“….and it’s always February 2nd, and there’s nothing I can do about it!”

Good news for all those into the idea of celebrating made-up holidays like Flag Day or Chanukkah. Today is February 2nd, which means it’s Groundhog Day, that special day on the calendar where the national media focuses in on an over-sized rat in an irrelevant town in Pennsylvania. Anyone who graduated from kindergarten knows the deal; if the groundhog sees his shadow, we have six more weeks of winter, and if he doesn’t, spring blooms pre-March and Al Gore makes another documentary. It’s all there in L. Ron Hubbard’s Scientology: A New Slant On Life.

In case my sarcastic-enthusiasm isn’t coming off strong enough, let me reiterate; Groundhog Day is Dumb, and anyone who actually believes a beaver-wannabe named Punxsutawney Phil (a drug-dealer nickname if there ever was one) can predict the weather probably should have been beaten publicly by a sex-starved nun a long time ago. The only true reason to celebrate this fictional holiday is that Comedy Central will usually just put Bill Murray’s Groundhog Day on repeat.

(Side Note: Has there ever been a ska-punk rock band named the Punksutawney Phil’s? If not, I shot it. Also, shoot me an e-mail if you want to join my new ska-punk band.)

The New York Times paywall is a way for the Times to try and remain profitable while not completely shutting out readers. You get to read twenty articles in a month. After those twenty you are urged to pay a monthly fee. Well, I’m not so rich as to feel it necessary to pay for information so I take what I can get. This means for about a week or two each month I have to cull my news completely from the Times’ homepage and from various “other sources.”  (more…)

Hey guys! It’s Oscar nomination day and you know what that means! Complaining! (more…)

Over the past few decades many people have lamented the “sell out” status of the Rolling Stones. Corporate sponsorship for their tours, playing the same songs in increasingly vacuous terrain, $200 concert tickets, you know the deal. Funny thing is those young rebels were ready to sell out long ago. (more…)

We’re all afraid of terrorism. The great question in post 9/11 America is whether we are capable of protecting ourselves while still serving our better judgment. Basically could we take the high road and still keep ourselves defended.  (more…)

At some point or another Sarah Michelle Gellar had to return to TV. This time on the CW, which was once her beloved WB during the time of ‘Buffy.’ And, as if to appease all the diehard fans, decided she would star in a show where she takes on two roles.

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The GOP nominees for President are a strange batch. You have a man who’s name is synonymous with a body fluid cocktail(Santorum, google it), you have a guy who thinks Ben Bernanke is a traitor and up until recently was open to his state seceding from the country. You have the lady with the crazy eyes and the CEO of the fifth largest pizza chain in the country and that’s not even all. (more…)

DISCLAIMER: SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ IF YOU WERE TOO “BUSY” LAST NIGHT TO WATCH TRUE BLOOD.

All of Season 4 was quite spectacular and entertaining. It was rare to find a dull moment, aside from that one filler episode where literally nothing happened. And I was thrilled to watch the season go out with a bang, as well as some good banging between Jessica and Jason.

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We all love Charles Schultz’s Peanuts gang so much. As children their specials and comic strips touched our hearts and made us laugh, not to mention taught us about Christmas and American history. We even considered buying Met Life insurance back before we knew what insurance was because Snoopy endorsed it. (He was a wise dog and Woodstock will be able to live comfortably when that life insurance policy pays off.) Now it is 2011 and I have begun to recognize that there is a wealth of new events that might be easier for tikes to understand with a Charlie Brown take. Here is a list of specials the Schultz family should consider producing. (more…)

Bill Murray is the greatest comic actor of his time. I say this not as an opinion, though it is that as well, but as an unmitigated truth that should be accepted and respected by all who’s ears it touches. Just as the Beatles are “the greatest band of all time” Bill Murray should loom over modern comedy film like a constant reminder of what being funny in a movie is all about. (more…)