Will Ferrell

It seemed the perfect fit: Will Ferrell's comedic antics set within the lighthearted world of animated film. But after working on 2006's "Curious George," he thought maybe he'd stick to live-action movies. "It wasn't the end-of-the-world experience, but it wasn't so much fun that I said to myself, 'I have to do this again,'" Ferrell recalled. "But my manager and I ? said if we had the opportunity to work with someone like a DreamWorks, who tends to make good, funny ones, then that would be something we would listen to. " So when the company behind such hits as " Shrek" and "Kung Fu Panda" did come calling, Ferrell was all ears.

In a "this could only happen in Los Angeles" moment during Tuesday's Laker game against Phoenix, Will Ferrell put on a red coat and stood courtside, pretending to be a Staples Center security guard. Ferrell then went up to former Laker Shaquille O'Neal, who was watching the game from a courtside seat, and pretended to eject the 7-foot-1, 325-pound center from the arena.  It was an odd and amusing scene, especially because Ferrell and O'Neal played their roles perfectly.

Though the final audience numbers for the 2013 Super Bowl have not been tallied, it's already setting ratings records, according to CBS. But while the commercials, from Budweiser's tear-jerking Clydesdales to Go Daddy's shocking kiss, were seen by a huge percentage of that total audience, there was one ad, starring Will Ferrell of all people, that got, by far, the smallest viewership of the night. Ferrell's ad for Old Milwaukee beer aired in just three markets: Sherman, Texas; Ardmore, Okla., and Glendive, Mont., making it one of the least-viewed major commercials during the Super Bowl.

A roundup of entertainment headlines for Monday: "Paranormal Activity 3" spooks the competition and breaks records at the box office. ( Los Angeles Times ) Will Ferrell is honored with the Mark Twain Award for American Humor in a ceremony at the Kennedy Center. ( Los Angeles Times ) Janet Jackson reschedules her Australian tour so she can attend the trial of Dr. Conrad Murray, who is accused of involuntary manslaughter in her brother Michael's death. ( Entertainment Weekly )

Audience questions at Comic-Con are a lot like live grenades. Breathless fans, often clad in outlandish homemade costumes, take turns lobbing their queries at the stars on stage. Most respond with some variation of ducking and weaving, while putting on Oscar-worthy performances to appear gracious and humble. Sometimes, however, the stars just can't help themselves. During a panel to promote Sony Picture's action comedy "The Other Guys," actors Will Ferrell, Eva Mendes and Mark Wahlberg began lobbing the grenades back at the audience, which in turn exploded with non-stop laughter.

Will Ferrell may be lacking in Oscars, Emmys and Golden Globes, but he's about to kick off a tradition on the upcoming MTV Movie Awards. The actor is getting the first-ever Comedic Genius Award on the telecast April 14. Is 45 too young to be given a lifetime achievement award? Maybe so, but MTV's key demo is teenagers, so middle-age might as well be the end of life as far as they're concerned. In a statement, MTV President Stephen Friedman said, "Over the course of his extraordinary, 17-plus-year career, he has entertained audiences across the globe with an impressive array of laugh-out-loud performances on air, online and in films.

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.

Will Ferrell and Mark Wahlberg play mismatched detectives in Adam McKay's absurdist comedy "The Other Guys," but they're not an odd couple in the classic buddy-cop tradition in which the by-the-book officer endures the reckless behavior of his wild-card partner. No, in "The Other Guys," which opens Friday, Ferrell and Wahlberg both play the same thing — freaks. They're incompatible only because their peculiarities don't mesh. Wahlberg's New York City police detective Terry Hoitz wants to hit the streets, fight crime and "fly like a peacock."

"TALLADEGA Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby" is a bit of a mess, but it is a genial mess, and one that will make you laugh. Which is the whole idea. Even if you feel sheepish and abashed the next morning, it is hard to resist smiling at the antics of the NASCAR racing champion with two first names, a man, as the ads testify, "who could only count to #1."

EXISTENCE, identity, free will and narrative theory collide in the fanciful comedy "Stranger Than Fiction." Written by Zach Helm and directed by "Finding Neverland's" Marc Forster, the film explores some of the same metaphysical terrain that screenwriter Charlie Kaufman has in "Being John Malkovich" and "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" but in a slightly more conventional and linear way.