elapses

SO CYD CHARISSE DIED YESTERDAY?

Her trademark was always the classy sexy vampy saxophony dances (like the Cafe scene from this same film, and her breakout role in Singing in the Rain) but but but. She was always a ballet dancer. And I've always loved this one (from The Band Wagon, with Fred Astaire) best. It's the very pinnacle of old school falling-in-love-while-dancing movie scenes, and she's all grace and legs and style, and it's just the prettiest thing. I'M SO SAD SHE'S GONE, these people -- these old school dancing, singing, onscreen miracles of people -- made up a good 95% of my film exposure from the ages of 2-8, and now with Cyd, there's only really Debbie Reynolds and Mickey Rooney left. What a generation they all were. AND THEY'RE ALL MOSTLY DEAD.

I don't know. When famous people die the lj tributes always pop up and it's sad but I still don't really bother, but these MGM musical kids -- they're my people.

IN OTHER NEWS, I've been rewatching Alias (apparently when I sit myself down and say, "okaaaaaaay, ALEX. I know it feels like you don't have a lot of TV because none of it's on in the summer, but YOU DO. HAVE A LOT. And you don't need to watch more things to keep up with come fall!", I end up compulsively rewatching old things I loved once but haven't seen in awhile? This is an addiction/withdrawal thing, ISN'T IT? Should I be more worried about myself and my television watching habits?). Anyway, daaaaaaang, but I always seem to forget how much I love the Spyrents. They're the perfect foil to Syd and Vaughn, who are all young and shy and pretty and sweet and charming and OTPish (what later seasons?); and then Jack and Irina -- I mean, she actually broke him. There aren't really any words for that.

I do think Jack/Irina win, HANDS DOWN, over EVERYONE EVER*, for SHEER CHEMISTRY, because the tension between them is so thick and exquisite it actually kind of gets hard to pay attention to their dialogue.

*Exceptexceptexcept I haven't watched one of those kinds of MulderandScully scenes in like, three or four months so maybe I am not the most fair judge. The grand power of MULDER AND SCULLY might beat the Spyrents, but it also might not. I also think the Spyrents might beat them simply because Mulder and Scully kind of have to tone down their sexual tension to a mere hum so they can sort of concentrate on their paranormal crud whereas with Jack and Irina it is always. right. there. Buuuuuuuut M&S might beat them for MOST INTENSE MOMENT. I don't even know my own criteria! Oh god, I'm way way way overthinking this.

Todayyyy is kind of still jenaben's birthday!!! (Here it still is! And in California! And Vancouver! And Alaska! And... some pacific islands! SO YOU KNOW.) I have a super cheesy saying from a list of birthday quotes my aunt forwarded to me awhile ago: "Years wrinkle the skin, but to give up enthusiasm wrinkles the soul." ...so do you feel properly birthdayishly inspired yet???? BUT SERIOUSLY: your boundless articulate enthusiasm is one of the things that makes you the very best sort of LJ friend to haaaaave, and I'm super grateful to have you around. You're still too young for silly colloquialisms and any kind of wrinkles, though, I don't know why I try.

So there is kind of this thing going on in the world right now, where everyone is like "Wow, musicals are kind of... really awesome? How 'bout that?". Which is great. I'm glad everyone is excited about Sweeny Todd, I'm glad the world loved RENT and Hairspray and Chicago, and I'm glad this possibly probably bodes well for future productions of movie musicals with awesome costumes and people dancing and singing happily around soundstages. But here are some cold, hard facts for you: you have not seen enough musicals.

I know you all know about the golden age of the Hollywood musical. 90% of everyone has seen Singing In the Rain and Wizard of Oz, they have earned their place as cultural relics. But there are so many more that most people haven't seen. And I'm just saying, there's something to be said for an age where the producers would shell out to make a cake full of singing people or a red, smoky swimming pool with eleven full-access diving swings. Those days are gone.

( but not forgotten! )

P.S. AMTP -- this is what happens when I go through Office withdrawl: massive picspams of MGM musicals.


Hey guys, I've been a super crappy LJ friend as of late, thanks to having a life, which is... weird. School's over twoish weeks (for the semester, I mean), which will be niiiiiiiice, but I'll try to be around more this week too, because I miss you all and this is basically our last of TV. I am sorry I missed birthdays! And I'm sending out Christmas Cards tomorrow or Tuesday, so last call for that. I've kind of lost track of which of your links I've already gone to and which ones I haven't, so if I leave you my address twice, or something, just... ignore me. I'm overzealous about the Holiday season.

I also want to do this meme, just because: Name a character (or few) from one of my fandoms and I'll give you (a) three facts about them from my personal canon/fanon, (b) a reason he/she sucks, (c) a reason he/she is awesomecakes, (d) five things that never happened to that character or (e) five people that character never fell in love with and why. You pick the character. I pick the letter.