During a conversation about television icons, a buddy of mine said that Matthew Perry is on track to achieve legendary status (and she wasn’t talking about his legendary knack for starring on shows that get canceled). Lucille Ball, Andy Griffith, Carol Burnett, Matthew Perry–one of these things is not like the others. What this friend of mine failed to understand is that there is a difference between an icon and someone who is simply a prolific and perhaps beloved television actor, a difference that may be harder to identify when it comes to this medium than it is with film. Perry certainly possess many of the qualities that go in to making an icon–he’s charismatic, his particular set of comedic gifts are perfectly suited for the sitcom format, he’s been on TV for as long as I can remember. But he (on his own and not as a member of the Friends cast) hasn’t had the same kind of impact on the medium or the culture that someone like Jerry Seinfeld has–Seinfeld’s influence is still felt today in shows like It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and he is so cherished by the public that we don’t hold The Marriage Ref against him. So, if not Perry, who is poised to join the pantheon of TV gods?

Will Ferrell is a funny man. This seems to be a fact undeniable even to those who don’t otherwise care for his brand of comedy. Even though his schtick has become reliably familiar – he often plays variations of an over-privileged adult child who is hopelessly naïve in certain categories of social life and prone to random bursts of livid anger – its regularity has yet to prevent Ferrell’s comic talents from growing stale. There seems to also be some indescribable aura at the core of Ferrell’s comic talent, something about his appearance and demeanor that can’t be explained through analyses of timing and punchline, as evidenced by his strange appearance on Jimmy Fallon last May. For many, Ferrell’s comic appeal has been this essential, indescribably funny core since his SNL days. Ferrell is funny not exclusively because of his physical comedy or imitable characters; he, as a force of nature, is pure farce (a farce of nature?). But as his film career continues to accumulate titles and as his unique comic sensibilities become better-known with his roles as producer and writer, it’s clear that, beneath his farce, Ferrell has a confrontational political and satirical streak underlying much of his work, which has naturally led to him portraying a politician in Jay Roach’s The Campaign. Ferrell’s roles, however, often exercise a fascinating and occasionally self-defeating tension between satire and farce, with one element substituting, rather than laying the groundwork for, the other. Here’s an overview of the politics of Will

There’s an old maxim that states that everyone in show business is fake. The traditional interpretation of that is that everyone in Hollywood is ready to be kind to your face, but stab you in the back and probably piss on the wound. That may be an exaggeration, but in the case of these 6 comedians, though, they really are fake. As in literally fake. Their public personae are carefully crafted, and you only occasionally see the real person behind it. Most of the time it’s just an extension of the person’s actual personality, but some of them are completely and totally fictitious people. For example, Bono is an experimental attention-seeking robot. Or take Neil Patrick Harris, who is actually a shaved ferret. You had no idea, right? Here are six comedians that almost never break the fourth wall to reveal their true selves.

What is Movie News After Dark? It’s the hero you need right now; a way to get all the most interesting movie news without having to read through a bunch of padded articles. It’s quick, to the point and personable. An efficient killer of your will to waste time reading a thousand movie blogs before you go to bed. It’s also way into girl power, whatever that means. Hanna director Joe Wright, whose latest film is filled with the legitimate girl-power of a teen assassin played by Saoirse Ronan, has called out director Zack Snyder’s Sucker Punch, saying that the girl-power angle of the film was all “marketing bullshit.”

We’ve already laid waste to Tokyo and kidnapped bikini babes off beaches, so it was definitely time to enlist with the Monster Army to fight Aliens. But did we enjoy the experience?

Dreamworks’ upcoming animated film Monsters vs. Aliens is shaping up to be their funniest release yet. Sure it’s directed by Rob Letterman, the writer/director of the abysmal Shark Tale, but the man seems to have learned a lot since then.

Entertainment Tonight has posted a brand new featurette for the upcoming Dreamworks Animation film Monsters vs. Aliens, which tells the story of a human race that turns to monsters to fend off an alien attack.

Media website Newsarama has asked their readership who they’d like to see play Captain America in the Joe Johnston film set for release in 2011. And while their choice is interesting, we’d like to see who you would pick…

We introduced you to the characters a while back during our visit to Dreamworks, but now you get to see them in action. Now in 3D!

Neil’s weekend project: Identify the most entertaining fake Twitter users and deliver them in list form. Also, create a list of the must-follow real Tweeters for movie fans. Mission accomplished.

Stephen Colbert, also occasionally known as his cartoon superhero alter ego Tek Jansen (of Alpha Squad 7), will be appearing with Marvel’s web-slinging hero.

For those who follow Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report, last night’s Primetime Emmy Awards marked a very important moment in Colbert Nation History. See how Stephen faired as well as the rest of the nominees for the 60th Annual Primetime Emmys…

There is certainly something about a big, dumb Mike Myers-led comedy that leaves moviegoers emptying their wallets, isn’t there?

No big budget comedy would be complete without a few well-placed cameos, and The Love Guru is no exception. In this latest clip, check out Stephen Colbert stealing the show as only he can.

This is our first look at the upcoming Dreamworks release Monsters vs Aliens, which will be filmed in Ultimate 3D.

Need your fix of Stephen Colbert and his brilliant writing team? We’ve got that for you…