Instant Guide

James Cameron vs. Glenn Beck

The battle between the 'Avatar' director and Fox News' pugnacious prince has exploded anew. A quick guide to this long-simmering feud

Beck vs. Cameron: Who will win?

Outspoken Avatar director James Cameron has sparked a war of words with Fox News' resident firebrand Glenn Beck. Speaking at a press junket, Cameron called Beck a "f---ing asshole," while Beck hit back at the director on his TV show, dismissing Avatar as a "smurf-murdering movie." What's behind the mouthy pair's enmity? A brief battle guide:

What exactly did Cameron say about Beck?
When asked for his opinion on Beck during a press junket for Avatar's DVD release, Cameron was concise: "Glenn Beck is a f---ing asshole. I've met him. He called me the Antichrist."

Did Beck actually call him the Antichrist?
Yes. In 2007, Beck, then working for CNN, said that Cameron was "officially running for AntiChrist." Beck admitted as much on his show this week. "I did call James Cameron the Antichrist," he said, but added: "Only because of the Celine Dion song [in Titanic] — horrific, really."

So Cameron is upset about a harmless joke?
Not exactly. Beck failed to mention the context of his Antichrist remarks, a Beck TV segment about a 2007 Cameron documentary called "The Lost Tomb of Jesus," which the host found offensive. The movie, says Alex Ben Block at THR.com, "casts doubt on the resurrection of Jesus Christ."

Is that the only reason Cameron dislikes Beck?
No. Cameron — who's promoting Avatar as an environmental parable — deplores Beck's scepticism about man-made climate change. "I want to call those deniers out into the street at high noon," Cameron said in the same interview, "and shoot it out with those boneheads."

What did Beck make of that?
"Since [Cameron] took my Antichrist joke so seriously," Beck said on his show, "I guess I have to ask James...stop threatening to shoot people in the street!"

Sources: Fox News, THR.com, The LA Times

Recommended

Xi Jinping tells national security team to prepare for 'worst-case scenario'
Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Chinese Troubles

Xi Jinping tells national security team to prepare for 'worst-case scenario'

Putin blames Kyiv for 'terrorist' drone attack as war comes home to Moscow
Moscow apartment damaged by drone
Hitting close to home

Putin blames Kyiv for 'terrorist' drone attack as war comes home to Moscow

One step closer to net zero?
a solar panel.
Briefing

One step closer to net zero?

Extreme weather events of 2023
An illustration of a tornado and wind-swept palm trees
In depth

Extreme weather events of 2023

Most Popular

Disney hits back against DeSantis
Entranceway to Walt Disney World.
Feature

Disney hits back against DeSantis

Thousands flock to Missouri to see body of nun who died in 2019
People wait in line to see the exhumed body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster.
drawing a crowd

Thousands flock to Missouri to see body of nun who died in 2019

Air New Zealand to weigh international passengers as part of safety survey
An Air New Zealand plane takes off from Sydney, Australia.
Step on the Scale

Air New Zealand to weigh international passengers as part of safety survey