Always Anna

Today, I’m going to force you all to read about… the Top 5 Reasons I Love The OC.

5. There hasn’t been a night-time soap opera this compelling/addictive since… ummm…. the early years of Melrose place. Every week there’s a cliff-hanger, and just when you think they’re about to go overboard, they pull back a little bit to focus on the people. I know that someday they’ll go far (all shows of this type do), but so far, it’s GREAT.

4. They don’t bore you with the same old “bad guys” all the time. Sure, Julie Cooper-Nichols is always there (and she is pure evil!), but they also throw in random ones. We had Cal Cooper for a while, Ryan’s brother, the evil water-polo players, Sancy’s slutty ex-girlfriend, the porno guy, the slutty coke-head, the crazy guy that was obsessed with Marissa… you get the idea. And now, they’re giving us a spoiled-bratty-evil-rich girl who is clearly crazy, and a weirdly demonical Dean of Discipline. There’s no time for boredom in the OC.

3. This is the first show I’ve ever seen that makes you care equally about the parents/adults and the kids. I think that’s what makes the show so balanced – the ridiculous drama of the kids vs. the more real drama of the parents. And these parents – god, who wouldn’t want Sandy and Kirsten for their parents?

2. A talented cast playing cool characters. Unlike 90210 and Melrose Place, this show has legitimately good actors. With the notable exception of Mischa Barton (who, while she looks about 1,000 times better than she did last season, can’t act her way out of a paper bag), every person on this show is great. I’m especially fond of Peter Gallagher and Rachel Bilson. And of course, I LOVE Adam Brody.

1. I love, love, LOVE the sense of humor this show has. They make fun of themselves, their show, Laguna Beach, Spiderman, politics, religion, etc., and they do it without being mean or petty. I would admire any show that took itself with a grain of salt, but when it falls into this genre where most others would take themselves too seriously, I especially love it.

OC – thanks for making my Thursdays “Must-See TV” again.

I love – LOVE – high school movies. I love the setting, the drama, and the comedy in films that take place against the backdrop of that most confusing of times, high school. And these are my top five:

5. Clueless – I know I’ll get a lot of crap for this one, especially when I’m picking it over Heckerling’s other brilliant high school film, Fast Times at Ridgemont High. I don’t care – Clueless perfectly captures the mid-90s high school scene, in an over-blown, exaggerated way that makes it hilarious. Besides, I’m from California – I’m, like, totally just LIKE Cher. Favorite line:

3. Heathers – The classic dark high school film… and also completely hilarious. Christian Slater and Winona Ryder were particularly amazing, although the rest of cast is fabulous too. I especially love the bizarre scenes with Winona’s parents. Best lines:

2. Dazed and Confused – Everyone loves this movie; it’s impossible not to. The guys are cool, the girls are hot, and we get to see Ben Affleck get paint dumped all over him. Awesome. On top of this, the movie does a great job of capturing the era (according to my mom, who has vague recollections of the 70s), and makes us all wish we were in high school back then. Best line:

1. The Breakfast Club – You can’t be surprised. In order to be fair, I had to limit the number of John Hughes/Molly Ringwald movies that could be on this list… and this one is by far the best. The movie does an amazing job of capturing the cliques and alliances that form in high school, the pressures of living up to expectations, and the “sameness” of everyone. You know the best line already, but I’m putting it here anyways:

5. I Love Rock & Roll, by Miss Pat Benatar. Seriously, this song is great whether sung solo or in a large, noisy, group. While all karaoke sounds better when wasted, this song really works when you’re drunk, because you feel so very rock & roll.

4. Me and Bobby McGee, by Janis Joplin. SO much fun to sing to. End of story.

3. Hold On, by Wilson Philips. Show me a girl that doesn’t belt this song out whenever they hear it, and I’ll show you a girl that’s never hit a rough patch in her life. This song should only be sung if you have a group of three though.

2. Kiss, by Prince. You know that scene in Pretty Woman when Julia is singing in the bathtub? Well she’s singing this song for a reason – it’s fun, sexy, and irresistibly cool. Perfect for Karaoke. Best complemented by freakish-Prince-style dancing.

1. Here I Go Again, by Whitesnake. This is the best power ballad of all time. Best when sung alone (obviously), in front of appreciative fans that will yell occasionally, “Whitesnake!”