Whither the Weather?

This morning I turned on The Weather Channel to see what's in store for us, and there was Al Roker, once fat and jolly and now slim and spiffy, all decked out in a tuxedo or something very much like a tuxedo, gushing over last night's  Golden Globes. Huh? Where's the map? What about the snow? Nope, Al was all aflutter over the fact that he was broadcasting from the site of last night's glittering awards show in LA. And guess what! He was standing in the original studio of the long-defunct Johnny Carson Tonight show! How fun!

A few questions: Why do I care? Does anyone? How does it help me to plan my week? Did Al really need to tell us he only got two hours sleep last night because he was partying with the stars? His on-air partner, stuck back in the Georgia studio but also dolled up to the max, seemed very excited about Al's big night.

The Weather Channel debuted in 1982 as the epitome of service journalism. You could turn it on at any hour and find out what you needed to know about the weather, hence the name. Now it's just as likely to have some celebrity fluff as the other TV stations. There's nowhere to hide, it seems, from the news of how the beautiful people party.

Inquiring minds still want to know: Is it gonna snow or not?