Will Ferrell's 2-hour show "You're Welcome, America. A Final Night with George W. Bush" on Broadway

[Amerigo Vespucci]

By JACKSON F. KURTIS

FERRELL INAUGURATES B'WAY-BOUND BUSH BASH

November 23, 2008



A helicopter tether falls from the ceiling and an annoyed ex-president, George W. Bush, is lowered to the stage.

"I told them to take me someplace interesting. Someone suggested the Island of Manhattan," he says. "But I didn't realize that's just the Indian word for New York City."

With that, comedian Will Ferrell kicks off his two-hour monologue, "You're Welcome, America. A Final Night with George W. Bush."

The show premieres at the Cort Theatre on West 48th Street in February, but a surprised audience - which included "Juno" star Michael Cera - got a sneak peak of the sketch this week as Ferrell perfected his "strategery" at Los Angeles' Upright Citizens Brigade theater.

According to people in the audience, Ferrell jokes about:

* Global warming: "I believe in that about as much as I believe in Bigfoot. Then again, I believe in Bigfoot about 80 percent, so I guess that's pretty real."

* The Geneva Convention: "The laws that will govern us when we colonize the moon."

* The contested 2000 presidential election and Al Gore's retracted concession: "That kind of p - ssed me off, since I had already taped my M-80s to my superhero action figure."

* Reducing water-quality standards: "Everyone knows that after calcium, arsenic is the most important ingredient for strong bones."

* Dick Cheney: "Some say he's the strongest president we've ever had . . . He shot a guy in the face and that guy apologized to him."

* Drilling in ANWR: "It would give the animals something to talk about."

* Finding Osama bin Laden: "Kinda dropped the ball on that one."

Beyond the one-liners, Ferrell's portrayal of Bush was surprisingly touching, as in moments when he mused about the members of the military who had died.

http://www.nypost.com/seven/11232008/news/regionalnews/ferrell_inaugurates_bway_bound_bush_bash_140269.htm

[SpiralHawk]

1. "Hell never capture the real me. Smirk." - Commander AWOL

Occultly yours, Commander AWOL

[Mira]

2. It will be long time, maybe not in this lifetime, that I can laugh

in a prolonged way about GWBush.
I just lost a great part of 8 years of my precious life having to spend so much time keeping an eye on him.

Nevertheless I'm glad you told us about this. My first reaction for a second was the I would like to see this.
Then I got real.

[SoFlaJet]

4. Definitely too soon for me too Mira

same thing with Oliver Stone movie. It would be like having a long nightmare of being chased by a maniac and waking up and watching a Halloween trilogy on Cinemax

[Amerigo Vespucci]

5. Exactly...

...Merle Haggard wrote a song called "Things Aren't Funny Anymore." The first step is that Bush needs to leave. The second is that he needs to stay out of the spotlight for a while...a year, maybe two. Then there might be some humor. Right now, I just see a country suffering and an idiot without a care in the world beyond "crafting his legacy."

[GReedDiamond]

8. There's a "comedy formula"...

...that goes something like this:

Tragedy + Time = Comedy

In the case of Bushler, the amount of time necessary to make his disastrous criminal administration "funny" (if that is possible at all) is on the order of 20+ years.

For example, Hitler started being "funny," sometime in the sixties, I think, when stuff like "Hogan's Heroes" (1965) and Mel Brooks' "The Producers" (1968) were released.

There were films released contemporary to Hitler's Third Reich, such as Chaplin's "The Great Dictator" (1940), and comedy propaganda shorts featuring stars such as The Three Stooges, but the depths of Hitler's criminal depravities weren't fully understood, so therefore the full "comedy" potential (after the requisite period of time), could not be thoroughly exploited.

As far as Will Ferrel's Bush comedy goes, I'd find it difficult to laugh or feel "touched" by his portrayal of the war-criminal-in-chief as getting all misty eyed over the fallen military personnel he condemned to death by lying to start a war. So, if I had the opportunity to see his show, I'd pass on it.

(edited to change "was" to "were")

[Amerigo Vespucci]

10. A year or so ago, maybe two, when we all knew something was wrong...

...and Bush was relentlessly standing on his "the economy is strong and getting stronger" talking points, I don;t think any of us could have predicted how bad things would be in November 2008. In general terms, perhaps. In specifics, no. So to see him doing his rootin'-tootin' fake cowboy act in November 2008 is hardly endearing, and Will Ferrell apparently doesn't grasp that context.

And on the fallen soldiers thing, I'm sure you remember this moment from January 1, 2006:

President Visits Troops at Brooke Army Medical Center
Brooke Army Medical Center
San Antonio, Texas

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/01/20060101.html

THE PRESIDENT: Happy New Year to you all. Thanks. I can't think of a better way to start 2006 then here at this fantastic hospital -- a hospital that's full of healers and compassionate people who care deeply about our men and women in uniform. It's also full of courageous young soldiers, Marines, airmen -- men and women who are serving our country and making great sacrifice. I'm just overwhelmed by the great strength of character of not only those who have been wounded, but of their loved ones, as well. And so, thank you all for bringing great credit to our country.

As you can possibly see, I have an injury myself -- not here at the hospital, but in combat with a Cedar. I eventually won. The Cedar gave me a little scratch. As a matter of fact, the Colonel asked if I needed first aid when she first saw me. I was able to avoid any major surgical operations here, but thanks for your compassion, Colonel.

I've been thinking long and hard about 2006. My hopes, of course, are for peace around the world. I'll continue to work as hard as I can to lay that foundation for peace. And also my hope is that this country remains as prosperous as it was in 2005. We had a very strong economy, and we'll work to keep the economy as strong as it possibly can, so anybody that wants to find a job can find one.



President George W. Bush speaks with the press on Sunday, January 1, 2006, at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX. During his visit to the Medical Center, the President presented nine soldiers with a Purple Heart Award and visited with wounded soldiers and their families. White House photo by Shealah Craighead

[SammyWinstonJack]

9. Same here.

[underpants]

3. SNL did a soap opera like skit called "Palm Beach"

during the recount fiasco

during it Ferrell appears lying on his back on the couch playing with a ball of yarn like a kitten

Can't find the video of it but that was THE funniest bit of this whole impersonation thing for Ferrell-and it has been very funny

[Trajan]

6. I think Ferrell's Bush character is really funny

Ever since his 'Bush at the Ranch' video shorts came out, his Bush is biting and right on the mark with it's phony homespun idiocy ....

I disagree with some of my DU compatriots: You have gotta laugh or you will go nuts ...

[burythehatchet]

7. His Bush is almost as good as Bush's.