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This article was published 24/11/2013 (2490 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Will Ferrell’s Ron Burgundy character is coming to Winnipeg Dec. 1 to cover curling as a ‘special correspondent’ for TSN.

"Winnipeg — Get ready to paint the town Burgundy," the Ferrell character proclaims in a 30-second TSN advertisement that hasn’t yet run on the network but surfaced on YouTube Sunday morning. The video was removed from Youtube shortly after this story appeared on the Winnipeg Free Press website.

TSN announced Friday Ferrell would be ‘working’ for them in December in the guise of his Burgundy character in a cross-promotion for the new Ferrell movie, Anchorman 2, which comes out next month.

But the network kept Ferrell’s exact assignment a closely guarded secret and was hoping to break the news during the network’s broadcast later today of the 101st Grey Cup in Regina that Ferrell will be working for them at the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings at MTS Centre next Sunday.

But those plans were foiled by the mysterious surfacing of the YouTube video on Sunday morning. The YouTube video had been viewed just 71 times as of 9:30 a.m. CT.

Ferrell has been doing appearances in character as Burgundy on the talk-show circuit in the U.S. this month and has also appeared in ads for a U.S. carmaker as part of a unique cross-promotion campaign for the new instalment of his Anchorman franchise, which chronicles the travails and bufoonery of a mythical San Diego television personality.

Ferrell’s appearance in Winnipeg for TSN will be his first Canadian appearance as Burgundy.

Ferrell, TSN and the Canadian Curling Association worked closely for months to set up the appearance and keep it a closely guarded secret. The CCA has been assured that while Burgundy’s work for the network at the Roar of the Rings will be comedic, the "integrity of the event" will be respected and play will not be interfered with.

Eight men’s and eight women’s teams will be competing at MTS Centre Dec. 1-8 to determine who will represent Canada in curling at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca