I love lists, especially lists of people. Any type of ranking system that lets me quickly know who to love and who to hate is aces with me. Every year, Autograph magazine releases a list of the best and worst celebrities for autograph signers. Johnny Depp has been number one for the past three years, so that’s not really surprising. What is surprising is that Will Ferrell is at the top of the worst list. Apparently he mocks people and embarrasses them when they ask for autographs, though the article wasn’t specific. He always seemed like such a nice guy to me – not like Cameron Diaz, who was at the top of the worst list for years. She used to bitch people out when they asked for autographs – and there were several reports of her telling people to f*** off over the years.

Johnny Depp, take a bow. The “Pirates of the Caribbean” star who turns menacing in his new role as murderous barber Sweeney Todd, has been named the best celebrity autograph signer for the third year running. “It’s the third consecutive year Depp has topped the list of the 10 best signers. Whether at a premier, in a restaurant or on location, Depp may just be the best Hollywood autograph signer of all time,” Steve Cyrkin, the magazine’s editor and publisher, said in a statement.

And the worst? Comedian Will Ferrell and Tobey Maguire. The list does change from year to year as stars mellow and start to make time for their fans. For example Australian actor Russell Crowe, who has made newspaper headlines for his bad-boy behavior including pleading guilty in 2005 for throwing a faulty telephone at a hotel concierge moved from number 10 on the 2006 worst list to number 10 on the 2007 best list. “He may still be a bit grumpy at times, but now he signs pretty much anytime someone asks,” said Cyrkin.

“What’s so frustrating about Will Ferrell being the worst autograph signer this past year is that he used to be so nice to fans and collectors, and a great signer. What makes him so bad is that he’ll taunt people asking for his autograph.”

[From Yahoo! News]

To be fair, I get really annoyed when people ask me for my autograph too. It’s like, “Look, I’m just at the grocery store trying to get my grapefruit like everyone else. You want me to do what?” And when the lady said something about signing my credit card receipt so they could charge me, I told her to go to hell, she wasn’t getting my autograph if she was going to be a bitch about it. And as the police were leading me away, my only clear thought was, “Shit, now Autograph magazine is really going to have a beef with me.”

My easily-influenced self really doesn’t like Will Ferrell anymore. Joking aside, I’m sure it’s annoying to get asked for autographs, but isn’t that the first thing you think about in terms of the infamous “price of fame?” Even before swarms of paparazzi, I think of people hounding you for your autograph. I thought a lot of people fantasized about that before they were famous. Annoying as it probably is, to me it just says that you’re ungrateful if you won’t do it. That said, I will keep a taser with me at all times when I become famous. No way am I dealing with that shit.

Here’s the rest of the list. Alter your judgments of celebrities appropriately.

The Best

1. Johnny Depp

2. Matt Damon

3. George Clooney

4. Jack Nicholson

5. Rosario Dawson

6. John Travolta

7. Katherine Heigl

8. Jay Leno

9. Dakota Fanning

10. Russell Crowe

The Worst

1. Will Ferrell

2. Tobey Maguire

3. Joaquin Phoenix

4. William Shatner

5. Renee Zellweger

6. John Malkovich

7. Julie Andrews

8. Bruce Willis

9. Terri Hatcher

10. Scarlett Johansson

Picture note by Jaybird: Here’s Will Ferrell at the “Dewey Cox” premiere on December 12th. Images thanks to PR Photos. Header image of Johnny at a special screening of ‘Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street’ held at the Paramount Pictures Studios on December 5th. Images thanks to WENN.

In continuation of my vow to write a “Good Celebrity” article every day, we have a wonderful story about the always endearing Will Ferrell. He’s not one of those starlets that’s always snorting coke with a needle still hanging out of his vein and his man bits hanging out like some starlets we know (ahem, Britney). Yes I realize what I just said. Anyway, Will is a pretty decent, low-key guy who’s always up for self-mockery. He also has an odd compulsion to show his hairy belly whenever he gets the chance, and that makes him loveable. What else makes him loveable, you ask? He’s auctioning off a cameo role in his new movie “Step Brothers” to benefit his college fraternity brother’s charity foundation, Cancer for College.

“Will Ferrell is auctioning a cameo spot in his new movie to raise money for a fraternity brother’s cancer foundation. Ferrell came up with the idea to help Craig Pollard’s Cancer for College foundation. The two were fraternity brothers at the University of Southern California. Online bidding will begin Monday and close Sept. 26. Ferrell will announce the winner on Sept. 27, and that person will meet the actor the next day at the 14th annual Cancer for College golf tournament dinner at Temecula Creek Inn. The opening bid for the movie appearance is $5,000.

“In October, the winner will join Ferrell on set of his new movie, ‘Step Brothers,’ and appear in a scene. ‘What a perfect Christmas present for your son or daughter,’ Ferrell said. ‘It is the surefire way to win the parent of the year award. Support this amazing cause, by buying them me.’ Pollard, a two-time survivor of Hodgkin’s disease, started Cancer for College to provide college scholarships to current and former cancer patients. The charity has awarded $200,000 to 50 cancer survivors since 1993.”

[From USA Today]

Props to Will Ferrell. I know it’s not quite as fascinating to read about someone doing something good as it is to read about Lindsay Lohan possibly selling her body for crack and/or crack money, but I think it’s important that we don’t encourage the notion that only bad behavior deserves recognition. So to make this post a tad more entertaining, I leave you with some Will Ferrell PSAs from “Talladega Nights.”

Picture note by JayBird: Header image of Will at the “Blades of Glory” L.A. premiere. Right image with wife Viveca Paulin. Images thanks to PR Photos.