Will Ferrell in Land of the Lost

Will Ferrell has been around for a while now. It's been a good 14 years since his start on SNL, the beginnings of a comedic career so huge, it precedes him. Every time this man speaks, no matter the sentence or subject, people giggle. Sometimes, he doesn't even have to go as far as uttering a single word; his facial expression will send everyone in the room off into a fit of roaring laughter. Can Will Ferrell ever express himself "normally?" Or is the Will Ferrell we see in the movies, with the dim, painfully honest, and mostly embarrassing traits he brings to all the characters he portrays, the "real" Will Ferrell? Moreso, can anyone who has ever watched his work take him seriously?

It was an immense pleasure to see him on the small screen again a few weeks ago, as host on SNL's season finale. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Mr. Ferrell's early SNL skits, such as the Alex Trebeck- Sean Connery showdowns on "Celebrity Jeopardy" (which they did, and it made my night), and was looking forward to this episode a whole week. It didn't disappoint. Truly, Will Ferrell has not lost his SNL touch. From his opening speech in which he claimed to be a serious thespian (which no one in the audience could take seriously, even when he meant for it to be in order for the joke to have some real weight), to his interactions with the other costars, this man went on to prove he's still got it! Many an actor, after achieving the supreme fame he has, just can't go back to comedy sketches, they seem to be trying to outdo themselves, or just seem to not be in line with the rest of the participants (overshadowing their abilities), but Will Ferrell has the engaging ability to integrate himself with the rest of the group in a way which you forget who HE is, and pay attention to the WHOLE, hence making everyone funnier; the sketch brighter. And him, a charming and welcome presence.

He seemed to have been doing the show for fun, and it was his first "plug" for his upcoming movie, 'Land of the Lost', which is based on a 1970's children's television program. Will Ferrell plays Dr. Rick Marshall, a scientist who gets sucked up into an alternate reality. It's bound to be hilarious, and a small departure from all the other characters he has played, which Mr. Ferrell has been allowed to take certain comedic liberties with (being as to how he could take them in any direction he saw fit, since they were his own and not previously portrayed). Can't wait to see how he does at playing an established personality... will he completely make it his own? Or will he stay true to the characters original?

SNL was not the only stop on Will Ferrell's late-night show rounds to plug the new movie. There was also the highly anticipated first episode of Conan O'Brien taking over the reins at The Tonight Show, in which Mr. Ferrell was the very first guest. From his entrance (carried by 4 half-naked men on a gilded throne), to calling Liza Minnelli a commie (to make sure people "know" that HE should get the Tony for his one-man Broadway piece, and chanting U-S-A!), then teasing Conan and his chances of success in this new time slot (honestly expressing how "Nobody thought you could do it, really, NOBODY...", then singing Mr. O'Brien a goodbye song...), as well as giving Conan a few ill-advised tips on what to do in Los Angeles (almost all, illegal), it was a hilarious and wildly successful appearance.

Later in the week, he was back in NYC to be the guest at his old friend John Stewart's politically fueled The Daily Show, in which he pretended to think he was in Australia (not really knowing the host, or the fact that he'd been on the show 11 previous times, and not remembering how he and Mr. Stewart had been roommates at the start of their careers) and stated "this show wasn't really a priority", when asked as to why he was so confused. Again, a great show, wonderful performance, and slight plug.

Mr. Ferrell has been in more than just the late-night spots to promote 'Land of the Lost', but it is in these that he can express his true essence. He only need mention the title of the movie once, and then be himself; people will go watch anything Will Ferrell mentions in passing. It's not many actors who can pull off a publicity tour without having to really talk about the production, but that's the weight he pulls in the industry, the ease and trust with which people will go see anything Mr. Ferrell is in. And he pulls it all off magically, without an ounce of arrogance, even if he might as well be dubbed the reigning King of Comedy.