was able to focus on his other projects during downtime on the movie's set.

He confirmed: "I've started writing new stand-up; I’ve got a couple of ideas for TV shows; I've worked out a way to do more podcasts with Karl Pilkington, with me calling him and filming him and vice versa; I'm working on a behind-the-scenes documentary for the film."

Gervais Spooked At Haunted Hotel
Showbiz Spy
August 30, 2008

British comedian RICKY GERVAIS got the fright of his life when publicity for his new movie was ruined by paranormal activity in a Hollywood Hotel.

Office star Gervais was recently hosting a series of press junkets for his new movie, Ghost Town, at the Roosevelt Hotel in Los Angeles, but left in a hurry when spooky happenings scared him and his co-workers.

A terrified movie executive revealed that their work was disrupted by a string of supernatural occurrences.

The exec tells British newspaper the Daily Star, "We wanted the junkets at the Roosevelt because of its ghostly reputation. But we got so much more than we bargained for. A photoshoot we prepared was wrecked and two runners say they saw the figure of a lady in the full-length mirror.

"The final straw came when a production assistant stayed in the room earmarked for Ricky and claimed to have been freezing cold on the hottest day of the year. He said he woke up with someone whistling in his ear, even though he was alone, then heard a giggle before being pushed out of bed."

Office Tea break
By Sara Nathan - TV Editor
The Sun.co.uk
August 4, 2008

Ricky Gervais has spoken about his first romantic lead role, in which he cops off with Hollywood beauty Tea Leoni.

The Office funnyman woos Tea, wife of X Files star David Duchovny, in new movie Ghost Town.

And Ricky, 47, admitted: “No-one would expect this from me, they look at me and see David Brent.”

He plays depressed dentist Bertram Pincus, who starts seeing ghosts after he briefly dies on the operating table.

He then falls for his neighbour Gwen, played by 42-year-old blonde Tea.

His character looks like an idiot as he tries a wardrobe makeover and new hair in a bid to impress Gwen.

Ricky said: “It’s a bit like those great old Hollywood movies. It reminds me of It’s A Wonderful Life, it’s very sweet.”

It comes out later this year, but asked if he was nervous, Ricky said: “There’s no point, I like the film.”

Ricky and long-time girlfriend Jane Fallon recently bought a New York pad. And he has finished filming his second US flick, The Other Side Of The Truth.

Now he and comedy partner Stephen Merchant are writing The Man From The Pru, which Ricky said came about almost by accident.

He admitted: “We had our first little workshop with a couple of key characters which went really well.

“Then we got side-tracked and started coming up with ideas for a new sitcom.”

The Office to be remade in Russia
BBC NEWS | Entertainment
July 25, 2008

A Russian version of award-winning comedy The Office is to be made, after a licensing deal was agreed between BBC Worldwide and Russia's Channel One.

A total of 24 half-hour episodes will be recorded and producers can develop their own scripts, which do not have to follow the original British plots.

No details of the new show's cast have yet been announced.

The UK version of The Office has been seen in more than 70 countries and there have been several spin-offs.

The first episode of the American remake attracted more than 11 million viewers in 2005.

Steve Carell played the role of Michael Scott, the regional manager of the Dunder Mifflin paper supply company in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

The show completed its fourth series in May and has won a series of accolades, including an Emmy Award for outstanding comedy.

France became the first country to produce a foreign-language remake, in 2006.

Francois Berleand starred as office manager Gilles Triquet in Le Bureau, set in Villepinte, a business area north of Paris.

Other local versions have also been licensed in Canada and Chile, with the latter airing next month.

Ricky Gervais won two Golden Globe awards for his original version. He and co-creator Stephen Merchant are executive producers on the US show.

BBC Worldwide head of sales for Russia, Ben Donald, said he was "obviously very eager to hear about the cast members, including who will be the David Brentski of Russia, and the location of their 'Slough'" - the town where the British version was set.

Ricky Gervais is a real standup guy
British comedian is coming to a small screen near you
Alex Strachan, Canwest News Service
July 15, 2008

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The English and the Americans do laugh at the same things, Ricky Gervais says: Just not at the same time.

Ba da bump. Thanks everyone, you've been a great crowd.

Gervais, creator of the original U.K. version of The Office and the behind-the-scenes entertainment-industry parable Extras, says comedy is universal, and American comedy -- when it's done well -- translates anywhere.

Gervais is bringing his uniquely British sensibility to a live audience in the U.S. for the first time, in a stand-up TV comedy special. It will air later this year on HBO. The special is as yet unnamed. The working title is Ricky Gervais Comedy Special, which, given Gervais' twisted sense of humour, is what it may be called in the end.

"I don't believe I particularly aim for anything," Gervais told reporters here, when asked to define his comedy style. "I suppose I pick the comedy classics -- Hitler, you know. Famine."

Gervais said most of his comedy heroes while growing up were American. Laurel and Hardy, he said, "are the greatest of all."

They're the greatest, Gervais said, "because the most important thing about comedy is empathy. Whatever you do, whatever you talk about, no matter how taboo or outrageous, comedy is about empathy. You have to make that connection. And Laurel and Hardy did that. They nailed it a hundred years ago, and it's never been improved on. They're beautiful. They're precarious, and I want to hug them. I can't laugh at someone I don't like. They can have the best lines in the world, but [if] I don't like them I can't laugh. I just can't. I've got to like someone to laugh with them. You know, Hitler had great lines; didn't make me laugh at all." He paused. "I can't resist."

Gervais also cited the Marx Brothers as a comic influence. His favourite TV comedies? Arrested Development and Entourage.

"I've been an American comedy fan all my life," Gervais explained. "Woody Allen brought modern comedy to the screen, in my view."

The big difference between standup comedy and writing and appearing in a series like The Office or Extras is that standup is a leap into the unknown.

"Standup comedy is more of a process of evolution," Gervais said. "The audience chooses the best bits for you. It's a process of natural selection. So over a hundred comedy dates, they've chosen your best hour. You thought it up and you said it, but they've done the difficult part for you. It's cheating, in a way.

"I was always in awe of the good standup comedians. I'm proud of The Office and Extras, because I think it's harder to do a narrative piece of comedy that's hopefully not just funny but also has a point to it. But I'm in awe of anyone who can do a good, solid standup comedy routine."

Asked when he knew he was finally in L.A. and not back home in the U.K., Gervais looked momentarily pained, then deadpanned: "When the pilot said, 'Welcome to L.A.'"

Ricky Gervais' show rolls into N.Y.
By Marshall Fine
New York Daily News.com
July 12, 2008

Fresh off performing his standup routine in Los Angeles, Ricky Gervais comes to New York Monday for the final leg of what he calls his "cross-country tour."

"I just didn't stop in the middle," jokes Gervais, whose show, at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden through Wednesday, is being recorded for an HBO special.

"I'd love to do every city that would take me," says the British actor-writer-comedian. "I've started to enjoy standup. It's like the first time you hit the tennis ball right."

Even then, Gervais figures he's getting away with something. After all, he just writes the jokes; it's the audience that tells him which ones are funny.

"By the end of the tour, I've got 20 minutes of material and 40 minutes of ad libs that have stayed in," he says.

"It's almost cheating, really, with the audience telling you what the next audience will find funny. They sift out the gold."

Gervais, 47, struck gold as the creator of the original British version of "The Office" (which had just two six-episode seasons and a followup Christmas special) - especially after he sold the concept to American television, where it became a hit NBC sitcom starring Steve Carell.

Gervais was also the force behind the cult comedy series "Extras," in which he played Andy Millman, an actor suffering the indignities of anonymity, then the embarrassment of fame. Broadcast here on HBO, "Extras" also ran only two seasons totaling 12 episodes.

He became known as a perfectionist who crafted sharp, cringe-inducing shows and refused to produce more episodes simply for a big paycheck. Think of it as the comedy equivalent of a limited edition.

"And then, of course, we sell 5 million prints of it on DVD," he says, giggling.

But being a "perfectionist," adds Gervais, is simply a by-product of his own basic laziness.

"I dedicate my heart and soul and passion and all the integrity I can muster - between the hours of 10 and 6," he says. "As long as I can get away with it, there's no reason to change."

Gervais, who stars in the upcoming comedy "Ghost Town," just finished co-directing his first film, "This Side of the Truth," with Matthew Robinson. And, he notes with delight, he barely broke a sweat.

"Directing a movie is as easy as I hoped," he says. "I feel like I'm getting away with something. I'm not putting much effort into it. I'm having fun doing it. And we still finish at 4 or 5.

"If I was doing 'The Matrix,' I'd struggle. But this is comedy mixed with pathos. When it's your vision, there are no wrong answers. They're asking you a question about yourself, so I can't get it wrong."

His principal comic influence, he says, is Laurel & Hardy. He divides most comic characters into Stans (oblivious agents of chaos) and Ollies (hapless, frustrated observers/victims of the chaos).

Though his TV series are compared to such modern-day "squirm" comedies as "Curb Your Enthusiasm," he sees his sensibility as distinctly British.

"If there's a basic difference between British and American comedy," he says, "it's that we embrace the loser more. [Americans] celebrate success more happily. But it's okay to lose sometimes.

"I'm a white, middle-class, educated, middle-aged man. So, in terms of being oppressed, the worst thing that happens to me is a bit of bad service or social awkwardness. But I can still be a loser."

Comic royalty with a common touch
By David Ng, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
July 12, 2008

Ricky Gervais made his grand entrance at the Kodak Theatre on Friday wearing a crown and silly grin as a giant sign bearing his name ignited in an incandescent blaze behind him. RICKY!

"In any other town, I'd think that was over the top," he quipped.

A master of comic self-deflation, Gervais is a big star who never lets you forget that he's just an average bloke. The painfully mediocre characters he has played on TV's "Extras" and "The Office" has won him an international fan base as well as a slew of awards. He's become the patron saint of modern-day sad sacks.

Gervais was in Hollywood for an engagement of his "Out of England" tour. Commanding the stage with effortless appeal, the self-coronated "English king of comedy" proved himself eminently worthy of his crown even if he was wearing it only facetiously -- a Cockney court jester in royal drag.

Whether on screen or on stage, Gervais' brand of comedy hinges on his ability to say insensitive things with an ingratiating smile. At the Kodak, he delivered a string of jokes involving autistic children, cancer patients, AIDS sufferers and Anne Frank -- a field strewn with land mines that the comic defuses with his non-threatening charm.

Of course, the real target of these tasteless jokes was Gervais himself. His stand-up persona is the harmless schlub who hangs out at the corner pub. (During the show, he took frequent swigs from a can of Foster's beer, his only prop for the evening.) Gervais is a happy drunk -- as opposed to an angry or bitter one -- and even his crudest jokes were delivered with the affability of someone who just wants to be your bar buddy.

The best gags placed Gervais' hetero laddy-boy personality in awkward proximity to the male reproductive organs. In one sequence, he read aloud from a pamphlet on gay sex, enacting some of the literature's more outlandish scenarios. Later, he told a story involving a young man's public restroom tryst that goes wrong in horrific ways.

As graphic as these jokes were, they seldom went far enough in revealing the real Gervais. The comedian spoke little about his background and even less about his personal relationships -- two reliable weapons in any comic's arsenal.

The Kodak show was taped for an eventual showing on HBO, and in many ways, the TV screen seems a more natural fit for Gervais than the stage. His trademark awkward silences and embarrassed mumblings register better in close-up than from the mezzanine seats.

Unlike most comics, Gervais didn't start his career on stage, and he still lacks the finesse of a stand-up veteran.

None of this seemed to bother Friday's audience, which roared its approval and demanded an encore. A comedian on a roll is a force to be reckoned with, and the global Gervais juggernaut has undeniably reached full-throttle high gear.

You looking at me? It's Ricky De Niro
Daily Star.co.uk
July 9, 2008

IF ROBERT De Niro had been born in Reading, then dabbled in the world of indie music management and lived off kebabs and lager-tops on the tour bus.

Well then, and only then, we imagine he’d look just like comedy legend Ricky Gervais, as a gaggle of Swedish tourists believed he did in Beverly Hills.

The party from Gothenburg – a city in the heartland of meatballs and flatpack-assembly sofas – mistook the double Golden Globe winner for Rob, 64.

Ricky had been striding up and down the LA-listers version of the Costcutter precinct, Robertson Boulevard, looking like not at all like a Raging Bull, when the confusion arose.

Our tickled-pink source said: “Ricky is hugely popular in Hollywood, so it wasn’t a surprise to see him chased by autograph hunters.

“But this quartet of fairly elderly folk on their vacation seemed a bit confused. They kept yelling at Ricky: ‘Are you looking at me?’

“It was chucklesome as their broken English added to the surreal situation.

“Then a pretty shop assistant from the Kitson boutique spoke to one of them and worked out that they thought Ricky was Robert De Niro.

“They were obviously trying to speak the line: ‘Are you talking to me?’ from De Niro’s Taxi Driver but getting it slightly wrong. It was all very funny.”

To recap – they thought the star of The Office was New York’s favourite tough-talking Oscar winner Robert De Niro.

The only thing the pair have in common is the size of their trophy cabinets. Still, as Ricky, 47, is king of Hollywood these days, he didn’t disappoint his fans.

Our jammy doughnut in the California sunshine added: “They caught up with Ricky and though I’m not sure the confusion was cleared up, they were happy.

“They came away talking about pigs’ feet and tried to order some in the Ivy.”

Let’s hope they had whipped cream and Flanimal for dessert.

Ricky Gervais
By Jan Borden
Time Out New York
July 10, 2008

The Office cocreator Ricky Gervais can be serious - he’s an outspoken opponent of animal cruelty and a frank atheist - but as his Extras character puts it, he’s almost always “having a laugh.” If you’ve heard the Ricky Gervais Show podcasts he created with long-suffering friend and punching bag Karl Pilkington, you’re familiar with Gervais’s guffaw: loud and frequent. Then again, the 47-year-old Brit has reason to be happy. He’s starring in in the film Ghost Town (opening next month), and he’s shooting This Side of the Truth, a feature he also cowrote and codirects. His fourth stand-up tour - a showcase for favorite jokes from the first three tours, plus some new material - brings him to Madison Square Garden this week.

Time Out New York: Do you appreciate stand-up more now that you’ve been making films? Ricky Gervais: The more I do it, the more I like it. Also, I’ve started exploiting the things that attracted me to it in the first place - it’s the last bastion of self-censorship.

TONY: You certainly don’t censor how much you mock yourself.

Ricky Gervais: Yeah, I always get something in about how fat and stupid I look. In my head I look like a young David Bowie. Then I catch a glimpse in the window and I go, “Who’s Fatty looking at? Oh…”

TONY: Do you like playing New York?

Ricky Gervais: Yes. It makes me feel funny; it smells good. When I get here, I just feel strangely at home. It’s an organism. Um, it’s like coming home to a pet - amazing. And I only hope one day America likes me as much as I like her - is it a her? England is. But Germany’s a he. Who decides? Maybe someone lifts them up and checks for a little winkle.

TONY: Why are you drawn to uncomfortable situations?

Ricky Gervais: I’m a white, middle-class, successful bloke. The only bad things that happen to me are social faux pas. I haven’t got an ism. And comedy shouldn’t be a platform. The thing I usually have a go at is bad comedy. The Office was a show about comedy.

TONY: But over here Jim and Pam are a couple! Isn’t that going to ruin the American show?

Ricky Gervais: I don’t know. I would never have done it. But we had completely different ambitions. Ours was finite. They’ve got to string their show out.

TONY: The audience loves the characters. Is it frustrating when people confuse you for the losers you play?

Ricky Gervais: Often it’s because of lazy journalism. Apparently I’m just like [Office character] David Brent - the thing is, I slip in and out of character, that’s my shtick. I do always play a man who comes from Reading. If I played Genghis Khan, he would talk like me and have this haircut.

TONY: So David, what’s funnier: someone falling or a fart sound?

Ricky Gervais: [Laughs] It depends on context. At a funeral, if it was the vicar: the second one. What would be the first? [Pauses] A fireman has just caught a baby from a burning building and everyone’s cheering and he gets so carried away that he just trips. And the baby falls under a bus.

TONY: What?!? Why does the baby…?

Ricky Gervais: You’re right. Cut that last bit.

So what’s on your wish list?

Ricky Gervais: A God. From what I’ve heard, he’s all-powerful, so he’d sort a few things out.

TONY: Wow: a lamenting atheist?

Ricky Gervais: Well, yeah: A God would be great. But it’s just not true. So, let’s see. An individual jet pack.

TONY: The jet pack would burn your feet.

Ricky Gervais: Okay, my biggest wish? That everyone died in their sleep, and nothing would matter.

TONY: People would stop sleeping.

Ricky Gervais: No! You sound like Karl Pilkington! What I mean is, people die peacefully in their sleep so there’s no pain.

TONY: I know what you mean, but people would try to find a way to cheat it.

Ricky Gervais: Oh, you’ve ruined it now. You ruined the jet pack and the sleeping. All right…world peace. No: a jet pack.

Thanks for your time.

Ricky Gervais: No, thank you very much. I’m going to spend the next hour going, “Why did I say that?” Or, “That came across wrong.” “Oh God, did she think I was insulting journalists?” “Oh no, why did I put the baby under the bus?!?”

'Museum' sequel pens Guest
Actor set to play Ivan the Terrible
By Leslie Simmon - THR.com
July 1, 2008

Christopher Guest is taking it up to 11 for Fox's sequel to "Night at the Museum."

The "Spinal Tap" star has joined the cast as Ivan the Terrible for the comedy adventure, officially titled "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian."

Also joining the cast are Jon Bernthal (Al Capone), Bill Hader (Gen. George Armstrong Custer) and French actor Alain Chabat (Napoleon).

The film, directed by Shawn Levy, reunites lead Ben Stiller with castmates Robin Williams, Ricky Gervais and Owen Wilson.

Robert Ben Garant and Thomas Lennon, who penned both "Museum" films, will make a cameo in the sequel, playing the Wright brothers.

"Museum" was a boxoffice success for Fox, grossing $574 million worldwide. With the Smithsonian as the centerpiece, the studio and Levy kicked the current production up a notch by getting the rare chance to film portions of the movie in the Smithsonian Institute in Washington.

The film is shooting in Vancouver, with a behind-the-scenes team that includes director of photography John Schwartzman ("Pearl Harbor"), editors Don Zimmerman and Dean Zimmerman ("Rush Hour 3"), production designer Claude Pare ("The Aviator") and costume designer Marlene Stewart ("Tropic Thunder").

Ricky’s boyband show
thisisnottingham.co.uk
June 16, 2008

Ricky Gervais is apparently warming up his vocal chords for a new TV show about a boyband comeback attempt.

The Office star - who in the 80s was a member of pop group Seona Dancing - has reportedly written and performed a tune for TV show Toyboize, about a boyband who reform after 20 years with their hit I Like You Girl.

Ricky told The Sun: "I thought the idea of the show was really funny and as a failed popstar myself, I jumped at the chance of writing a bad song."

But it seems the 46-year-old comedian - currently pursuing a Hollywood film career - does not actually appear in Toyboize, which is written by and stars Jamie Deeks and Ewen Mcintosh. The pair played Jamie and Keith in The Office.

The show - which is being launched on video website YouTube before is airs on TV - apparently spoofs bands like Take That with one member who has become a huge solo star.

Ewen's character Tim reportedly says in one clip: "Our single was No 2 in 1988. It should have been No 1 -- f****** Enya!"

An insider told the newspaper: "It's tongue-in-cheek but given how many old bands are reforming it could be true.

"Toyboize are the Spinal Tap of boybands. Getting Ricky on board is the icing on the cake."

Extras wins best comedy at Banff
By Dave West
June 10, 2008

Extras, specifically the episode featuring Daniel Radcliffe, was named best comedy. The show, from Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, also won the Special Jury prize for entertainment.

Ricky Gervais Blogs 'This Side of The Truth'
By Jessica Barnes
Cinematical.com
March 17, 2008

Since Ricky Gervais has always been a chatty sort, it should come as no surprise that for his directorial debut, This Side of the Truth, the film would come hand in hand with its very own blog. Gervais is directing alongside Matthew Robinson (they also wrote the film) and the story is set in a future where no one lies -- heck, they don't even know how.

Gervais reportedly plays a history professor who 'invents' the art of deception. At first, he only uses his new found skill to liven up his lectures, but he then turns to the more important task of landing a woman who is way out of his league (as played by Jennifer Garner). Other members of the cast include, Jonah Hill, Rob Lowe and Louis C.K.

Gervais has been massively successful in his previous online adventures, and his blog for Truth will probably be no exception. Even without his usual cohorts on hand, these short clips are still pretty funny. One thing is for sure, Robinson seems to think it's a hoot since you can hear him giggling throughout. There is no promise of how often Gervais will be updating the blog, mainly because production on the film has already started. According to Gervais, casting has almost been finalized and shooting should begin soon on location in Boston. Hopefully he will find the time to keep the updates coming. This Side of the Truth is expected to arrive in theaters later this year.

Stars clamor for roles in Gervais' 'Truth'

LOS ANGELES , Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Hollywood actors Jonah Hill and Louis C.K. have signed on to star in Ricky Gervais' big-screen directorial debut "This Side of the Truth."

Gervais, who will also appear in the comedy, is co-writing and co-directing the movie with Matt Robinson. The film is to start shooting in April.

Gervais is best-known for starring and co-writing the acclaimed British television comedies "Extras" and "The Office."

Hill recently starred in the smash hit flick "Superbad," while C.K. is known primarily for his stand-up comedy work and will be seen soon in the feature film "Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins."

The pair will join Jennifer Garner and Rob Lowe in "This Side of the Truth," a movie about a world where almost nobody lies, The Hollywood Reporter said.

Ricky Gervais presents live red carpet coverage of the SAGS
By Owen Williams
Showbiz Spy
January 28, 2008

Comic Ricky Gervais found himself presenting live red carpet coverage of America’s Screen Actors Guild Awards after joking the female host was on crack.

The ‘Extras’ star had to interview SAG and Oscar nominee Ellen Page when he was thrown in at the deep end by TV Guide Network.

He was handed the mic live on air after joking presenter Lisa Rinna was “on crack”.

Bungling Lisa, who introduced Ricky as “Ricky Gervay” had started her interview by saying: “You are so funny. Can I say that to a comedian?”

Ricky - nominated for Outstanding Perfomance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for ‘Extras’ - said: “That is kind of the point. It would be worse if you said I was so unfunny.”

When Lisa asked him what he would do if she had said that, the deadpan joker replied: “I would be lost for words.

“I would say ‘She’s on crack’.”

The gag backfired though when Lisa handed him her microphone and invited him to interview ‘Juno’ starlet Ellen.

Ricky, who was accompanied to the LA ceremony on Sunday evening by his TV producer girlfriend Jane Fallon, tried to get out of it be insisting: “I will be rubbish.”

But he managed to compose himself and asked Ellen: “What is it like for you? Who are you wearing?”

And he looked thrilled when Ellen told him: “The Office is the most perfect thing I have ever seen on television.”

It was an eventful evening on the red carpet for Ricky, who also showed off his “buns of steel” in another interview.

Ricky, who lost out to Alec Baldwin from ‘30 Rock’ in the Comedy Actor category, laughed: “I’m very excited and very proud.

“The statues that are all around here are modelled on me.

“They put me in like a plaster sort of thing.”

Then he turned around to let the cameras check out his bum in his smart suit.

The Brit star didn’t see the funny side though when another hapless American presenter asked how he feels about the actor who plays David Brent in the US version of “The Office” being more famous than him.

He did not know what to say when tactless E! presenter Debbie Matenopoulos asked: “Do you find it insulting that the character that you created and Steve Carell plays, Steve Carell is more famous than you?”

Seeing Ricky was stunned by her question, she hurriedly added: “Don’t answer that.”

Ricky had been in a cheeky mood throughout the interview and cracked a gag about US telly presenter Ryan Seacrest, who has been dogged by unfounded rumours he is gay.

He said: “That’s exactly what Ryan Seacrest did to me.

“It’s not true. Ryan Seacrest has never touched my….”

The he cut himself short and urged the interviewer: “Go on.”

Scottish actress Ashley Jensen's sweet turn in 'Extras' led to 'Ugly Betty' role
The Canadian Press
January 20, 2008

TORONTO - Ashley Jensen may be starring in two of television's hottest shows, "Extras" and "Ugly Betty," but the native Scot still can't shake off that Presbyterian feeling that she should not be getting paid for having so much fun.

"I've got that kind of Scottish sensibility where it's like: 'Don't get carried away with your own sense of importance,' and almost sort of feeling guilty for enjoying yourself - it's ridiculous," Jensen, 38, said with a giggle in a recent phone interview from Los Angeles.

"Doing 'Extras' with Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, I mean it was hugely funny all the time, and I was always thinking: 'I can't be getting paid for this as well. I can't be receiving awards for this because I'm just having too much fun."'

The first season of the critically acclaimed "Extras," which recently won the Golden Globe for best television comedy after airing on HBO last year, has its Canadian premiere Tuesday night on the Comedy Network, almost three years after it first appeared in the U.K.

It was the followup to the hit show "The Office" from the British comedy duo of Gervais and Merchant. That workplace comedy went on to spawn a wildly successful American version of the show starring Stephen Carrell.

Gervais and Jensen star in "Extras" as a pair of aspiring actors in bit parts on a number of different British movie sets. Real-life celebrities show up in every episode and play exaggerated and ridiculously funny versions of themselves.

A dirty-talking Kate Winslet appears in the first episode, revealing herself to be single-mindedly obsessed with winning an Academy Award. Ben Stiller plays himself as a deranged egomaniac as he directs a Bosnian war drama.

Jensen, who also stars as the kind-hearted Christina in "Ugly Betty," plays the sweet and guileless Maggie, a woman who longs for love and takes perhaps too much advice from Gervais's Andy, a slightly less boneheaded version of David from "The Office."

"She's got the naivete of someone from another era," Jensen says. "She looks at everything through the eyes of a child, or like someone from 1955 seeing a computer for the first time."

Her turn in "Extras" ended up getting her the role in "Ugly Betty" - but it was all because she was in the right place at the right time, Jensen modestly insists.

"I didn't come over to America and think: 'Right, I am going to conquer Hollywood, here I come!" she says in her gentle Scottish brogue.

"I went over there on holidays and 'Extras' happened to be on HBO at the time and my agent said: 'Why don't you go meet some agents and managers?' And I did and then they said: 'Why don't you go on a couple of meetings?' and I said: 'OK, but not too many because I'm actually on holiday."'

Jensen stayed in L.A. for meet-and-greets for as long as she could afford it, went back to Britain, was called back for some auditions and before long landed the role on "Ugly Betty," itself the winner of two Golden Globes last year.

"Everything was kind of aligned in the right way. I do believe that so much of success in this business has a lot to do with luck," she says. "It's all about getting the breaks and not cocking it up, not making a mess out of it."

She confesses she never once dreamed of Hollywood stardom, and expresses wonderment about what's happened to her since she got her big break on "Extras."

"I am definitely fulfilling my ambition to be an actress, but all the extra stuff like the Golden Globes and all that is a kind of bonus, because I truly never, ever believed I would be a Hollywood actor. A Hollywood actor was a different kind of actor," she says.

"I grew up in a small town in Scotland and I just wanted to do theatre and tell stories and make people laugh in a sitcom, but I don't think I ever thought I would be in a sitcom that would be so well-received as 'Extras.' And then to get on a show in L.A. that is again very well-received and kind of worldwide and universal in its appeal, really - I mean it's been more than I ever dreamed."

Winner of Golden Globe: Series, Musical or Comedy: "Extras," HBO

Gervais' text message Globe win
BBC NEWS | Entertainment
January 14, 2008

Comic Ricky Gervais, who won a Golden Globe award in the US for his sitcom Extras, tells the BBC News website where he was when the glitz-free announcement was made in Los Angeles - and how he feels about picking up another major award.

“It feels really good and the novelty hasn't worn off - it's the biggest television awards in the world. A nomination is a big deal and there's very little tat there.

I was up against shows that I love and think are brilliant. It's genuinely still a surprise and an honour.

When the announcement was made I was asleep, so the adrenalin wasn't pumping. I turned my phone on and got text messages from my American agents saying 'you won!”.

They [Americans] don't text and assume you've got e-mail on your Blackberry.

The Globes is my favourite awards show, it's really casual. I'm going to the Screen Actors Guild awards which I think will be the Globes this year.

I'm not at all bothered there wasn't a ceremony - there are people with a lot more problems than me over the writers' strike. Some people are losing their earnings, others their jobs. It's a really bad thing in Los Angeles.

I can't really whinge about not having the chance to put a dickie bow on - I always complain about it, saying 'why have I got to put this on? Why is it starting at 3.30? Why is it 80 degrees?!'

I'm having words with David Duchovny for losing out in the comedy performance category - all awards are technically mine. It's like they're borrowed. No, he's brilliant as well.

I've been a huge fan of his since he appeared in The Larry Sanders Show. I never mind not winning.

When you look at the Globes or the Emmys, there are never any bad categories with soaps and reality shows getting their chance. But you shouldn't take awards too seriously, whether you win or lose.

But if you were to take any award seriously it would be for the Golden Globe or Emmy for best comedy!

World domination is now my secret plan - there's going to be a South American version of The Office, which is another few hundred million people. Antarctica is about the only place it hasn't been shown.

I've started work with Stephen [Merchant] on the new project - these wins are all diversions, it's the real thing that counts.”

Shaun's hopeful of Extras spin-off
Press Association
January 4, 2008

Ricky Gervais may be planning an Extras spin-off starring Stephen Merchant's dopey agent and Barry from EastEnders as a pair of bumbling crimefighters.

The BBC comedy ended after two series and a Christmas special.

But actor Shaun Williamson, who plays Barry, revealed that Gervais has come up with another idea for his character and useless agent Darren Lamb.

He told radio station Heart: "I would have loved another 10 series of Extras but I can totally understand them wanting to call it a day.

"The one thing we did bandy about, half in jest and half seriously, was the idea of a spin-off for my character Barry and the agent. Ricky thought they could go around in a camper van solving crimes or something."

He added: "That's strictly on the backburner for now as Ricky is busy in Hollywood at the moment. I'd jump at the chance to work with him again."

Williamson said he nearly turned down the Extras role.

"I thought for about 10 minutes about not taking it and then I realised I might never get the chance to work with Ricky and Stephen again.

"I am so proud to have been involved with Extras and I can understand them wanting to finish it.

"They've got so much more going for them and I think they have got a great film in them to make, whether it's an Extras film or just a great British film, and I'm sure they'll make it."

5.3M watch 'Extras' finale on British TV
UPI.com
December 28, 2007

LONDON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- About 5.3 million viewers tuned in to see the series finale of the sit-com "Extras" when it aired Thursday on British television, the BBC reported.

The Christmas special/finale also was broadcast earlier this month on the U.S. premium cable network HBO.

"Extras" was written by and starred Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, who also collaborated on the British version of the TV sit-com "The Office."

The "Extras" finale found former film extra Andy Millman unhappily trapped on the TV reality show "Celebrity Big Brother" after he gave up his own sit-com because it wasn't fulfilling.

"Extras" producer Charlie Hanson said he was "very pleased" with the ratings for the final installment of the comedy series, which featured appearances by George Michael, Gordon Ramsay and Clive Owen.

Stars David Bowie, Kate Winslet, Ben Stiller, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen, Daniel Radcliffe, Samuel L. Jackson, Robert De Niro, Chris Martin and Orlando Bloom all made appearances on the show during its two-season run.

Ricky Gervais reveals next project
The Press Association
December 21, 2007

Ricky Gervais has unveiled his next project - a film set before the "sexual revolution".

The Office star, who has also just finished filming a starring role in the Hollywood supernatural comedy Ghost Town, said: "I got back and me and Steve (Merchant) have just had our first meeting ... and we've decided what to do next which is going to be a film."

Gervais, 46, told Radio 5 Live: "We're going to do a film next. It's about a group of 20-somethings in 1970 in a small town where the sexual revolution didn't hit and they're going to get married and live next door to their mum."

The comedian continued: "It's (about) whether they do or whether they escape.

"We'll probably film that in 2009 for release in 2010. So, a long time to wait."

The comedy star's last episode of Extras is being broadcast this Christmas.

Gervais has also just played a supporting role in blockbuster Night At The Museum.

Flanimals in flim version
theBookseller.com
December 21, 2007

Ricky Gervais' Flanimals children's books are to be turned into a CGI feature film, in a deal between Faber & Faber and Illumination Films.

The film will be produced by Chris Meledandri, who recently produced "The Simpsons Movie" and "Ice Age". Gervais said: "I'm very excited about "Flanimals The Movie" because I'll probably be the part of Puddloflag. It will be weird to hear my voice coming out of a short, fat, purple, sweaty creature (with a Reading accent)."

In addition, according to Faber, the three Flanimals titles, Flanimals, More Flanimals, Flanimals of the Deep and Flanimals: Day of the Bletchling, which are illustrated by Rob Steen, have recently reached 1 million copies in print.

Ricky Gervais wants to make a guest appearance on the US version of The Office
By Owen Williams
Showbiz Spy.com
December 7, 2007

Ricky Gervais has said he would like to make a guest appearance on the US version of hit comedy The Office.

The funnyman said he didn’t want to make the move when the show first debuted in America.

But he said that it is well enough established now for him to do a cameo role.

He said: “I resisted that for a very good reason. I thought it would look a bit in-jokey or desperate.

“But now I think it’s a safe environment to pop up in.

“Maybe they could watch an episode of [Gervais’ follow-up comedy] Extras, and Michael Scott could go, “This guy is not very good. I hear they’re doing an American remake.”

The US remake of The Office, starring Steve Carell as Michael Scott in the Gervais role, first broadcast in March 2005.

The UK version has also spawned French and German spin-offs. Gervais added: “The English Office [is full of] bigger losers.

“Not too many good things can happen to the English lot. Americans are brought up to believe they can become the next President of the United States. British people are told, ‘It won’t happen to you.’”

And asked why he ended the British version of the BBC show after just two seasons, he told a US magazine: “We didn’t want to run out of ideas. Many people make more money on the third and fourth seasons. But we never did it for that. We had a finite story to tell.

“Also, it became a franchise anyway. The American one is carrying on. Steve Carell [who stars as Michael Scott], Just keep working. We need syndication.”

Gervais, 46, continued: “People say to me, ‘Everyone loves The Office.’

“Well, no, they don’t. More people hate The Office than like it.

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and some people don’t find me beautiful.”

And he joked that he might take up BOXING if he quits comedy. He told Time: “I don’t even know if this will be my career in 10 years. I might become a fighter. A heavyweight. All I’ve made is the weight.”

Ricky Gervais: It's a Wrap for `Extras'
By Derrik J. Lang
AP Entertainment Writer
December 6, 2007

New York (AP) -- It feels like an actual scene from HBO's "Extras."

Ricky Gervais, the writer-director-star of the critically acclaimed showbiz lampoon, is sitting on the set of "Ghost Town," a 2008 release and his first feature film as a leading man. A few feet away, a group of real-world extras are stationed on the other side of a flimsy retractable rope line.

"They're not allowed to mix with me. That's electrified," he boasts, not breaking from the signature deadpan that helped him win a best actor Emmy for "Extras" earlier this year. "If they get anywhere near me, 40,000 volts go through them. It's true."

He's kidding. Right?

Either way, Gervais' transition to the big screen is leaving no room for Andy Millman on the small one.

The movie-extra-turned-sitcom-star character will soon join embarrassing boss David Brent from the British triumph "The Office" in retirement. Gervais and comedy partner Stephen Merchant, who also plays Millman's hilariously amateurish agent, are ending "Extras" with an 80-minute Christmas special, just like they did with "The Office" four years ago.

"It probably won't capture the zeitgeist like `The Office' did, but I think this is the best work we've ever done," Gervais told The Associated Press during an interview on the "Ghost Town" set.

In the surprisingly emotional finale, airing Dec. 16 at 9 p.m. EST, Millman quits his silly sitcom "When the Whistle Blows" in hopes of working on more meaningful projects. Of course, in the forlorn fashion of "Extras," Millman instead fades further into obscurity, forced to accept such bit parts as an alien slug on an episode of "Doctor Who" and appear as a contestant on a particularly washed-up edition of "Celebrity Big Brother."

Don't expect a happy ending for Millman. Do expect to "be havin' a laff."

"We wanted it to be a standalone movie," Gervais says. "It was practice for my possible future career. I did want it to be more filmic, not just another episode. I wanted it to properly end the series. Most of all, if you've never seen `Extras,' I wanted you to be able to watch it and know what's going on. It has a beginning, middle and end."

It also has some shrewd cameos from George Michael, Gordon Ramsay and Clive Owen as themselves.

Since its debut on the BBC in 2005, "Extras" has attracted a cadre of A-list celebrities willing to unabashedly defame themselves in the name of comedy. Looking back, Gervais counts David Bowie, Samuel L. Jackson, Kate Winslet and Robert De Niro among the series' most memorable guest stars.

Gervais says a pivotal scene in the finale, in which Clive Owen petitions perennial background actress Maggie Jacobs (played by Ashley Jensen) to smear the nastiest of special effects cocktails on her face, is the series' funniest.

"I think the sketch with Clive Owen is the most perfect comedy sketch ever," Gervais says. "He's brilliant in it."

HBO is billing the "Extras" Christmas special as the series finale. However, unlike "The Office," Gervais could envision returning for more. He already knows what he wants Millman to do next: come to America.

"I can imagine it," Gervais reasons. "With `The Office,' I couldn't imagine it. I've never gone back to it, and I never will. If we ever did another `Extras,' which we almost certainly won't, I think it would be about Andy trying to make it in Hollywood and failing miserably. Obviously."

Perhaps, by then, Gervais will be A-list enough to cameo as himself.

Jennifer Garner and Ricky Gervais to Tell 'Truth'
By Patrick Walsh
Cinematical.com
November 20, 2007

Prepare to suspend disbelief – Variety is reporting that Ricky Gervais and Jennifer Garner will be romancing each other in an upcoming comedy. Only in the movies (and in Beverly Hills) can people on such opposite ends of the attractive-o-meter find love. The indie flick, currently titled This Side of the Truth, is "set in a world where lying doesn't exist." Gervais wrote the screenplay with Matthew Robinson, and the pair will co-direct as well. The screenplay "centers on an Everyman (Gervais) who figures out how to lie and uses his newfound ability to woo a beautiful woman way out of his league (Garner) and become a success at work."

It sort of sounds like a reverse Liar Liar, and I can pretty much guarantee with Gervais so heavily involved, this will be one funny flick. If you're not familiar with RIcky, by all means check out BBC's The Office, the original (and still best) British version of the hit Steve Carell show. Gervais just won an Emmy for his performance on the very funny sitcom Extras, which will air an hour-long Christmas special Sunday, December 16th on HBO (Yay!). Garner of course is Mrs. Ben Affleck, and might just be in the running for a supporting actress Oscar nomination for her work in the terrific upcoming comedy Juno. I speak the Truth.

Concert for Diana – DVD Release
Universal Music Enterprises

SANTA MONICA, Calif., Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 1, 2007 at the new Wembley Stadium "Concert for Diana" was staged in front of an audience of 62,000 and beamed to a worldwide TV audience of many hundreds of millions in over 140 countries. The concert, organised by Prince William and Prince Harry to celebrate the life of their mother, Diana, Princess of Wales, on what would have been her 46th birthday proved to be a spectacular success -- with the UK TV viewing figure peaking at a massive 15 million. The entire concert, and many extra features, is captured on a two disc DVD which will be released on November 13 from Hip-O/UMe.

Last Summer's "Concert for Diana" featured a truly unique artist line-up, spanning a broad artistic spectrum ...from Pharrell Williams to the English National Ballet, with the criteria being that the artists invited were some of the favourites of the Princess and the Princes: this resulted in an intoxicating blend of rock, pop, rap, classical and musical theatre. The two disc DVD, filmed by Janet Fraser Crook, features all of the 21 memorable performances by many of the world's greatest musicians: Elton John, Rod Stewart, P. Diddy, Joss Stone, Bryan Ferry, Natasha Bedingfield, Fergie, Pharrell Williams, Lily Allen, Take That, Roger Hodgson of Supertramp, Tom Jones, James Morrison, Orson, Joe Perry, Kanye West, The Feeling, Status Quo, Will Young, Nelly Furtado and Duran Duran. In recognition of Diana's love of ballet, the English National Ballet gave a spell binding performance of an extract from Swan Lake, and the Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals medley, packed with surprise guests Anastacia, Connie Fisher, Andrea Ross, Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman, Josh Groban, Donny Osmond, Jason Donovan and Lee Mead, reflected the Princess's fondness for musical theatre. Star presenters included Kiefer Sutherland, Sienna Miller, David Beckham, Ricky Gervais, Dennis Hopper and Jamie Oliver.

The "Concert for Diana" DVD, like the concert itself, is presented in three acts and includes much fascinating unseen footage. With a running time of over five and a half hours, the "Concert for Diana" DVD includes all the artists and presenters as well as a fascinating behind-the-scenes documentary. The DVD also contains all the poignant 'Diana and me' films, a series of short films about Diana which were interwoven through the concert and give compelling testimony from people of all ages and walks of life about how the Princess touched so many people's lives.

The front cover of the DVD features one of the best-loved images of Diana, taken by Mario Testino at her last official portrait session. It is one of the photographs currently on show as part of Testino's exhibition in the State Apartments at Kensington Palace. Accompanying the DVD is a 20 page booklet which contains a wonderful photographic record of the events on July 1 at Wembley stadium.

The charities benefiting from the sale of the "Concert for Diana" DVD will be identical to the concert beneficiaries -- The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, Sentebale, the Lesotho children's charity Prince Harry founded in her memory, and the six charities of which the Princess was Patron at the time of her death -- Centrepoint, English National Ballet, Great Ormond Street Hospital, The National Aids Trust, The Leprosy Mission and The Royal Marsden Hospital.

In the days after the concert, the media and public both in the UK and around the world agreed that an event that had been planned as a fabulous birthday party had succeeded in being exactly that ... an occasion full of fun and laughter, and of a sense of joyous celebration.

HBO Books 'Extras' Finale
Clive Owen among guests in special episode
Zap2it
November 9, 2007

HBO has a little pre-Christmas present for fans of its show "Extras": The final episode of the series.

As they did with their version of "The Office," Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant are sending "Extras" out with a special episode titled "The Extra Special Series Finale." The 80-minute special, which checks back in with background actor-turned-sitcom star Andy Millman (Gervais), is scheduled to air Sunday, Dec. 16.

He's found success on a widely viewed but critically savaged sitcom, but Andy still finds he wants something more -- respect. His quest to be taken seriously leads him to take "drastic measures that will turn his life upside down."

Fellow regulars Merchant, Ashley Jensen and Shaun Williamson (Barry off "EastEnders") will be back for the finale, along with a host of guest stars. Among the famous faces appearing in the special are Clive Owen ("Elizabeth: The Golden Age"), David Tennant ("Doctor Who"), George Michael and TV chef Gordon Ramsay.

Gervais hardly lacks for respect in real life. He won the Emmy for outstanding lead actor in a comedy earlier this year, and both "Extras" and "The Office" have won numerous awards in the U.K.

Gervais "embarrassed" by wealth and fame
Contactmusic.com
November 5, 2007

Ricky Gervais has insisted that he is "embarrassed" by how famous he has become, and admitted that he feels "guilty" about his resulting wealth.

The comedian has amassed a $14 million (GBP7 million) fortune from creating such shows as The Office and Extras, but he does not feel he deserves the amount of money he now has.

Gervais said: "I don't sit back and say, 'I deserve to earn silly amounts'. Doing so has made me feel guilty. Apart from being able to afford more things, I haven't changed my habits.

"I didn't go into the industry because I wanted to be famous. It can all get a bit embarrassing."

Gervais: Get hitched? It’s a laugh
By Andrei Harmsworth
Metro.co.uk
November 5, 2007

Ricky Gervais says he will never get married, despite dating his girlfriend, Jane Fallon, for 20 years.

The Extras star said: 'It's not that we don't believe in marriage, we just don't see the point. To all intents and purposes we are. We've got the will, the deed – we just don't have the toaster.'

The 46-year-old also claimed he didn't care about being a star. 'I didn't go into the industry because I wanted to be famous. The fact that I'll be recognised walking out of a chip shop doesn't excite me in the slightest,' he added.

'If someone said to me you can either work hard and do The Office or win Pop Idol and the lottery at the same time, I'd do The Office.'

Gervais made his comments during an uncharacteristically serious interview with Tesco magazine about his life.

He claimed the man behind Office prat David Brent is really a simple guy.

'I'm very lucky to do a job that allows me to have a laugh and be creative,' he said. The Bafta-winning comic insisted his inner circle kept him grounded.

'I work with Steve Merchant, my writing partner. I live with Jane and surround myself with family and friends. Trust me, they don't tell me how brilliant I am,' he said.

Gervais also spoke about the final Extras episode this Christmas, saying: 'It's going to be like a feature length movie and I'm proud of it.'

The full interview appears in the Christmas edition of Tesco magazine.

'The Office' Scores British Comedy Record
Hollywood.com
October 31, 2007

HOLLYWOOD - Funnyman Ricky Gervais' hit show The Office has officially been named the most successful British comedy of all time.

The program has won a clutch of honors around the globe, and its U.S. spin-off is now a huge hit in America, starring Steve Carell.

Overseas sales have now beaten Fawlty Towers. The Office is shown in nearly 90 countries in its original format, and global DVD sales have topped three million copies.

The Ricky Gervais interview on the TVTM podcast!
By Tim Goodman
SFGate.com
October 24, 2007

These days Ricky Gervais is a busy man. He's making movies. He's doing live comedy concert tours. He's writing books, appearing on "The Simpsons," and making perhaps the most popular podcast (and the funniest) in the medium's short history. On and on it goes.

But Gervais is also about to return to television as he reprises his role as Andy Milman in “Extras”, the HBO series that ran two short, critically acclaimed seasons. You may recall that the cult comedy hit recently earned him an Emmy (which he couldn't accept, being on tour, leading to one of the funniest moments at the Emmys when Steve Carell raced down the aisle to accept the award, jokingly given to him by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert as a spoof-twist on the "accepting on behalf" routine. As you know, Carell reprised Gervais' role on the American version of "The Office," and the original - now seen in 90 countries and remade here, France and Canada - is what ultimately launched.

On December 16, HBO will present "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," which wraps up Andy Millman's story and runs a full 80 minutes. (And unlike "The Office" specials, the United States gets the first look, then it airs in England.) Having already seen "Extras: The Extra Special Series Finale," I can tell you that it's a stunningly great piece of work - an emotional patchwork of dark, hilarious, moving, smart and dramatic moments. Not only is it one of the best farewell episodes in TV series history - Gervais and Stephen Merchant take care to wrap up loose ends and bring the series to its pitch-perfect end - there's real depth and diversity of emotion involved here. They didn't just throw this one together as a bone for die-hard "Extras" fans. This is a near feature-length examination of fame, friendship and life's disillusionment and redemption. I certainly didn't expect that going into it and was stunned and surprisingly moved by how thoughtful (and painfully funny) the closure was.

In this podcast, recorded on Gervais' day off from shooting a film, he talks about the "Extras" finale, why he and Merchant wanted to make this something more than just a comedy, how fame has affected his own life, what he was trying to say through the Andy Millman character, and some "extras" about his own career and work going forward (plus a brief comment on my statement that podcast partner Karl Pilkington just may be "a misunderstood visionary.") Closer to the air date, I'll have a review of the finale in the Chronicle.

Mackenzie Crook isn’t complaining
October 23, 2007

Mackenzie Crook has reportedly learnt to ignore comments on his looks in the press, because he thinks his appearance is the key to his success.

The star of The Office admitted to the Daily Express that he has been described in some unusual ways over the past few years.

"Ricky Gervais once described me as looking like one of those little birds who've fallen out of their nest that you find looking on the pavement," he admitted.

"I read somewhere else that I looked cadaver-like - that means I look like a corpse, for God's sake. A seagull with thyroid problems was one criticism, a meerkat gone 10 rounds with John Prescott was another."

But the 36-year-old, who has appeared in Hollywood hit Pirates of the Caribbean and alongside Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice, isn't complaining.

"I don't mind being known as that skinny, odd-looking bloke because I am sure if I put on weight or become a little healthier looking, the roles would soon dry up," he said.

George's Xmas Extras
Mirror.co.uk
September 25, 2007

George Michael is to poke fun at his own antics in the Christmas special of Extras.

The troubled singer will be seen cruising for gay sex on Hampstead Heath in London while smoking a joint and eating a kebab.

He meets up with TV star Andy Millman (Ricky Gervais) and gay friend Bunny on a park bench and asks: "Any action?

"Will you do me a favour and look out for the paparazzi?"

But Andy grasses him up to a snapper after hearing George has agreed to appear on Catherine Tate's Christmas Special.

It will be the last ever Extras. Gervais and co-writer Stephen Merchant have pulled out the stops to make it a cracker.

Other guests include David Tennant, Gordon Ramsay and Hale and Pace.

'Extra' star Ricky Gervais wins best lead comedy actor Emmy
UPI News Service
September 17, 2007

Ricky Gervais won the trophy for best lead actor on a comedy series at the 59th annual Emmy Awards in Los Angeles Sunday night.

The British comedian won the prize for his HBO film industry satire, "Extras."

Upon hearing that Gervais was unable to attend Sunday evening's event, Jon Stewart, who was handing out the award, gestured to his co-presenter and former "Daily Show" collaborator Stephen Colbert, and said: "Ah, Ricky Gervais couldn't be here tonight, so, instead, we're going to give this to our friend, Steve Carell."

Carell, also a "Daily Show" alum, jumped out of his seat and ran to the stage where he joined Colbert and Stewart for a jubilant group hug.

Carell was also nominated for the lead actor Emmy for his performance in the comedy, "The Office," which was based on a British series Gervais created.

Also nominated in the category were Alec Baldwin for "30 Rock," Tony Shalhoub for "Monk" and Charlie Sheen for "Two and a Half Men."

Gervais: 'My career is not in jeopardy'
August 12, 2007

British funnyman Ricky Gervais has dismissed reports his career is in jeopardy after he was allegedly booed offstage at the Concert for Diana.

The Office star took to the stage for a stand-up comedy segment at the memorial gig for late British royal Diana, Princess of Wales, at London's Wembley stadium on 1 July (07), and reports later surfaced claiming Gervais had been heckled by the audience for a poor performance.

He tells British radio station Heart Fm, "After the Diana concert there was one guy - who works for a tabloid - and he wrote that the crowd booed. they didn't boo, they loved it. People love it when something goes wrong and I was standing there and they demanded I do 'the robot dance' and it was funny.

"But this guy wrote, 'He's rubbish, everything he's ever done is rubbish and it's all over for him.'

"That week I got nominated for four Emmy Awards, sold 100,000 Dvds of Extras and signed up for two Hollywood movies. So bring on the backlash. I want him writing about me every day." (c) WENN

Ricky Gervais Set for Early Retirement
CanMag - Casting Update
July 31, 2007

British comic, Ricky Gervais, has been picked up by Warner Bros. to star in Early Retirement.

A comedy pitch from Mark Perez, Early Retirement tells the story of a work-obsessed man who quits his demanding job to spend more time with his family. Mosaic Media's Charles Roven and Richard Suckle will produce.

Suckle pitched the project to Gervais, creator of the U.K. versions of The Office and Extras, who became attached to the project, which they then sold to Warner.

Perez said he wanted to do a movie that picks up where other family comedies leave off -- with the husband quitting his job to spend more time with his family -- and then watch what happens.

You know, kind of like Disburbia but with family.

"It was fun to get to do the opposite of most family comedies," Perez said, "because I've written my share of those."

Ricky Gervais last appeared in Night at the Museum and can next be seen in Paramount's Stardust, starring Robert De Niro, Michelle Pfeiffer, Claire Danes, Charlie Cox and Sienna Miller.

Beckhams to star in last 'Extras'?
By David West - Digital Spy
July 9, 2007

David and Victoria Beckham will appear in the last ever Extras, according to a report.

The celebrity couple will mock themselves in cameo appearances in the Christmas special, says the Sunday Mirror, after they were approached by Ricky Gervais.

Others who have apparently already signed up include George Michael, Clive Owen and Madonna.

A source told the paper: "Ricky is over the moon after getting confirmation from David and Victoria.

"He's still discussing how the Beckhams will appear, but they have indicated there is no limit to how silly they are prepared to look."

Ricky Gervais and Chris Rock To Make Buddy Movie
FemaleFirst.co.uk
July 9, 2007

Comedians Ricky Gervais and Chris Rock want to star in their own buddy cop film, after becoming friends at Live Earth.

The pair were both at the London leg of the event introducing other acts, and hatched the plan backstage.

Gervais explains, "It's going to be called Badge Buddies. I play a guy. My partner's retired and he takes over. I've never played a homosexual before."

Rock adds, "It's going to be Rush Hour meets Shakespeare In Love."

Gervais is a BAFTA, Emmy and Golden Globe winner who's best known for writing and starring in The Office and Extras.

But the comedian has slowly made his way into the movie industry lending his voice to the animation film Valiant and landing a role in Night At The Museum alongside Ben Stiller.

He is also set to star in Stardust with Robert Di Nero and Sienna Miller and Ghost Town with Tea Leoni and Greg Kinnear.

Chris Rock is best known for his stand up comedy with Comedy Central labelling him the fifth greatest stand up comedian of all time.

Ricky Gervais' Diana duet - Royal Watch
Monsters and Critics
June 26, 2007

Ricky Gervais and Mackenzie Crook will duet at the Concert for Diana in London this Sunday (01.07.07) before introducing Sir Elton John on stage.

The pair will recreate a classic singing scene from their hit comedy 'The Office' at the event, which is being held on what would have been Diana's 46th birthday to mark the ten year anniversary of her death.

A source said: "Although the show coincides with Diana's birthday, her sons, Princes William and Harry, want it to be a day of remembrance and celebration, not mourning.

"They're both huge fans of 'The Office' and were thrilled when Ricky and Mackenzie agreed to do something."

The duo will perform the song 'Free Love on The Freelove Highway', originally performed by their characters David Brent and Gareth Keenan on the show.

The concert at the new Wembley Stadium features an all star line-up including Take That, Lily Allen, Kanye West, Nelly Furtado, Joss Stone, Duran Duran and Kylie Minogue.

William said: "We wanted to have this big concert, full of energy, full of the sort of fun and happiness which I know she would have wanted. And on her birthday as well, it's got to be the best birthday present she ever had."

Ricky Gervais: 'Humor Has No Taboos'
Starpulse News Blog
June 25, 2007

British funnyman Ricky Gervais laughed through both his parents' funerals because he believes "humor has no taboos". The star insists he was "crying with laughter" for much of his mother Eva's service, and was able to see the funny side in something so tragic as death.

He says, "When the vicar asked what she'd (his mother) been like, my brother joked, 'She was a keen racist.' The vicar said, 'I can't say that!' So Bob (his brother) said, 'Okay then, she really liked gardening.'" And Gervais admits it wasn't the first time the family looked to the lighter side of death.

He explains, "We messed about so much at Dad's funeral that we apologized to the vicar. I don't think there are any taboos in humor."

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Baftas unmask unheralded talent
May 20, 2007

But perhaps the underdog of the night was Stephen Merchant, nominated against Extras co-star Ricky Gervais for best comedy performance.

It was Gervais who won, but in his absence, Merchant - bizarrely - was asked to collect the award for which he had just been snubbed.

"Talk about rubbing salt into the wound," he deadpanned.

"I'm sure he would like me to say I've been robbed, and I would agree. And it's not like he hasn't got enough already."

Ricky to star alongside Spinal Tap?
May 11, 2007

Spinal Tap are hoping to tempt Ricky Gervais to sing with them during the band's much-anticipated set at Live Earth.

Rob Reiner, who directed the mock rockers' 1984 movie This Is Spinal Tap under the moniker Marty DeBergi, told Xfm: "I think they're gonna do Stonehenge and Big Bottom and then we're gonna do the new number Warmer Than Hell. They always have some interesting stage craft, so one way to look at it is a disaster waiting to happen.

"I'm hoping that Ricky Gervais is gonna be there. We're trying to convince him right now, but Marti DeBergi is definitely going to introduce Spinal Tap."

He also lifted the lid on why the band are performing after 20 years out of the spotlight.

"I think it was the idea of helping the world," Marti explained, "This was a call to arms to stop the tide of global warming, even though they knew very little about global warming.

"Nigel Tufnel (guitarist) thought it was just to do with people wearing too many clothes... He just thought if it was too hot, then they should take some clothes off."

Madonna for 'Extras'? at Hollywood.com
April 2, 2007

HOLLYWOOD - Pop superstar Madonna is set to star in the last ever episode of Ricky Gervais' hit TV comedy Extras.

Gervais and writing partner Stephen Merchant will end the program's two-season run with a star-studded Christmas special this year.

A host of A-list stars have appeared in the series, including David Bowie, Robert De Niro, and Chris Martin.

Gervais and Merchant want the show to bow out in style with a guest appearance from Madonna.

According to reports, Gervais has been in contact with the Material Girl since they met backstage at the LIVE8 concert in London in 2005, and a deal is almost complete.

Ricky Gervais Convinces John Travolta to Be an 'Extra' at Hollywood.com
March 31, 2007

HOLLYWOOD - TV funnyman Ricky Gervais has won over John Travolta and convinced him to appear in the Christmas special edition of his show Extras.

The Hollywood star had dismissed the idea of appearing as himself in the final episode of the show, due to hit screens at the end of the year, claiming his busy schedule--preparing for new movie Dallas--meant he wouldn't have time.

But Gervais succeeded in charming him when they both appeared on British talk show Friday Night with Jonathan Ross--which aired last night.

Travolta conceded, "I'll probably do anything Ricky says."

The pair sealed the deal by treating viewers to a dance duet--Gervais performing his David Brent dance from The Office and Travolta showing off some of his Saturday Night Fever moves.

'Ghost' story for Gervais, Kinnear
By Tatiana Siegel and Borys Kit
The Hollywood Reporter
March 27, 2007

Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear are teaming to star in DreamWorks' romantic comedy "Ghost Town."

Steven Spielberg's go-to screenwriter David Koepp ("War of the Worlds," "Indiana Jones 4") will direct from a script he penned with John Kamps. The studio created a splash when it paid a reported $2 million for Koepp and Kamps' pitch in March 2005.

The story centers on a dentist who dies briefly during routine dental surgery and gains the ability to see dead people who ask him for help in contacting the living.

The studio is eyeing an October start date.

Gavin Polone ("Panic Room") is producing.

DreamWorks' Adam Goodman and David Beaubaire are overseeing for the studio.

Gervais, repped by Endeavor, is best known for starring and creating the TV comedies "The Office" (British version) and "Extras." He most recently appeared on the big screen in a cameo in "Night at the Museum" and will appear in Paramount's upcoming fantasy "Stardust."

CAA-repped Kinnear most recently starred in "Little Miss Sunshine" and "Fast Food Nation."

Gervais gig a highlight for High Line
By Ian Mohr
Variety.com
March 26, 2007

U.K. funnyman Ricky Gervais' debut domestic perf as a standup comic will highlight the upcoming inaugural High Line Festival, a confluence of live music gigs, legit performances, films and visual art running May 9-19 in Gotham.

Gervais is skedded to take the stage May 19 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.

David Bowie is curating the fest headed by David Binder and Josh Wood. Live Nation co-produces.

Indie rock acts booked for the fest include Canadian it-band Arcade Fire, as well as Air, Deerhoof, the Polyphonic Spree, the Secret Machines and Daniel Johnston.

Laurie Anderson is also slated to perform, and Bowie has put together a program of his favorite Spanish-language films.

Fest runs through various venues around Gotham, including the Hammerstein Ballroom, Theater at Madison Square Garden, the High Line Ballroom, Radio City Music Hall and Irving Plaza.

Bowie said that he's curating the festival to bring attention to emerging and established artists whose work he admires.

Fest plans are to have a different boldface name curate the event each year.

Go to Highlinefestival.com for more information.

BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Extras to bow out with final show

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant have decided they will only write one more episode of their TV comedy Extras.

They will end the BBC Two show with a special finale rather than writing a third series - exactly as they did with their earlier hit, The Office.

"We don't have a date or any details about the cast yet," said a spokeswoman for Gervais, adding that the idea was in its "very, very early" stages.

But "they will, at some point, sit down together and write it", she confirmed.

Awards:

The programme has so far featured cameo appearances by stars such as Kate Winslet, David Bowie and Robert De Niro.

Gervais plays Andy Millman, an actor whose career has had varying levels of success.

Merchant is his generally incompetent agent, Darren Lamb.

Merchant beat Gervais to the best actor prize at the British Comedy Awards in December, as well as taking Switzerland's Rose d'Or honour for best sitcom.

Co-star Ashley Jensen won best sitcom actress at the ceremony.

Ricky Gervais - Gervais baffled by Paparazzi attraction
ContactMusic.com UK

British comedian Ricky Gervais is baffled by paparazzi photographers who pursue him, because he insists his private life is too boring to feature in the gossip columns. The Office star is happily settled with his partner of 20 years Jane Fallon and doesn't have a drink or drug problem, unlike other celebrities. But despite his claims of living a normal life, Gervais is still followed by photographers. He says, "I just don't understand it. I think, 'You must have enough pictures of me.' "You're not going to catch me coming out of (London nightclub) Chinawhite, coked up with a tart, because it doesn't happen. "I don't do drugs, I haven't got a gambling problem, you're not going to find me doing drugs at the wheel, there's no story there. "I was jogging with my iPod on and I was papped and the headline was 'iPodge'. Is that the worst that they can come up with?"

A winning loser
By Matt Roush - Roush Review | TVGuide.com
January 17, 2007

He's in the No. 1 holiday movie (Night at the Museum), his brilliant The Office has made a successful transition to American TV, he has written and performed in an episode of The Simpsons, and yet Ricky Gervais continues to play the born loser. Bless his (and our) lucky stars.

In Extras, an HBO-BBC collaboration now in its second season of wickedly biting showbiz satire (Sundays at 10 pm/ET), Gervais plays the hapless Andy Millman, a would-be actor of questionable talent and limitless desperation, who for years has been an envious bystander on movie sets. This setup allows movie stars and other celebrities (from Kate Winslet last year to Orlando Bloom this time around) to send themselves up in the most playfully naughty manner.

This season, which could be subtitled "Misery Loves Comedy," finds Andy finally getting his big break, starring in and writing a BBC sitcom, but naturally it sours before he can soar. With no help from his useless agent (cocreator Stephen Merchant), Andy watches the show and his role degenerate into a critically reviled embarrassment. "They'd forgive you if you did Celebrity Fit Club," he's told.

Fat chance. Andy's life is a parade of social embarrassments, magnified by awkward encounters with superstars like David Bowie (who memorably ridicules Andy in song at a club) and, this week, young Daniel Radcliffe, who proves himself a wizard of inappropriate sexual innuendo. A sight gag involving a condom and Dame Diana Rigg is priceless.

Wherever Andy turns, creepy fans or contemptuous peers taunt him with his sitcom character's catchphrase: "You havin' a laugh?" If you watch Extras, you'll be laughing plenty.

Fleeting Fame:

One of the last vestiges of the dying network TV-movie is CBS' Hallmark Hall of Fame, which also has seen happier times. Once a home for major stars and classic stories, now it's more often a too-safe haven for slow-cooked corn. That's the case with The Valley of Light (Jan. 28, 9 pm/ET), a gentle post-WWII fable about a drifting soldier (Chris Klein), a lonely widow (Gretchen Mol) and a mute tyke (Zach Mills). This laconic story has the narcotic effect of warm milk spiked with a bold shot of vanilla.

Gimme a Break:

Remember the good old days when everyone was behind bars? Prison Break returns this week (Mondays at 8 pm/ET on Fox), chasing its tail while hopscotching between states. It's a mess, with too many balls being haphazardly juggled. It distracts us from the main plot of fugitive brothers Michael and Lincoln yoked reluctantly to the dastardly Kellerman as they all seek to expose the president's brother. How this escapade ends is even more ludicrous than usual.