If you wanna be cool like Bill Murray, you have to practice, people!

Haven’t seen Broken Flowers yet and I feel the clock ticking away. It’s only a matter of time before the indie theaters around here throw up their arms and say “Well, we gave another Jim Jarmusch movie a chance – but audiences here in Iowa don’t ‘get’ his stuff. Roll in that Rob Schneider movie!”

Honest to goodness, quality cinema seems to have a shelf-life of about a week in these parts…

There was a great article I read on MSN about Bill Murray’s career and it explored the reasons we as a culture seem to enjoy him so much. I think that everyone enjoys a particular brand of tea, but I’ve encountered very few people in my life that don’t enjoy Bill Murray on some level.

If it’s not Ghostbusters, it’s Rushmore. If it’s not Stripes, it’s What About Bob? There’s just something about the guy that is everyman and authentic. Nevermind the whole time he’s performing to you, he’s looking around in the audience for the one guy in back that really “gets it.” The guy who will throw him the subtle nod to his knowing wink that says “All these people in this room are morons.” The way Bill Murray plays his roles, he makes every individual feel like he or she is in on the joke. What a talent.

Sure, there are movies that he’s made that are colossal mis-fires. Larger Than Life and Garfield immediately spring to mind (not much luck with animals, eh Billy?) But I would say the hits far outnumber the misses and he is probably one of the most infinitely quotable actors in modern comedy.

I’ve always thought if I could be quick-witted like John Cusack when I’m in my 30’s, wry and slightly detached like Murray when I’m in my 50’s and be all kick-ass and hairy like Sean Connery when I’m in my 70’s, then I will have reached the zenith of generational cool.

I like Bill Murray a lot.

Want to remind everyone that I’m sitting on a large stock of t-shirts at the moment. I need to ship a bunch off to people who have been patiently waiting for their orders to be fulfilled first and foremost. But there is also a good chance that I will bump prices up on all shirts to probably $15 up from $12 to help pick up the slack on the advertising space I’ve recently cut from the site.

Price increase will probably take place in a few weeks once all of the current orders are out the door. Don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you’re thinking about buying a t-shirt, now is the time to do it.

And by-the-by, since it has been such a success so far (50 additions since mentioning it earlier in the week!) don’t forget about the Theater Hopper LiveJournal syndication feed. Just add us to your friends list and be in on the loop when new comics and blogs are posted to the site!

Have a great weekend everyone! I’ll be getting a jump start on things Friday by volunteering some hours at a Habitat For Humanity house. Myself and some members of my team from my day job will be helping fit the house with insulation. Hope I don’t get too scratchy!