The key to the shenanigans surrounding the whole Punxsutawney Phil thing is that those involved don’t take themselves too seriously.
Apparently, the good folks at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) didn’t get the memo. This year, the group was suggesting that Phil be replaced with a robotic stand-in because it’s unfair to the groundhog to not only keep him in captivity but then to subject him to throngs of people and the bright lights that come with all of the media attention.
Huh?
Stinkin’ media and its bright lights. Crumb bums the whole lot of them. Why, no self-respecting gopher can even dig a tunnel and ruin a golf course (“Caddyshack” reference for those of you wondering) without the media sticking its nose in nowadays.
According to William Deeley, president of the Inner Circle of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club — the Grand Groundhog Guy, or Triple-G, as it were — Phil is “treated better than the average child in Pennsylvania.”
Phil’s crib is in a climate-controlled environment and the varmint doesn’t miss too many meals tipping the scales at 12 lbs., a bit heavier than the average groundhog that weighs in at 9 and one-half lbs.
Well . . . maybe it wasn’t a good idea that Triple-G used an analogy that suggested we treat our groundhogs better than we treat our children in Pennsylvania. That certainly opens the door for the PETA faithful burrow into Phil’s business.
Still, Deeley may have been right when he said that PETA doesn’t give a hang about Phil any other time of the year and was just looking for publicity around Groundhog’s Day.
Certainly PETA has better causes to pursue than poking at Phil with a stick. PETA needs to worry about being PETA. Or it will end up being a PITA.

Labels: Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Outta Leftfield, PETA, Punxsutawney Phil

It appears I lack that entrepreneurial spirit and imagination.
Nearly every night during the winter months, I try to be a considerate spouse by climbing into The Blonde Accountant’s side of the bed. The idea here is to warm her side up while she is in the bathroom completing whatever skin ritual it is she performs every evening.
And she always compliments me on my ability to make her side of the bed toasty warm. Now, somebody has figured out how to make bed toasting a full-time job. And it wasn’t me, although I’ve had plenty of time to lie there every night and think up the idea myself.
According to a wire service story, the international branch of Holiday Inn is offering, on a trial basis, human bed-warming services at three hotels in Britain.
Apparently, if requested by a guest, somebody will come into to your hotel room fully dressed in an all-in-one sleeper suit and some type of covering over their hair and get in your bed to warm it up. The person would then leave the bed before the guest climbed in, at least that’s the hotel’s theory.
I’m sorry, I don’t believe this particular hotel amenity interests me. I don’t want a big galoot named Gus in my bed. And you know it will be big galoots who get these jobs because they can warm up more of the bed’s surface. I know this because I am a big galoot and I can warm up a lot of the surface in my bed.
And by the way, what if the guest takes too long with his or her nightly bathroom ritual and good old Gus does his job so well that he falls asleep in the nice, toasty bed that he has just created?
“The new Holiday Inn bed warmers service is a bit like having a giant hot water bottle in your bed,” said Holiday Inn spokeswoman Jane Bednall in the wire service story.
So that begs the question, why not just offer guests a complimentary hot water bottle instead?

Labels: Holiday Inn, Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Outta Leftfield

File this one under the little pleasures in life: While strolling through Target recently I happened across the discount DVD section, where occasionally one can find unexpected treasures.
And I found one: The complete DVD series of seasons one and two of “Gilligan’s Island.” For $15. Beautimous.
I remember coming home from school in the 1960s and watching Gilligan, the Skipper too, the Millionaire . . . and his wife, the Movie Star, the Professor and Mary Ann.
Of course, I watched the show in reruns for many years after that, well into adulthood.
The series actually lasted three seasons, so I still need to locate season three on DVD. It originally ran on CBS from 1964 to 1967. By the way — and I knew this from watching the show as a kid and paying attention to the trivial aspects of the show — the Skipper’s name in the show was Captain Jonas Grumby (played by Alan Hale Jr.) and the Professor’s name was Roy Hinkley (played by Russell Johnson).
And for the record, I always preferred Mary Ann. Must have been my Midwestern upbringing.
It occurred to me when I bought the DVDs that this was a show I’d want to share with my grandchildren someday. I hope future generations have more appreciation for a character like Gilligan than they do for, say, a character like SpongeBob SquarePants.
Then again, maybe not. I guess every generation is entitled to have its bumbling — and charming — idiots.

Labels: Gilligan's Island, Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Outta Leftfield

Maybe it’s a good thing that former Alaska governor and Republican vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has accepted a gig on Fox as a talking head. Maybe now we will get a more complete accounting of her inadequacies.
According to the new book “Game Change” by Mark Halperin and John Heilemann, more of a real picture has emerged about Palin during the presidential campaign: that she didn’t know there were two Koreas; that she believed Saddam Hussein was responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks; that she was unaware of the functions of the Federal Reserve; and that according to Sen. John McCain’s chief strategist Steve Schmidt in an appearance on “60 Minutes,” Palin “routinely said things that were provably, demonstrably untrue.”
All of this will mean nothing to Palin supporters. The Republican Party has essentially been hijacked by the Looney Tunes fringe and constructive political discourse that could actually lead to something that helps the American people has not been part of the equation for a while now in the Looney Tunes platform.
So let’s get Gov. Palin in front of the Fox cameras as soon as we can and let’s hope that the poohbahs at Fox give her carte blanche to flap her gums until the cows come home.
The hope here is that the more she talks, the more her slip will show and she won’t sneak up on anybody come 2012.

Labels: Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Outta Leftfield, Sarah Palin

As one who usually stays in around New Year’s Eve, I’ve found over the years it’s easy to become a television-watching couch potato because a lot of my personal favorite movies and shows are aired.
This year, I was tickled by an all-day and all-night Three Stooges marathon; an all-day Sherlock Holmes film festival; a Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall film run; a couple of episodes of “Hawaii 5-0”; and the movies “Animal House,” “Caddyshack,” “Goodfellas” and “Field of Dreams.”
Of course, not even the most devoted Stooges fan can endure hour after hour of those shenanigans without a break, so that’s why it’s good to have other options. I’ve always been a fan of the Basil Rathbone and Nigel Bruce version of “Sherlock Holmes,” filmed mostly in the 1940s. (I have yet to see the current “Sherlock Holmes” now in theaters.) I also liked the “Charlie Chan” series from that same era.
And what else can be said about Bogie and Bacall at this point? The first time I saw “To Have and Have Not” I fell in love with a then 19-year-old Lauren Bacall and have been enamored with her ever since. It was their first film together and the beginning of what would turn into a great love story.
As for “Hawaii 5-0”, it was one of my favorite shows as a kid and I spent many a night ditching the books in college so I could watch reruns of the show on late-night TV, primarily just so I could hear Steve McGarrett say “Book ’em, Dano!” at the end of each episode.
All of which may help explain my fondness for the aforementioned films, especially “Animal House.” It was released the year I started college, so not only was “Hawaii 5-0” interrupting my studies to some extent, I spent a good portion of that first year in college attending toga parties, where I quickly learned to study beer and women.
To this day, when I see “Animal House,” I laugh at the line, “Mr. Blutarsky. Zero point zero.”
I can certainly relate.

Labels: Animal House, Basil Rathbone, Hawaii 5-0, Humphrey Bogart, Lauren Bacall, Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Nigel Bruce, Outta Leftfield, The Three Stooges

Ya gotta love any production that encourages the audience to boo the bad guys. I love booing the bad guys.
And that was certainly one aspect that kept me entertained at People’s Light and Theatre’s production, “Snow White: A Musical Panto,” which runs through Jan. 3 at the Malvern theater.
And here I thought Panto was the Lone Ranger’s sidekick. Turns out a panto is part fractured fairy tale and part variety show. Who knew?
And the talented folks at People’s Light are an absolute hoot in this show, which in the true spirit of a Bullwinkle cartoon, appeals to both children and adults.
I’m not a theater critic. I go to shows to be entertained, not to look for flaws in performances. And this “Snow White” entertained me as much as I’ve ever been entertained in a theater. Younger Daughter was with me on this excursion and she is involved in theater arts at her high school. She, too, gave this show high marks.
While all the performers were brilliant, my favorites were Pierre the personal chef, played by Christopher Patrick Mullen, and Miles the butler, played by Chris Faith. Those guys cracked me up every time they appeared on stage. I’d like to go out on the town with those two guys, but only if they stayed in character. Younger Daughter liked the movie director Vladimir Von Upchuck, played by Jeff Coon, and George the gardener, played by Dustin Karrat.
Of course, Regina Valo (the Wicked Queen) played by Lois Sach Binder, was extremely boo-able, which I quite enjoyed. If I was an actor, I’d want to play the villain. It looks like so much fun, and Ms. Binder nailed it.
If you haven’t experienced People’s Light, you should do so. It’s a fabulous local treasure and I’ve never seen a bad show there. And “Snow White: A Musical Panto” is s great way to experience People’s Light.
Laughing all night long and booing the bad guys. It really doesn’t get any better than that.

Labels: Chris Faith, Christopher Patrick Mullen, Dustin Karrat, Jeff Coon, Lois Sach Binder, Lone Ranger, Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Outta Leftfield, People's Light and Theatre, Snow White

There are a few local things that interest me this week and a few not so local things that don’t interest me, and in fact, are trying my patience.
Among the people I find compelling is Philadelphia singer-songwriter Mutlu, who was scheduled to perform Dec. 11 at the Sellersville Theater.
Unfortunately, a car accident has sidelined him for a little while and canceled the Sellersville show for now. When he has rescheduled, look for a story on him Ticket magazine inside your local newspaper.
He’s the next generation of Philly soul and his career at this point has been influenced by local sons Daryl Hall and John Oates. I’ve seen Mutlu perform a few times and he’s quite good.
Here’s hoping he has a speedy recovery and can get back on the Sellersville schedule in quick order.
The other group that’s caught my eye is called Straight No Chaser, an a cappella group of 10 guys who will perform Dec. 18 at the Keswick Theater in Glenside.
These guys have an amazing sound. We’re trying to put together a preview story for next week on their appearance in this area. Check them out online and on YouTube.
Mutlu and Straight No Chaser are legitimate talents and deserve well more than their 15 minutes.
Consequently, there are a few stories on the national scene that are just wearing me out.
First, there’s Tiger Woods. I don’t play golf and I don’t watch golf on TV. It’s a challenging sport, but boring nonetheless. I’m a baseball player. When I hit a ball, somebody else should chase it. I shouldn’t have to track it down and hit it again.
As for Tiger’s personal life, I really don’t care. It does not impact my life in any way.
Then there are those two goofs who snuck into a state dinner allegedly without an invitation and got face time with both President Obama and Vice President Biden, among others.
OK, so the Secret Service needs to be perfect and wasn’t on this one. Fine, let it examine its security procedures and make the necessary adjustments so that something like this doesn’t happen again.
As for the two party-crashing reality TV wannabes, if everybody just ignores them, maybe they’ll go away. They got 15 minutes that should have gone to somebody more deserving.

Labels: Daryl Hall, John Oates, Keswick Theater, Mike Morsch, Montgomery Newspapers, Mutlu, Outta Leftfield, Sellersville Theater, Straight No Chaser, Tiger Woods