Will Ferrell Leads the ‘Overpaid Actor’ List

Looks like “Land of the Lost” has earned star Will Ferrell the dubious distinction of being the most overpaid actor in show business, according to the list makers at Forbes magazine.

Forbes looked at 100 top actors based on their widely released films over the past five years. It factored in the production costs of those movies against how much boxoffice, DVD and other revenue they generated in order to come up with an operating income for each film, which it then compared with the salaries the stars earned.

In Ferrell’s case, the actor’s films earned just $3.29 for every dollar he was paid. That’s a pretty poor contrast to the $160 that Shia LaBeouf’s movies returned to the studios for every buck he earned.

That figure, by the way, put LaBeouf — who starred in “Transformers” in 2007 and “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” in 2008 — at the top of Forbes list of Best Actors for the Buck. Also included on that list were Robert Downey Jr., Christian Bale and Dennis Quaid.

“Land of the Lost,” a boxoffice dud starring Ferrell as an offbeat scientist, racked up about $100 million in production costs, not including marketing, but only returned $65 million at the worldwide boxoffice. His movie “Semi-Pro,” which earned $44 million at the worldwide boxoffice, has also dragged down Ferrell’s return-on-investment performance lately.

No. 2 on the overpaid actors list is Ewan McGregor, who made a slew of poorly performing movies after playing Obi-Wan Kenobi four years ago in “Star Wars: Episode III — Revenge of the Sith.” McGregor’s films earned $3.75 per dollar he was paid.

The third most overpaid actor is Billy Bob Thornton, whose recent films include “Eagle Eye,” “Mr. Woodcock,” “The Astronaut Farmer” and “The Informers.”

Hollywood Reporter

Did Gerard Butler and Jessica Simpson Shag?

The pair were spotted having dinner and acting flirtatious Tuesday night at Soho House in New York City Tuesday, where they sat with friends who included Simpson pal, the hairstylist Ken Paves, according to the New York Post’s Page Six.

But a source close to Butler, 39, says the hullabaloo is probably over nothing.

“I’m never surprised to hear that Gerard is with someone new. None of those relationships last,” the source says. “Certainly he’s not planning on settling down with Jessica Simpson … Gerard plays the field … and Jessica is lonely … and she lost weight and is looking good.”

“Every time you hear about him out with someone, he’s flirting and ‘cozy’ with them and making googly eyes at them,” the source said. “Maybe that’s just what he does with everyone. Maybe that’s just how he is.”

MSNBC

David Carradine of “Kung Fu” Found Hanged in Thailand

David Carradine, who was best known for the show Kung Fu and for Kill Bill, was found dead earlier today.

From the Washington Post:

Actor David Carradine, star of the 1970s U.S. television show “Kung Fu,” was found naked and hanging dead from a rope in the closet of his luxury Bangkok hotel room on Thursday, Thai police said. No signs were found of other people in the room and the body of the 72-year-old actor was sent to a hospital for an autopsy, police said.

This is such very sad news today and there is even talk of the actor committing suicide. This is being denied by his rep, but we smell a Heath Ledger style conspiracy a mile away - with all the undignified media speculation to boot.