In the annals of movie marketing, it was not as outrageously comic as the Weinstein Co. implying it may have caused a fog in Los Angeles when it’s horror film “The Mist” premiered. But Columbia Pictures’ launching its “Cox Across America Tour” in L.A. on Monday night was still pretty darn funny — and with good purpose.

     At Sunset Strip club The Roxy — renamed The Coxy for the night — John C. Reilly, who plays iconic singer Dewey Cox in the upcoming film “Walk Hard,” sang songs from the comedy movie, including ”Let’s Duet,” “Guilty as Charged” and, of course, “Walk Hard.”

    The movie parodies music biopics such as “Walk the Line,” about the life of Johnny Cash. ”Walk Hard” was co-written by Judd Apatow (”Knocked Up”). To promote the movie, Columbia is sending Reilly on a seven-city singing tour. The first date is Dec. 5 in Cleveland.

    Reilly is best known as a dramatic actor in films like “Boogie Nights,” and he earned an Oscar nomination for his supporting role in the musical “Chicago.” In “Walk Hard,” he shows his flare for comedy playing Dewey Cox. At The Coxy with his band The Hard Walkers, Reilly’s Cox was swigging tequila, tossing sweaty towels to adoring women, singing his heart out and – while shirtless – rubbing his bare nipples with his fingers saying, ”you’ve seen the poster, now look at the real thing.” 

    The movie debuts on Dec. 21, and it’s safe to say that Columbia will flex all its marketing muscle to earn Reilly a Golden Globe nomination for best actor in a musical or comedy. Hey, if Sacha Baron Cohen can win for “Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan,” why not Reilly for playing a hard-drinkin’, girl-chasin’, guitar-pickin’ Cox.