Just when I thought the day would end without a single bit of funny ... The Promotion trailer has finally arrived! You've probably heard us talk about this movie a good gazillion times already, but if you haven't, listen up: It's really good and stuff. Yes, a bunch of us here at Cinematical saw The Promotion when it premiered at SXSW in March and we absolutely fell in love with its characters, its story, its performances and its charm.

Written and directed by Steve Conrad (writer of The Pursuit of Happyness), The Promotion stars Seann William Scott and John C. Reilly as two guys who REALLY want to land the new managerial job at the supermarket across town. In fact, both will go to great lengths to get that job -- and, while the premise sounds sort of played, silly and uninteresting, the execution is wonderful. This is truly one of my favorite films of the year so far, and we hope you like it too. Moviefone just premiered the new trailer (see above), and they did a pretty good job setting the film up for you, tone and all. As I've said, it's Election set in a supermarket -- so when you watch the trailer, keep that in mind.

The Promotion hits theaters on June 6. Go see it!

God, I love this movie. Cinematical has received two exclusive stills for The Promotion, directed by Steve Conrad (writer of The Pursuit of Happyness and The Weather Man). You can check out larger versions of both photos in the gallery below, but listen up: Go see this flick when it arrives in theaters this June 6. I'll give you the same pitch I've been giving everyone else: Picture Election in a supermarket with older main characters. This isn't some stupid, cheesy broad comedy -- it's intelligent, it's hysterical and it features what is perhaps the best performance from Seann William Scott I've ever seen.

Essentially, The Promotion (read our review here) is about two nice guys who just happen to be going for the same job as manager of a new supermarket opening up across town. Toss in a slew of random characters, a well-written story and witty dialogue, and that's The Promotion. Yes, there are a bunch of other comedies opening up this summer with bigger stars, bigger budgets and bigger marketing campaigns. I'll say this, though: 10 bucks The Promotion turns out better than all of them. Easily my favorite comedy of the year so far.

Now stand up, walk over to your calendar and draw a big red circle around June 6. Underneath, in that little box, scribble in: "Need to see The Promotion." You'll thank us later.

Looks like I was at the wrong roundtable. Over at Cinema Blend, they are reporting some interesting footnotes from a recent Walk Hard junket, in which John C. Reilly says that Paul Thomas Anderson offered him a role in There Will Be Blood, but it wasn't right. "Paul and I talked a lot about it,"he says. "He wrote me a part for the movie and I said 'Don't put me in there just because you think you have to, because we're friends. Put me in there if I'm the right guy to be in there.' And he thought about it and he was like 'You know what? You're right. You just talked yourself out of a part.'" Reilly says he was happy about the decision and how the movie ultimately turned out. "I was really glad. That movie just seems so seamless. It just seems like he discovered this real place."

Reilly also went on to talk more about the film, saying "I really hope those guys [Anderson and Daniel Day-Lewis] get some attention, because I think that movie is a real achievement for Paul. It's such a departure from his other work. I was just staggered by it. I've seen it a couple of times, and I have really high hopes for that one." So do I -- if a Best Director Oscar isn't forthcoming, for P.T., then it better go to Joe Wright. Who else is deserving this year?

The stars of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story recently made their way to the offices of Columbia Pictures in Manhattan and did some roundtable interviews about the film. The highlight of the day was probably John C. Reilly comparing the film's money -- Willie the Chimp -- to Elvis's pet chimp Scatter and pointing out that Scatter ended up freezing to death in an outdoor cage while the Dewey Cox monkey was given a good home in Northern California after his usefulness came to an end. Other than that, it was pretty much what you might expect -- lots of questions about the life and times of Dewey Cox, the occasional question about the strike and how it's affecting actors, and assorted other tidbits. Here are some samples from the roundtables of John C. Reilly and Jenna Fischer.


John C. Reilly

You have to navigate a lot of different musical styles in this film.

Yeah, it really suited me well, I thought. As an actor I kind of think of myself as a chameleon, you know? Not really someone who plays my own personality. I'm not even really sure what my own personality is. I'm sort of a collection of the characters I've played. So playing all these different musical styles was great for me because rather than having to pick one thing that I was gonna specialize in, I could just go with the times like Dewey does. That was one of the things, as we kind of discover the character -- we recorded the music six months before we made the movie and we recorded something like 40 original songs. After we did a couple of songs we were trying to figure out, as we go from the 50s to the 60s, how is this guy gonna change with the times? Who is he? And I said to Jake that we should just decide what the guy's nickname is, because once we have the nickname then it gives us a guide to where to go with the music. So we kept recording music and it became apparent, the guy's nickname is The Chameleon or The Changeling or The Shape-Shifter. Dewey's almost like this Forrest Gump-like character -- he transforms with the times

How did you decide on what music to include?

Well, it was a few different things. The songs needed to be funny but they also needed to be really listenable, because there's so much music in the movie. We didn't want it to be just silly joke songs that would be tough to listen to, you know? Also, the musicians involved had a lot of pride on the line. They weren't going to just make some thing that sounds stupid. So yeah, we were trying to make stuff sound good and be funny but also be specific to the character, and that's why it was really helpful to have Jake Kasdan, the director, there in the recording studio every day when we were making this music. Sometimes we'd be trying to evoke a certain artist and other times and other times we were just trying to make the song fit into a time period and other times we were just trying to have the song reflect what the character was going through at a different point in the movie.

Hey, it's good enough for Spinal Tap, Hannah Montana and The Monkees. Now Dewey Cox, of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, is the latest fictional music artist to go on a real-life tour. Yes, according to Variety, John C. Reilly is suiting up to perform in character for the "Cox Across America Tour." Joined by his band, the Hard Walkers, Reilly/Cox is making appearances in seven cities: Cleveland; Chicago; Austin; Nashville; San Francisco; Los Angeles and New York City. The first gig is this Wednesday at Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and all shows include a screening of the movie, a music biopic spoof from the smartest man in Hollywood, Judd Apatow, and director Jake Kasdan (The TV Set).

Unfortunately, at the time of this writing, only the Chicago date is not sold out. My guess is that by the time of posting, even that show will be unavailable, but feel free to check Sony's RSVP page to find out. Otherwise, you can at least hear Cox's music on the Walk Hard soundtrack, which hits stores today.

I certainly wouldn't mind seeing Reilly as Cox. I also wish I could have seen Reilly tour the nation as Lefty, his character from A Prairie Home Companion -- accompanied by Woody Harrelson as Dusty, of course. If I could see any fictional artist in concert, though, I'd pick The Venus in Furs, or maybe Jesse and the Rippers. How about you? What fictional band or artist would you most like to see go on tour?

Anyway, stay tuned to Cinematical because we're working on something special to coincide with the "Cox Across America Tour."

Other than a few "f-bombs" and a positive endorsement of marijuana, there really isn't all that much in the new international trailer for Judd Apatow's musical spoof, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story that could be considered particularly controversial. This is a film from the same man who brought us Superbad and Knocked Up, so it's not like we weren't already expecting drug references and potty mouth. Thankfully, in the age of the Yellow Band trailer, anything goes. You can check out the trailer now over on YouTube, or look for it after the jump. Walk Hard stars John C. Reilly as Dewey Cox, Jenna Fischer as his long-suffering love, and Tim Meadows as Dewey's long-time drummer and friend. Jake Kasdan (Orange County) directed and also helped write the script along with Apatow. This time, rather than just riff on the dramatic spoof angle, this one goes straight for the belly laugh. Not necessarily a bad choice, but I still like the overt seriousness of the first trailer (but that could just be me).

So despite not being completely blown away by what I've seen, there still seems to plenty of giggles to be had -- plus you have to love a 'For Your Consideration' ad that has the star flipping off the camera. We've been reporting on the film for a while now, and can you blame us? Now that 'R' rated comedy is finally getting the respect it deserves, it's just nice to go to the movies without a "tween" in sight. Walk Hard was originally set for release this month, but instead the movie hits theaters on December 21.

For a while, "Freak Show" meant a gathering that showcased anyone who was a bit different. Perhaps they had much excess hair, or were particularly tiny or tall. Maybe they were twins who were bonded by more than sibling love, or dudes missing appendages. But times have changed, and that's not really acceptable anymore. So, if you want to delight in all things freak, you've got to be able to stomach seeing dudes nail things into their body, or, in the case of cinema, see a Freak Show that's more fantastical than "freakish."

The Hollywood Reporter has posted that Cal Naughton Jr., aka John C. Reilly, Josh Hutcherson (Bridge to Terabithia), and Chris Kelly (Boys Life) are in final negotiations to star in Cirque du Freak -- a kidlit adaptation that's being put together by Universal. Based on a series written by Darren Shan, the story focuses on best friends (Hutcherson and Kelly) "who visit an illegal freak show, where an encounter with a vampire and a giant deadly spider forces them to make life-changing choices that result in vampire servitude and vampirism itself." (The show also has a really bitey werewolf.) Believe it or not, Reilly will play "Larten Crepsley, the centuries-old vampire and owner of Madame Octa, the spider." This crazy, yet weirdly appealing, story is the brainchild of About a Boy writer/director Paul Weitz, who wrote the script and will direct it when production starts in February. So, what do you think? Are you ready to see Reilly get his bite on?

I like Will Ferrell as much as the next girl, but I don't think I like him enough to drop $47,100. The Hollywood Reporter tells us a winner has emerged in the auction for a cameo role in Ferrell's next film, Step Brothers. Erik had first reported on the auction last week, and just in case you are wondering, this isn't just a shameless cash grab -- Uwe Boll; I'm looking in your direction. All of the proceeds from the auction are going to a charitable organization called the Cancer for College foundation. The charity is run by Ferrell's former fraternity buddy, who is a two-time survivor of Hodgkin's Disease.

So who was willing to drop almost fifty grand for the part of 'Guy in Bathroom Stall #2'?. The winning bid came from an anonymous bidder in Texas who was bidding on behalf of his son. The bidder told THR, "I lost my mother to ovarian cancer a few years ago so I feel fortunate that my 10-year-old and I are able to participate in an event involving Cancer for College and Will Ferrell. It's a great opportunity for him to both hang out with 'Ricky Bobby' and learn a valuable life lesson -- that it's important to help people who need help by whatever means you are able to do so". Step Brothers is the latest collaboration for Ferrell and Adam McKay with Judd Apatow producing. The film stars Ferrell and John C. Reilly as two ultra-competitive step-brothers vying for their parents affection. Brothers is currently still in production, but is scheduled for release on July 25th, 2008.

It's been quite awhile since we first and last heard about Adam McKay's Step Brothers, an R-rated comedy that will reunite the director's Talladega Nights duo, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly (cementing Reilly's placement in the "Frat Pack") and will be overseen by that film's producers, Judd Apatow and Jimmy Miller. Joining the leads, according to The Hollywood Reporter, is Adam Scott, who recently played the male nurse in Apatow's Knocked Up and Oscar-winner Mary Steenburgen, who co-starred with Ferrell in Elf.

In Step Brothers, Ferrell and Reilly play -- what a shocker -- immature guys who become stepbrothers and best friends when their parents marry. Scott has been cast as Ferrell's younger, more successful brother and Steenburgen is their mom. Still no word on who plays Reilly's father, who I assume will be marrying Steenburgen's character. Other cast members reportedly include Andrea Savage (Comedy Central's Dog Bites Man) as Ferrell's therapist, and someone named Katherine Hahn (could it be Knocked Up costumer Catherine Hahn?) as Adam Scott's character's wife.

Steenburgen seems way too young to play mother to Will Ferrell, who is only 14 years her junior, but this won't be the first time such close-age parental casting has occurred (the craziest was Angela Lansbury and Laurence Harvey -- two years apart -- in The Manchurian Candidate). Still, the actress is one of my favorite motherly actresses, mainly thanks to Parenthood and even Back to the Future III -- her schoolmarm character seems like a mom even if she isn't, at least not until the animated series. Now if Apatow could just get her Parenthood husband, Steve Martin, to play Ferrell's step-dad, I could really get behind this movie. Apatow could be just the guy to re-boost Martin's once-funny career.

Who doesn't love a good Renaissance Fair? There's jousting, jesters, minstrels and sword fighting, not to mention those boggling tasty turkey legs. Sometimes you can also check out comedic mud wrestling and members of the royal court. Granted, these things wipe away the reality of the times. It's shockingly clean, no one is really sent to the gallows and certain famous Queens get to keep their heads. If you're itching, however, to "know" what goes on behind the scenes at these recreations, and you haven't been watching some of the Gilmore Girls RennFair episodes, Jack Black will be on his way to save the day.

One of the films currently being shopped around at Cannes is Ye Olde Times. The movie will center on "two rival fairs vying for ownership of all things Middle Ages" and Black is starring as Professor Shockworthy -- the movie's narrator who tutors some "romantically entwined characters in the mysterious ways of love." Considering some of Black's lesser-loved work lately, I wouldn't be half as excited if it weren't for the great mix of comedic testosterone that's joining him -- Tim Robbins, Will Arnett, Cary Elwes and a cameo by John C. Reilly. I wonder if Arnett will be some sort of Medieval magician, and whether Elwes will channel some Wesley and do as we wish? Finally, I find it pretty telling that the plot specifically describes a "romantically entwined" set of characters, but there are no maids or maidens on the cast list. Will Black, perhaps, be tutoring Robbins and another lucky man on the ways of love? Oh, the possibilities! Codpieces and turkey legs, oh my!

It is apparently not enough that Sunday's Oscar telecast had better ratings than last year's show. The Academy ordered YouTube to remove all clips of the program, including a video of the musical number by Jack Black, John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell, which was viewed over 250,000 on the site before being taking down. This is obviously a bad move on the part of the Academy, because these unauthorized clips could very well drive viewers to next year's telecast. Considering the Oscars are not replayed or released in any other way, the Academy isn't really losing out by having YouTube host the clips. They are actually gaining fans via the promotion of the only few worthy parts of the show.

Unfortunately the Academy doesn't see it this way. For one, they argue that Oscar.com has its own video clips, from which they receive ad income -- though these clips don't include most of the popular moments that were being viewed on YouTube, such as the previously mentioned performance. Still, Academy exec Ric Robertson stated that even if there was no outlet for Oscar fans to see highlights, the YouTube clips would have been ordered shut down. Robertson also said that the authorized clips on the official Oscar site will be taken down eventually to, "whet people's appetite for next year's show." Certainly the YouTube clips would do a much better job of that. I seriously believe the day will come when the Academy embraces YouTube's benefit as a promotional tool, but I fear that with it will come full-view ads on the stage of the Kodak so that even unauthorized views will be paid for. And the Academy probably wonders why it can't attract audiences as big as it used to.

Update: Hollywood Wiretap has pointed out that many clips still exist, in a variety of languages, including the Black, Reilly and Ferrell number.

What I always thought what made Will Ferrell so funny was how committed he was to creating characters who were totally oblivious to how the rest of the world saw them, with Buddy The Elf and Ron Burgundy standing out as some of his best. I even thought he was one of the best things about Melinda and Melinda because he is among the few actors in a Woody Allen movie that wasn't determined to play Woody Allen. For Ferrell it never seemed to be about about profanity, it was about absurdity.

In an interview with Suicide Girls director Adam McKay he confirmed that his next project with Ferrell and John C. Reilly is not concerned with what he calls the "PG-13 Game" and instead is aiming for a solid R rating for their upcoming comedy Step Brothers. Since most Will Ferrell films read like an improv session anyway, it shouldn't be a surprise that so far the project consists of an outline and about 25 pages of a shooting script, but McKay says, "We're not stopping language or nudity. Already there are a couple jokes that have nudity and just 25 pages into it we've already said F*ck about seven times". The project is set to go into production this July, so we'll have to wait and see if working blue is the key to success for the trio.

[via Dark Horizons]

One of my favorite moments from the film Boogie Nights is when John C. Reilly and Mark Wahlberg are in the recording studio trying to throw together a hot single. They're all hopped up on whatever, and in their minds they're creating the greatest song in history. After watching Reilly in that film, he instantly became one of my favorite actors at the time ... and still is. (I won't go into why I'm totally furious over the fact that the man wasn't nominated for a best supporting Oscar for Boogie, but obviously someone had their head up their ass that year.)

Since Boogie, the man has been in a slew of films (his roles in Chicago, The Good Girl, Gangs of New York and Talladega Nights were all fine performances), but I'm still waiting for him to take on another memorable character -- one that sticks with me the way Reed Rothchild did (okay, that sounded a bit weird). Reilly will next be starring in Walk Hard which -- get this -- will spoof all of those recent musician biographies that have flooded the scene, as well the past few Oscar ceremonies. Now, before you scream out, "Man, I hate those f**king spoof movies, they all suck," do keep in mind this particular film will not be coming from four of the twelve writers of Scary Movie. Oh no, the script was co-written by Jake Kasdan and Judd Apatow, with Kasdan taking on directing duties. If you're looking for a connection between the two writers -- both of them penned episodes of Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared back in the day. Kasdan went on to direct Orange County, as well as the upcoming The TV Set and Apatow, well, is the genius behind The 40 Year Old Virgin. Feel better now?

When we first reported on this film back in August, there was no word on a start date. Well, now we're happy to inform you the pic will begin shooting sooner than expected -- this January -- and so there's a good chance it will arrive in theaters late next year. In Walk Hard, Reilly will play the fictitious music legend Dewey Cox. The character is a cross between Johnny Cash, Roy Orbison and Waylon Jennings and, in case you were wondering, Reilly will be performing all of the songs himself. Okay, I'm officially hooked -- who's with me?

So, remember how we reported last week on Columbia's deal to re-up with the Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby crew, signed right before the film opened? To refresh your memories, the new project is called Step Brothers, and will reunite Talladega stars John C. Reilly and Will Ferrell, along with director Adam McKay. Back then, we foolishly assumed the key to the deal was bringing that trio back together. Little did we know, however, that the people at Columbia are (not so) secretly in love with John C. Reilly, and in fact will work with anybody, so long as Reilly is part of the deal. What, you think I'm making this up? Hey, Columbia signed ANOTHER deal yesterday for a Reilly vehicle -- that's two in a week, people! I rest my case.

Today's Reilly valentine is a comedy pitch entitled Walk Hard, which has been handed off to creators Judd Apatow and Jake Kasdan to write; Kasdan will also direct. The film, which sounds utterly perfect for Reilly, will revolve around Dewey Cox, a fictional rock legend who "is an amalgamation of a number of classic musician stories [Read: Ray Charles, Johnny Cash], tales of excess, highs and lows and bad behavior." This, friends, is going to be fantastic. (Granted, it won't come out for years, but still. I promise to link back to this post when I review Walk Hard in 2008.)