Huff’s posts: 2026 month No. 2: Groundhog day, Epstein files, Super Bowl, Olympics

Published 12:09 pm Thursday, February 5, 2026

Well, Punxatawney Phil saw his shadow at Gobbler’s Knob (and Oregon Zoo’s beaver Stumptown Fil, same), so six more weeks of winter. Boo. The (maybe) final batch of the Epstein files was released last Friday, shame naming a veritable who’s who of the rich, powerful and famous (excluding Punxatawney Phil). Super Bowl LX, its trove of highly anticipated commercials plus a halftime show featuring Bad Bunny, which is giving folks on the right apoplexy to the point they hired out Kid Rock to do their own halftime show — in your face, lefty libs — is Sunday (go Seahawks!). And the Winter Olympics kicked off on Friday.

“Groundhog Day” is one of my favorite movies that never grows old, much like its premise of living one day over and over. If you’re one of the five people on the planet who’s never seen it, the film, which was made in 1993, features a wise-cracking, cynical weatherman who has no heart, played perfectly by Bill Murray. He wakes up every morning, day after day, to the Sonny and Cher song “I’ve Got You, Babe.” It’s Groundhog Day and Murray’s weatherman, Phil Connors, along with his news team, is sent to Gobbler’s Knob to cover the event. And he lives the day over and over. That’s all the spoilers you’ll get from me, but let’s just say the guy goes through an existential crisis and eventually comes out on the other side. It feels like an apropos morality tale for what we are all experiencing in present day. I give it five stars.

I do not have much to say about the Epstein files except to shake my head at the inhumane cruelty of the Justice Department for redacting names of perpetrators and not redacting the names — and in many cases, the lurid photos — of the victims. Shame on you. I am as cynical as Phil Connors about ever getting justice for the victims and putting any of those who deserve to be punished behind bars. But come on — have some decency, J.D.

About the Super Bowl — I will admit I am one of those people who tend to watch it for the commercials everyone will be talking about the next day. That, and the halftime show. I know there is a lot of anxiety and fear surrounding Bad Bunny’s performance, what with the ICE brigade being on alert and all. I hope for peace and love trumping hate.

Prior to watching the game, I will be re-watching “Best in Show,” Christopher Guest’s brilliant mockumentary, featuring, among a star-studded cast, the great Catherine O’Hara, who unexpectedly left this plane on Jan. 30. Among a bajillion other iconic roles, O’Hara helped me and millions of others ride out the pandemic, starring as Moira Rose in “Schitt’s Creek.” RIP, Catherine O’Hara.

I will also be getting in my annual fix for puppy love. Puppy Bowl XXII will be airing at 5 p.m. PT Sunday and simulcast on Animal Planet, Discovery, TBS and truTV. On repeat throughout the day. So when you feel those Phil Connors blues, click over to get a dose of roly-poly, fuzzy wuzzy cuteness.

And that brings us to the Olympics. Figure skating is my favorite, although I like all the skiing events, the bobsled and the luge, too. But figure skating! I especially love watching the pairs, the music they choose, the outfits they wear, the moves, twirls, jumps, flips and leaps: the Axel, the Salchow, the loop, the camel. I also like to hear the commentators in this sport, filling us all in on the behind-the-scenes gossip. And if you don’t think it’s a competitive sport, may I suggest you Google Tanya Harding? Or better yet, put another movie on your list: “I, Tanya.” You’ll see there’s more than one way to perform a triple Axel.

Let me know what your favorite Olympic events are — or whatever else is on your mind. You can email me at: jeanne.huff@dailyastorian.com.

Jeanne Huff is news editor for The Astorian and Seaside Signal.