I've heard Jim Carrey used to follow a cardinal rule when it came to acting: that you don't take the character out of the context of the movie. And I've seen him at the Golden Globes talking out of his ass, like he did in Ace Ventura, but it was his idea, not Warner's. Nevertheless, there was Carrey, dressed in a really sad elephant costume, selling out big-time on Fox's American Idol to plug Horton Hears A Who! from the same studio. Granted, the comic's career has been DOA at the box office in recent years. (His last film, The Number 23, was a huge flop for New Line. And last summer he accepted what Hollywood considered the worst talent deal ever for a movie.) But Carrey received a whopping $8 million for his voiceover work on Horton, the result of a sop from Fox studio bosses after they'd pulled the plug on the $112 mil comedy Used Guys he planned to do with Ben Stiller back in 2006.
During Idol's Wednesday night elimination show, Ryan Seacrest intro'ed Carrey, who sat in the audience looking embarrassed. Because he was wearing an elephant head, elephant ears, elephant trunk, elephant torso, and elephant feet. 
Then this really inside bit of Industry banter ensued:
"This wouldn't be a Fox film?" Seacrest asked Carrey.
"Uh-oh. Busted!" Carrey answered. "You like to point out the elephant in the room, dontcha? Yeah, it's a bit of cross-promotion. When you do a movie with Fox, you're contractually obligated to do a certain amount of that, you know." (See the YouTube clip.)
It got worse. Out of costume, Carrey sat with the Top 12 contestants just as they were about to hear who was being voted off the show. Seacrest got in Carrey's face: "Buddy, I got to get to these results. America's voted. They love you. But, Jim, we already did the plug." With that, Carrey was ushered offstage. There were no great bits. No big laughs. Some on the Internet later accused Carrey of "shameless promotion". To me, it was just senseless humiliation.
I get what Jim Carrey was going for, comedy-wise. Ryan Seacrest, who has all the comic timing of Dick Cheney, stepped on Carrey’s bit with the Who’s when he in the audience. The second part of Carrey’s appearance, Seacrest “getting in Carrey’s face”, was clearly scripted.
Carrey’s best stuff needs a bit more ramp-up time than they gave him on American Idol. It’s too bad they didn’t let him deconstruct the whole shameless plug thing right on the stage, maybe by having Fire Marshall Bill come out and torch that rotten elephant costume.
Comment by mheister — March 14, 2008 @ 7:21 pm
I’m looking forward to The Jim Carrey Show on FOX TV very soon. His movie career will flame out soon and a sit-com will start to look really appealing. He started on FOX TV “In Living Color” so he’ll go full circle and end up there with his own half-hour show. It can be called “Just Jim” since “According to Jim” is already being used by Belushi. Carrey will play an average guy named Jim Carter and a running joke will be him explaining to people “No not Jimmy Carter I’m just Jim Carter.” Sure to be a laugh riot. Premiering on FOX Network in September 2009.
Comment by Anonymous — March 14, 2008 @ 7:28 pm
Shameless, horrible, embarrassing but at least it was in front one of TV’s biggest audiences. An audience that’s been cleverly trained to accept such drivel. HORTON will open WHOge.
Comment by reelbusy — March 14, 2008 @ 7:29 pm
Yikes. That was embarrassing. What little credibility he had left was just vaporized.
Comment by Michael Dobrofsky — March 14, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
Wow. That’s friggin’ pathetic. How far they fall. Though about time some of these people who no longer live in the real world are forced to come back down to earth.
Comment by Sandy Daley — March 14, 2008 @ 7:47 pm
Carrey should do a film for Warner Bros.
They let male stars flop over and over.
Comment by SS — March 14, 2008 @ 9:21 pm
Aww, I still love Jim, even if that was incredibly lame. (It’s still not as bad as the utter defacing of Lennon/McCartney tunes was this week and will be again next week.)
After all, he did do The Truman Show and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, two of the best films I’ve ever seen, no matter how many years ago they were.
Comment by Arlo J. Wiley — March 15, 2008 @ 5:46 am
Much ado about nothing. It’s a kids’ movie, a Fox movie, and the No. 1 show/promotional vehicle on TV. Had the movie tanked, Fox would have been slapped if Carrey WASN’T Whortin’ the film on AI.
Comment by Webster — March 15, 2008 @ 6:41 am
It’s sick - it’s like these corporate devils are ridiculing and belittling the idea of talent…Jim Carrey’s talent, the idea of an individual’s singing talent, the idea of an artist being autonomous. I’m serious, this is sick. I haven’t seen this show in a long time. So twisted…
Comment by whydopeoplewatchthis — March 15, 2008 @ 8:05 am
I guess I saw this in a totally different light. Jim Carrey seemed to be a genuinely good sport about it and looked like he was having fun. yes - he copped to the absurdity of it all, but that’s kind of his thing. I don’t think you can star in an expensive family movie then not want to promote it, especially in front of such a large and demographically appropriate audience. I thought it was a cute way for him him to accomplish that.
i realize DHD has to have a snarky opinion about everything (that’s why we love it) but this rant seems like the product of a slow news day.
Now let’s get back to more secretly taped phone calls…
Comment by Voyeur — March 15, 2008 @ 9:17 am
much ado about nothing.
jim carrey was plugging a movie.
the same way he goes on leno/letterman to plug his movies.
if he sat in the audience sporting a suit and just nodding to the camera it would have been odd.
people are acting like it was the president wearing a duck costume for the state of the union address (maybe next year?)
Comment by derhoeven — March 15, 2008 @ 9:59 am
This is one of the most talented guys out there. He obviously is getting THE worst advice. No way was he ‘contractually obligated’ to wear that outfit, for a voice job. His people thought it would work, and they threw carrey to the wolves. They miscalculated. Horton was all over idol anyway, and didnt need jim in the outfit. For a guy trying to prove he is worth the aggrivation, he went way overboard.
Comment by tp — March 15, 2008 @ 3:07 pm
I actually thought it was pretty funny and didn’t think much about it until I came to DHD and found Nikki making a big deal out of it.
To tell the truth, it was refreshing to see Jim Carrey at all. We’re rather used to seeing him make an ass out of himself on TV and he hasn’t done it for a long time. It’s more of a return to form. You know, the same “talent” that propelled him to stardom.
Comment by Scurmudgeon — March 15, 2008 @ 4:57 pm
Carrey’s career is in the toilet, mostly because of truly awful choices by him, both in the choice of movies he’s done & the bizarre acting style he chooses for the roles in those movies [that godawful annoying voice in ‘The Cable Guy’ comes to mind, I’ve never have gotten past 30 min. of it].
Maybe the duck costume was a hint that he wants to bring back ‘The Duck Factory’.
He was terrific then.
Success ruined him, he became one of the worst prima donna’s in town!
And at least Drudge hasn’t linked to any of your threads yet.
No wing-nut posts as of now.
Comment by Unindicted Co-conspirator — March 15, 2008 @ 5:05 pm
What is the story with the actors bad-mouthing the directors publicly in this LA Times article?
It seems very classless. Not surprising for Carrey, but strange for Carrell and Burnett to go along with it. Nikki, any idea?
Comment by Kate — March 15, 2008 @ 7:03 pm
I think it’s time his manager stops pushing his other client Wil Farrel into dumb sports comedies, and get back to Jim’s career again…
Comment by Taylor Dane — March 15, 2008 @ 10:52 pm
If this is what he has to do to get his 8 million (plus, no doubt a piece of the backend) then go Jim! Promote the hell out of it wearing anything you want. Or nothing at all. Who cares? You’re being paid more than most of us can hope to get in a lifetime.
I for one don’t think it’s humiliating at all to purposefully look silly promoting a movie for children. Especially if you’re being paid for it!
Comment by George Glass — March 17, 2008 @ 5:19 pm
For the record, this movie made $40 million at the Box office. At least Jim Carrey did a good job with promotion. BTW, in Cable Guy, Jim was paid to be a jerk and he did his job well. In fact, he is one of the few super talented actors and actresses out there along with the following:
George Clooney: Don’t laugh but he does a good job almost everytime out.
Alexis Beidel: Can ham it up but is believable in most scenes.
Lauren Graham: She and Alexis can handle a fast talking script with ease.
Ellen Page: Only 21, but is ready to become a leading lady.
Stephen Colbert: This man needs a sitcom pronto and Jim Carrey can be his neighor.
Comment by Jessy S. — March 17, 2008 @ 8:21 pm