There's a lot in life that makes me happy. I like good wine, good food, interesting conversation, trips, sunsets and movies. Good movies. Convenient then that this summer I've had all of the above. The wine was Venetian, the food was everywhere, conversations on planes, trips around 5 countries, sunsets over lagoons, mountains, lakes and hills. . .and movies here in Michigan.

Thanks to this being the week of a huge film festival in Traverse City, I've spent more time in movie theatres over the past few days than anywhere else. I've seen an absurd number of films (7 with 4 more to go), but I've also volunteered for a few shifts at one of the theatres. I've vacuumed the green room that Madonna will use tonight, swept popcorn, taped seats, moved lines, taken tickets. . .

Seven movies. Really. And yet the best one was a movie I've seen over and over again. But this time we watched it on a huge inflatable (!) screen outdoors.

It was a beautiful night. . .and we enjoyed every song, every dance, every minute.

Know it yet?

It was marvelous. Magical. I forgot about the long day, the damp grass, the lateness of the start and just enjoyed every second of a movie I've loved since childhood. See, Joel and I didn't watch a lot of tv growing up and, although we had a VCR, we didn't even watch a lot of movies. We were alowed to choose and hour of tv a week. . .and, oddly, that was enough. Sure, we loved the stolen moments watching "Saved by the Bell" at friends' houses (that was probably just me), but it never was that big of a deal.

The one genre that seemed to break all the rules set down by our parents were the classic muscial. One hour a week didn't seem to apply. So, we watched our fill of Unsinkable Molly Brown, Brigadoon, The Sound of Music, Seven Brides for Seven Brothers (as my dad called it, "a delightful little abduction story") and Singing in the Rain . Even so, I can't quite explain why it was so incredibly special to sit on the grass and watch the movie on a big screen for the first time. Yes, it was the fact that I love the movie. Yes, because we were seeing it as it was intended to be shown. But, there was more than that. I think a big part of it was because this guy was there.

Okay, let me clarify that I'm referring to the guy on the right. The guy on the left is Michael Moore (and that's all I'm going to say about him). The guy on the right is Stanley Donen, and he's the director of Singing in the Rain and so many other wonderful movies since the 40s. He's worked with everyone associated with Hollywood's heyday - Fred Astaire, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Peter Lawford (okay, that's a stretch but he was a member of the Rat Pack), Henry Mancini. . .everyone.

And he's awesome. Wise. Experienced. Funny. And, 3 times this week, I've seen him introduce his movies ( Funny Face, Singing in the Rain and Charade), and I've gotten to listen to his stories about where he got ideas for scenes I've seen a hundred times; his phone conversations with his friends - the ones we consider movie stars. Hearing him, seeing those movies on the big screen 50 years after their theatrical releases, that was a highlight of a very exciting summer and well worth every late night bike ride and every popcorn kernal swept.

******

And now for something completely different . . . Now that you know what I like, how about finding what a cartoon character likes. . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8zi5FdRTV5M&feature=related Beware: It's weird and hilarious. I blame my brother.