JACKSONVILLE, Fla., Dec. 25 (UPI) -- The real TV anchorman on whom actor Will Ferrell based the character Ron Burgundy says he's not offended by any connection to the movie character.
"I'm asked that question a lot, and I have to say I don't mind it at all," said Mort Crim, a former Detroit news anchor, the (Jacksonville) Florida Times Union reported Tuesday.
"The movie is a satire, and there's nothing wrong with making fun of politicians, public figures or celebrities," said Crim, who retired to northeast Florida in 1999. "But I think it's more about a situation. I never took it that he was basing a movie on me, or my style as an anchor, other than perhaps my voice."
Crim, 78, said he enjoyed "Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues," the follow-up to "Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy."
"I think the first movie was a parody of anchor people," he said. "The second is a parody of the whole 24-hour news cycle. The key moment is when Burgundy says, 'Why do we have to give them what they need? Let's give them what they want.' "
The line had extra meaning to Crim, who saw it as an expression of what's happening in journalism.
"It's all become so cosmetic and superficial," he said.
