Maybe you had to be there

But it sure was funny when it was spoken in my backyard yesterday afternoon. By someone who shall remain nameless. (Hint: it was Dana.)

"What's the name of that website that lets you rate your boss? Oh, rateyourboss.com."

Also, this just in: Be Kind, Rewind is kind of crap.

Once

There's a terrific Irish movie that seems to be getting a major-label release in the US. Once is not to be missed, and I'm telling you all now: find out when and where it's playing in your city and GO SEE IT. Then go buy the soundtrack. It sounds like this.

Six Degrees of Scott Baio

Annie was on TV last night, and boy did I enjoy the hell out of that movie. Such memories! My girl scout troop performed a stunning dance number to Hard-Knock Life back in the 5th grade talent show. In 7th grade, it was our junior high school musical--the same year I learned that "set crew" is junior high school-ese for "not cool or talented enough for the cast." Good times.

I hadn't seen the movie in ages, and I felt as though I was reuniting with old friends every time there was a scene with the core orphans, Duffy, Kate, Pepper and Molly. But one of the orphans looked much more familiar than a supporting orphan role should. So I whistled to my trusty internet connection, and hi ho, Broadband! Away! IMDB was useless because none of the lesser orphan actresses had pictures to identify them. But Google came through, providing me with an Annie fan site which explained why that orphan in the purple dress seemed so damn familiar: she was April Lerman, the actress who played Lila Pembroke on the superior first season of Charles In Charge! That theme song still brings tears to my eyes. I loved Charles. He was the first of what would be many (many) pop culture obsessions (cough-cough paulmccartney cough-cough theymightbegiants cough-cough).

Man, I loved that show. Man, I loved Scott Baio. And I was honestly sad when the Pembrokes moved away at the end of the first season and were replaced by mediocre sit-com family the Powells. I'm pretty sure my entire love affair existed in the realm of Sunday afternoon re-runs, sandwiched between agonizing episodes of Small Wonder and Out of This World. What better way to unwind after a long weekend of organizing my day-glo socks and hanging out at the mall in my acid-washed denim skirt. Yikes.

And, for good measure, let's not forget Bugsy Malone.

Pursuit of Happyness

I swear, it feels like the President is coming to my neighborhood. Or at least the Governator. After much anticipation by local residents, Will Smith will be filming his new movie in the park across the street from my house tomorrow. It's super, especially the part where the production company pays me $50 to use my driveway. In preparation for the day of filming, the production company built a fake BART station in the park (right next to the real Muni station). Apparently, the day of filming involves Will Smith walking in and/or out of a BART station, and they decided to build a fake one for this sole purpose. Fake? You'd never know by looking at it!







Keep in mind that the "escalator" only goes about 4 feet down into the grass. Amazing!

So when you go to see Pursuit of Happyness, think of me. Think of my driveway. Think of my park being taken over by movie folk, and the four block radius around my house being taken over by "No Parking from 5 pm Tuesday 9/20 to 10 pm Wednesday 9/21" signs.

And think of the cool stuff I'll buy with my 50 bucks!

Everyone Plays

Last weekend, while simultaneously reclining and knitting, I watched The Bad News Bears on HBO. Boy, what a trip down memory lane. Sure, I was born the same year the film came out, and I don't think I ever actually saw it before Saturday. And sure, I wasn't a little leaguer (it was all about AYSO for me). But everything that wasn't plot-specific reminded me SO MUCH of my childhood (except for the racist 11-year-olds and the anti-semetic coach.). I'm pretty sure it was filmed in Southern California, but it could just as easily have been the non-descript, San Francisco Bay Area suburb in which I grew up. The ball fields, the snack shack, the banana seat bikes, the oh-so-1976 clothing (think very wide lapels and lots of plaid--not the good kind of plaid), the arcade, everything. It felt really good to watch and has left me with a lingering but definable feeling of nostalgia. More so than usual.

I think the only Bad News Bears movie I ever saw as a kid was The Bad News Bears Go To Japan. Brilliant stuff, even without drunken Walter Matthau.

And now I hear they're re-making the original movie? With Billy Bob Thornton as Buttermaker??? Hmmmmm.

Crazy Mixed-Up World

We all know that some things that are fantastic on their own, and become even better when combined with other fantastic things to make one uber fantastic thing. Chocolate and cheese (or chocolate and peanut butter for you conventional types). Pizza and french fries. Jay Z and the Beatles (in some circles). This list goes on and on, and contains mostly food items.

From when I was about 8 till I was about 11, I loved, LOVED My Little Ponies. We're talking every cent of my allowance, every holiday that could possibly warrant a gift, involved ponies and pony outfits, pony accessories, pony playsets--to an extent, it probably got a bit out of hand. Lord I loved those ponies. Long ago, my mom re-appropriated those ponies to a needy, age-appropriate child, and someday I'll forgive her for that. But as an adult, when I first discovered e-Bay, I immediately bid on Moondancer--she was my favorite back in the day, a Chanukah gift in 1984 (I can still feel the joyful tremors when I think about opening that present...)--who now sits proudly among my snowglobes, protecting, monitoring, moon-dancing.

When I was in high school, I began to love Quentin Tarrantino movies. Not with the same ferocity that I had previously loved the ponies with the painted rear ends, but his films were my introduction into independent movies and films that addressed ideas and topics other that how to get a date and how to kill dinosaurs (also my introduction to Uma Thurman.). I loved the concept that non-mainstream ideas were available for not-quite-mass-consumption, but you could find them if you knew where to look for them (read, if you were cool. Like me. I was cool.).

This is, however, one case where the joining of 2 fantastic things does not exponentially increase the fantasticness. In fact, I am appalled:



Just say No to the Uma Thurman Kill Bill My Little Pony.