First D.J.: Rise and shine, campers and don't forget your booties 'cause it's cooooold out there today.
Second D.J.: It's cold out there every day. What is this, Miami Beach?
First D.J.: Not hardly. So the big question on everybody's lips…
Second D.J.: on their chapped lips…
First D.J.: …their chapped lips is, “Does Phil feel lucky?” Punksatawney Phil! That’s right, woodchuck chuckers it's…
[IN UNISON]: GROUNDHOG DAY!!!
The real Punxsutawney Phil has been called the Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages,
Prognosticator of Prognosticators, and Weather Prophet Extraordinary. In fact, he’s only right about 40 percent of the time. Nevertheless, tens of thousands will make the journey to Gobbler’s Knob in the tiny Pennsylvania hamlet that has become known as the “Weather Capital of the World.” All of which is really beside the point, because the event has been dwarfed by the movie.
This is one time where the internet really fails to capture the true excitement of a movie about a large squirrel predicting the weather.
Last Sunday, Roger Ebert revisited Groundhog Day, declaring that the film “finds its note and purpose so precisely that its genius may not be immediately noticeable. It unfolds so inevitably, is so entertaining, so apparently effortless, that you have to stand back and slap yourself before you see how good it really is.”
At the other end of the politcal spectrum, Jonah Goldberg's equally effusive movie meditation grabs the cover of the latest National Review. Goldberg writes: “When I set out to write this article, I thought it'd be fun to do a quirky homage to an offbeat flick, one I think is brilliant as both comedy and moral philosophy. But while doing what I intended to be cursory research — how much reporting do you need for a review of a twelve-year-old movie that plays constantly on cable? — I discovered that I wasn't alone in my interest. In the years since its release the film has been taken up by Jews, Catholics, Evangelicals, Hindus, Buddhists, Wiccans, and followers of the oppressed Chinese Falun Gong movement.”
Indeed, a 2004 article mentioned by Ebert (but not linked) from London's Independent observes that the Harold Ramis comedy has been hailed by some religious leaders as the most spiritual film of all time. In addition the examples given in that article, another can be found in today’s Christian Science Monitor.
As Phil Connors ultimately observed: “When Chekhov saw the long winter, he saw a winter bleak and dark and bereft of hope. Yet we know that winter is just another step in the cycle of life. But standing here among the people of Punxsutawney and basking in the warmth of their hearths and hearts, I couldn't imagine a better fate than a long and lustrous winter.”
[UPDATE: This morning, Punxsutawney Phil’s handlers said the groundhog has seen his shadow — which legend has it signals six more weeks of winter.]
ON THE PITCHFORK: Their Top 100 Singles: 2000-04 Some will be familiar, some might become new favorites. They also link to the contributors' personal lists, so you can avoid the folks who were kind to Britney and Justin. ALSO: A big thumbs-up (of course) to the new compilation of singles by Super Furry Animals. They're Welsh, y'know.
ROBERT POLLARD is not slowing down; just take a gander at his planned projects for 2005 — including a GbV book by former GbV bassist and rock critic Jim Greer.
IRAQ ELECTION REAX: Leaders Say Vote Decides Equality for Iraqi Women.
IRAQI TERRORISTS TAKE ACTION FIGURE HOSTAGE, hoaxing both the Associated Press and Reuters.
AL-JAZEERA IS GOING PUBLIC: The Qatar-based TV net is (as noted yesterday) one of the top brands in the world, but despite gaining as many as 40 million viewers daily, it's not making money. Andy Borowitz jokes that Fox News could buy it.
BLOGS LIKE TEEN SPIRIT: Anastasia Goodstein's Ypulse blog has become a must-read for those into youth culture, from Seventeen's Atoosa Rubenstein to youth ministers and librarians, according to the San Fransisco Chronicle.
FUHGEDDABOUTIT: A&E bids a record 2.5 million bucks per episode to broadcast edited versions of The Sopranos. The Emmy-winning mob drama will begin on the basic cable network in fall 2006. A&E will have to sell a lot of commercials to pay that tab, but I imagine an edited Sopranos episode will leave plenty of time for commercial breaks.
SUPER BOWL: The New York Post previews the much-anticipated advertising. Meanwhile, Editor and Publisher chats up the four ink-stained wretches who have covered all 38 Super Bowls.
COUPLES MAGAZINES may be the new trend in the post-Maxim era.
JACKO JUSTICE: The Los Angeles Times reports that Santa Barbara County is asking news organizations covering the Michael Jackson trial to pay the expenses the county will incur through having all that media to deal with.
GLOBAL WARMING may be responsible for the evolution of bats 50 million years ago.
OUTKAST has finished shooting on a movie musical.
THE TWO-HEADED DOG: A sign of the apocolypse? It's the new logo for MTV2, so you be the judge. Both MTV and MTV2 will preview the new MTV2 during the halftime show at the Super Bowl. The new faster-paced network will officially launch at midnight following the game. Apparently, MTV is not catering enough to an short attention spans.
ROY ORBISON: I don't know what Roy would have thought about a trove of stories about being wrapped in “clingfilm.” Perhaps “Only The Lonely?”
DOODLES FROM DAVOS: Scribbled notes were found on British Prime Minister Tony Blair’s desk following last week’s International Economic Forum in Switzerland.
Experts drooled over what the notes, squares, circles and jottings revealed about his personality. Graphologist Emma Bache concluded Mr Blair was “slightly out of control, very frustrated and stressed”, and that the doodles suggested “more than a hint of megalomania”. Psychologist Elaine Quigley said the notes showed that Mr Blair was “struggling to concentrate and his mind is going everywhere”.
The doodles were actually created by Microsoft tycoon Bill Gates, who had been sitting with Blair and Bono. Draw your own conclusions.
THE LAW OF UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES: In the year since the controversial CAN-SPAM Act went into effect, the quantity of junk e-mail has increased by a third, now comprising about 80 percent of all e-mail. The FTC is working on closing loopholes in the law. I wouldn't hold my breath.
SCENES FROM AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT: As imagined by Jeff Goldstein.
TEEN VOGUE: Gawker notices something kinda creepy about the cover, particularly for a mag aimed at girls.
THE STATE OF DISNEY: ESPN and theme parks boosted Disney earnings to 723 million dollars last quarter, but profits from home video plummeted.
BRAD-JEN BREAKUP AFTERMATH: The Pittston split leaves Ali G homeless. I hope he captured that on video.
TERI HATCHER: The Desperate Housewife clarifies that her breasts are real, knowing that Seinfeld fans will fill in the “spectacular” part themselves.
THAT AND 15.6 MILLION DOLLARS will get you a cup of coffee.
I HAVE NO IDEA whether this story about the Orange Revolution in Ukraine is true. Indeed, I would take it with a shaker full of salt. But it would make a good movie!
NIH STUDY: The part of the human brain governing risk-taking does not fully mature until age 25. Every auto insurance company in the world knows this, but it's nice to have some science behind it, I guess.
STEREOGUM can't get the image of clay Lionel Richie out of his head.