Well, what I had wanted to mention and forgot to is....
*drum roll please*
I SAW HARRY POTTER AND THE SORCERER'S STONE ON SUNDAY!!! WOOO HOOOO!!!
Not only that, but the group of folks in our theatre were the first ones in the nation to see it -- the theatre in DC started the movie just a few hours before the premiere in New York.
Go us. :o)
But wait! There's more!!!
See, Dad had gotten tickets to this media event through someone he knows at work. The Navy is apparently quite well-connected.
We arrived at the theatre in downtown DC to find professional photographers waiting to take our photo (why, I'm not quite sure), and the folks who were running the premiere informed us that we were entitled to free popcorn and soda. My dad was all over that.
We went in to the theatre, and the only seats we could find were about five rows back, which wasn't too bad as DC is far too backward to have heard of the technological breakthrough known as "stadium seating," and the screen was quite large and curved around us. So once the movie started we were almost IN the movie. Quite cool. Especially during the Quidditch match.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
So we're there in the theatre. (Did I mention that these tickets were free to my family??) It's just about 11am when a group of folks, yet another family, I assume (our family had the greatest median age -- Dad is 55, Marty is 49, Kurt is nearly 28, I'm almost 23, and then Mark who is 13 -- most other folks were in their 30-40s with kids under 10), comes moseying down the aisle. Dad pokes me in the side and asks me if I know who that is. I tell him I have no idea because all I see is the backs of people.
Well, folks, one of those backs belonged to Steve Case, CEO of AOL Time Warner (ie, a multi-gazillionaire). Another of those backs belonged to our very own First Lady, Mrs. Laura Bush.
So Steve Case introduces the movie (because I believe it's a Time Warner possession of some sort), and then Mrs. Bush takes the podium. See, her platform is reading, and the Harry Potter phenomenon results from an awesome foursome of books by J.K. Rowling. So it made sense for Mrs. Bush to speak at the premiere.
AND I WAS ONLY FIVE ROWS FROM HER!!
I was starstruck. Literally.
I'm so pathetic.
So anyway, I told Dad after Mrs. Bush finished her remarks that I was good, I could go home, I didn't need to see Harry Potter to make my day complete. He laughed. But of course we stayed.
And let me tell you I am DEFINITELY going back to see Harry Potter. And for those of you who are poo-pooing the movie as a kids' movie, let me tell you it's not. Not in the way Shrek is also for the adults with inside jokes, but Harry Potter is a pretty action-packed movie. It's no Rambo, but it's good enough for me. I actually got kind of scared in some scenes.
I need a review from folks who have read the book more recently than I have to tell me how closely it follows the plot of the book. I know that it leaves some stuff out, but damn, dude, it's already 152 minutes long (do that math -- it's two hours and 32 minutes).
As we left, the promotions folks handed everyone a bag containing a copy of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, a pair of Harry's glasses, and a bag of Every Flavor Beans. Those who have read the book will know what I'm talking about.
But these were rather disturbing jelly beans. They're made by Jelly Belly, and they are seriously every flavor. The little guide inside shows a photo of a green jelly bean that is apparently booger flavored, but I didn't encounter that one. I didn't have the courage to try the black pepper bean, but both Mark and Kurt did and they said it tastes like... black pepper. Kurt then handed me a white bean that according to the guide could have been either coconut or pina colada. It was neither. Apparently they've developed a sardine flavored bean. I took one small bite and removed the entire bean from my mouth rather forcibly. I did have the presence of mind to catch the remains in my hand -- Dad would have killed me for messing up the Sequioa. Mark tried one because he thought it was funny all the faces Kurt and I were making, and he nearly went into convulsions. Now THAT was funny. :o)
So the moral of this entry is: GO SEE HARRY POTTER!! GO SEE IT TOMORROW!! SEE IT THIS WEEKEND!! SEE IT!!!!!
It's a must. :o)