Thursday, January 24, 2008

Will Ferrell Wins Joyce Award

It’s no secret that Will Ferrell is one of the funniest men alive. And the folks over in Ireland were recently treated to an in-person dose of his deadpan humor when he was awarded the James Joyce Award from University College Dublin.

As he took the stage to accept the award, the “Old School” actor fell into his familiar comic zone. He addressed the crowd of over 1,000 university students, “As I perused my leather-bound volumes of ‘Ulysses,’ ‘Finnegans Wake,’ ‘Dubliners,’ ‘Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man,’ standing in my mahogany library, a lot of feelings ran across my mind. Like: ‘Damn, I should have read these books.’”

Reportedly, Ferrell, joined by his brother and father, has been traveling all over Ireland as of late in an attempt to trace his family heritage. And he conveyed his fondness for his Emerald Isle roots.

Wearing a 2-sizes-too-small rugby shirt, shorts and a cap, he proclaimed, “I’m so committed to my Irish roots that I intend to continue wearing this outfit upon my return to the United States. I will also continue to drive on the left-hand side of the road. Will it be dangerous? Yes. Is it illegal? Highly. But that’s just how committed I am.”

He also paid tribute to Ireland’s most famous beer. “I love the taste of Guinness on the back of your throat, when it repeats on you the next morning. I love sitting in a cozy pub talking with a local, whose accent is so thick it sounds like he’s gargling phlegm.”

Gossip Girls

Enjoy the pictures from the Joyce Award presentation ceremony (January 24).