Where IS the Advil?

[cleolinda]

You know how you see a movie when you're very young, and you kind of remember key parts but not much else, so when you see it as an adult it's like you've never seen it before? Yeah. One of the Encore channels has been having a Dirty Dancing marathon today. I mean, I have vivid memories of my mother playing the soundtrack when I was younger (I was about eight or nine years old when the movie first came out, I think), particularly on long vacation drives up to Nantahala. But the actual movie? Sister Girl and I stumbled across the marathon this afternoon, and it's one of her favorite movies, but I couldn't even remember why Johnny was teaching Baby to dance in the first place--I was surprised to find out that it was as a favor to him. Ironically, the one thing I did remember was the abortion subplot, because so many people have said, "Hey! I never realized that was about abortion when I was a kid!" So I remembered that, and all the iconic moments that they play over and over again on clip shows, and the music... but that was about it. I didn't even remember that Baby had a sister, much less that there were Ivy League snob-waiters involved. Nor did I remember the actual context of "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," so I was a little nonplussed that Johnny was... upset that Baby didn't get better seating? Huh. I'd always assumed it was more of a metaphorical cornering, like by one of those Ivy League dipshits. So, anyway, it was a bit of a revelation to watch the movie as an adult--and it's surprising how well the movie holds up. Or at least I thought so; Roger Ebert dinged it with a single star way back in the day. Of course, he probably also thinks that it plays just the same.

(Hell, I just love how, at the end, Kelly Bishop's just like, "Sit down, Orbach, and let your daughter shake what I gave her.")

(By the way: the writing of this entry just now was interrupted by my mother dragging me downstairs: "Look! THE STARS ARE MOVING!" "What? God, the moon is bright--" "They were MOVING! Back and forth! Like this, and then back like this, and then--" "I see stars. Twinkling. That's all." "They were MOVING!" "Well, look, if the aliens come tomorrow, you can tell me you told me so till the cows come home. Where's the Advil? I'm going back inside.")

So, until I came down with a splitting headache roughly around the time I was marched outside to stargaze, I've spent the last couple of days feeling weirdly giddy. I mean, really happy. Which is great; I just can't explain why. I mean, not that I need a reason to be happy--that sounds terrible--but you know how you'd normally describe a pleasant default state as "content"? This is actually happy. I feel like I have some kind of wonderful secret I'm keeping, or like I'm in love (and it's neither, trust me). It's just so giddy and persistent, I can't explain it. Maybe it's all the vitamin D I'm getting from being out in the sun swimming. I don't know.

On the downside: I'm still having weird spells of fatigue (am I coming down with happy cancer or something?), and my little Zen mp3 player has gone missing, although I keep it religiously in a white tote bag with all my current writing. If you have any search-and-discover gnomes, send them my way.

Eh, the linkspam:

One in four read no books last year. Jigga WHAT?

British mystery writer Nabb dies at 60.

15 Unfortunately Placed Ads.

TV Guide talks to Kristen Bell about Heroes.

Janeane Garofalo to join cast of 24.

trailer_spot: Silk, I'm Not There, Cassandra's Dream, Exiled, Harold & Kumar 2.

Aishwarya Rai Films ‘Pink Panther 2.′ Oh, honey, no.

As You Like It : * * * 1/2, but not in theaters. It's on HBO instead--was it made for HBO? I thought it was going to theaters, but maybe not...

Oscar Preview: Harvey Weinstein Betting Own Life On Blanchett's Oscar Chances. As Bob Dylan, no less. After the trailer yesterday, I'm almost inclined to agree with him.

Meanwhile: Images: Elizabeth: The Golden Age. Pretty!

Ray Stevenson Talks Punisher.

Ryan Renolds may play The Flash.

Hall's Dark Knight Role Revealed?

Cloverfield: New Slusho Happy Talk.

Claire Danes Says ‘I Won’t Be Back’ For Future ‘Terminator’ Films.

Q&A: ‘3:10 To Yuma’ Director James Mangold.

Quinto Offers Trek Details; Crowe on Trek Buzz.

Casting Begins for Rob Marshall's Nine.

Freeman and Fincher ‘Rendezvous’ For Sci-Fi Space Thriller.

Isla Fisher is a Shopaholic.

Yellow-band trailer for The Strangers with Liv Tyler and Scott Speedman.

Fox Sings Aliens vs. Predator Requiem.

Anthony Hopkins' bizarre Slipstream gets a distributor and a release date.

The Naked Truth: Keira Knightley, Honorary Jezebel?

Michael Bay Says No to Transformers 2... because he's mad they wouldn't release it on Blu-Ray. What? Oh, wait: Michael Bay Reconsiders Hastily Adopted Position in Format Wars. I like how he even refers to "drinking the [Blu-Ray] kool-aid."

Comments

[kismeteve.livejournal.com]

Man, first Michael Dibdin a few months ago, now Magdalen Nabb. :(

[annlarimer.livejournal.com]

Michael Dibdin?!? Aw, nuts. He wrote the bestest, scariest Sherlock Holmes pastiche ever.

[scornedsaint.livejournal.com]

As You Like It : * * * 1/2, but not in theaters. It's on HBO instead--was it made for HBO? I thought it was going to theaters, but maybe not...

I believe it was supposed to be in theatres a year ago; there was something about it in The Reduced Shakespeare Company's book. As You Like It has never been my favorite Shakespeare comedy, so I'm not really that upset I'll be missing it.

[falco-conlon.livejournal.com]

(Hell, I just love how, at the end, Kelly Bishop's just like, "Sit down, Orbach, and let your daughter shake what I gave her.")


Me too! I'm always like "Woo! Go Emily Gilmore!"

[squishysquidgy.livejournal.com]

One in four read no books last year. Jigga WHAT?
I'd be one of the one in four, which is weird, because I used to read A LOT, but over the last couple of years, I just can't get into it at all. I have a couple of books that I've read the first few chapters of, but then I start thinking about all the other things I could be doing on the internets and do that instead, and kind of forget about the book. I keep meaning to put more time aside for reading, but I just never get around to it.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I don't know, though--a lot of people quoted in the article seemed to be chronic non-readers. I went through a couple of years in college where I didn't crack a single book outside of class, and since I was taking language classes, I wasn't necessarily reading actual narratives as it was. So, I mean, I understand dry periods. But--seriously, one in four?

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

The poll data says 73±3% of adults read a book last year, and around 68 to 70% graduated high school in 2004 and 2005. As awful as that figure sounds, it probably says more about our school system then it does about how much people who can read do.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

A nice map I found of high school graduation rates. (http://www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2006/06/22/41s_map.h25.html)

[kvschwartz.livejournal.com]

One CAN be a reader -- even a "bookworm" -- and yet go years without reading a book. There's plenty online (including the CONTENTS of many a book), and there's no shortage of magazines, be they oriented toward writing and publication, movies, music, news, politics, economics, history, archeology, literary criticism, science, poetry, fiction, screenplays ...

"The New Yorker," for instance, comes out almost every week, and each issue probably has more words than a "typical" book. (Obviously not more than, say, "In Search of Lost Time," but you know what I mean.)

(Oh ... and people who do those "books on tape" ... does that count as "reading" books?)


But I should go read the article instead of talking in the abstract about how people COULD be avid and broad readers without books.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

" 'I just get sleepy when I read,' said Richard Bustos of Dallas, a habit with which millions of Americans can doubtless identify. Bustos, a 34-year-old project manager for a telecommunications company, said he had not read any books in the last year and would rather spend time in his backyard pool."

[kosher-jenny.livejournal.com]

I'm thinking he just hasn't found the right book yet!

(although I myself haven't been reading much for fun lately, but I suppose college can be blamed for some of that)

[komalow.livejournal.com]

I've been getting really giddy-stupid-happy recently, too. I understand what you mean. I'm pleased about it, but also kind of like. . . what the hell am I hyped up and grinning over?

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

I get strangely suspicious of moods I can't explain. I guess that comes with the territory of any mood disorder, mine being depression. (For now, anyway. The psychologist is unwilling to change the diagnosis to anything else since I've only been seeing him for a few months.) For me, anyway, those oddly happy feelings are usually the harbinger of a mood shift. Might want to watch that...

Frankly, I'm hoping it's the forerunner of a new twist in your Black Ribbon story and that it just hasn't fully revealed itself to you yet. :)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

God, I hope so too, because a month of Potter and Stardust is not helping me get back into steampunk mode--I'm slipping back into fantasy, and I need to focus.

[word-herder.livejournal.com]

Sounds like you need an intervention...Maybe you should watch a vampire flick you haven't seen in a while?

[editornia.livejournal.com]

OMG! I just love your icon! Classic! XD

[pescivendolo.livejournal.com]

I grew up watching Dirty Dancing over and over and over. It was my favorite movie in the world. Even as adults, my best childhood friend and I love to quote that movie to each other and laugh and laugh and laugh, and we'll leave each other voicemails whenever it's on tv of our favorite scene - the one where she's in his room, after their mambo trip and all, and she says "Me? I'm scared of everything! I'm scared of what I saw, I'm scared of what I did, of who I am. But most of all I'm scared of walking out of this room and never feeling the rest of my whole life... the way I feel when I'm with you!"

BWAH!! And then there's an awkward silence, and she says "Dance with me" and Swayze's all "Here?" It's the best thing in the world. I'm cracking up just typing it out. Best. Movie. Ever.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

What I love is how (hilariously) passive or vulnerable he ends up being a lot of the time--she makes that move there, she kisses him first, and then there's that whole scene where he's like, "I thought they cared about me! They took advantage of ME!" And then, of course, "Here?" Like, seriously, she's in the middle of throwing herself at you, WAKE UP. Johnny doesn't seem all that smart now and then.

[poinsley.livejournal.com]

I love the Yahoo! and 404 being next to each other on the ballfield. Though for a lot of the internet ads, you have to wonder if the ads were generated from keywords. Kind of like the ads for Spam that I get when I check my spam folder in gmail.

I must have been living under a rock this year...

[dreamingreader.livejournal.com]

That's the one I don't get! What does it mean?

Re: I must have been living under a rock this year...

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

"404" is the error message for "this page would not load." It's not something you want next to an ad for an internet service.

Re: I must have been living under a rock this year...

[dreamingreader.livejournal.com]

Doh! -feels like an idiot-

[zandra-x.livejournal.com]

That's sad news about Magdalen Nabb. Her books was very enjoyable.

[zandra-x.livejournal.com]

"were" very enjoyable even for the illiterate.

[promise19.livejournal.com]

No worries. That typo was the best giggle I've had all day! :-D

[dramedy.livejournal.com]

Jerry Orbach is my hero. I miss him. He was so awesome. I listen to the first minute of "Lullaby of Broadway," from 42nd Street, and it ALWAYS makes me smile. And him on the OBC of Chicago? BRILLIANT.

He's why I love Dirty Dancing(and the classic, "...I carried a watermelon...").

[trash-addict.livejournal.com]

Oh lord, Aishwarya Rai, run awaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay.
Despite how smokingly gorgeous she looks in those pics, I wouldn't touch that movie with a ten foot pole, let alone pay to see it.

[ter369.livejournal.com]

(Hell, I just love how, at the end, Kelly Bishop's just like, "Sit down, Orbach, and let your daughter shake what I gave her.")

I feel lucky to have seen the original cast of A Chorus Line. One of the clearest images I've retained is of Bishop's final moments onstage, just an actor's moment that said everything about disappointment and dignity in one look.

Can't wait for Gilmore Girls: Season Seven to be released (November). I missed the final season, so watching these will be one big wallow.

[syneblue.livejournal.com]

If you love, really love, Gilmore Girls, don't watch S7. Seriously. It's like they started buying screenplays off fanfiction.net: plot, continuity, characterization, dialog...all shot to hell and come back emo. Watch the last two episodes if you like, those are the closest the season ever comes to its old self, otherwise, you'll just want to cover your eyes and pretend it's all a bad dream sequence.

[obigrrl.livejournal.com]

i was in high school when Dirty Dancing came out...i remember all of it....and knowing the abortion bit too....i feel old now :(

[sorchar.livejournal.com]

Me too, man, me too.

[sorchar.livejournal.com]

If your mom was staring at the sky a long time, that could make the stars appear to move.

[shesnotallthere.livejournal.com]

I've also been in a strangely chipper mood for a couple of days now. Perhaps it's a Sag thing?

(Or maybe we're in our happy places simply because it's less than 110 degrees outside. This is more likely.)

[ellaafleck.livejournal.com]

They're making a damn MOVIE of Nine? Are you kidding me? My school's doing that musical this year, I'm in it, and now I'll have to go see it when it comes out, because I'll be dragged there. Son of a bitch.

[theatre-angel.livejournal.com]

Insert Stardust joke about the moving stars here. But in more important news, WHAT IS THAT! (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070821/ap_on_re_us/reading_habits_ap_poll_1)

[ballyharnon.livejournal.com]

I'm afraid your mother may have eaten some acid. You should get her a blanket and some water.

[jenny0.livejournal.com]

Your mother's not the only one - one night my boyfriend insisted that the clouds were going behind the moon. Despite vigorous declarations of Science! and accusations of craziness, I couldn't convince him that this is impossible.

[evilbearhunter.livejournal.com]

Yeah, my mom has a hard time with the idea that shooting stars are not actually stars. I think it's mostly intentional, though.

[saint-kat.livejournal.com]

I watched HBO's new version of As You Like It and I, well, liked it. Kenneth Branagh did a fantastic job with the colorful scenery and camera work. The dialogue was a bit confusing, I admit, though it was mostly because I wasn't familiar with the play (unlike Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, or The Tempest, Shakespeare plays that I read back in high school).

Bryce Dallas Howard did look beautiful as Rosaline (as does Romola Garai as Celia) and I loved the fact that they made it a bit more multicultural (with black British actors to play Orlando and his brothers instead of white actors who usually play in those roles). It definitely made me want to watch the entire thing from beginning to end.

[riney.livejournal.com]

I'm glad you liked it! I saw that it was on last night and decided to record and watch it this weekend. I assumed Kenneth Branagh wouldn't make a terrible Shakespeare film!

[editornia.livejournal.com]

Has your Mom been taking Zoloft? It has been known to make the clouds dance... ;)

[amanuensis1.livejournal.com]

I had never watched Dirty Dancing, ever. And this weekend while browsing I saw it was on my cable's list of free anytime movies. So I decided it was time to remedy this gap in my cultural references

Do you know that I got a little misty at the end? And when he leaves the stage to go dancing down the aisle, I went, "Omigod, she's gonna do the lift!"

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

I get a little misty when she makes up with her father, myself. And apparently that scene at the end with the lift is one of the Great Movie Moments of All Time (I think it may actually be on an AFI list). : )

[zrath.livejournal.com]

Here's a misplaced ad (http://members.toast.net/zrath/AlienRomance.jpg) from my personal collection.
It's an image from Brickshelf, a picture gallery for Lego creations.
Look at the banner ad over the image...