"You've got two empty halves of coconut, and you're banging them together!"

Recently, while perusing various articles on Wikipedia (otherwise known as my #1 source of procrastination), I decided to read up on "Shrek the Third". I had already seen the film, but I wasn't really satisfied with it. While reading the entry, I came upon an article about how Eric Idle (of Monty Python fame) was considering suing the makers of Shrek because of the coconut gag the third film had borrowed from "Monty Python and the Holy Grail".

For those of you who have seen "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", you know what I mean. For those of you who haven't, well, it's a damn shame you haven't seen the film (go see it!).

"Shrek the Third" starts out with Prince Charming, who appears to be riding through a forest, when in fact, he is just galloping on a hobby horse at a dinner show. A stagehand is using coconuts to make clip cloppity noises. And that, apparently, was enough for Idle (who voices the character Merlin) to storm out of the "Shrek the Third" premiere.

Idle claimed that he was considering suing the makers of Shrek because he was unaware the coconut gag would appear in the film. He was angry that they had "stolen" their joke.

This is ridiculous. The Shrek films are ALL about parody. All three films have had multiple gags/jokes/parodies lifted from pop culture and the media. The parodies are what make the films (well, at least the first 2) so entertaining. Even when told that the gag was put in as a "mark of admiration", Idle lashes out, “Do you think if I stole your wallet that’d be homage to your money?"

And what exactly was "Monty Python and the Holy Grail"? It was a PARODY of the King Arthur legend, for Christ's sake.

What a hypocrite. I've lost respect for Eric Idle.