Why, Chuck, Why?

Anna Friel, a.k.a. Pushing Daisies' lonely tourist Charlotte Charles, a.k.a. Chuck, has willingly signed on to be romanced by Will Ferrell's paleontologist character in the already derided-able big screen version of the cheesy Saturday morning kid classic Land of the Lost.

Thus continues the disturbing practice of pairing former Saturday Night Live comedians with comely lookers who would never otherwise give them the time of day in real life. Some examples:

- Chevy Chase, not only married to Beverly D'Angelo but also seduced by Christie Brinkley, in National Lampoon's Vacation.
- Adam Sandler with Drew Barrymore -- twice! -- in The Wedding Singer and 50 First Dates.
- Mike Myers with every bird in every Austin Powers movie.
- Dan Aykroyd and Kim Basinger in My Stepmother is an Alien (she'd have to be).
- Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally ... (OK, that one worked).

But by far the biggest repeat offender of this forced suspension of belief is Bill Murray. It was bad enough that they asked us to buy him opposite Sigourney Weaver (Ghostbusters), Andie MacDowell (Groundhog Day) and Geena Davis (Quick Change); but when he played a so-called "Don Juan" (named "Don Johnston", for god's sake) who supposedly had romanced Sharon Stone, Jessica Lange, Tilda Swinton and Julie Delpy in Broken Flowers? Now that's even more far-fetched then Will Ferrell as a paleontologist.