Random sources of entertainment
Things that were awesome about today:
1. Mini singalong in the Goodwill store! I was looking at trousers (no success) when "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" came on the store radio. At the part where it bursts out loudly "I! Love! You! BA-ABY!/ And if it's quite alright.." I realized that not only was I accidentally humming under my breath but two other people, apparently not in the same party, started singing along. If a few more people had joined in I'm convinced that backup dancers would have spontaneously appeared. It happens in movies ALL THE TIME.
2. I saw the movie Whip It and had a ton of fun! You could describe it as a coming of age, teen girl rebellion movie crossed with a sports flick, which sounds like a recipe for badness but turned out to be awesome. That's the sort of thing that capable screenwriters and actors can do. Plus, the sport in question was roller derby, which is delightfully bizarre. Ellen Page (from Juno) played the lead with pizazz and heart, and the rest of the cast was excellent as well. It was funny, full of action-packed contact skating, and a bit moving. The plot was somewhat predictable, but the dialog and characters were fresh enough that I didn't much care. It's a film about discovering your passion, families both natural and chosen, and growing up alternative in a small town. (Bonus: this showing was a sneak preview, so they had local roller derby women skating around outside the theater trying to interest passers-by. Fun!)
3. This photo of the Spanish Prime Minister's family posing with the Obamas is great.
Apparently Spanish law allows the Prime Minister to prevent the press from publishing photos of his teenage daughters, so nobody had seen them. The US state department didn't get the memo or something, released the photos (oops!), and revealed the big secret: the daughters are kinda goth.
I like this photo for several reasons:
a. Barack and Michelle seem to think this is great. Admittedly they must have practice smiling in weird situations, but I think Barack is probably thinking that teenage goths make a nice change from the power-hungry old men in suits that he has to spend much of his time with.
b. The Zapatero parents are accepting enough of their daughters' phase (or lifestyle...who knows at this age) that they have not strongarmed them into wearing something more conventional. Admittedly we don't know whether they tried. I imagine there were intense negotiations before the photo session. "Honey, if I let you wear the Doc Martens will you change into a simple dress with no latex or fishnets?" "Mooooom! *sigh* Fine. But I'm not taking off the black nail polish!"
c. The girls appear to be in a dilemma about how happy they can look without losing Goth cred. On the one hand, Goths don't smile, and they are having to pose with their totally embarrassing parents. On the other hand, they are getting to meet with Barack Obama, who even a teenaged Spanish First Goth has to admit is kinda cool. They have settled on uncertain half-smiles. The huge slumps indicate their disapproval for Obama's message of hope.
d. The fact that the girls have such lousy posture indicates that they are not trained in media appearances, which is somewhat refreshing.
e. Other people's awkwardness is hilarious!
I do feel sorry for the girls, given that there will undoubtedly be a lot of commentary that is not so nice. At least it will provide fodder for some properly angsty teenage poetry.
1. Mini singalong in the Goodwill store! I was looking at trousers (no success) when "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You" came on the store radio. At the part where it bursts out loudly "I! Love! You! BA-ABY!/ And if it's quite alright.." I realized that not only was I accidentally humming under my breath but two other people, apparently not in the same party, started singing along. If a few more people had joined in I'm convinced that backup dancers would have spontaneously appeared. It happens in movies ALL THE TIME.
2. I saw the movie Whip It and had a ton of fun! You could describe it as a coming of age, teen girl rebellion movie crossed with a sports flick, which sounds like a recipe for badness but turned out to be awesome. That's the sort of thing that capable screenwriters and actors can do. Plus, the sport in question was roller derby, which is delightfully bizarre. Ellen Page (from Juno) played the lead with pizazz and heart, and the rest of the cast was excellent as well. It was funny, full of action-packed contact skating, and a bit moving. The plot was somewhat predictable, but the dialog and characters were fresh enough that I didn't much care. It's a film about discovering your passion, families both natural and chosen, and growing up alternative in a small town. (Bonus: this showing was a sneak preview, so they had local roller derby women skating around outside the theater trying to interest passers-by. Fun!)
3. This photo of the Spanish Prime Minister's family posing with the Obamas is great.
Apparently Spanish law allows the Prime Minister to prevent the press from publishing photos of his teenage daughters, so nobody had seen them. The US state department didn't get the memo or something, released the photos (oops!), and revealed the big secret: the daughters are kinda goth.
I like this photo for several reasons:
a. Barack and Michelle seem to think this is great. Admittedly they must have practice smiling in weird situations, but I think Barack is probably thinking that teenage goths make a nice change from the power-hungry old men in suits that he has to spend much of his time with.
b. The Zapatero parents are accepting enough of their daughters' phase (or lifestyle...who knows at this age) that they have not strongarmed them into wearing something more conventional. Admittedly we don't know whether they tried. I imagine there were intense negotiations before the photo session. "Honey, if I let you wear the Doc Martens will you change into a simple dress with no latex or fishnets?" "Mooooom! *sigh* Fine. But I'm not taking off the black nail polish!"
c. The girls appear to be in a dilemma about how happy they can look without losing Goth cred. On the one hand, Goths don't smile, and they are having to pose with their totally embarrassing parents. On the other hand, they are getting to meet with Barack Obama, who even a teenaged Spanish First Goth has to admit is kinda cool. They have settled on uncertain half-smiles. The huge slumps indicate their disapproval for Obama's message of hope.
d. The fact that the girls have such lousy posture indicates that they are not trained in media appearances, which is somewhat refreshing.
e. Other people's awkwardness is hilarious!
I do feel sorry for the girls, given that there will undoubtedly be a lot of commentary that is not so nice. At least it will provide fodder for some properly angsty teenage poetry.