Montreal's Just for Laughs Comedy Festival turns 25 this year, but the well-established mecca of merriment isn't afraid to try something new. Organizers announced Tuesday that July's edition will include a brand-new industry conference called Just Comedy, and that in conjunction with it they've named Judd Apatow Comedy Person of the Year.

This will presumably be an annual award given out during the conference, which is aimed at industry types and filled with panels, workshops, etc. (unlike the festival as a whole, which is aimed at regular comedy audiences). Apatow is certainly an industry type, having established himself as the go-to writer, producer, and director for successful comedies. Given that the Just for Laughs folks wanted to establish a "Comedy Person of the Year" award, I don't know who else they could have given it to right now.

One of the best things about Judd Apatow is that he keeps putting movies out, but he stays away from sequels. Instead of saying: "Oh, sweet! 40-Year-Old Virgin did well, so let's make a flick about his first forays into kinky sex, or his first kid, or ..." he finds something new to film. Similar themes may pop up, but the world is always fresh. But what if he went back to an old flick?

In a recent discussion with MTV, Apatow said that of all the films he's been attached to, the best chance for a sequel would be Anchorman: "Ron Burgundy would be hilarious at 70-years-old, being the anchor." Judd's not talking about special makeup to age Will Ferrell, but rather the actor in a few decades: "We all think it would be fun to see him up on his feet again doing what only he can do. That would be awesome -- but it could only happen in 30 years." Personally, I'd prefer something else since Christina Applegate's performance ruined most of the movie for me. I liked a lot of it, but every time she popped on screen, it seemed like the funny was zapped out of the boob tube ... but if she wasn't there ...

I'm anxious to see whether Apatow sticks to this fresh philosophy, or falls prey to sequel mania. Methinks sequel territory for Judd might be a sign of his decline. But I'm hoping that day doesn't come, and if it does, it's a long ways off in the future.

Wow, it's been almost nine whole months since a Will Ferrell movie was released. Fortunately, Access Hollywood has just given us the first look (not counting this one) at his next comedy, Semi-Pro, and the trailer should be enough to tide us over until the movie actually hits theaters at the end of February (just in time to get some kind of promotion at the Oscars, I'm sure). Semi-Pro is another sports comedy, completing a nice quartet following Kicking & Screaming (soccer) Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (NASCAR) and this year's Blades of Glory (figure skating). This one is about a basketball player named Jackie Moon, who also coaches and owns the Flint Tropics, an American Basketball Association team hoping to be brought into the NBA. Like way too many comedies, it takes place in the '70s, giving it a sort of recycled feel if you've ever seen Ferrell's Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy or enjoyed an afro-ed Chevy Chase in Fletch (which I know was from the '80s).

But some of the trailer shows promise, and there's no doubt that Ferrell will make you laugh with this movie, at least if you typically find him funny. Many of the lines uttered in the promo even sound made up on the spot, rather than scripted by the movie's writer, Scot Armstrong (Old School). So, if you like that weird, random humor stuff, you'll probably enjoy this. Oh, and fans of bear wrestling, parodies of Evel Knievel (r.i.p.) stunts, jokes about using your child as a shield, long-tired disco gags and funny hairdos -- in addition to Ferrell's afro, Woody Harrelson has a 'do that gives his No Country for Old Men co-star Javier Bardem a run for his money -- will certainly enjoy the movie, too.

[via Slashfilm]

Whenever I see the word 'auction' somewhere, I immediately know my broke ass won't be able to afford whatever it is they're auctioning off. So until I see the headline: Will Ferrell Randomly Gives 'Step Brothers' Role to Editor of Cinematical.com, I'll have to settle for reporting on the auctions, and not bidding. But if you do have some cash to spare, you enjoy Will Ferrell's films, and would love to brag to your friends that you're "in the New Will Ferrell Flick!!" -- then this could be right up your alley. According to BBC News, Ferrell is auctioning off a cameo role (Guy in Bathroom Stall #2?) in Step Brothers, the next Ferrell/Adam McKay big-screen collaboration. All proceeds will go to Cancer for College, which is a fantastic little charity that helps provide college scholarships to current and former cancer patients. And as Ferrell notes: "What a perfect Christmas present for your son or daughter. It is the surefire way to win the present of the year award. Support this amazing cause by buying them me."

Written by Will Ferrell and Adam McKay, and directed by McKay (Anchorman, Talladega Nights), Step Brothers stars Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two guys who become competitive step brothers following the marriage of their single parents. Ferrell and Reilly last squared off against one another as friends-turned-enemies in Talladega Nights, and I'm sure there will be a lot more of that hysterical back-and-forth in this latest project. And speaking of projects, I think Ferrell just had a great idea for his next film -- some actor looking for extra cash auctions himself off to the highest bidder. Oh wait, Brett Ratner already went there. Perhaps he can direct then?

Over at quigspot.com is a listing of what the blogger deems the "Ten Most Obnoxiously Overquoted Movies." He says in the intro: "Nothing makes a great movie suck like people quoting it day in and day out for months at a time. It's the go-to route used by individuals who aren't clever enough to come up with their own material, made worse by them thinking (thanks to the select few that laughed at their referencing) they've suddenly become the most hilarious stand-up comedian since George Carlin." I agree to some extent, but while it's true that quoting movies is not the most enlightened form of comedy, it can be a lot of fun. The key is to stick to obscure quotes -- avoid "Luke, I am your father" and "Say hello to my little friend." At a party, an obscure quote that someone else recognizes can help you recognize a kindred spirit, and snag you a new friend or even a romance. Still, there are some movies that get quoted far too frequently, and it becomes particularly hard to deal with once they're embraced by the "frat guy" crowd, as almost all of quigspot's choices are.

The ten selected overquoted films are: 10) Office Space (good call, but the boss' voice is just too much fun to do. Quoting this one simply has to be done sometimes, especially in an office setting), 9) Monty Python movies (disagree -- I don't hear Python quotes much these days), 8) Wedding Crashers (definitely getting obnoxious, especially at bars), 7) Anything with Samuel L. Jackson (Snakes on a Plane, absolutely), 6) The 40 Year-Old Virgin (maybe, but when the lines are that funny, who can argue?), 5) Anchorman (see #6, although "I'm kind of a big deal" has reached the end of the line), 4) The Austin Powers series (yup), 3) Borat (Should have been #1 -- some guy dressed as Borat at a Halloween party I attended stayed in character the entire night and almost drove me to murder), 2) Napoleon Dynamite (absolutely) and the choice for the #1 most obnoxiously overquoted movie is ... 300.

Movies I'm guilty of quoting? 1) Wayne's World -- whenever anybody orders Chinese food, I can't resist throwing in "I'll have the cream of sum yung guy." I'm also a fan of "If Benjamin were an ice cream flavor, he'd be pralines and dick." 2) The Naked Gun series. Endless possibilities really, but my favorite is "Like a midget at a urinal, I was going to have to stay on my toes." 3) Raising Arizona and The Big Lebowski -- literally every line of both is gold. Which movies do you love to quote? And which movies do you think get quoted too frequently?

In a move sure to delight millions, Will Ferrell has officially announced his interest in returning to the role of Ron Burgundy for another Anchorman go-round. Although Ferrell is a very busy man these days (as is his partner Adam McKay) with plenty of projects on his plate, he told the Toronto Star "I would love to do a sequel," and may actually be willing to put his next project with McKay (Step Brothers) on indefinite hold in order to get back to being Burgundy. The plot this time? According to Ferrell: "I was thinking, all of a sudden, for no reason, he's a European correspondent and has to do foreign languages which he knows nothing about."

So what do you think? Does the Burgundy character have another film in him, or will the shtick get old if they try to bring him back? Will there be a breaking point when everyone gets tired of Ferrell's idiot-savant routine? He does tend to play largely the same character in most of his movies, and people haven't stopped queuing up for them yet, so I suppose if there is such a point, we haven't reached it yet.

On the heels of Tom Cruise and company's proud announcement yesterday that they not only have $100 million to burn, but also have already chosen his next project, tongues around the internet started wagging, trying to figure out what that film will be. The best lead, oddly enough, may have been tracked down by mainstream staple Entertainment Weekly, which reported recently that Cruise has held meetings with none other than Judd Apatow, the box office magician behind The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (he wrote and directed the first and produced the other two). While meetings in no way mean anything concrete, Apatow sounded pretty optimistic when he spoke with EW, saying "We've had great conversations -- I hope something real comes out of it."

What do you guys think of Cruise making a comedy? While my knee-jerk reaction was a negative one, when I thought about it more I realized working with Apatow might be a brilliant move by Cruise: If he can turn in a non-manic, convincingly self-effacing performance, that might go a long way towards getting him back in the good graces of those he's turned off over the past year.

Since no official announcement has been made, we're going to chuck this one into the rumor pile. According to a story in The Pioneer Press, Will Ferrell will begin filming a movie in February that revolves around the American Basketball Association. Say what? Basketball? Will Ferrell?

If the rumor turns out to be true, this would mark Ferrell's fourth sports-related comedy, after previously starring in Kicking and Screaming, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and the upcoming Blades of Glory. Now, I have no idea where this information is coming from -- nothing on IMDB or in the trades -- though, perhaps, this is the third film in Ferrell and Adam Mckay's every man trilogy (Anchorman, Talladega Nights)? Seeing as the two men recently signed a two-year, first-look deal with Paramount Vantage, it all seems to fit together quite nicely. Stay tuned for more information as it's dished out.

[via Rope of Silicon]

Listen up, Iraq.

There's a man, a very important man, and he's got a message for you. It's one I believe you should heed well. This man, a well-respected journalist in San Francisco, has just two words for you to live by: "Stay classy."

It seems the legendary anchorman himself, Ron Burgundy, has brought his own brand of smarmy machismo to the people of Iraq, or at least to the side of a plane that's in Iraq. His sentiment is simple, and yet so very universal.

Even without knowing anything about the movie's credits, the fact that the main character in Talladega Nights is named "Ricky Bobby" should be enough to let anyone know that the movie was written by Adam McKay and Will Ferrell. You see, the undeniable key to the brilliance of the previous collaboration, Anchorman, was the fact that the man's name was "Ron Burgundy" - the movie seriously would have been at least 25% less funny with a different name. And "Ricky Bobby"? Equally perfect.

The new trailer for the movie, while perhaps less promising than the inspired character name, is nonetheless pretty funny. Ferrell's performance is pitch-perfect, a great combination of attitude and innocence, all thrown together with a nicely vague southern accent. Plus, there's the by-now-required scene of Ferrell running around in underwear screaming, so that base has been effectively covered. Though there are definitely moments of outright stupidity, the stupidity of Anchorman was so well set-off by its demented cleverness, I'm holding out hope that McKay will be able to work his magic a second time with Talladega Nights (which comes out in early August).

[via AICN]