Since Happy Dance Fridays seem to be working, we now get Saturday at the Movies.

I happen to live, at present, literally a five minute walk from a mall with a multiplex in it. I rarely go. Not much into the broader comedies, science fiction or remakes of stuff I've already seen. They do say all things go in cycles, so until things cycle around again to sumptous period dramas (and by this I mean original stories rather than fictionalized biographies) I'll get most of my fix from DVDs. A few favorites to start us off.

Remains of the Day - I remember waking the day-sleeping friend who gave me this movie so that I could voice my opinion (being cagey here.) Love, love, love this and highly recommend the book by Kazuro Ishiguro as well. This film began my tradition of yelling at Emma Thompson as well as my mad passion for all things Merchant-Ivory.


Love Actually: I love pretty much everything from Working Title and this proves my favorites aren't all gloomy angstfests (only most of them.)This movie has it all; England. Christmas. Colin Firth. Dancing Hugh Grant. The beginning of my love of the genius that is Bill Nighy's acting. Liam Neeson nailing his performance to a fare-thee-well. Another chance to yell at Emma Thompson. A papier mache octopus in the back of a limo, and happy endings all around.


Saturday Night Fever: the heroine of my TT manuscript maintains this is the greatest dance movie ever made and I will not argue with her. (Besides, she'd hurt me.) From that beat and that strut to the final subway ride, this is a shatteringly real look into a character who has to come to terms with life and make hard choices and a portrait of a slice of NY. I was too young to see this in the theaters but successfully begged my parents for the soundtrack. Then when I caught the movie itself years later, oh my.


Annnd Lords of Flatbush, another story that couldn't take place anywhere but NY (do you see a theme here? You're a smart one.) Arguably a progenitor of the 70s obsession with the 50s. Henry Winkler as the Proto-Fonz, Sylvester Stallone, Perry King. Coming of age can hurt but be oh so sweet at the same time.

It's Happy Dance Friday once again.

Let's start off with a classic from Dancing With the Stars; Cheryl Burke and Drew Lachey:


If Benji Schwimmer's dancing is happy dancing and Bollywood dancing is happy dancing,what would happen if we combined the two? This:


I bet more people would take public transportation if this happened at every station:


That's this week's Happy Dance Friday. Got a clip you'd like to share? Leave a link in the comments.

Small squee over shippy moment in this week's Criminal Minds. Perhaps I need to add a shippy day to the blog? Will have to ponder that one; a good romance thread in a drama will get me every time.

Can't believe we're at another weekend already. Wrassling with a cold on this end, but it is Happy Dance Friday, so that makes up for a lot. First, a true classic. The heroine of my time travel informs me that Saturday Night Fever is the greatest dance movie ever made and wants me to submit this:


I first saw Pasha Kovalev and Anya Garnis when they competed on So You Think You Can Dance, and am thrilled to see they'll both be all stars on the current season. This, from their turn on Burn The Floor:


Because there ain't no party like a Bollywood party (and in tribute to the forthcoming finale of Lost; can we call this a flash-diagonal Sayid?)- the wedding dance from Bride and Predjudice:

Trying something new - Happy Dance Fridays.

Why Happy Dance Fridays? Other than Friday being a day that makes most people have an extra spring in their step, I am currently polishing a lovely story about England after the Plague that has me oddly bouncy. So why not share the joy? We'll start with one of my favorites, "Suits, the musical" from How I Met Your Mother



and "Dance 4 Life" by Ryan Kasprzak:


and because it's always Hammer Time somewhere:


Phew! Happy dancing to all!

Another Monday, another week...

There will be much writing in this one, feuled by not only a wonderful CORW meeting with guest speaker Elaine Isaak but some really good conversations with writer buddies both online and in person. Melva and Vicki, this week is for you. It's going to be packed.

Not that that's a bad thing (well, except for the fact that I exhausted the printer's supply of black ink in printing out my rough drafts of two novellas and now must print in a rainbow of colored ink until I can get to Staples...or wait for DH to leave for work and pirate his.) There could be worse things than hangning out with the people who live in my head and making their lives have more drama than mine (which is a hard task, seriously)Sending out submissions is a good thing and one step closer to being able to squee about new releases, and I like new releases.

Though I didn't read last night (left the book I was reading at a friend's house and it's one of those "yes, I can pick another book from the umptybillion in my TBR pile, but I want to read that one" books. Okay, and the other ones I want to read most are still in the bookstore and I can get them this weekend.) I did take advantage of DH being at work to appropriate his CD player (if he reads this, I may want to rethink such mentions)and play the import CDs that won't play on my puter. Something started stirring in my head, so I made use of my pre-Panera (Panera write-ins on Monday, yay) and scribbled down some impressions. Will this show up in some form in a future work? Probably so, but no new stuff until I get one or two current projects off my desk and off to those who want a gander at them.