And on a cold, dreary, rainy Wednesday night it happened- I got into "Lost." I knew it was only a matter of time. I'm pretty happy about it too- I haven't been really absorbed into a big, hour-long drama since "Buffy" since I've felt like there's a big hole in my life since then.

Today I went to the Castro to go see "West Side Story." I know, how gay could I be? In fact, as I was sitting around thinking about what movie to see, it was the only reason why I could think of not seeing it and realized that it's a pretty dumb reason not to see it so I saw it. Why not? It's a classic- a great movie, good music (for a musical) and about as Americana as it gets. Plus, I'd get to piss off all those people who have their panties in a bunch over the Castro for firing their long-time program coordinator and are calling for a boycott and protest of the theater (some people protest their election being thrown and their leader being poisoned, other people protest over a movie theater).


When I was younger I'd do anything to not have anything to do with musicals, a reaction to my mother's obsessive love with them and the realization that people bursting out into song at any moment is extremely cheesy. Now that I'm older, I still can't say I've embraced musicals, but my appreciation of the cheesiness of them is slowly giving way to just plain old appreciation of them. I do have to admit, however, that as hard as I tried, I could never get past the fact that the movie is supposed to be about tough New York gang members who also happen to do ballet moves while walking down the street. At one point, the members of the Jets would each say something about how tough and strong they were and to prove it, would do pirouettes. That's so gangsta. It reminded of a great skit on SNL from years ago (the Norm McDonald era) where they showed a gang about to get ready for a big rumble by practicing their dance moves. Then the other gang arrived and the rumble began and as the gang started to do their little dance moves, the other gang just moved in and kicked the shit out of them.

It was pretty funny.

I also have to admit too that during the big fight in West Side Story, when Riff and Bernardo got into it and they flash to both of them drawing their pocket knives, I sort of expected an Eddie Van Halen guitar solo and Michael Jackson to appear.

You ain't bad……