WATCH: Ron Burgundy reads the news

Credit: Paramount Pictures

If you’re in Bismarck or Dickinson, North Dakota, you may have tuned into local CBS affiliate, KXNews, last night for the local goings-on in the central and western regions of the state.

You would probably expect to see weekend anchor, Amber Schatz, reporting on local business, weekend meteorologist, Jared Piepenburg, giving the latest weather updates, and weekend sports anchor, Jon Schaeffer, recounting Friday’s hockey game between the Austin Bruins and the Bismarck Bobcats.

And you would be right.

However, if you were expecting to see legendary San Diego Channel 4 News anchor, Ron Burgundy, co-anchoring on Saturday night, then (A) that’s a very odd thing for you to expect and (B) you would be right as well.

Actor Will Ferrell, in an apparent promotion for the upcoming sequel to “Anchorman”–“Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues”– appeared on KXNews last night in full Ron Burgundy regalia and guest-anchored the nightly news.

Amid stories of Christmas trees on Main Street, Black Friday shoplifters, and hockey fights, Ferrell injected a “Burgundian” flavor to the proceedings.

Highlights include his passionate introduction of Piepenburg in the “Dakota STORM CENTER!!!”, his light banter with his co-anchor (“Amber you look lovely tonight… Are you married? … Well, I am, so don’t get any ideas.”), and his report on the use of 500, “I repeat, 500 GALLONS of water and foam” in extinguishing a trash fire in the parking lot of a local Sam’s Club.

KXNet – Bismarck/Minot/Williston/Dickinson

Ferrell ended the broadcast with his trademark Burgundy candor (“You guys did a good job tonight. I can’t wait to do it for real. That was a good warm-up.”), but neglected to read his classic sign-off from the teleprompter (“Oh. Am I supposed to read that?”).

Apparently, only San Diego gets to stay classy.