That explains the paunch

Last update: November 22, 2009 - 4:26 PM

THAT EXPLAINS THE PAUNCH

Will Ferrell tops Forbes' annual list of Hollywood's Most Overpaid Stars. Forbes' number-crunching concludes that for every dollar Ferrell was paid, his films in the past 12 months earned back $3.29.

To most investors that might sound pretty good. But putting your money on Shia LaBeouf is like getting in on Google's initial stock offering. Put him in your movie, and you get a 160-to-1 return.

Ferrell's fellow losers include Eddie Murphy, Tom Cruise and Leonardo DiCaprio.

I'm not convinced by the logic of the list. Ferrell is the main draw for most of his films, while LaBeouf is hardly the engine that drives "Transformers" movies. Still, the piece poses a valid question. "District 9" and "Paranormal Activity" didn't need A-list stars. The leads in the "Harry Potter" and "Twilight" movies started out as unknowns. Is it still sensible to pay someone $15 million to play make-believe for a few weeks?

My biggest fear is that some producer will skim this list and order up a buddy cops movie starring LaBeouf and second-place earner James McAvoy.

COLIN COVERT