We saw The Producers a week or so ago and it is super funny. I didn't even know what it was going to be about. I guess I'm culturally illiterate--I never realized that before. All I knew about the show was what I had picked up from watching Larry David's Curb Your Enthusiasm. One thing about The Producers that I didn't like is how Matthew Broderick looks ugly in it. I kept thinking, "That's so sad about his Parkinson's Disease." But, you know, he doesn't have Parkinson's Disease. I loved Will Farrell in the movie. Will Farrell is so funny. Someone should really collect all of his funniest moments and put them in one place--like on a DVD or something. Such a collection would be priceless--so priceless, in fact, that if I owned it I would never loan it to anyone because they might not realize how special it is and would, perhaps, treat it carelessly.
While we were waiting for the movie to start, we read Larry David's review of Brokeback Mountain. Larry David doesn't want to see Brokeback Mountain because he thinks it might make him turn gay. I, on the other hand, am fairly certain that there is nothing that would make me "turn gay." I've just never had any tendencies in that direction. I do, however, think that my bishop thinks I might be gay. Because in situations when Christian and I have to tell how we met he always presses for more details. "When did you know that Christian was the one?" You know, corny stuff like that which I just refuse to answer. He also used to tell me to share myself with the girls more when I was in Young Women. What I said was, "Yeah, I don't know what that means." What I meant was, "This is it! I'm not withholding--there's nothing for me to share with them!" But I think he might have just meant that I should cry more. I didn't and so I just assume he thinks I'm gay.
Right before The Producers started Henry or Diego walked in. Henry and Diego were twins that I knew in Jr. High and one of them claimed to be in love with me. They didn't speak much English at first which resulted in charming love notes with pictures of Snoopy drawn on them and such declarations as, "I love you with my every life." But all these years later Henry or Diego didn't even recognize me or say hello. So loving me with his every life didn't mean much, apparently. I'm glad that he has moved on but I would be withholding from you if I didn't share with you that it hurts.
What makes this memory even more painful is that the Spanish class I had with Henry and Diego is where I was sitting when I found out that the Challenger blew up. I really feel cheated out of a decent grieving period over that tragedy because it was the next day that Macquel Maag (a 7th grader) had written and recorded her song "Christa McAuliffe: You Didn't Die in Vain." She sang it over the intercom for us in memoriam. I mean, please. How could I be expected to take something like that seriously? It's no wonder I can't share myself with people. By the way, her name wasn't really Macquel Maag. Well, actually--it was.
I hope you like The Producers. Moreover, I hope Macquel Maag doesn't write a song about it-- because that would ruin it for me. Auf wiedersehn.
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Yikes. "Christa McAuliffe: You Didn't Die in Vain" written and performed by a 7th grader over the loudspeaker the day after the Challenger exploded would have sent me into fits of laughter, the guilt of which would have sent me to professional counseling, the therapy of which may have brought out my hated of men, which might have caused me to be gay, or .....something. I'm sorry you had to experience that.
ReplyDeleteIn an unrelated thing, did you see this Will Ferrell sketch?
Oh Kacy....the memories of Dixon. Somethings are better left buried deep in the recesses of the mind. "Christa McAuliffe: You Didn't Die in Vain." probably ranks up there. While you were dodging the dynamic duo de Mexico, I was in Wood Shop and I had actually just finished a silkscreen of a Space Shuttle blasting off and thought to myself "How can I ever wear this shirt in public?"
ReplyDeleteHaving Matthew Broderick look ugly for a change might actually help me not to have to listen to my wife tell me how cute the leading role is. I can sit through the movie with my dignity in tact and not feel gay for agreeing with my wife.
This really makes me wonder how any teacher or school administrator could ever keep a straight face at such a performance...or ,uh, tribute. I, on the other hand, didn't have such and experience where my grief had to be cut short. I was able to cut out a picture of Christa McAuliffe of The Weekly Reader and put it in my brown, Velcro wallet.
ReplyDeleteum...yeah. But there was NO SINGING.
I remember looking at your yearbook later and by that girl's picture you wrote "You didn't die in vain". I thought that she had died and that you were being rude and then you explained it to me. Didn't she also sing this to someone who was sad in an auditorium once?
ReplyDeleteKacy, I don't want to rain on your memories, but wasn't Macquel's song called "Christa McAuliffe: You Were Meant To Be?" That's how I remember it. It was a tearjerker, then and now.
ReplyDeleteNo I am pretty sure it was Christa McAuliffe: You Didn't Die In Vain because we sang it for our patriotic program over at the Wasatch Elementary - of course you were too old for that Christopher -at the time, I mean.
ReplyDeleteUgh. I remember. What a tangle of emotions. Here we were (at least I was) shocked and so sad by this vivid disaster that many of us were watching live as it happened...and then the song. If I laughed out loud or gagged like I wanted to, I was obviously calloused, unpatriotic and didn't respect life and these people, but here was this SONG! So schmaltzy. And then the repeat performance. Oi. The only other thing I remember about her is that in another assembly--a certain tryout--she had orange legs.
ReplyDeleteThe TV station came and filmed Macquel lip-syncing the Christa McAuliffe song in our English class, then it was on the news that night. I had never wished more that I had written and sang a song for a national tragedy. I remember it as Chris writes, and I think we know Courtney because we sang it all the time (at least that line), not just for one show, but it could be that there were lots of verses
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure that Macquel was going with Scott Cloward at the time (the most popular boy from Wasatch + the most popular girl from Westridge). But she moved onto Howard Snow as a freshman in High School. Not that I kept close track.
ReplyDeleteYou guys probably don't care, but Macquel was going with Sam Sparhawk for a few of the "later" High School years also.
ReplyDeleteAll I can say is this...
ReplyDeleteThat is the WORST spelling for a "McName" I have ever heard!!!!!
Macquel? Whaaaaaa?
P.S. I was in my 7th grade Home Ec class. No one wrote anything or sang anything. I am pretty sure I didn't know what the Challenger WAS until it blew up. Then again, I was in Heber and some say we are the dumbest kids in the world.....
Did Larry David say anything about The Producers making him turn gay? I couldn't get enough of the gay characters in The Producers. Really.
ReplyDeleteBut I could definitely do without Matty B. He was so bad.
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ReplyDeleteAs I recall Ben, you and Christopher were too busy telling insensative Christa McAuliffe jokes to be singing her tribute song. And YOU KNOW what I am talking about.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Kacy, for solving a mystery that has haunted me for decades. For years at the mention of the space shuttle I've been plagued by a sickeningly sweet voice singing "Christa McAuliffe, you didn't die in vain, America's chi-ildren all honor yo-ur naaame." Now I know who to blame. Curse you Macquel Maag, curse you!
ReplyDeleteI don't know what you're talking about Courtney. Is it insensitive to suggest that someone has dandruff? Or won teacher of the year?
ReplyDeleteor what color her eyes were? or why she didn't shower before she went up? or what day NASA was planning to send up the next shuttle?
ReplyDeleteSlightly off topic, but does anyone know: 1. What NASA stands for OR
ReplyDelete2. Why everyone at NASA drinks sprite?
Proving my point boys, you're just proving my point.
ReplyDeleteHow on earth do you still remember those???
Err uhh... could you please post again?
ReplyDelete