BREAKING NEWS from our Nation’s Capitol! Almost a decade ago, Paramount Pictures introduced the world to San Diego newsman Ron Burgundy and the Channel 4 News team in the smash-hit comedy “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” With its sequel only weeks away, Paramount Pictures partnered up with the Newseum in Washington DC to bring you, “Anchorman: The Exhibit”

Anchorman: The Exhibit,” features costumes and props from the 2004 movie “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy.” The movie stars Will Ferrell as Ron Burgundy, a leading  news anchor in 1970’s San Diego who was at the top of his game for 5 years. All that changes when ambitious female reporter Veronica Corningstone (Christina Applegate) comes arrives at the news station and shake things up for the Channel 4 News Team. This action was a parody to the real actions of 1970’s television news. 

The new Newseum exhibit feature more than 60 costumes and props from the movie including Ron Burgundy’s suit, displayed in a revolving case as you enter the exhibit,  Brian Fantana’s “Sex Panther” cologne, and a plush “Baxter”, Burgundy’s faithful companion dressed in KVWN pajamas.

The exhibit’s Pièce de résistance  is the opportunity to sit at the Channel 4 (KVWN) news desk. Fans will get their chance to deliver the news like Burgund, do a weather reporter at Brick Tamland’s desk or Say “Whammy” as you give your best Sports Report like Champ Kind. For this News Junkie, it was a dream come true. You will step in front of the camera at be a reporter when Ron will lead you off in a “Anchorman” news spot at one of the Newseum’s “Be a TV Reporter” stations

While the exhibit celebrates the glory that is Anchorman, the Newseum brings some true history into the mix by putting together stories of women who broke down barriers in television, the eyewitness team news format, and a story featuring our favorite fictional newscasters. One of those stories was that of Christine Craft, a former Kansas City news anchor who KMBC-TV after she was demoted to reporter for being “too old” and “too unattractive” by a focus group.

“What we’ve done in the exhibit is we take the humor and tell the real story behind it. We explain a little of what the news business was like in the 1970’s, the challenges that women faced in particular, joining local news teams as anchors and the sexism they faced and all that is played in the movie itself. The movie was actually inspired by real events. We wanted to delve into the research and see what the real stories were behind a lot of the things you see in the exhibit.” says Newseum’s exhibits writer, John Powell 

When I asked Mr. Powell, what was his favorite prop of all the Anchorman props in the exhibit. He said, “It is hard to choose but it’s hard to beat Sex Panther, the famous cologne used by Brian Fantana. We were really excited when that came in. We actually have the original growl programmed to go off when someone walk pass it. ”

The exhibit coincides with the release of the sequel “Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues,” which opens in theaters in December 20th. Three days before the release, the Newseum will open a new section with costumes and props from the sequel. If you are a fan of Anchorman, you owe it to yourself to make a second visit. “Anchorman: The Exhibit” will be on view until August 31st 2014.

For the Rogers Revue, I’m Dean Rogers and You Stay Classy DC!

About The Author

Dean Rogers

Editor-in-Chief/Entertainment Reporter

I knew early on that I wanted to take my place among the stars. One day, my mother saw me reading The Washington Post at a very young age. Who would have known that it would be the building blocks of my journey? Since that day, I dedicated my life to learn all that is learnable. I read everything from encyclopedias, to books, to dictionaries, to magazines. I’m also an avid consumer of television, with my favorite genre being game shows. If you’ve seen me on Who Wants to be a Millionaire or Wheel of Fortune, then you know that this interest has served me well!

My unique style of reporting began back in junior high school, when I started to chronicle the events that shaped my life. Whether it was the annual family vacation or the local science fiction convention, I shot numerous pictures and recorded my thoughts so I could truly appreciate the history. During my senior year at Friendly High, I wrote what was to be my first masterpiece, “Advanced Space Academy – A One Week Journey.” I sent the eleven-page article back to the U.S. Space Camp staff. The article was highly praised for being “one of the best written articles in the history of U.S. Space Camp.” From then on, I knew what I wanted to do for rest of my life — to be a reporter.

Since then, I have trained in Broadcast Journalism at Bowie State University (2008) in Bowie, MD earning a B.S. in Communications. I gained experience in news production and editing through field experiences with Bowie Community Media Corporation, Prince George’s Community Television, and Bowie State University Television. I also wrote scripts for a variety of quiz shows for over five years.

As a lifelong movie buff, I now see close to 100 films every year. I took this love of movies to the next step when I became a co-host for Eclipse Magazine TV in the fall of 2005. While at EMTV, I interviewed celebrities, worked red carpets, and attended a wide variety of movie screenings. In January 2009, I took a leap of faith and started my own entertainment news magazine, The Rogers Revue. Shortly afterward, my life-long journey of studying the silver screen and writing about what I learned finally earned me a place in the Washington Area Film Critics Association.

All of this has led me here, giving you the latest entertainment news for the DMV and the entire nation, and I am truly excited for whatever will come next.

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