Results tagged “xanadu” from Overlooked

Some might say that reviewing the movie Xanadu is desperately passé and hardly topical. After all, the Broadway version has been out for nearly a year, and the pun "Xana-don't!" has been used approximately 785,176 times in the Western hemisphere alone. However, I just saw it for the first time last night, and what is news to me is unfortunately news to all of you.

Clearly, I did not grow up watching Xanadu; in fact, I was barely familiar with it until this winter, when my brother made a spur of the moment purchase of an Olivia Newton-John CD (it being an "oh-my-God-it's-so-bad-it's-AMAZING" kind of good). The movie's title track was an immediate standout as a must-add to my ever-growing karaoke repetoire. My brother, with visions of free drinks at karaoke bars, trophies, and Rhino Records compilation albums dancing in his head, quickly set about stage parenting: ensuring I learned the lyrics and making stylistic choices.

Since then, I have been waiting eagerly to see the movie, and finally, last night was the night. And, well...let's just say that 2 hours passed. Oh, and there was a CARTOON INTERLUDE. I've never smoked crack, but I like to imagine that this is how Whitney Houston feels on a daily basis.

The best way to express my reactions is to share the drinking game I made up (but please beware that this game is absolutely sure to land someone in the hospital and we accept absolutely no responsibility for your stupidity).

Players should take a drink each time:

• A light effect is used
• Michael Beck looks inappropriately confused
• You wonder why they couldn't have gotten Andy Gibb instead of Michael Beck
• You wonder why Gene Kelly chose to be in this film

(Latecomers to the game should instead take a drink each time "Xanadu" is said - it's even more fun than the "Roxanne" drinking game, I promise.)

As a final word, I have prepared a pop quiz. Complete the sentence:

This movie did for roller skates ...

a) what Battleship Potemkin did for montage.
b) what The Graduate did for the anti-hero.
c) what The Deer Hunter did for the Vietnam war.
d) what Nell did for linguists.
e) All of the above.

As time goes by, my mission in life becomes clearer every day: I know that I am to devote myself to preserving the memory of Liberace for the generations to follow. There is no better way than to think globally and act locally, so I am planning to redecorate my apartment this spring. I feel that constantly being in the presence of such grandeur will inspire me in unimaginable ways.

The only problem is that space is very limited, and though it would be my dream to have the theme carry over into the entire apartment, I do have roommates and I don't want them to reject Liberace before they even get to know him. And so here is where I enlist you, Internets, to help me decide how to get the most bang for my buck with these timeless cardboard standups. Make sure to leave your vote in the comments!

Mystery Daterace This is the Glitter Man at his most refined, delightfully understated for him and ready for every occasion. Dinner with the Queen? A night in with friends? He's ready for anything and will look amazing doing it!	The Czar Wonderfully sophisticated - and dare I say royal? - the Czar is just the thing to impress honored visitors. Surprisingly sensitive, he'll dedicate songs to you on the radio and buy you ice cream on hot summer days.	Stars & Stripes Foreverace Patriotic, whimsical, and always ready to kick up his heels, he'll choreograph dances and lead the crowd in karaoke. Need last-minute snacks too? Not to worry, he's a whiz with petit fours! Martha Stewart, eat your heart out!

Today's post is dedicated to Patrick Swayze, ShopWiki's hunk of the week. We here at the office first took note of P.Swayz back in 1979 as a young Ace Johnson in Skatetown, U.S.A. (it's nowhere near the masterpiece that Xanadu was, but...) and have followed his career enthusiastically ever since. In fact, this year on August 18th, we even celebrated the Swayz's birthday by having his face depicted on an ice cream cake and by toasting him with our custom-made Moviemug. Patrick didn't stop by that day to join in the festivities, but we're sure somewhere, somehow, he knew he was in our hearts.

However, Patrick doesn't simply play a key role in our serveware - he also figures prominently in our wardrobes and our interior decorating. To tell the truth, if we could find more ways to decorate our lives with Swayze, why, it would be August 18th every day!

This one is for you, Patrick, and I think all of ShopWiki is behind me when I say "ditto".