Jonathan Winters was not known for his acting. The brilliant improvisational comic, who died of natural causes at the age of 87 on Thursday, did not do his best work when he was tied to a script. As the New York Times' obituary of Winters noted, “'Jonny works best out of instant panic,' one of his television writers in the 1960s said. He thrived when he could ad-lib, fielding unexpected questions or pursuing spontaneous flights of fancy. In other words, he made a brilliant guest, firing comedy in short bursts, but a problematic host or actor." more »
Deadline's report that Sony Pictures and Scott Rudin plan to turn the 1970s sitcom Good Times into a feature film reminded me that there are still quite a few sitcoms from that era that are substantial enough to translate to feature films. Here are three: more »
My dreams for a feature-length version of Funny or Die's "Bat Fight" are one step closer to reality. The comedy website started in 2007 by Will Ferrell, Adam McKay and Chris Henchy has partnered with Turistas and The Lincoln Lawyer producer Scott Steindorff's Scott Pictures to produce two or three branded movies a year. more »
After last week's bizarre President Camacho "Funny or Die" press conference, in which white people were severely maligned, the website has redeemed itself with a get-out-the-vote video from one of its founders, Will Ferrell. I had to watch the video twice, because the first time, I was terribly distracted by the push-broom mustache Ferrell is wearing in the clip, which makes the number Gary Oldman wore in The Dark Knight Rises look inconspicuous by comparison.
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The Campaign, the new comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, faces the challenge that troubles all political satires these days, which is coming up with material that can rival what's actually happening in the news. And that's not a point made in some hacky stand-up comedian way — "Those crazy folks in D.C., am I right?" No, it has become a legitimate, daunting task to come up with anything that can surpass, for instance, the wild reality show that was the recent Republican primaries.
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"Obamacare." "Romney Hood." The political name-calling sounds like campaign season is well under-way (though does it ever end or begin?). The art of the possible will get a comical twist this weekend with the release of The Campaign, starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. The pic follows two rivals who clash in an election that will decide who will head to the U.S. Congress from their North Carolina district (Ferrell appears to even flash a not-so-subtle coif similar to former V.P. candidate John Edwards). The film, which opens this weekend, prompted ABC's Political Punch reporter Jake Tapper to offer up his Top 10 political films of all-time (documentaries were excluded) and "political film" was kept to a narrow definition. See if you agree with this list and let the campaign begin.
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Also in Friday afternoon's round-up of news briefs, Will Ferrell joins a new comedy. WWE champ gets back in front of the camera and a court in Beijing sends a group of execs from a VOD site to prison in one of the harshest sentences ever.
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Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis face off as political rivals vying for the same Congressional seat in The Campaign — but should Democrats or Republicans be more worried about being skewered for laughs in the August 10 comedy?
Movieline pal Grace Randolph hit the star-studded NYC premiere with Beyond the Trailer for the scoop from candidates Ferrell and Galifianakis, catching up with a flurry of SNL alums, 30 Rock players, ABC News vet John Stossel and Jon Hamm to discuss the pressing issues of the day. Such as: Are babies good at improv?
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With $6.4 million at stake for UNICEF, some of the world's best footballers faced off in England over the weekend with some of the sport's most enthusiastic celebrity hobbyists. The good news: Charity won big! The bad news: Celebrities did not, with one even landing in the hospital.
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Ron Burgundy and his team of crack news reporters are back for Anchorman 2, and they've already cut two teasers that tantalize with glimpses of what lies ahead: More bad clothes, more cheeky one-liners, and Will Ferrell's fine, fine mustache. Is "jean creamin'" the new "pants party?"
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Paramount unveiled the first poster to its imminent Anchorman sequel, which we've all been calling Anchorman 2 forever but will apparently have the brassier if more cumbersome title, Anchorman: The Legend Continues. Did we already know this? Sorry if I missed that, seriously, I'm still utterly transfixed by Peter Berg's geopolitical aplomb. Ron Burgundy couldn't hold a candle. Anyway, you'll still call it Anchorman 2, so whatever, have a look.
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The Campaign pits funnymen Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis against one another in a landscape filled with comic potential: The American political system, as embodied in the Presidential race. After the jump, watch the first videos from the August comedy in the form of attack ads "starring" rival candidates Cam Brady (Ferrell) and Marty Huggins (Galifianakis), and decide if you'll endorse the Jay Roach-directed pic this August.
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Since Will Ferrell dropped the late-night bombshell that Anchorman 2 was a go the other week, the world's been wondering: What has Ron Burgundy been up to since 2004's Anchorman? Speaking with AM760/Salon, co-writer/director Adam McKay dropped a few hints about the sequel, which is currently being scripted. "I don’t want to give away too much, but I’ll just give a couple pieces of ideas that we’ve kicked around. Keep in mind we’re still writing the story, but I’ll say one phrase for you: custody battle. I’ll give you that. I’ll give you one other one: bowling for dollars." So... any guesses?
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Last night Will Ferrell -- excuse me, boys and girls, San Diego newsman, jazz flautist, and scotch enthusiast Ron Burgundy -- dropped by Conan O'Brien's set to jam, give Conan unsolicited grooming tips, and OH YES -- make an announcement: "As of 0900 Mountain Time, Paramount Pictures and myself, Ronald Joseph Aaron Burgundy, have come to terms on a sequel to Anchorman." Caress some mahogany, smoke a little tea, and rejoice the good word with a clip of the historic announcement!
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Because it's always good to remember that when you're judging famous people on Twitter, they sometimes read it (and weep), Jimmy Kimmel corralled a gaggle of comedians and comic actors to read some of the meanest Tweet-critiques they've received for the camera. I think we can all take a few universal lessons from this video: Namely, that celebrities like Jason Bateman, Presidential candidate Roseanne, and Andy Dick really are like the rest of us little Tweeters -- well okay, maybe not Andy Dick. Also: Will Ferrell reads his @ messages while on the can, too! If that can't bring us together as a Tweeple, what will?
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