Still trying to make up your mind between Obama and Romney? What are you waiting for, undecided voters?
Over the weekend, a couple more celebrities came out of the (Holly)woodwork to make their case to you on the eve of tomorrow’s election.
First up, Will Ferrell, who donned a Ron Burgundy-esque retro suit while he explained that he would do anything — draw you a tattoo, dance, eat garbage — if you vote for Obama.
What are you waiting for? It’s a slam dunk: READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images
Will Ferrell’s new comedy The Campaign — about a slick, smarmy long-term congressman (Ferrell) who becomes enmeshed in an ugly campaign against a highly unlikely political newbie (Zach Galifianakis) — raises a few questions that would make any politician squirm. Like, to what extent would you be willing to sell out yourself and your values to win an election? Or how would you handle it if, in the middle of a heated campaign, in front of the entire press corps, you accidentally punched a baby in the face?
With the movie rolling out in theaters Aug. 10, we figured we’d hit Ferrell with a few of our own awkward questions for our new issue on stands this Friday. Here is the full exchange — beard piñata, K-Stew scandal, and all.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Zach Galifianakis is one of the fastest-rising comedy stars around. I assume that, as competitors in the field of comedy, your bitter rivalry extends beyond this movie. So what are you better at than him?
WILL FERRELL: Well, first of all, I’m a better Greek-American than Zach. He really could care less about his heritage. I, on the other hand, am fiercely proud of my Greek-American heritage. I go to Greek restaurants and break plates. I’ve memorized My Big Fat Greek Wedding from beginning to end. I’m also better at eating hot dogs than Zach. I can eat about 23 in one sitting. Zach can maybe eat 19. Maybe. READ FULL STORY »
Image Credit: Kevin Winter/Getty Images
In politics, there’s a complex calculus that presidential candidates use when they select their vice-presidential nominees. Mitt Romney is currently going through the process of selecting his Republican running mate, weighing all sorts of tangible and intangible factors: experience, regional ties, photogenic appeal, reads newspapers.
Comedians who play politicians, on the other hand, are bound by no such rules. At last night’s premiere of The Campaign, a comedy starring Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis as rival U.S. Senate candidates, the cast and crew had some outside-the-box ideas for who they would pick to be on their ticket. “I think I’d go with a Kardashian sister just to get the female vote, the popular vote, and the guy vote in one move,” said Ferrell, who plays a corrupt incumbent in the film. “Why pick one? They can rotate. If one of them gets tired or chips a nail, another one can fill in. It would be a rotating running mate system.” READ FULL STORY »
Will Ferrell is in a glass case of emotion, again! The Campaign star was looking uncharacteristically glum last night on Conan — and when pressed, Ferrell admitted that he’s all busted up about KStew and RPattz’s earth-shattering breakup. “I don’t know if there was anything I could have done to prevent it!” he sobbed, adding, “IT’S NOT GONNA BE FINE AT ALL! Never gonna be fine! What they had was so special, you don’t even know!”
Bottom line: If you enjoy watching Will Ferrell yell (and who doesn’t?), you’ll like this video. Especially around 1:29, when Conan O’Brien struggles mightily not to lose it on camera.
Is there any situation that isn’t better with some Hamm?
Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis together, promoting their new movie The Campaign on The Daily Show last night, is already pretty great. But when Jon Stewart started lobbing easy questions at the comedians, like about pranks and hanging out together on set, the duo got faux-offended.
Outraged at Stewart for phoning in an interview, things got real awkward, real quick. Luckily, Stewart summoned an ally: One Mr. Jon Hamm. Hamm, barring a surprise cameo, is not in the movie — he just always seems to be around. Is it “Great Instigator” Hamm’s not-so-secret goal to take over all of TV? If so, I’m definitely okay with that.
And as Will Ferrell explained, “When you bring a Jon Hamm into a situation, things just happen.”
Watch things happen — complete with a Stewart Interviewing Intervention — below: READ FULL STORY »
Zach Galifianakis and Jimmy Fallon swapped identities last night on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, as Galifianakis acted as Late Night host for an interview with Fallon, who posed as Galifianakis. Confused much? Don’t worry, it’ll make more sense once you watch the clip.
The two funny men poked fun at the late-night talk-show tropes that characterize most interviews. The real Fallon commended the house band, the Roots, while the real Galifianakis asked the most cliché interview opener, ”How was your flight?” Fallon also praised the city where he shot his latest movie (Galifianakis’ The Campaign – in theaters Aug. 10), describing the people of New Orleans as friendly and its food as wonderful, prompting audience applause.
Before Fallon showed a clip from the film in which Galifianakis’ and Will Ferrell’s characters try to trash talk, Galifianakis made fun of himself by commenting on Fallon’s weight. ”I’ve noticed that you always gain weight for every role, but then you don’t lose it after,” he said. ”So you just keep getting fatter.”
Watch the clip below: READ FULL STORY »
To be a truly great host on Saturday Night Live requires a multitude of skills that elude even some of our favorite stars. He or she needs to be fearless. A willingness to be, as Josh Brolin said this year in his SNL monologue, “career-endingly stupid.” On top of that, things have to go just right — even the most game guest is at the mercy of the show’s writers and ensemble and they’d be the first to admit that all their shows are not created equal. But as Seth Meyers has often said, the show often takes on the personality of the host. Lackluster sketches can be blamed on the writing sometimes, but drab material might also reflect the mood and enthusiasm of a tentative or distracted host during the week leading up to the show. So when everything comes together and Saturday Night Live delivers a show that has you snorting till Tuesday, well, the host deserves the lion’s share of the credit. Happy accidents don’t typically happen on SNL. There’s simply no place to hide. When the show is great, it’s because the host is, and that’s why we revere Tom Hanks and Justin Timberlake, Alec Baldwin and Steve Martin. They make it look easy, but as we know from many other guest hosts, it’s not.
This year for the first time, EW.com readers have voted after every episode to determine who was the season’s best host. The most recent host was pitted against the four most popular previous hosts in a popular vote, and the one with the least number of voters was eliminated while the four survivors advanced to the next week. Like any democracy, it’s a system that’s not without its flaws, but judging by our Final Five, the process performed reasonably well. Melissa McCarthy, Jimmy Fallon, Daniel Radcliffe, Will Ferrell, and Mick Jagger were all excellent hosts who boldly epitomized Brolin’s credo. McCarthy coated herself in ranch dressing, Radcliffe mocked Harry Potter, Mick deigned not to be so cool (and hence became even cooler).
Before we announce the inaugural winner of Mr. (or Mrs.) Saturday Night Live, though, there are three other non-democratic awards to present. READ FULL STORY »
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Kristen Wiig made her final regular appearance on Saturday Night Live last week with a moving send-off that was grander and more heartfelt than the sketch show has given a cast member in quite some time. With half a dozen film projects in the works, Wiig is poised to launch into a long, successful career on the A-list. But then again so was David Spade, Jimmy Fallon, and Tina Fey. While those SNL vets have all flourished in television, Wiig has made no move toward the small screen, and it’s harder to become a bankable star on the level of Will Ferrell, Adam Sandler, Mike Myers, and Eddie Murphy. Can Wiig leverage her Bridesmaids success to become SNL‘s first major female breakout film star? And, if so, where would she fit in the industry? EW reached out to some authorities on the show’s history to determine Wiig’s chances for headliner success.
“It’s a weird thing, having that SNL brand attached to you when you move from the show to movies,” acknowledges Nick Marx, a Media and Cultural Studies Fellow at the University of Wisconsin. “That assumption is there that successful stars of SNL will eventually leave the show and go on into movies. It’s really a decidedly mixed bag as far as whether it’s an advantage or not when you begin a movie career.” So will she go the route of Ferrell or the way of Chris Kattan? READ FULL STORY »
