TSN may refer to:

• ImagiNation Network (aka The Sierra Network), an early online multiplayer gaming system
• The Science Network, a non-profit, web-based organization concerned with science and its impact on society
• The Social Network, a 2010 drama film about the founding of the Internet social networking website Facebook
• Sporting News (previously The Sporting News), an American-based sports magazine
• The Sports Network, a Canadian English-language cable television specialty channel
• Taxonomic serial number, a stable and unique taxonomic serial number issued by the Integrated Taxonomic Information System
• Texas State Network, an all-news radio network available for stations in the state of Texas
• Tianjin Binhai International Airport (IATA code: TSN), an airport located east of Tianjin, in Dongli District
• Tswana language (ISO 639-2/-3 codes: TSN), a language of Southern Africa, spoken by more than 4 million people and written in the Latin alphabet
• Tyson Foods (NYSE code: TSN), an American multinational corporation

This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the same title. If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article.

Brian Thomas Burke (born in Perth, 25 February 1947) was Labor premier of Western Australia from 25 February 1983 until his resignation on 25 February 1988. Burke was imprisoned for seven months in 1994, after being convicted of "false pretence" regarding travel expenses.^[1]

In following decades, Burke continued to maintain his Labor party contacts and parliamentary influence, using them to further his career as a pro-business lobbyist. Burke worked both sides of politics in partnership with disgraced former ministerial colleague Julian Grill and assisted by former senator, Noel Crichton-Browne, to influence Liberal parliamentarians.^[2]

Political career[link]

The son of federal Labor parliamentarian Tom Burke, Brian Burke started his career as a journalist, initially at the West Australian newspaper and later in radio and television. He entered politics in 1973, winning the Legislative Assembly seat of Balcatta at a by-election.^[3] His elder brother Terry held the seat of Perth from 1968-1987. In 1981, Brian Burke defeated Ron Davies to become opposition leader.^[4] At the February 1983 state election, he became the state's 23rd premier (and its third youngest after John Scaddan and Newton Moore), ending almost nine years of conservative coalition government which had commenced under Sir Charles Court, and was completed by Ray O'Connor (1982–1983). On 25 February 1983, Burke's 36th birthday, the governor commissioned the Burke ministry.

The Burke government abolished capital punishment in Western Australia in 1984.^[5]

His premiership was characterised by very close associations with businessmen such as Laurie Connell and Alan Bond and arranging joint government and business deals. As a result of the 1987 stock market crash, major corporate collapses including that of Connell's merchant bank Rothwells unwound some of those deals which, in turn, caused major losses to the state. The corporate deals and the attempted government-sponsored rescue of Rothwells under subsequent premier Peter Dowding were widely styled in media and civil society as "WA Inc".

Burke resigned as premier and as member for Balga on 25 February 1988, on the fifth anniversary of his becoming premier and his own 41st birthday. A packed public gallery attended his resignation speech and both he and his deputy Mal Bryce, who resigned on the same day, were given a rare standing ovation in the House.^[6] Burke was able to play the part of kingmaker, convincing party colleagues to support the Dowding-Parker ticket for the leadership. Burke then accepted an appointment as Australia's ambassador to Ireland and the Holy See.

As a result of the allegations, the WA Inc royal commission was established in 1991, and led to Burke being charged with various offences for which he was sentenced to two years' imprisonment. He served seven months in jail in 1994 for travel expense rorts before being released on parole. In March 1997 he was sentenced to three years' jail for stealing $122,585 in campaign donations. He served six months before the convictions were quashed on appeal. He was stripped of his honour as a Companion of the Order of Australia.^[7]

Burke has since been active as a consultant and lobbyist for Western Australian business interests. His continued involvement in state Labor branch politics has been a subject of controversy since before Labor returned to power in 2001. Former premier Geoff Gallop banned cabinet ministers from contact with Burke, but this was lifted by his successor Alan Carpenter when he took office in February 2006.

On 9 November 2006, Burke resigned from the Labor party after public criticism from Labor premier Alan Carpenter, in part due to evidence provided to the Corruption and Crime Commission (CCC).^[8] Norm Marlborough MLA, the Minister for Small Business and the South-West in the Carpenter Ministry, was forced to resign from the Ministry and from the parliament on 10 November 2006 after the Corruption and Crime Commission revealed he had kept a "secret mobile phone" to stay in touch with Burke.

This triggered a by-election for Marlborough's seat of Peel, although Labor retained the seat.^[9][10] Burke subsequently stood trial on five charges of telling lies to the CCC inquiry and on 1 April 2010 was found guilty of deliberately giving false testimony.^[11] He was fined $25,000.

See also[link]

• Burke Ministry (Western Australia)

References[link]

Sources[link]

• Quentin Beresford (2008). The Godfather: The Life of Brian Burke. Allen & Unwin. ISBN 1-74175-556-5, 9781741755565. 
• Moon J, Fletcher C (1988). "New Government and Policy Change in Western Australia 1983-1988: Did Mr Burke Make a Difference?". Australian Journal of Political Science (Routledge) 23. 

External links[link]

• Constitutional Centre biographical entry
• Western Australian Government Commissions of Inquiry
• ABC News: Burke a 'highly successful premier'
• video of Brian Burke reporting for 7 News 1966

v t e Premiers of Western Australia Forrest Throssell Leake Morgans Leake James Daglish Rason Moore Wilson Scaddan Wilson Lefroy Colebatch Mitchell Collier Mitchell Collier Willcock Wise McLarty Hawke Brand Tonkin C. Court O'Connor Burke Dowding Lawrence R. Court Gallop Carpenter Barnett

Jordan Eberle
Born	(1990-05-15) May 15, 1990 (age 22) Regina, SK, CAN
Height	5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Weight	184 lb (83 kg; 13 st 2 lb)
Position	Right Wing
Shoots	Right
NHL team	Edmonton Oilers
National team	Canada
NHL Draft	22nd overall, 2008 Edmonton Oilers
Playing career	2009–present

Jordan Eberle (born May 15, 1990) is a Canadian professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first round, 22nd overall, in the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.

During his four-year junior career with the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL), he won the CHL Player of the Year Award in 2010, the Doc Seaman Trophy as the scholastic player of the year in 2008 and was a two-time First Team East All-Star in 2008 and 2010. In his second season in the NHL, Eberle was named to the All-Star Game and led the Oilers in goal- and point-scoring.

Internationally, he has competed for Canada in two World Junior Championships, winning gold and silver in 2009 and 2010, respectively. He was named Tournament MVP and Best Forward at the 2010 World Junior Championships and is Canada's second all-time leading scorer at the tournament with 26 points, 5 behind Eric Lindros.

Hockey career[link]

Minor[link]

Eberle played novice with Hockey Regina's tier-1 Kings and amassed 216 goals over sixty games in 1999–00.^[1] He went on to play Bantam AAA for the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, as a fourteen-year-old.^[2] After being selected by his hometown major junior team, the Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League (WHL), in the seventh round, 126th overall, of the 2005 WHL Bantam Draft,^[3][4] Eberle joined the midget ranks with the Calgary Buffaloes of the Alberta Midget Hockey League (AMHL). He won a bronze medal with the Buffaloes at the 2006 Mac's Midget Hockey Tournament, scoring two goals in the bronze medal game against the Prince Albert Mintos.^[5] He helped his team qualify for the 2006 Telus Cup national midget championship, where the Buffaloes lost a 5–4 triple overtime game in the final against the Mintos.^[6] Eberle scored a goal in the losing effort^[7] and was awarded the Most Sportsmanlike Award for the tournament.^[6]

Regina Pats[link]

Eberle debuted with the Pats in 2006–07, scoring 55 points and a team-high 28 goals as a rookie. He added two goals and seven points in six games against the Swift Current Broncos in the opening round of the 2007 WHL playoffs, but was sidelined for the entirety of the second round against the Medicine Hat Tigers with a virus.^[8] Eberle started his second major junior season by earning WHL Player of the Month honours for October 2007, totaling sixteen goals and 26 points over sixteen games for the Pats.^[9] He had missed two games early in the season with tonsillitis, before scoring a hat trick in his return on October 6, 2007, against the Moose Jaw Warriors.^[10] Eberle later represented Team WHL against Russia in the 2007 ADT Canada-Russia Challenge in late-November.^[11] Midway through the season, he was chosen to compete in the 2008 CHL Top Prospects Game in Edmonton.^[12]

Jordan Eberle skates in a WHL game during the 2009-10 season.

Eberle finished 2007–08 with a team-high 42 goals and 75 points. His 42 goals accounted for one-fifth of his team's scoring and marked the first time a Pats player hit the forty-goal mark since Matt Hubbauer scored 48 in 2001–02.^[8] It also tied for fourth in league scoring with Drayson Bowman of the Spokane Chiefs.^[13] He was selected to the WHL East First All-Star Team and received the Doc Seaman Trophy as WHL scholastic player of the year (beating out defenceman Jared Cowen of the Spokane Chiefs).^[14]

Eberle had started the 2007–08 season ranked seventh among WHL skaters in the NHL Central Scouting Bureau's preliminary rankings for the 2008 NHL Entry Draft.^[15] At mid-season, he was ranked 24th among North American skaters,^[16] then dropped to 33rd in the NHL CSS's final rankings.^[4] Director of NHL Central Scouting, E. J. McGuire, described Eberle as a scorer whose strengths are his skating and stickhandling.^[17] He was selected in the first round, 22nd overall, by the Edmonton Oilers. Having grown up in Regina, Eberle was a childhood fan of the Oilers, even after his family moved to Calgary at fourteen-years-old.^[18] After being selected, he commented in an interview, "If I had to pick one pick, [the Oilers] would have been it."^[18]

Eberle competed in his second ADT Canada-Russia Challenge for Team WHL in 2008.^[19] After completing the 2008–09 WHL season with a team-leading 74 points in 61 games,^[20] Eberle was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract by the Oilers on March 23, 2009.^[20]

Competing for a roster spot with the Oilers in the 2009 training camp, Eberle was one of the final cuts.^[21] He was returned to the Pats on September 27, 2009,^[21] and reeled off 25 points in twelve games to be named WHL Player of the Month for September and October.^[22] He was named to Team WHL for the 2009 Subway Super Series (renamed from the ADT Canada-Russia Challenge) and was selected as an alternate captain to Pats teammate Colten Teubert for Game 5.^[23] Eberle finished the 2009–10 WHL season second in league scoring with 106 points in 57 games (one point behind Brandon Kozun of the Calgary Hitmen in eight fewer games) and was a unanimous selection to his second WHL East First All-Star Team in three years.^[24] He was the first member of the Pats to score fifty goals and record 100 points since Ronald Petrovicky during the 1997–98 season. Eberle finished his career with the Pats seventh all-time in franchise goal scoring with 155 and twelfth in points with 310.^[25] Eberle was named the Regina Pats Player of the Year, Most Sportsmanlike Player and the Most Popular player after the 2009–10 season.^[26] Despite the Pats disappointing season as a team, Eberle was selected as the winner of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as WHL Player of the Year, defeating Western Conference nominee Craig Cunningham of the Vancouver Giants.^[27] He was later named CHL Player of the Year, beating out the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) nominees Tyler Seguin and Mike Hoffman, respectively.^[28] It marked the third time a Pats player won the award, after Ed Staniowski in 1975 and Doug Wickenheiser in 1980.^[28]

Edmonton Oilers[link]

Eberle with the Oilers in Pittsburgh, March 2011.

Soon after signing a professional contract with the Oilers in 2009, he was assigned to the teams' minor league affiliate, the Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League (AHL) for the remainder of the 2008–09 AHL season. He scored his first professional goal in his third game with the Falcons, a 4–3 loss to the Portland Pirates on March 29, 2009.^[29] He went on to tally three goals and nine points in nine games. Eberle was again assigned to the Falcons after finishing the 2009–10 season with the Pats.^[30] He notched six goals and fourteen points in the Falcons last eleven games of the regular season.

Eberle made his NHL debut with the Oilers on October 7, 2010, against the Calgary Flames.^[31] He recorded his first goal, on the penalty kill in the third period, deking past defenceman Ian White on a two-on-one before scoring on a backhand deke past goaltender Miika Kiprusoff.^[31] The goal was later voted by fans as the NHL's Goal of the Year on the league's Facebook page,^[32] as well as Play of the Year on The Sports Network's website.^[33] He later added an assist on the powerplay, taking a shot that deflected off teammate Shawn Horcoff's shinpads. The Oilers went on to win the game 4–0.^[31] Eberle was named the first star of the game.^[34] Later in the season, Eberle suffered a high ankle sprain after colliding with opposing forward Ales Kotalik during a game against the Flames on January 1, 2011.^[35] While sidelined with the injury, he underwent an unrelated emergency appendectomy four days later.^[36] Missing 13 games with his ankle injury, he returned to action in early-February.^[37] During a game against the Vancouver Canucks late in the season, on April 5, Eberle received a hit to the head from opposing forward Raffi Torres. While Eberle was not injured on the play, Torres received a four-game suspension for the hit.^[38] He finished the season with 43 points (18 goals and 25 assists) in 69 games, leading his team in scoring and ranking sixth among league rookies.^[39] Though the Oilers finished with the worst record in the NHL for the second straight year, expectations remained high in Edmonton for the future of the team, as Eberle's success as a rookie was matched by the performance of fellow first-year forwards Taylor Hall and Magnus Paajarvi (both of whom were also former first-round draft picks).^[40]

During his second NHL season, Eberle sustained a sprained knee after colliding with Dallas Stars forward Jamie Benn during a game on January 7, 2012. At the time of the injury, Eberle was among the league's top scorers and six points behind the league's leader.^[41] Despite his success, he was left off the 2012 NHL All-Star Game roster, which was selected while he was sidelined.^{[notes 1]} Several members within the Oilers organization were outspoken regarding the omission, including captain Shawn Horcoff and head coach Tom Renney, to which the league replied that Eberle would have been selected had he not been injured.^[42] By January 19, Eberle returned to the Oilers lineup after missing four games.^[43] Five days later, he was nonetheless named as an All-Star replacement for the injured Mikko Koivu.^[44] Eberle was selected to Team Chara as part of the All-Star Draft and went on to record an assist in the squad's 12–9 win against Team Alfredsson.^[45] The following month, Eberle recorded his 100th career NHL point on February 21, 2012, with a goal and two assists in a 6-1 victory over the Flames.^[46] He finished his second NHL season leading with a team-leading 34 goals, 42 assists and 76 points.^[47] Among league scorers, he ranked 16th in goals and points.^[48] The Oilers continued to struggle as a team, however, and finished 14th in the Western Conference with 32 wins and 74 points.^[49]

On April 23, 2012, Eberle was nominated for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, along with Florida Panthers Brian Campbell and New York Islanders Matt Moulson.^[50]

International play[link]

Medal record
Eberle during the 2010 World Junior Championships
Ice hockey
Competitor for Canada
World Junior Championships
Silver	2010 Canada
Gold	2009 Canada
IIHF World U18 Championships
Gold	2008 Russia
Competitor for Alberta
Canada Winter Games
Bronze	2007 Canada

Eberle represented Alberta at the 2007 Canada Games in Whitehorse, Yukon. He notched two goals and an assist in the bronze medal game against British Columbia in Alberta's 4–3 win.^[51] He finished the tournament with six goals and five assists in five games played to place eighth in tournament scoring.^[52] Several months later, Eberle played for Team Canada's under-18 team at the 2007 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, but failed to register a point as Canada was kept from a medal.^[53] He continued with the national under-18 team the following year at the 2008 IIHF World U18 Championships in Russia. He began the tournament by earning player of the game honours with a two-goal effort in the first round-robin game against Germany—a 9–2 win for Canada.^[54][55] He later notched two goals and an assist in an 8–0 gold medal game win to help Canada to their first tournament championship in five years.^[56] Eberle finished the tournament with ten points in seven games, second in team scoring to Cody Hodgson.

In his third WHL season, Eberle was selected to the Team Canada's under-20 team for the 2009 World Junior Championships in Ottawa. In the semi-finals, on January 3, 2009, Eberle was named player of the game^[57] after scoring two goals and the shootout-winner against Russia in a 6–5 win. Eberle dramatically scored his second goal of the night with just 5.4 seconds left in regulation to force extra time and the eventual shootout, in which he shot first and scored.^[58] Defeating Sweden 5–1 in the final, Eberle helped Canada to a record-tying fifth straight gold medal and was named by the coaching staff as one of the team's best three players.^[59] At the conclusion of the tournament, Eberle was third in tournament scoring with thirteen points (six goals, seven assists).^[60]

The following year, Eberle was named to his second national junior team for the 2010 World Junior Championships in his hometown Regina, Saskatchewan. He was selected as an alternate captain to Patrice Cormier along with fellow returnees Colten Teubert, Alex Pietrangelo and Stefan Della Rovere.^[61] He was named player of the game against Switzerland in the second game of the round-robin—a 6–0 win—with a five-point game (one goal, four assists).^[62][63] Two games later, he notched two goals in regulation (one of which began a two-goal comeback late in the third period) and one in the shootout against the United States in the final game of the round-robin to earn his second player of the game honour of the tournament.^[64] Canada later met the United States again in the gold medal game. Down 5–3 with three minutes to go in regulation, Eberle scored twice to force overtime.^[65] His tying goal with 1:35 left made him Canada's all-time leading goal scorer in the tournament with fourteen, passing John Tavares' mark set the previous year.^[65] Canada eventually lost in overtime, earning silver and ending their five-year gold medal streak.^[66]

At the conclusion of the tournament, Eberle finished tied for the tournament lead in goals with André Petersson of Sweden and was second in points to Derek Stepan of the United States.^[67] He was voted as the Most Valuable Player and Top Forward.^[65] He was also named to the tournament All-Star Team by the media and named one of Canada's top three players by the coaches.^[68] Three days after the gold medal game, Regina mayor Pat Fiacco proclaimed January 8, 2010 as "Jordan Eberle and Colten Teubert Day" in the city for their efforts in the tournament.^[69]

On April 16, 2010, Eberle was named to Team Canada as an alternate for the 2010 IIHF World Championship in Germany.^[70] After injuries to Ryan Smyth and Steve Stamkos in the preliminary round, he debuted with Canada's men's team on May 14, 2010, versus Norway. Eberle scored a goal and assisted on three others to earn the Player of the Game Award in a 12–1 Team Canada victory.^[71] He played in three more games without any points as Canada finished in seventh place with a loss to Russia in the quarterfinal.^[72]

Following his NHL rookie season, Eberle joined the Canadian men's team for the second consecutive year for the 2011 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia. During the preliminary round, Eberle scored a goal in a contest against Switzerland to be named player of the game.^[73][74] In a game against the United States during the qualifying round, Eberle scored in a shootout, helping Canada to a 4–3 win, while also temporarily tying them for the lead in their pool.^[75] Canada went on to top their pool, but lost 2–1 in the quarterfinal against Russia for the second consecutive year.^[76] Scoring four times over seven tournament games (no assists), Eberle tied for second in team goal-scoring, behind John Tavares.^[77]

Personal life[link]

Eberle was born to Darren and Lisa Eberle in Regina, Saskatchewan.^[78] His dad coached him on his minor hockey teams growing up.^[6] He has two sisters, Ashley and Whitney, and a younger brother, Dustin.^[79] He attended high school at the Athol Murray College of Notre Dame in Wilcox, Saskatchewan, before moving to Calgary, Alberta at age fourteen with his parents and three siblings.^[78] He returned to Regina to play junior hockey for the Regina Pats and attended Archbishop M.C. O'Neill High School during the hockey season.^[14] He went on to graduate from Bishop O'Byrne High School in Calgary in June 2008.^[14]

Eberle has a cousin, Derek Eberle, who also played junior for the Pats from 1990 to 1993.^[6] His brother, Dustin, was drafted by the Pats in the 12th round (248th overall) of the 2007 WHL Bantam Draft.^[80]

Career statistics[link]

Regular season and playoffs[link]

International[link]

Awards[link]

Notes[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Jordan Eberle's NHL player profile
• Jordan Eberle's WHL Profile
• Jordan Eberle's career stats at The Internet Hockey Database

Will Ferrell
Ferrell in May 2009
Born	John William Ferrell (1967-07-16) July 16, 1967 (age 44) Irvine, California, United States
Occupation	Comedian, impressionist, actor, writer
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Viveca Paulin (2000–present)

John William "Will" Ferrell (/ˈfɛrəl/;^[1] born July 16, 1967)^[2] is an American comedian, impressionist, actor, and writer. Ferrell first established himself in the mid 1990s as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live, and has subsequently starred in the comedy films Old School, Elf, Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Stranger than Fiction, Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, and The Other Guys. He is considered a member of the "Frat Pack", a generation of leading Hollywood comic actors who emerged in the late 1990s and the 2000s, including Jack Black, Ben Stiller, Steve Carell, Vince Vaughn, and brothers Owen and Luke Wilson.

Early life[link]

Ferrell was born in Irvine, California, the son of Betty Kay (née Overman), a teacher who taught at Old Mill School elementary school and Santa Ana College,^[3] and Roy Lee Ferrell, Jr., a musician with The Righteous Brothers.^[4] His parents were both natives of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina, and moved to California in 1964;^[5][6] Ferrell has Irish ancestry.^[7] Ferrell has a younger brother, Patrick.^[8] When he was 8, his parents divorced. Ferrell said of the divorce, "I was the type of kid who would say, 'Hey Look at the bright side! We'll have two Christmases.'" The divorce was amicable and both parents were committed to their children. The biggest problem was Lee's line of work. As a person in show business, his paychecks were never steady and he was gone from home months at a time. Growing up in the environment made Ferrell not want to go into show business, but get a steady job.^[8]

Will first attended school at Turtle Rock Elementary and later attended Rancho San Joaquin Middle School, both in Irvine. He attended University High School in Irvine, and was a kicker for the school's varsity football team.^[9] He was also on the soccer team and captain of the basketball team, and served on student council. As a joke, he started the reptile club (even though he didn't know anyone who owned one), but the club only lasted for two meetings.^[10]

Ferrell called third grade "a pivotal year". He realized he could make his classmates laugh if he pretended to smash his head against the wall, or if he tripped and fell on purpose, and said it was a great way to make friends.^[11] He told the Orange County Register that the dullness of Irvine contributed to the growth of his humor:

Growing up in suburbia, in safe, master-planned Irvine, there was no drama so we had to create it in our heads. My main form of entertainment was cracking my friends up and exploring new ways of being funny. I didn't have to have the survival mode instinct like other comics, who grew up in tough neighborhoods. I had the opposite. For me, I grew up in Mayberry, and the humor broke the boredom. And there was a lot to make fun of.^[12]

In his senior year of high school, Ferrell and a friend would perform comedy skits over the school's intercom system, with cooperation from the principal. The two had to write their own material though. Ferrell also performed comedic skits in the school's talent shows. He won the "Best Personality" superlative voted by his classmates.^[10]

He enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he studied Sports Broadcasting and joined the Delta Tau Delta Fraternity. In college, he was known for a few pranks. On occasion, he would dress in a janitor's outfit and stroll into his friends' classes. He was also known for streaking around campus with a few other people from the Delta Tau Delta fraternity.^[10] Ferrell earned an internship at a local television station in the sports department. He did not enjoy the work.^[13]

After graduating with a bachelor's degree in Sports Information in 1990, he knew he did not want to do broadcasting. He took up jobs as a hotel valet, and on his second day he tore a baggage rack off the top of a van by trying to drive it under a low-lying beam. He also worked as a teller at Wells Fargo, but came up short $300 the first day and $280 the second—he was not stealing the money, he was just careless and error-prone.^[13]

In 1991, he moved out of the house (thanks to his mother's encouragement to pursue something he liked) and to Los Angeles. He auditioned (and got in), and developed his improvisation skills as a member of the comedy group The Groundlings.^[13]

Career[link]

[edit] The Groundlings

Before joining The Groundlings, Ferrell's attempts at standup comedy had little success. He started in the advanced classes and grew to love improvisation. He realized he also liked to impersonate people, and one of his favorites was Harry Caray, the Hall of Fame baseball announcer. Soon he began to create original characters. With fellow Groundlings member Chris Kattan, they created the Butabi Brothers, who go out to dance clubs to try to pick up women but are constantly rejected. While taking classes, Ferrell got a job at an auction house via his friend Viveca Paulin. The job was ideal as it was flexible enough for him to audition and go to rehearsals while also being employed. He received small roles, including TV series Grace Under Fire and Living Single, low-budget films such as A Bucket of Blood, as well as commercials. One winter, he even served as a mall Santa Claus. Then, in 1994, he won a spot with the top professional group of The Groundlings.^[14]

[edit] Saturday Night Live

After SNL's dip in popularity in 1994–1995 and in need of new cast members for the next season, a producer saw The Groundlings and asked Ferrell, Kattan, and Cheri Oteri to audition for SNL's main producer, Lorne Michaels.^[15]

Ferrell joined Saturday Night Live in 1995 and left in 2002 after a successful seven-year tenure. He returned to host twice (both in season finales), and once in the cold open of the final episode of Saturday Night Live Weekend Update Thursday.

During his time on SNL, Ferrell made a name for himself with his impersonations, which included:

• U.S. President George W. Bush
• Chicago Cubs announcer Harry Caray,
• Singer Robert Goulet (crooning a cappella pieces of music by Sisqó, Baha Men, and Notorious B.I.G.),
• Singer Neil Diamond,
• Inside the Actors Studio host James Lipton (who was quoted several times favoring Ferrell's impersonation),
• Massachusetts Senator Ted Kennedy,
• United States Attorney General Janet Reno,
• Convicted Unabomber Ted Kaczynski,
• Game show host Alex Trebek,
• Fictitious black private detective Shaft,
• Professional wrestler-turned-Governor of Minnesota Jesse Ventura,
• U.S. Vice President Al Gore (Darrell Hammond took over once Ferrell started playing Bush),
• Iraqi President Saddam Hussein,
• Cuban President Fidel Castro.

His original characters included "Morning Latte" co-host Tom Wilkins, Ed the Horse's twin brother Ned (cf. Mister Ed), fictional Blue Öyster Cult member Gene Frenkle (physically modeled after Blue Öyster Cult vocalist Eric Bloom), music teacher Marty Culp, Spartan cheerleader Craig Buchanan, Dale Sturtevant from "Dissing Your Dog", Hank of the Bill Brasky Buddies, David Leary from "Dog Show", and night clubber Steve Butabi in a sketch that went to the big screen in 1998's A Night at the Roxbury.

Ferrell returned to Saturday Night Live as a guest host on May 14, 2005, and May 16, 2009. Both times, he reprised his role as Alex Trebek in the "Celebrity Jeopardy" sketches. On the May 14 appearance, Ferrell reprised his role as Robert Goulet in a fake commercial advertising a series of crooned ringtones and, during the performance of the song "Little Sister" by musical guests Queens of the Stone Age, Ferrell came on stage playing the cowbell.

Ferrell became the highest paid cast member of Saturday Night Live in 2001 with a season salary of $350,000.^[16]

Film career[link]

During his time on Saturday Night Live, Ferrell appeared in several movies: Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery, A Night at the Roxbury, Superstar, The Ladies Man, Dick, Drowning Mona, Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, and Zoolander.

His first starring role came after his departure from SNL with Frank "The Tank" Richard in Old School (2003). The film "belongs to Mr. Ferrell", declared the New York Times, which described how he "uses his hilarious, anxious zealotry to sell the part."^[17] Old School was a major success and Ferrell received an MTV Movie Awards nomination for Best Comedic Performance.

The title role in Elf (2003) followed, as did another MTV Movie Awards nomination. Ferrell continued to land comedy roles in 2004 and 2005 in films such as Melinda and Melinda, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, Starsky & Hutch earning himself a place among Hollywood's Frat Pack.^[18] In 2005, Ferrell earned $40 million.^[19] In 2006, Ferrell starred in Stranger Than Fiction and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby; both received critical and box office success. Ferrell's performance in Stranger Than Fiction introduced audiences to the dramatic potential of Ferrell's acting talents. On December 27, 2006, 'The Magazine' named Ferrell as one of its three actors of the year in their 2006 year in review issue.^[20]

Ferrell at the premiere of Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story, December 2007

Ferrell appeared as part of a pre-game video package for the Rose Bowl along with Texas alum Matthew McConaughey. Ferrell also sang a song at the ESPY Awards in 2006 about Lance Armstrong and Neil Armstrong. He and John C. Reilly also did a spot during the 2008 ESPY Awards where they made demands in order for them to appear at the ESPYs like asking Portland Trail Blazers' center Greg Oden to tuck them in at night and tell them stories of the old times or to bring back the Cold War so the Olympics can be interesting again.

Ferrell participated in a 79th Academy Awards musical-comedy performance with John C. Reilly and Jack Black, wherein they sang a song about comedies being snubbed by the voters in favor of dramas.

In May 2009 it was announced Ferrell is in talks to star in Neighborhood Watch, a comedy about an urbanite who moves to the suburbs and uncovers a conspiracy. In negotiations to direct is David Dobkin, who gave Ferrell a cameo in Wedding Crashers.^[21] In August 2009, Ferrell decided not to do the film. In the summer of 2009, Ferrell did a large amount of filming with several young actors. He helped out on a film entitled Making a Movie^{[citation needed]}, which is now on DVD.

In June 2009, Land of the Lost was released. It was a commercial and critical flop after earning $19 million on opening weekend, about two-thirds of what the studio expected.^[22][23]

In 2010, he was the executive producer and star of The Other Guys, a buddy cop film, which also has an ensemble cast which consists of Mark Wahlberg, Eva Mendes, Michael Keaton, Steve Coogan, Ray Stevenson, Samuel L. Jackson and Dwayne Johnson. Unlike Land of the Lost, the film was a commercial success, earning over $140 million,^[24] and was positively reviewed by critics.

Ferrell is set to star in Casa de Mi Padre, a telenovela spoof comedy set in a ranch with Mexican stars Diego Luna and Gael García Bernal. The movie's story will be told in melodramatic telenovela form and will feature English-language subtitles.^[25]

Voice acting[link]

Will Ferrell dressed as Megamind at the 2010 San Diego Comic-Con International

Ferrell has worked as a voice actor in several animated television programs, including his portrayal of Bob Oblong, a 1950s-style father with no arms or legs, in the short-lived animated television series The Oblongs. He has had several guest appearances on Family Guy, where he played the Black Knight in "Mr. Saturday Knight", as well as Fat Greek Guy and Miles "Chatterbox" Musket in Fifteen Minutes of Shame. Ferrell also starred as Ted (a.k.a. The Man in the Yellow Hat) in the film Curious George^[26] and guest voiced on an episode of the FOX sitcom King of the Hill as a political correct soccer coach. He voiced the title character in the 2010 DreamWorks Animation film Megamind.

Stage career[link]

Ferrell made his Broadway debut taking on departing U.S. President George W. Bush in a one-man show called You’re Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush. The show started performances on January 20, 2009, in previews—Bush's final day in office—at the Cort Theatre and opened officially on February 1. The limited engagement played through March 15, 2009.^[27]

Creating and producing[link]

[edit] Funny or Die

In April 2007, Ferrell launched "Funny or Die",^[28] a streaming video website where short comedy films are uploaded and voted on by users. The site features The Landlord, starring Ferrell and Pearl McKay, the toddler daughter of Funny or Die co-founder Adam McKay. Ferrell's character is harassed for the rent by his landlady, a swearing, beer-loving, two-year-old girl (played by McKay's daughter, Pearl). Child psychologists have criticized Ferrell and the McKay family for child exploitation,^[29] to which McKay responded:

Fortunately she is in this great stage now where she repeats anything you say to her and then forgets it right away, which is key. She has not said the 'B-word' since we shot the thing.

—Adam McKay^[30]

They followed with the release of a video entitled "Good Cop, Baby Cop" which also starred baby Pearl;^[31] the end of the video stated that this would be her final appearance and wished her a happy "baby retirement."

In September 2008, Ferrell released another video entitled "Will Ferrell Answers Internet Questions" where he takes some pressing questions and comments from his fans.

Another Ferrell appearance on "Funny or Die"^[28] is in the video called "Green Team," featuring also McKay and John C Reilly. It shows militant ecologic activists terrorizing the crew on a filming set.

[edit] Eastbound & Down

Ferrell co-produces (with Adam McKay) an HBO show starring Danny McBride called Eastbound & Down.^[32] He also has a recurring role as car dealer Ashley Schaeffer.

Personal life[link]

In August 2000, Ferrell married Swedish actress Viveca Paulin, whom he met in 1995 at an acting class. They live in New York City and in Orange County, California and have three sons, Magnus Paulin Ferrell, born March 7, 2004,^[33] Mattias Paulin Ferrell, born December 30, 2006,^[34] and Axel Paulin Ferrell, born January 23, 2010.^[35]

In 2006, I-Newswire.com, a site that accepts submissions from readers and publishes them as "press releases", reported that Ferrell had died in a paragliding accident. The hoax was published before its factual inaccuracy was noticed. The story was further propagated when it appeared on Google News.

Ferrell is a fan of USC Trojan football. At USC, Ferrell was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and is now an active alumnus. Ferrell has worked with former head coach Pete Carroll to do motivational stunts for the players during the season.^[9]

Ferrell is also a supporter of English Premier League football club ^[36] Chelsea, representing Chelsea as honorary captain in the coin toss before the Chelsea v Inter Milan match at The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, on July 21, 2009.^[37]

Ferrell enjoys running and has participated in several major marathons such as the Boston, New York and Stockholm Marathons.^[38] He also raises money for charity, including his Scholarships for Cancer Survivors campaign through Crowdrise; a social networking community for volunteers and a micro-donations fundraising platform.^[39]

In 2007, Autograph magazine named Ferrell the worst celebrity autographer. Its editor stated, "What's so frustrating about Will Ferrell being the worst autograph signer this past year is that he used to be so nice to fans and collectors and a great signer. What makes him so bad is that he'll taunt people asking for his autograph."^[40] In response, Ferrell has stated, "I don't know how I got on the list. I sign a lot of autographs", but has admitted to taunting autograph-seekers: "I do. I really do. I'm like, 'How badly do you want this autograph?' 'Are you sure?' 'You say you're my biggest fan, really, prove it.' I'll do things like that. They have to earn it."^[41]

Ferrell had noted that, although he was well known for his SNL impersonation of President George W. Bush, he chose, for both professional and political reasons, not to meet the President on several occasions, unlike his SNL predecessor Dana Carvey's famous chummy relationship with George H. W. Bush: "I declined, partly out of comedic purposes, because when I was on the show Saturday Night Live at the time, it didn't make sense to really meet the people that you play, for fear of them influencing you. And then the other side of it is, from a political standpoint, I don't want to meet that guy."^[41] Ferrell also appeared on an episode of Man vs. Wild, where he traveled throughout the tundras of Sweden with the show's host, Bear Grylls. In the episode, Ferrell came across various unique situations, which included eating the eye of a reindeer.^[42]

Ferrell made a comical debut as a relief pitcher for the Round Rock Express, the Triple-A affiliate of the Houston Astros, on May 6, 2010. He was introduced as "Billy Ray 'Rojo' Johnson", and was brought in to relief pitch for the sixth inning. He then entertained the fans by bringing a sack of beer cans to the mound, as well as being ejected and getting chased by the opposing batter. He revealed himself to the fans when his moustache fell off during the chase. The appearance was cooked up by Ferrell and the Express, who sent out a press release announcing Johnson's "signing", to promote The Will Powered Golf Classic the following day at the nearby Cimarron Hills Country Club, which benefits Cancer for College, an organization that provides scholarships to cancer survivors.^[43]

Ferrell has an estimated net worth of $80 million.^[44]

He appeared in the video for "Make Some Noise" by the Beastie Boys in the front of a limo playing a cowbell.

Awards and nominations[link]

Emmy Awards

Nominated:

• 2001: Outstanding Individual Performance In A Variety Or Music Program (for Saturday Night Live)

ESPY Awards

Won:

• 2007 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby)
• 2008 ESPY Awards, Best Sports Movie (for Semi-Pro)

Golden Globe Awards

Nominated:

• 2006: Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture (for The Producers)
• 2007: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy (for Stranger than Fiction)

James Joyce Award

• 2008: James Joyce Award from University College Dublin's Literary and Historical Society in recognition for "excelling in his field".^[45][46]

Kids Choice Awards

• 2011: Favorite Buttkicker (for Megamind)^[47]

MTV Movie Awards

Won:

• 2007: Best Kiss for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (with Sacha Baron Cohen)

Nominated:

• 2003: Best Comedic Performance (for Old School)
• 2003: Best On-Screen Team (with Luke Wilson and Vince Vaughn for Old School)
• 2004: Best Comedic Performance (for Elf)
• 2005: Best Comedic Performance (for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)
• 2005: Best On-Screen Team (with Paul Rudd, Steve Carell and David Koechner for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)
• 2005: Best Musical Performance (with Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carell for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy)
• 2007: Best Comedic Performance (for Blades of Glory)
• 2007: Best Fight (for Blades of Glory)

Razzie Awards

Nominated:

• 2005: Worst Actor for Bewitched and Kicking & Screaming

Satellite Awards

Nominated:

• 2006: Best Actor in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical (for Stranger Than Fiction)

Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards

Won:

• 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Funniest Mo-fo
• 2007 Spike TV Guys' Choice Awards, Most Viral Video

Teen Choice Awards

Won:

• 2007: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby and Blades of Glory

Nominated:

• 2004: Choice Comedian
• 2004: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Elf
• 2005: Choice Comedian
• 2005: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Kicking & Screaming
• 2005: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Kicking & Screaming
• 2005: Choice Movie Rumble for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
• 2005: Choice Movie Sleazebag for Kicking & Screaming
• 2007: Choice Comedian
• 2007: Choice Movie Chemistry (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory
• 2007: Choice Movie Dance (with Jon Heder), for Blades of Glory
• 2007: Choice Movie Hissy Fit for Blades of Glory
• 2008: Choice Comedian
• 2008: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Semi-Pro
• 2009: Choice Movie Actor – Comedy for Land of the Lost

Tony Awards

Nominated:

• 2009: Best Special Theatrical Event (for You're Welcome America. A Final Night with George W. Bush)

Mark Twain Prize for American Humor

Ferrell was selected as the 2011 recipient of the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Filmography[link]