Jody Hill

To HEAR Will Ferrell's producing partner Adam McKay tell it, America is about to come down with a case of "Foot Fist" fever. "I heard [John] McCain made mention of [the movie] at some town hall meeting in Iowa, then he kind of did the bow and then said to some reporters, 'Like "Foot Fist Way"? No one?' " OK. So maybe he's kidding about Sen. McCain's endorsement, but McKay and Ferrell think the ultra-low-budget taekwondo comedy "The Foot Fist Way" is no joke, even though the film has had its share of Hollywood heavyweights in stitches ever since its premiere at Sundance in 2006.

There is a definite through line from inept martial arts instructor Fred Simmons in last year's "The Foot Fist Way" to bigheaded baseball burnout Kenny Powers in HBO's "Eastbound & Down" to sad-sack mall cop Ronnie Barnhardt in the new movie "Observe and Report." Writer-director Jody Hill, who had a hand in creating all three characters, seems drawn to people who live in a self-created world, oblivious to what anyone else may think of them.

Please talk about: "Observe and Report" You've seen the posters: Seth Rogen stars as an inept mall security guard in a film by Jody Hill, who's kept us all stocked with Danny McBride treats like "Foot Fist Way" and "Eastbound & Down" (renew it, HBO). So in the event you jumped the gun and watched "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," here's your chance to right that wrong.

Please talk about: "Observe and Report" You've seen the posters: Seth Rogen stars as an inept mall security guard in a film by Jody Hill, who's kept us all stocked with Danny McBride treats like "Foot Fist Way" and "Eastbound & Down" (renew it, HBO). So in the event you jumped the gun and watched "Paul Blart: Mall Cop," here's your chance to right that wrong.

There is a definite through line from inept martial arts instructor Fred Simmons in last year's "The Foot Fist Way" to bigheaded baseball burnout Kenny Powers in HBO's "Eastbound & Down" to sad-sack mall cop Ronnie Barnhardt in the new movie "Observe and Report." Writer-director Jody Hill, who had a hand in creating all three characters, seems drawn to people who live in a self-created world, oblivious to what anyone else may think of them.

There are basically two kinds of fans of HBO's comedy "Eastbound & Down," which wraps up its third, and what will probably be its final, season Sunday. One kind gets the joke. The other is the joke. "They are some scary people," said Danny McBride, 35, the star and co-creator of the series. "They like the show, but for the wrong reasons - like they want to be Kenny Powers. " For those who may not have been properly introduced, Powers is perhaps the sharpest - and certainly raunchiest - satiric portrait of a redneck ever to be loosed on television.

Director and former taekwondo student Jody Hill made "The Foot Fist Way" on a shoestring budget, so he didn't have money to hire professional stuntmen. Turns out taekwondo instructor Sean Baxter, whose school in Concord, N.C., served as the film's primary location, stepped in at the last minute, saving the production not only cash but potential grief as well.

The characters Michael Pena plays often find themselves in mortal danger in heavy dramas -- "The Shield," "Crash," "The Lucky Ones" -- and, as a soldier in "Lions for Lambs," he even gave his life. But the actor discovered with his role in writer-director Jody Hill's "Observe and Report" that dying is actually easy -- it's comedy that's hard. "I think I was the worst actor on set," Pena says by phone while driving to San Diego.

UNDERRATED Kristin Scott Thomas: After "The English Patient," we sort of lost track of her. It took a couple of turns in recent foreign dramas, such as "I've Loved You So Long" and "Tell No One," to remind us how arresting she can be. But check out IMDB -- did you realize she's also done comedy? An "Ab Fab" ep and the unintentionally hilarious "Under the Cherry Moon" (with Prince!). Seriously, we'll follow her anywhere. 'The Iron Giant': Remember our Vin Diesel item a while ago?

Lala.com: Lost amid the concerns about MP3 file-sharing was one of its root causes: Music fans wanting to try an album before they buy. Record stores addressed this with listening stations and consider Lala an online listening station for a new era. Log in and you can sample about 7 million songs for one free listen without spending a penny. It's like window-shopping with your ears -- what a time to be alive. Zombies: Finally, after wasting time with onscreen villains such as Nazis, terrorists and vampires, Hollywood has returned to a common enemy we can all get behind: the walking dead.

To HEAR Will Ferrell's producing partner Adam McKay tell it, America is about to come down with a case of "Foot Fist" fever. "I heard [John] McCain made mention of [the movie] at some town hall meeting in Iowa, then he kind of did the bow and then said to some reporters, 'Like "Foot Fist Way"? No one?' " OK. So maybe he's kidding about Sen. McCain's endorsement, but McKay and Ferrell think the ultra-low-budget taekwondo comedy "The Foot Fist Way" is no joke, even though the film has had its share of Hollywood heavyweights in stitches ever since its premiere at Sundance in 2006.

BOOKS Terry McMillan In her 1992 breakout bestseller, "Waiting to Exhale," Terry McMillan celebrated the power of female bonding, long before "Sex and the City" was but a twinkle in Darren Star's eye. The author has returned to Savannah, Gloria, Robin and Bernandine, now navigating life in their 50s, for her sequel, "Getting to Happy. " Eso Won Bookstore, 4331 Degnan Blvd., L.A. 7 p.m. Also, Vroman's Bookstore, 695 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. 7 p.m. Wed. MOVIES "Take 100: The Future of Film" A panel discussion featuring the Duplass brothers ("Cyrus")

SUNDAY The template for many an espionage thriller, famously set to celluloid by suspense master Alfred Hitchcock in 1935, John Buchan's novel "The 39 Steps" comes to "Masterpiece Classic" in a new by-the-book adaptation. Rupert Penry-Jones stars. (KCET, 9 p.m.) MONDAY Sure she can sing, but can she act? We'll find out as country-music cutie and Season 4 "American Idol" champ Carrie Underwood guest stars as Ted's (Josh Radnor)