Honoring the President; what holiday?

Another holiday – President’s Day – has come and gone. Yet I doubt many of us noticed a thing.

Monday was supposed to be the day we paid tribute to the many men (not quite four dozen) who have served as U.S. president during our nation’s history. But I wonder how many of us worked our way through the day.

OR IF WE had the kind of government-related post where work actually shut down for the day, did we just waste it away sitting in front of a television set watching whatever mindless junk happened to be on for our viewing?

Personally, about the most impact the day had upon me was the fact that there was no mail delivery. Not that I was expecting anything of significance. Although I did notice one of my neighbors got a package delivery; courtesy of United Parcel Service.

I don’t think many of us gave a thought to those people who have served our nation with the ultimate ego-boost of a political position – that of president of the United States.

As in the guy who in theory is in charge of the country (and often is referred to as “the most powerful man in the world”), but whom we often see can easily be thwarted by Congress and the Supreme Court.

PERSONALLY, I WOULDN’T have the ambition to run for president – I’d feel like I had to make too many ideological concessions to have any chance of getting a significant number of votes.

Plus I’d have to kiss way too many behinds to come up with the kind of campaign cash it takes to run a credible electoral effort. Personally, I don’t see the point of running for political office if one is only capable of taking 1 percent or so of the vote.

So what should we think of the men who have made the effort to be the chief executive of U.S. government? It’s a thankless job, and one that probably draws way too much hostility and abuse from the opposition.

And there’s always opposition! Someone is always going to think you are wrong. And someone is always going to think that the world would be better off without you in it – even if they don’t have the nerve or intelligence to carry out such insane thoughts!

PERHAPS THE CONCEPT of a President’s Day (instead of the old-fashioned notion of celebrating the birth of George Washington – the first president) isn’t the most absurd holiday we offer.

It’s more practical than trying to honor all 43 men who have held the office (and you just know some people would go out of their way to ignore the holidays of those presidents they want to disrespect.

It reminds me of an old “The West Wing” episode where actress Allison Janney’s “C.J. Cregg” character was appalled to learn of a religious group that devoted a day to its members praying for her soul – because they were convinced that as a Democrat who sided with liberal causes, she was going to Hell.

Most people, however, aren’t willing to put that much thought into the day. In fact, I really believe most people let Monday pass by without any thought.

IT WAS A day for retailers to hold weekend-long sales – the one that caught my attention was held by the Guitar Center chain. Fifteen percent off selected items, and it was possible to get a Stratocaster make of guitar for $99.

No, I didn’t go out and buy a discount guitar on Monday. Or a new mattress or sofa or even a car (the latter of which I could use these days). I didn’t give in to commercialism on this day where we’re supposed to honor the concept of our government – although not as intensely as we do on Independence or Memorial days.

Although I have to admit what I actually did do during the morning hours isn’t something I’m proud of – I watched the one-millionth (or so it seems like) airing of the Sandra Bullock film “Miss Congeniality,” a film I'd never seen before, where the attractive actress has to play the part of a frumpy FBI agent who has to disguise herself as a beauty queen to undermine a plot to disrupt the “Miss United States” pageant.

So what’s my punishment for wasting away a federal holiday morning – perhaps I should have to sit through several hours of tapes of George W. Bush’s incomprehensible presidential rhetoric without actor Will Ferrell to translate?

  -30-

Do we really need ‘Anchorman 2?’

Could somebody explain the phenomenon of “Ron Burgundy” to me? Really!


Will it be worth excessive hype?

Burgundy, of course, was the character played by actor Will Ferrell in the now-decade-old film “Anchorman.”

WHERE HE WAS the tacky, no-class, pompous news anchor beloved by all of San Diego (until he told them to commit a certain sexual act with themselves) back in the 1970s. The 2004 film was a comedy (what else could Ferrell do?) and it took its shots at the cheesiness of ‘70’s pop culture.

All in all, it was a good laugh back then. Whenever I happen to be flipping through television channels and happen to stumble across it, I usually stop and watch a few minutes.

Particularly if it’s at the point of the news anchor gang fight!

I’m not sure what is more ludicrous – actor Steve Carrell’s character killing a man by suddenly throwing a trident or the other news person’s weapon of choice; lighting himself on fire.

OR PERHAPS IT is the sight (and sound) of actor Ben Stiller playing the anchor for Spanish-language news.

But it definitely is a piece, in and of itself. It’s not something that begs out for a sequel – because one could easily take the humor from the original film (best consumed in small doses) and blow it out into something bordering on the grotesque.

That is what seems to be happening now. After nearly a decade, we’re going to get “Anchorman 2” come Dec. 20. Maybe Hollywood producers envision us all going out to the theater on Christmas Day after we’ve opened our gifts and eaten our holiday feasts so we can get a chuckle at the self-absorbed, not-too-bright jazz flute-playing Burgundy.

Who will be Anchorman 2's 'Harry Doyle?'

They certainly seem to be anxious to feed us the concept already.

JOCKEY IS PRODUCING special underwear meant to tie in to the film, while Ben & Jerry’s ice cream has come up with a butterscotch-flavored product meant to mock the Burgundy character’s love of scotch – as in the alcoholic drink.

Ferrell is even appearing in television spots for Dodge Durango – where my own gut reaction is that he looks too old (Ferrell himself is 46 these days) to be playing the part of a news anchorman.

Somebody seems determined to market this film – which makes me fear it will be such a clunker. Will these products be living down the shame of being associated with a film sequel that will stinks?

Somebody is probably hoping for the next “Godfather II,” although I wonder if we’re destined to get “Major League II” – which beyond baseball broadcaster Bob Uecker as over-the-top broadcaster “Harry Doyle” isn’t worth watching at all. It may well be the most-pointless sequel ever.

THERE EVEN ARE people who ought to know better trying to tie themselves into the film. A special exhibit at the D.C.-area “Newseum” about the film? Emerson College naming its school of communication for Burgundy?

Even if just for one day, it still sounds odd for an entity supposedly dedicated to reporting something close to resembling the truth to be named for a fictional character!

The over-the-top promotional ties to the film actually have me skeptical. I doubt I’m buying any Jockey underwear in the near future, nor do I feel the need to get the new ice cream flavor (in part because I’m not fond of butterscotch).

And even though I am actually in the market for an automobile, I may avoid Dodge like the plague just because of its association with the film.

WHAT IS SAD is that the subject matter has potential for parody and humor – the sequel takes us to the 1980s when the Burgundy character is allegedly a cable news anchor. CNN in its early days was good for laughs!

Botching this subject would be truly sad.

Preserving them on celluloid?

Although I was intrigued to learn that Bill Kurtis will be involved with the sequel as well – reprising his role as the film’s narrator (while also giving us “the voice” of television so as to give the film some credibility).

It’s just too bad they couldn’t find a way to give us dual narrators – just envision Walter Jacobson alongside Kurtis as they tried to tell us the follow-up to the ludicrous life of Burgundy. That would be worth watching.

  -30-