Will Ferrell to Host Nationwide College Comedy Tour Featuring Rising Stars of Stand-Up

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--In support of the February 29^th, 2008 theatrical release of his comedy, SEMI-PRO, Will Ferrell will host a nationwide college comedy tour featuring rising stars of stand-up. Sponsored by FunnyorDie.com, the funniest place on the web, Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die Comedy Tour Presented by Semi-Pro pairs Ferrell with three comedians, Zach Galifianakis, Demetri Martin, and Nick Swardson, for a rousing evening of stand-up comedy. The seven-college arena tour hits the road in February 2008, in support of SEMI-PRO, which will be released on February 29^th, 2008 by New Line Cinema.

“Not only will this tour make people laugh, but it's going to change lives...I think”

"Not only will this tour make people laugh, but it's going to change lives...I think," said Ferrell about the upcoming comedy tour.

Dates and venues for Will Ferrell’s Funny or Die Comedy Tour Presented by Semi-Pro are as follows:

February 4: Bramlage Coliseum at Kansas State University

February 5: Breslin Events Center at Michigan State University

February 6: Schottenstein Center at The Ohio State University

February 11: Bryce Jordan Center at Penn State University

February 12: Ryan Center at University of Rhode Island

February 13: Conte Forum at Boston College

February 22: Dean Smith Center at UNC Chapel Hill

Every week leading up to the release of SEMI-PRO, FunnyorDie.com will unveil a brand new video featuring Ferrell and co-star Andrew Daly. Visitors who sign up at FunnyorDie.com will receive exclusive weekly updates including new videos, newsletters, and ticket on-sale dates. FunnyorDie.com will also host a contest for budding comedians to submit their videos for a chance to be featured on the big screens at each arena on the tour, in addition to prominent placement on an exclusive SEMI-PRO section of the site.

Will Ferrell stars in SEMI-PRO, an outrageous comedy set in 1976 against the backdrop of the maverick ABA - a fast-paced, wild and crazy basketball league that rivaled the NBA and made a name for itself with innovations like the three-point shot and slam dunk contest. Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a one-hit wonder who used the profits from the success of his chart-topping song "Love Me Sexy" to achieve his dream of owning a basketball team. But Moon's franchise, the Flint Michigan Tropics, is the worst team in the league and in danger of folding when the ABA announces its plans to merge with the NBA. If they want to survive, Jackie and the Tropics must now do the seemingly impossible - win.

SEMI-PRO co-stars Woody Harrelson (ANGER MANAGEMENT, WHITE MEN CAN’T JUMP), Andre Benjamin (FOUR BROTHERS, music group Outkast), Maura Tierney (“ER”), Will Arnett (BLADES OF GLORY, "Arrested Development"), Andy Richter, Rob Corddry, DeRay Davis, Josh Braaten, Jay Phillips and Jackie Earle Haley. The film is written by Scot Armstrong (OLD SCHOOL), directed by Kent Alterman, and produced by Jimmy Miller.

FunnyorDie.com, launched in April of 2007, is one of the most visited comedy sites on the web according to publicly available data at www.quantcast.com. In the past month, FunnyorDie.com was featured in Adweek's "Digital Hot List," and has had 3.6 million unique visitors, 17 million page views, and 35 million video views. The award winning video "The Landlord," featuring Ferrell and McKay, is among the top three most-watched videos on the web, having been viewed over 49 million times since its April debut. For comedic celebrities, FunnyorDie.com has quickly become the "place to be seen" on the Web, and for users, FunnyorDie.com is simply the best place to go online to easily find 20 minutes or more of laughter every day.

Ferrell is represented by Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and managed by Jimmy Miller, Mosaic Media Group. Galifianakis, Martin, and Swardson are also represented by CAA. Galifianakis and Swardson are managed by Brillstein Entertainment Partners.