Daily Dirt: If Steve had his way, these would be our next four federal holidays

Daily Dirt for Oct. 12, 2021

Holidays are a great thing, and I think we need more of them. My suggestion for four more such celebrations leads off today’s three thoughts in Vol. 94 of the Daily Dirt. Thanks for joining in.

1. The following four special days should become become full-blown federal holidays:

Mothers’ Day: We could bookend the Monday following the annual Sunday celebration of Mother’s Day. Monday would be a day off for all moms — and the rest of us. Traditionally, Mother’s Day is the second Sunday of May.

Father’s Day: Well, fair is fair. Give dads their day, too. The Monday following Father’s Day Sunday would become a federal holiday. In 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father’s Day, and six years later President Richard M. Nixon helped certify the day as a permanent national holiday.

Opening Day: I know, I’ve mentioned this before. But baseball’s Opening Day deserves this kind of status. To truly make the day special, how about announcing who the next class of Hall of Fame inductees will be on this day, right before the first pitch of the season? Opening Day would always be the first Monday in April.

Super Bowl: This the nation’s most popular single sporting event, and is highly deserving of a federal holiday. Just like Mother’s and Father’s days, the Super Bowl holiday would be the ensuing Monday. Most of the nation calls in sick to work on that day, so just make it a holiday.

2. Here’s my favorite pandemic/virus movies that could make for an excellent binge some weekend:

“Dawn of the Dead” (1978, plus the 2004 remake): Legendary director “George A. Romero’s 1978 classic isn’t just a clever satire of consumerism, it’s also a look at how the zombie apocalypse functions like a plague,” writes Christopher Rosa for glamour.com. The remake actually expanded the disease element. “Both films are perfect to watch when you want your global pandemics fictional instead of so IRL (in real life) you can’t sleep,” Rosa said.

“Resident Evil” series (2002-2017): The only things you need to know about this multifilm franchise is that an evil corporation creates a virus that turns most of humanity into zombies. Mila Jovovich is the star of all of the films, which are all above-average.

“28 Days Later” (2003) and “28 Weeks Later” (2007): The world is beset by a viral pandemic that turns anyone infected into permanently enraged monsters. The sequel is just as good as the original.

“World War Z” (2013): Arguably, this is the only Brad Pitt film that is even semi-memorable. He’s a United Nations worker racing against time to discover the origins of a sudden global zombie pandemic. Damn zombies.

“Outbreak” (1995): The idea of this film, at the time, was rather far-fetched — a deadly virus spreading through parts of the United States. Dustin Hoffman is the star. By today’s movie standards, it would likely be considered rather lame, but just look past that and appreciate the concept.

3. My prediction for the next big ESPN breakout star will be anchor Ashley Brewer.

The network is giving her all kinds of quality-time face time, serving as the lead anchor on many of the night-time SportsCenter broadcasts. Prior to joining ESPN in 2020, the former USC swimmer worked as a weekend anchor and host for an ABC affiliate in Los Angeles, covering the World Series, Super Bowl and other major events. 

Steve Fact O’ The Day Steve never met a potato chip he didn’t like.

Steve Eighinger writes daily for Muddy River News. He will take the day off on Opening Day.