Ned Ryerson! Bing! and Ned Ryerson! Bing! and Ned Ryerson! Bing! Morning Report x

Birthday festivities have calmed down here at the Report, and things are returning to normal.  Thank you to all the readers who sent along their birthday wishes in one form or another.  It made for a great day, one which I would not mind repeating, though perhaps not as many times as (soon-to-be-FDR) Bill Murray does in Groundhog Day.

And if I had been born just one day later, I would have had a closer (read: existent) connection to that film.  Today is the birthday of character actor Stephen Tobolowsky, who is perhaps best known for playing Ned! Ned Ryerson! Bing! in Groundhog Day.  But those of you who haven't seen Groundhog Day (you should!) will no doubt recognize Tobolowsky from some film/TV show or another, be it as the head of the KKK in Mississippi Burning, Sammy Jankis in Memento, Sandy Ryerson in Glee, Bob Bishop in Heroes... The list goes on and on.  But my favorite role Tobolowsky plays is himself.  Through the film blog SlashFilm, Tobolowsky releases a ~monthly podcast called The Tobolowsky Files, in which he shares his stories of "life, love, and the entertainment industry."  These aren't tales of "OMG I totally ran into Tom Cruise last week at a restaurant. Totes cray!"  Rather, they are beautifully crafted stories from one of the most gifted, genuine storytellers I have ever heard.  From his childhood adventures with the Dangerous Animals Club to European adventures with his college girlfriend, from reflections on love that merit inclusion in an anniversary toast to discussion of the origins of the name of the band Radiohead, his stories entertain and enlighten.  I'm sure many of you readers have heard me go on about this at length, but I cannot recommend these enough.  Zip over to iTunes, download some of the early episodes, and check him out.

And for those who tune into the report just for the animal factor, don't worry, groundhogs aren't the only critters in today's report.  We've got a whole menagerie of newsworthiness!  Things start off strong with that polar bear, though take a turn toward the scary with the no-way-this-is-legal bull-shot.  Love the chihuahua, hate the snail that follows, and can't believe someone would name a rabbit "Spaghetti."  What a great number of lesser flamingos in 17, and how cute are the babies of 23, 24, 29, and 32?!  My favorite from the bunch, though, is the puppy on parade in 19.  Reminds me of this impressive canine story I stumbled on yesterday.

DC Readers should swing down to the mall to see old Abe; his monument was dedicated 90 years ago today.  Those outside of DC can still find something to celebrate, as Mel Blanc was born 104 years ago today.  Sing him happy birthday in the voice of one of his many iconic characters!

That's all folks !

Born This Day & WK

Today, as you may or may not be aware, is a special day for the Report.  As calendar and traditional custom dictate, today is my birthday.  And I am in the prime of my life, at 23.  (23 being the smallest two-digit prime number whose digits, when added together, sum to form a prime number.)  Of course, I was not the only one born today.  I share the honor with such historical figures as JFK, John Hinkley Jr., and Patrick Henry.  It's also an important day in the world of music, with Danny Elfman and Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown celebrating birthdays, and Bing Crosby recording White Christmas.  (In May!  I know, right?!)  And it's a great day to get high; Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay were the first to summit Everest on this day in 1953, and John H. Balsley, carpenter and inventor of the safety step-ladder was born.

On account of it being my birthday and all, I was planning on sharing some of my favorite things with you all, but then realized that given the structure of the Report, that's pretty much what I do on a daily basis anyway.  So I'm going to pick one amazing thing and focus on it, using an "On This Day In History" event as a starting point.  On this day in 1886, John Pemberton placed the first advertisement for Coca-Cola in the Atlanta Journal.  Since then, the advertising has become much brighter and more creative, with current advertising work headed by one of my favorite companies, the advertising agency Wieden and Kennedy.  Their work for Coca-Cola alone includes some of the more memorable recent ads, including the inside-machine Happiness Factory (love that jingle!) and the sneaky bugs of Heist.  But seriously, explore through the WK page... Some really phenomenal work going on there by brilliant creatives.

And it wouldn't be a good birthday report without a whole bunch of birthday puppies!

Well, that's all for today.  Do something really big somewhere really small; on this day in 1890, Rhode Island ratified the Constitution and became the 13th state!