Friday Favourites: Dirty Dancing

One of the joys of Friday Favourites of yesteryear when K and I both used to blog daily was our mutual appreciation of the Friday favourite. Sometimes we be gushing over a shared favourite thing, like Prince songs or Damon Albarn. Other times we'd just be enjoying each other's love of a favourite thing. Like K and Babs or me and NPH. So it's a shame we don't get to hear from K today. 

When we were kids there was a girl that lived up the street from us, let's call her Choo Choo. She had the Dirty Dancing soundtrack on vinyl and we didn't have it on anything so we sometimes used to contrive reasons to borrow it from her without also having to invite her over. Eventually she moved out of the street, along with the Dirty Dancing record and although at the time the best thing about that seemed that we didn't have to hang out with her anymore in retrospect the best thing was that we didn't have to be such little bitches anymore. 

At the time I don't think I even liked the movie that much but I sure knew a great soundtrack when I heard one. And I definitely under appreciated Patrick Swayze but I'm glad to say one of the gifts of age is a broad appreciation of great things and that includes this movie and Patrick Swayze. First, I love choreographed dance. Any kind of dance really but I especially love group dancing as at the end of this film. Now I own this movie on DVD and I watch it every time it's on television. Most recently on Wednesday night. It's such a delight to find it on TV and I basically smiled the entire time I watched. 

Here are some of the great things  about this movie: dancing; Patrick Swayze; the upstairs-downstairs story; the way that Baby and Johnny know how to have a great time; music; all the great lines. 

Dirty Dancing you are a bona fide Friday Favourite!

What are you doing with your life? (AM)

Since Newbie was born I haven't been out much, you know out at night, like a grown up and without children. Sure I saw Justin Timberlake. And lord knows I saw Damon Albarn.

But other than the very odd night you can pretty much bet you'll find me home any night of the week. On Friday night I went out and when Miguel, Legsly and David picked me up it was pretty clear that we were a bunch of parents, all exhausted and giggling with the heady anticipation of seeing music and drinking beer sans enfants. It was retarded.

Two Bright Lakes were putting on a farewell gig after 8 years of putting out records and putting on parties and generally showing Melbourne a good time. These guys have some really good bands on their list. Had 'em anyway. Music to sway to, music to dance to. Boy do they have some music to dance to. And right in the middle of the dance floor on  Friday night dancing to Collarbones I remembered how effing good dancing is. I mean, I know how good it is, I know I love it, I do it in my living room and sometimes I do it in other people's living room but doing it on a dance floor - that my friends is truly one of life's great joys. And I had to ask myself, "Why the eff don't you do this more?!?"  I love dancing, really a lot and I started to really think about how I could get it into my life more and why I don't do it more and why I don't prioritise things that are my favourite things. And I started to question other things in my life too, like why aren't I in a band. Oh sure, David, Miguel and I sought to solve this problem by forming a band on Friday night but we've been forming bands on Friday nights for the last 15 years so I doubt this is going to change things.

I don't want to complain about my life, my sons and boyfriend are great, my life is nice but seriously, what am I doing with my life that I don't dance more. And if I'm doing that wrong what else am I doing wrong?!

Also, how can I fit more dancing in while also fitting more sleeping in? More productivity as well as more relaxation. And when will I earn enough money to hire a cleaning lady? I guess at a time when I am actually earning some money. Baby thinks I love cleaning because he basically sees me doing it constantly. He has actually told me that. Seriously, what am I doing with my life? I wanna dance!

The 20/20 Experience (AM)

Here's what happened: all last week I was looking forward to seeing Justin Timberlake. It's not like I was super pumped or thinking about it constantly, it was just something I was looking forward to when I'd think about it. I mean, It's not a secret I kind of love Justin Timberlake. I know it, you know it, we all know it. And I was thinking it'd  also be great because it would give me some great content for today's post.

It was a weird scenario, I thought no one would want to go with me so I didn't bother asking around. But because I wanted to go and decided to go alone I bought the most expensive tickets. Which was great, because I was just metres from the stage, which is a pretty great way to see things, especially superstars. But although I clearly know how to see a superstar, Etihad Stadium do not. The house lights were up until a minute before JT came out which did not build anticipation at all and when he emerged from beneath the stage I felt pleased but not awed. He played 2 songs from The 20/20 Experience which was pretty good but slightly underwhelming and I wondered if it is was all worth it. But then... 

I expect some of you are not as intimate with JT's back catalogue as others so I will say the song Rock Your Body is a totally cheesy track from early in his solo career and when he played that and danced in unison with his back up dancers THAT is when magic happened. It was a total boy band moment and I effig loved it.  The whole show was like that first ten minute, mildly entertaining bits with some great bits thrown in. 

But that boy can dance and if there is one thing I love it is watching people dance. Preferably with back up dancers. Ideally while I can dance too. And it was three for three on that count. And I do love JT. 

The drag of it was there was absolutely no sense of spontaneity. My guess was that not a single word spoken on stage had not been spoken the night before. Some of the ballads were a drag too. Although I loved that a white grand piano emerged for him to sit at. I loved that he played Heartbreak Hotel but when he played Human Nature by Michael Jackson and sounded like the GooGoo Dolls I wondered why the eff he didn't play any single other MJ song. Like, one of the awesome ones?

Also there was an intermission, and although I appreciate that a guy needs a little rest or pick me up or whatever happens out there in those ten minutes I also think there's a way to accommodate that without bringing up those effing house lights again and totally killing the vibe. 

Having said that though it was pretty spectacular when the entire front of the stage came off, rose above the audience and travelled out to the back of the stadium with JT and singers and dancers so they could perform right in front of the seats at the back.

So you see what I'm saying guys? Awesome, meh, awesome, meh, that was the JT show. I like his old stuff better than his new stuff and it worked better in his show too. Everybody thinks so. 

I wanna dance! (PM)

I am so into  this adult beginners ballet caper. Especially now that I know it is classical ballet and not the jazz ballet my mum originally indicated when she told me about it in an email last week. I did jazz ballet when I was about 10 or 11 and it was a bad idea then and would be an even worse idea now.  Also, totally useless if my first few days in New Orleans are anything to go by. Jazz on every corner but not a single step ball-change, the quintessential jazz ballet move, to be found. I think jazz ballet is to dance what Esperanto is to language. A bunch of bullshit, and an embarrassment.
Classical ballet, however. That's a total classic. I'm totally going to try it when I get back. Do you have to sign up to a whole term, or can you just go casual style?

I read your words about looking like a pudgy five year old in a leotard, and I understand what they mean, but I still pretty badly want to wear a leotard. And a bun. And have really good posture and stuff.

I wanna dance too!

I wanna dance! (AM)

So I guess it’s time I told you guys that 3 weeks ago I started doing ballet classes. Yes, adult beginner ballet.

When I decided to try ballet it was for a bunch of reasons. Exercise, to try something new – challenge myself, you know? – to gain some poise and grace. But have no illusions, friends, starting ballet does nothing for a beginner but make you feel at best clumsy and at worst ridiculous. Strike that, reverse it, at least ridiculous is funny. Clumsy is just awkward. 

I should have known really, based on when I first bought the ballet outfit. Yes, for beginner ballet you must wear a leotard, tights and ballet slippers. I’d be lying if I said that in fact wasn’t a little bit of the appeal. When I got my ensemble home and tried it on I felt immediately more graceful, all that tight lycra sucking in all my bumps and lumps. It wasn’t unlike the first time I wore Skins. But then I looked at myself in the mirror and that was completely unlike the first time I wore Skins, which actually do make you look pretty good. It turns out that pale pink ballet tights and flats with a leotard make me look like a pudgy 5-year-old girl. And I guess that is basically the ballet experience in a nutshell.  

That first lesson kind of went like this: “Ok class, to begin feet – first position, second position, fourth and fifth. Now arms, first, second, third, fifth. This is a plié, demi plié. Rond de jambe. To the front,  side, derrier. Point de this, point de that, combination, combination, port de bras, five, six, seven, eight.” 90 minutes later and FIN and me thinking what the fuck just happened?

Subsequent lessons seemed to go a little slower and I could follow the combinations slightly better. Though I still don't know my tendu from my fondu. I also learned to appreciate the fact that all the music is just piano versions of pop and musical songs. Feel free to picture me jumping  around to the theme from the Muppets and calling it ballet, because that is an actual thing that happens. And  when a slow piano rendition of “Don’t you want me baby?” started playing I really started to feel like I was in A Chorus Line* and I just keep thinking how great it would be to practice pliés to “One” one day.

Finally of course every time my arms are in second position I get to thing about Partick Swayze telling Baby off for her spaghetti arms. 

So do I even need to tell you that I I love ballet?!

*I know that song isn't from A Chorus Line, it's just the vibe of it. 

I am....(PM)

Me, I have terrible moves, which is why I left the room when Kanye came on.
Normally I would dance anyway. Normally I don't care about my bad moves, I just care about kicking it. But the only reason we were at that party was because I have a mad crush on the host, and though drunk and being lured by that siren Kanye, I was lucid enough to know that dancing my truth on this occasion would be unwise.

But J looked great being SBF.

More like this, if you ask me, but super great.

I am... (AM)

On Saturday night I went to a party with K. K was literally the only person I knew there. Literally! (Well, virtually. A couple of faces were familiar from the past, but let the past be the past, right?) Some people approach life and, therefore, parties with the ol' 'a stranger is just a friend you haven't met' attitude. Me, I'm more of the ol' "a stranger is just a person I don't have to give a shit what they think about me" school, which is a liberating way to go to a party.

I had a good time on Saturday night, not least because I got to do some stupid dancing to Kanye. It wasn't really a dancing party. It was more a stand around and talk party. But then Kanye came on and I happened to be in the right room at the right time. I ate a piece of cheese and that seemed to give me the special power I needed. When 'Golddigger' came on you could not stop me from busting some of my sweetest moves. Now to say I need to be drunk, or among strangers, or high on cheese to dance my ass of would be to tell a lie. I need none of those things. Mainly I need a floor under my feet and ideally, though not necessarily, some music. But when everything aligns right, I become my alter ego.

I am Sacha Baron Fierce.

I know that you must be shocked to learn what I look like in my alter ego form. After all, K and I have been very careful not to show you our faces, but I think it is only fair that you know what I look like when I am possessed by Sacha Baron Fierce. Yes, I am very, very beautiful with brooding Jewish eyes and the sensual lips and jawline of a Nubian princess. Also, when I am Sacha Baron Fierce, I am awesome.

Oh, and I have amaaaaaazing dance moves.

Yes, yes, y'all. You'll be seeing a lot more of Sacha Baron Fierce this summer and I bet you can not wait!

Things that blow my mind - Nose jobs (AM)

A little while ago I was hanging out on amazon.com thinking about things I might like to buy and thought that Dirty Dancing would be a great addition to my meagre DVD collection. So I found a copy for eight bucks and added it to my cart but then I decided that I couldn't just buy every damn thing that popped into my head so I left Amazon without spending a cent. Then, a couple of weeks ago I was back on Amazon buying some books, which seemed like a totally legitimate thing to be doing, and when I got to the virtual checkout Dirty Dancing was still in my virtual cart and I decided, what the hell, I'm getting that bad boy.

So it arrived and I put it on the shelf thinking about how sweet it would be when I really felt like watching that movie and I would just be able to! Then on Saturday night I was home alone with a sleeping baby and I realised that I hadn't even checked if the DVD was region sensitive so I thought I really better just make sure it worked on my DVD player.

When I put it in the player the menu came up so that seemed like a good sign, but to be sure I pressed play. Now this is some anniversary edition or something and there is an 'introduction' by Jennifer Grey ('Hi, I'm Jennifer Grey, I hope you enjoy Dirty Dancing') now I know we all know that J.Grey got a nose job and looks totally different now, but, shit you guys she looks so different now.

 

Luckily for all of us she doesn't get a lot of work so we don't have to remember her nose job too often, that's why it was such a rude reminder when I saw it on Saturday night.

Can you imagine looking a way for all your life and then waking up one day and looking like a totally different person!? I cant/don't want to even imagine! Now if that isn't a mind bender I don't know what is!

Chut up internet, you're not so smart

The Internet thinks it is so smart, tailoring it's ads just for me.

It's not so smart. For some reason the other day in my gmail account there was an add for Jaguars (the cars, not the animal). Why gmail thinks I can afford a Jaguar? It must be totally misreading my emails. And if it paid any attention to me at all it would know that my heart belongs to Volvo.


And if I were ever to leave Volvo it would only be for a Citroen CX.


Or maybe a Mini Cooper in navy with a cream roof.


Whatever. The point is I am totes not buying a Jag.

And Amazon thinks it knows me so well. You don't know me Amazon! You don't know what I want!

One time I was thinking how Dirty Dancing would be a good film to own on DVD so I was checking out the prices on Amazon. Now it thinks I want to buy shit like Pretty Woman and The Notebook. Like I want any old crappy boy/girl-from-the-wrong-side-of-the-tracks-makes-good-love-can-conquer-all bullshit movie. Um, excuse me Amazon, but I have excellent taste. Don't you know that by now?! If I want that kind of move it will star Patrick Swayze, or at least Kevin Bacon and definitely have plenty of dancing. Sheesh.