And the Winner is...

The year was 1980. The month was May. The day, a Friday afternoon.

As we were being dismissed from school I asked my friend Monique what she was doing for the weekend. She told me that she was going to see a movie.

“Which one?”, I asked.

“Fang.”

“Fang? I’ve never heard of that. Is it scary?”

“Not Fang. FAME. It’s about some kids who sing and dance at a school."

“Ohh. That sounds GOOD.”

***

I was eleven years old and had no idea then that I had just been introduced to the film that would become my favorite.

I don’t remember who took me to see it. It was rated "R" so somebody must’ve, unless I snuck in. Knowing me...I didn’t sneak in.

Watching Fame was like seeing MYSELF on screen. I WAS COCO! Just a girl wanting to share her talents with the world. Yes! She was me…I was her.
Even at the age of eleven I wanted to be a star. I sang in high school and loved every performance. I was the soloist at my high school graduation and was this close to going to Berklee College of Music. Yes folks, I wanted to be a star. Thirty four years later, I still do. Not so much now in the sense of performing on stage, but in the sense that I want to leave my mark on the world.

Although Coco was my favorite character, Leroy Johnson and Ms. Lydia Grant ranked pretty high as well.

I loved the way that Leroy was introduced to us.
He was just at the audition to be the dance partner for his friend who was the actual auditionee. Once Leroy got movin’ though, he danced circles around his friend. Totally outshined her. In the words of Ms. Lydia Grant, he was “wicked” (or at least his dancing was). And in his own words, “ I's young, I's single, and I loves to mingle! .” Yes sir, I loved me some Leroy!

As for Ms. Grant, she was a “no nonsense” kind of teacher who pushed until she got the very best out of her students. She made it plain, “ You've got big dreams. You want fame. Well, fame costs. And right here is where you start paying: in sweat.”

I feel like I’ve been sweating all my life. Not so much physically, but in many other ways. Yes, my dreams are big and I deposit a little more into them each day. One day all of this sweat will pay off. I have to keep believing that otherise I'll quit, and quitting is simply NOT an option.

Now for anyone who knows me AT ALL, this next part will come as no surprise. I LOVED the singing in Fame. I’m sure that if you asked, I could belt out any of the tunes, but my top 3 favorite songs are:

Out Here on My Own

Hot Lunch Jam

and

I Sing The Body Electric

When those three come on…watch out, ‘cause it’s ON!

So there you have it. Fame. My favorite film.

What I find most interesting is that Fame is technically a musical, and I typically hate watching musicals on screen. Moulin Rouge…didn’t like it. Chicago…didn’t like it. Les Miserable…won’t even see it on film because I already know…I won’t like it. I enjoy musicals best when performed LIVE on stage. Somehow, Fame is my only exception. I couldn’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. There've been too many to count. What I can tell you is that anytime it comes on TV, I watch. And I love it, EVERY time.

"Sometimes I wonder where I've been
Who I am
Do I fit in.
Make believin' is hard alone,
Out here on my own

We're always provin' who we are
Always reachin' for the risin' star
To guide me far
And shine me home
Out here on my own..."

Now, Let the DIALOGUE begin: What is YOUR favorite film?

Talk to me!

Til next time...