Boycott Will Ferrell!

My two sons saw Will Ferrell’s "Funny or Die" comedy concert at Michigan State University’s Breslin Center last week. The Saturday Night Live alum is doing a series of these concerts at selected colleges across the country to promote his upcoming movie Semi-Pro.

So Breslin was packed to the rafters. More kids piled in there than at a University of Michigan/MSU basketball game and just as enthusiastic as Ferrell was introduced to great fanfare and drum roll. He emerged into the spotlight wearing . . . a University of Michigan shirt.

My to-die-for fav university! And this at MSU no less. All right!! But, let me quote my older son Greg on what happened after that:

"I was yelling so loud, one of the few in my section who wasn't booing at the top of his lungs. Then he rips (the shirt) off and throws it into the crowd and reveals his MSU sweatshirt. The crowd went absolutely nuts! Later on in the show, they had an actor run on stage with a Michigan helmet and jersey. Ferrell of course tackles him and kicks the crap out of him. Again, the crowd went crazy."

What’s the deal? Ferrell engaging is slapstick shtick bashing Michigan? Twice in one concert??! Did the writer’s strike have something to do with this absolute lack of creativity?

OK, so I was going to let it go at that. Afterall, a U of M football player getting pummeled there at Michigan State is something their current crop of kids haven’t even seen. But then I wondered. Ferrell’s next stop on his tour was Michigan’s arch-nemesis Ohio State. Do ya think . . . ?

Here’s what saw in a Columbus (Ohio) Dispatch article: "Ferrell began the two-hour show by walking on stage wearing a Michigan sweatshirt. At the sound of hisses and boos, Ferrell ripped it off, revealing an Ohio State sweatshirt and proceeded to desecrate the Wolverines garb with many a stomp. "

Later, even OSU President Gordon Gee got in the act, participating in an interview with Ferrell, in character now as his anchorman character Ron Burgundy. Burgundy says to the OSU president, "Gordon, I forgot how fun you are. What do you say we get a bucket load of Valium and some fried chicken, just go to Michigan and start punching people?"

All right! Enough is enough. I’m announcing today a boycott of Will Ferrell. In addition, I’m writing my state representative asking him to introduce legislation to make University of Michigan bashing a hate crime punishable by life imprisonment (we don’t have the death penalty in Michigan).

This law will be made retro-active to January, so we can swear out warrants for both the OSU president and Ferrell. All copies of the movie Semi-Pro will be confiscated as evidence. (I watch Judge Judy on afternoon TV so I know this can be done.)

Ferrell may have done some funny things in his SNL comedy career--that more-cowbell thing was kinda funny--but his post-SNL movie career has been spent playing borderline mentally challenged oafs with little wit. I don’t think moviegoers will miss him as he spends time behind bars here in the Great Lakes State. Go Blue!