WTF? Really?! This can't be real

March 14, 2006 12:15 PM

Will Ferrell dead at 36
posted by rschroed (97 comments total)

lol you suck at teh internets
posted by mr_crash_davis at 12:17 PM on March 14, 2006

Please let this be the worst, dumbest, stupidest hoax ever.
posted by billysumday at 12:18 PM on March 14, 2006

delete
posted by mr.marx at 12:18 PM on March 14, 2006

WTF? Really?! This can't be real

Um, you're right, it's not. If it was it would be on CNN.com, etc.
posted by delmoi at 12:19 PM on March 14, 2006

It's just really weird that someone would write that.
posted by billysumday at 12:19 PM on March 14, 2006

not funny.
posted by empath at 12:19 PM on March 14, 2006

I pray it isn't true. I fear it is.
posted by Ironmouth at 12:20 PM on March 14, 2006

because press releases with spelling and grammar errors are sure to be true...
posted by mrg at 12:20 PM on March 14, 2006

In 5...4...3...
posted by esch at 12:20 PM on March 14, 2006

If he's not dead is it still cold to say that you don't care for his work?
posted by Mayor Curley at 12:21 PM on March 14, 2006

.
posted by mischief at 12:21 PM on March 14, 2006

A man can wish, can't he?
posted by rxrfrx at 12:21 PM on March 14, 2006

Aww, my first flag.
posted by Squid Voltaire at 12:21 PM on March 14, 2006

Oh man I hope this is wrong.
posted by Toecutter at 12:22 PM on March 14, 2006

I'm sure everyone in the Metafilter community will miss him - even if you didn't enjoy his work, there's no denying his contributions to popular culture. Truly an American icon.
posted by brownpau at 12:22 PM on March 14, 2006

Some people really need a hobby. Oh wait....this is it. If anyone needs me I'll be in my bunker.
posted by Dormant Gorilla at 12:22 PM on March 14, 2006

If it shows up on google news it's got to be real right?
posted by rschroed at 12:23 PM on March 14, 2006

Not cool.
posted by ColdChef at 12:23 PM on March 14, 2006

Ouch. It's the first result for a search on Will Ferrell in Google news...
posted by Artw at 12:23 PM on March 14, 2006

This FPP needs less cowbell.
posted by NationalKato at 12:23 PM on March 14, 2006

I pray it isn't true. I fear it is.
Oh man I hope this is wrong.

Are you guys retarded? Of course it's fake. Duh. It's a 'newswire' site. Probably anyone can post to it.
posted by delmoi at 12:24 PM on March 14, 2006

This feels pretty hoax-ish. I really hope it is. . .
posted by Toecutter at 12:24 PM on March 14, 2006

Okay, I've never been a fan of most of his comedy, but I loved him in "The Producers," and really want to see his serious turn in "Winter Passing." I hope this is a hoax. Can we get an official denial, please?
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:24 PM on March 14, 2006

Will Farrell also came in third in the boy's 1600 at the Iowa Indoor Invitational.
posted by clearlynuts at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

.
posted by greasy_skillet at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

He's not 36. IMDB has him as born in 1967. That makes him 38. I hope these errors mean it isn't true. The press release is terribly written. Could be a hoax.
posted by Ironmouth at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

Ouch. It's the first result for a search on Will Ferrell in Google news...

Then it must be true!
posted by chunking express at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

Also, Will Ferrell is 39, not 36. He was born in 1967.
posted by delmoi at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

Actually, what I can't figure out is why the dumbass that put out the PR didn't spell check. I mean, make a little effort, jeez. as oppossed to the dumbass that put it on MeFi.
posted by rschroed at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

rschroed writes "If it shows up on google news it's got to be real right?"

Are you serious?

I think he's serious.
posted by mr_roboto at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

One of the tags is "hoax" - I assume that the poster tagged it as such?
posted by KAS at 12:25 PM on March 14, 2006

lam4r
posted by matteo at 12:26 PM on March 14, 2006

Will was born on July 16, 1968. He was 36.

Weird. I was born in 1968 and I'm 38. These Hollywood big shots even age different!
posted by dobbs at 12:26 PM on March 14, 2006

I-Newswire.com is your free press release distribution center. We welcome you to submit your press releases or news free of charge.

FUCK YOU. I mean it. Fuck you fuck you fuck you.
posted by ColdChef at 12:26 PM on March 14, 2006

Nice FPP. HEY! LOOK AT ME! I'M A COMPLETE FUCKING MORON!
posted by unSane at 12:26 PM on March 14, 2006

...

This is absolutely ridiculous. The sheer volume of terrible grammar and plain spelling errors certainly makes this highly questionable. Further, if you look at their Submit page, it looks like you can submit any press release you like.

Move on, nothing to see here.
posted by Pontius Pilate at 12:26 PM on March 14, 2006

More cowbell!
posted by zpousman at 12:26 PM on March 14, 2006

Thanks for making my post not stick out as much. Thank you, rschroed.
posted by KevinSkomsvold at 12:26 PM on March 14, 2006

Retarded. Great work, Schroed.
posted by jimmy at 12:27 PM on March 14, 2006

our news-robot overlords wouldn't lie to us, would they?
posted by rschroed at 12:27 PM on March 14, 2006

Er, yeah 38. He'll be turning 39 this year, though, because he's not dead.

I mean seriously. How could anyone even belive this for a minute. The only news article about it is the one on i-newswire, a site that will take press releases from anyone.
posted by delmoi at 12:28 PM on March 14, 2006

paragliding? hmm. sounds too comedic to be real. here's hoping for a hoax.
posted by kendrak at 12:28 PM on March 14, 2006

NationalKato - you read my mind! heh.
posted by AllesKlar at 12:28 PM on March 14, 2006

I think it is a hoax. The press release was from five hours ago and Variety has nothing on it. We would have known. He's probably laughing at it right now.
posted by Ironmouth at 12:29 PM on March 14, 2006

The i-newswire site seems to have been taken down, perhaps by the traffic that this release has generated.
posted by dammitjim at 12:29 PM on March 14, 2006

All this from a 10K'er? My faith is gone, man. Poof!
posted by prostyle at 12:29 PM on March 14, 2006

Nothing on CNN, nothing on NYT, no collaborating stories on Google. This is a hoax. I am willing to wager one thousand US dollars that SNL alum Will Ferrell, as of 3:29 PM EST, is alive and well.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

.
posted by crunchland at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

In an interview with Will's parents who was John W. Ferrell in real life, Mary and Hubert Ferrell said their sonn died while doing one of the things he loved the most.

Note to hoaxers: to improve believability, instead of writing sentences like this, hire someone who passed eighth-grade English and can form a coherent fscking sentence.
posted by infidelpants at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

a freak wind gush sorta kind of like you know basically blew Ferrell and his companion towards a wooded area
posted by Armitage Shanks at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

I'm calling bullshit.
posted by rollbiz at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

but netcraft confirmed it?
posted by keswick at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

OMG, it's on CNN!
posted by Plutor at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

Gotta be fake -- they got a lot of facts about Ferrell wrong (e.g. born in 1967, not '68, parents Lee and Kay, not Mary and Hubert, etc.).
posted by hjo3 at 12:30 PM on March 14, 2006

The wording of the story is extremely odd:

The accident apparently happened somewhere near the famed paragliding site after a freak wind gush basically blew Ferrell and his companion towards a wooded area...

Some friends of the actor who witnessed the accident immediately called up 911...

In an interview with Will's parents who was John W. Ferrell in real life...

My emphasis. None of these words/phrases belong in a professional wire story. Either they've got a 5th grader writing these things, or they were really pressed for time, or it's fake.
posted by nyterrant at 12:31 PM on March 14, 2006

Now you too can hit Google News without even trying...

posted by mischief at 12:31 PM on March 14, 2006

WTF Plutor?!?
posted by rollbiz at 12:31 PM on March 14, 2006

I feel like I've just been rschroeded.
posted by NationalKato at 12:31 PM on March 14, 2006

Quick, somebody kill Will Ferrell before this FPP gets deleted.
posted by rxrfrx at 12:31 PM on March 14, 2006

{paraphrasing many} "There are a lot of spelling mistakes in that press release - it must be a hoax"

Doesn't anyone preview before posting anymore?

Oh, and it can't be true if there's no youtube link in the post.
posted by Sk4n at 12:31 PM on March 14, 2006

Gah, this made me feel horribly sad and ill, since he's one of my favorites. Thanks for the shit post.
posted by juniper at 12:31 PM on March 14, 2006

The fact that a story reporting an actor's death says nothing about any of the films/roles that made him famous indicates a hoax more than anything for me. Sports management? Please.
posted by dlugoczaj at 12:32 PM on March 14, 2006

in other i-newswire news™ NY Acting teacher suggests terrorism, law-breaking and pornography will boost career.
posted by AllesKlar at 12:32 PM on March 14, 2006

Did I just say "alum?" I meant alumnus! ALUMNUUUUS!
::is stabbed by Romans::
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:32 PM on March 14, 2006

Other important news from i-newswire: "Stay at Home Mom Earns $128,500 Working at Home from Computer and Pays Off All Debt"
posted by brain_drain at 12:33 PM on March 14, 2006

I just had a flashback of standing in Circuit City and testing out a stereo system and hearing them announce that Phil Hartman had been killed by his wife.
posted by ColdChef at 12:33 PM on March 14, 2006

Not to mention the source is called The News Times
posted by srboisvert at 12:34 PM on March 14, 2006

You shut your goddamn mouth. Phil isn't dead; he's on a tropical island with Elvis and JFK and Marilyn Monroe.
posted by keswick at 12:34 PM on March 14, 2006

Wait, no one who clicks on the link and reads the article could possible believe this is true.
posted by rschroed at 12:35 PM on March 14, 2006

I became suspicious when the press release did not mention a drug overdose of any sort.
posted by boo_radley at 12:35 PM on March 14, 2006

Quick, somebody kill Will Ferrell before this FPP gets deleted.

That was funnier than both Will Ferrell and this FPP.
posted by scrump at 12:35 PM on March 14, 2006

Maybe rschroed posted the I-Wire press release, then linked to it here? That would be way sweet. Psych!
posted by billysumday at 12:36 PM on March 14, 2006

This is why kids shouldn't be allowed on the internet. Stupid kids.
posted by crunchland at 12:37 PM on March 14, 2006

rschroed, perhaps an apology is in order.
posted by ColdChef at 12:38 PM on March 14, 2006

I thought Will Ferrell got killed in Vietnam.
posted by R. Mutt at 12:39 PM on March 14, 2006

Heh. Looks like i-newswire took it down.
posted by dammitjim at 12:39 PM on March 14, 2006

That would be a good movie. Will Ferrell could play the instructor.
posted by Ohdemah at 12:40 PM on March 14, 2006

is rschroed Ricky Schroeder? Hmmmm....
posted by ozomatli at 12:40 PM on March 14, 2006

Seriously. We are all stupider for having read this, and may Metafilter have mercy on your soul.
posted by agregoli at 12:42 PM on March 14, 2006

rschroed, perhaps an apology is in order.
posted by matteo at 12:43 PM on March 14, 2006

In an interview with Will's parents who was John W. Ferrell in real life

What you guys don't get is Will is dead, but real life John W. Ferrell is still alive.
posted by freudianslipper at 12:43 PM on March 14, 2006

Or is it, his parents were both named John W. Ferrell.
posted by freudianslipper at 12:45 PM on March 14, 2006

Isn't it time for some funny images?
posted by NationalKato at 12:45 PM on March 14, 2006

rschroed....YOU'RE BANNED!
posted by Shfishp at 12:46 PM on March 14, 2006

rschroed, perhaps an apology is in order.

i guess you're right.

I'm sorry everybody, really

I guess it's a good thing I never FPP.
posted by rschroed at 12:46 PM on March 14, 2006

most worthy-to-be deleted post I've read here yet.
posted by Busithoth at 12:46 PM on March 14, 2006

Might want to suggest to Google News that they permanently ignore iNewswire.
posted by WCityMike at 12:47 PM on March 14, 2006

So he will be making more movies?

Crap.
posted by Zetetics at 12:47 PM on March 14, 2006

rschroed had his fingers crossed when he apologised, I saw it.
posted by R. Mutt at 12:48 PM on March 14, 2006

(I-Newswire) - The content of this press release was removed or moved to another location. Please use our search function to search for the new location or enter a search string to find similar items.

pure cack. thanks for the double-take, though.
posted by Busithoth at 12:48 PM on March 14, 2006

Now put those plantains back and get out!
posted by Shfishp at 12:49 PM on March 14, 2006

rschroed sits on a throne of lies!
posted by byort at 12:52 PM on March 14, 2006

Might be actionable in California. The state has very strict laws about the use of people's names and liknesses.
posted by Ironmouth at 12:52 PM on March 14, 2006

zpousman wrote: "More cowbell!"

Here ya go, buddy. You asked for it.


posted by caution live frogs at 12:52 PM on March 14, 2006

I bet that Will Ferrell himself issued that press release to see how far it could get...too funny! I was sure shocked to read it though.

I don't think the poster owes us an apology.
posted by SSinVan at 12:54 PM on March 14, 2006

I like crack!
posted by ozomatli at 12:54 PM on March 14, 2006

I look forward to the inevitable double-post. To those from the future looking at the post, I say: "Hey!"
posted by blue_beetle at 12:58 PM on March 14, 2006