Why was I not surprised when I checked the Google Entertainment News Wire, only to find that the latest Will Ferrell movie has suffered one of the worst opening weekends for a Ferrel movie, ever. In spite of topping the weekend box office so far, Semi-Pro has brought in just a measly $5.45 million for Friday, February 29th, with an estimated $15 million in revenue for the entire weekend. Quoting Reuters:

That would make it his worst opening since the $13.4 million start for the quirky black comedy “Stranger Than Fiction” in November 2006. But that movie opened on 2,264 theaters, while “Semi-Pro” is in 3,121 theaters.

“Blades of Glory” earned $33 million during its first weekend, and “Talladega Nights” $47 million. Both those had teen-friendly “PG-13″ ratings, while “Semi-Pro” was hampered by an “R” for language and some sexual content.

I guess it’s easy to just blame this low viewer turnout on a high MPAA rating, but I think that’s just a cop-out. I think the truth of the matter is that people are getting tired of Will Ferrell. Here’s an actor who has starred in a dozen-or-so films, yet he has played the same character in each and every one: that of an 8-year-old. And you can only watch Will Ferrell act like an 8-year-old so many time before it just isn’t funny anymore.

I have no doubt that Ferrell is just being typecast by the studios at this point. But maybe it’s time for him to fight back and stretch his abilities in a more challenging role. We don’t need another 8-year-old adult trying to entertain the audiences. That’s my job.

It’s not that I’m fascinated with the lives of celebrities, but I found the following clip amusing. From IMDB:

Thrifty Sarah Michelle Gellar has quietly become the queen of the green celebrities by recycling shopping bags and cycling to work. But the former Buffy The Vampire Slayer star admits it has more to do with saving cash that being environmentally conscious. She tells Self magazine, “I take my reusable bag to Whole Foods so I get a discount. I go to Bloomingdale’s on double rewards day. And I always print my dry cleaning coupons before I go. My dry cleaner laughs. He’s like, ‘You don’t have to keep printing them out!’” But it’s her bright pink bicycle which earns her frowns from friends and neighbors now she lives in New York. She adds, “Not only is it bright pink with the bell and streamers and the whole thing, but it has Hello Kitty tires. Every time I leave my apartment, my doorman just shakes his head.”

I applaud her honesty, and I also find it funny. I have nothing against being smart and thrifty. The Hello Kitty bicycle, though, is completely unforgivable.