He came. He saw. He ate crullers.
Ron Burgundy, the character created by actor Will Ferrell
for the movie Anchorman, made an in-character appearance at the Roar of the
Rings, joining Vic, Russ and Linda in the broadcast booth.
It was two ends that will likely go down in curling broadcasting history.
Over the course of his appearance Ferrell, who wore a kilt along with his burgundy blazer, learned the nuances of the game, called a few shots, commented on the players, learned how to score and even timed rocks.
At times, his comments seemed to overshadow the actual curling while at others, he seemed to defer to the on-ice action.
The trio of regular commentators played along and Rauter kept at least a modicum of play-by-play so the game didn’t totally disappear.
Some of Burgundy’s memorable lines included:
On Jennifer Jones: “Of course when she’s not curling, she
works as a rodeo clown.”
On Glenn Howard: "He is one of the
legends of the sport. Even though he's an ugly, ugly man."
On his vocal warm-up mantra: "The muscular man from Manitoba touched his man-boobs."
On his vocal warm-up mantra: "The muscular man from Manitoba touched his man-boobs."
After littering the screen with Telestrator rocks: “I think
they’re mating with each other.”
On the ice conditions: “Are you allowed to put a foreign
substance on the ice like olive oil or Parmesan cheese?”
On Winnipeg. “It’s the Paris of Canada. All the smells.”
On the meaning of Winnipeg: "What
does Winnipeg mean?" "Its roots are in Latin of course. It means
small tundra bunny who lives in the hole in the head."
Clearly, the appearance wasn’t for everyone’s taste. A few
of the Tweets that came during Burgundy’s time weren’t favourable.
Not sure how either the curlers or the crew covering them must feel about having Ron Burgundy on hand to make a mockery of the whole thing.
— Andrew Coyne (@acoyne) December 1, 2013
It's one day and I'm already sick of the Ron Burgundy/Curling bit.
— Blair Pacheco (@blairpacheco) December 1, 2013
@TSN_Sports True curling fans can't be enjoying this. Ron Burgundy isn't doing curling any justice.
— Sweet Scottie (@sweetscottie) December 1, 2013
Watching @roaroftherings to see @RonBurgundy The only #curling game I'll watch all year #canada #tsn
— Megan (@MSargent15) December 1, 2013
Thank you @RonBurgundy for making curling interesting!!!
— Jon Valvano (@JVALVANzzz) December 1, 2013
Well that was the most entertaining two ends of #curling I have ever watched. @RonBurgundy #burgundyinthebooth #rotr
— Craig Savill (@CraigSavill) December 1, 2013
Just laughed constantly for the last 2 ends, great idea having Ron Burgundy commenting! #entertainment #beauty
— Ryan Harnden (@RyanTHarnden) December 1, 2013
Before he made it to the booth, Ferrell, in character, met
with the press and answered questions about curling and his reason for being
there. He also stole a Tim Hortons cruller, which he shared with a volunteer,
and posed for his media pass, asking if he needed to raise his right hand to
swear allegiance to any party. And he received a curling lesson from Glenn
Howard and team.
And all along, he waved to the fans and signed autographs.
So where do you stand on the appearance? Did it take away from a serious event or was it a great way to enjoy the game??
So where do you stand on the appearance? Did it take away from a serious event or was it a great way to enjoy the game??
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