This is Frank and me:
Aren't we cute? See how I gaze lovingly at him, lost in my own squishy rapture?
These are the tickets to Tuesday night's midnight premiere of Harry Potter 6:
This is Frank and me with the tickets, just a little more excited than grown folks should be at going to see a movie:
We dragged our tired, round-the-clock-cookie-bakin' asses to see the midnight premiere of HP6 and actually gloated at how smart we were to arrive at the theater as early as 10:30. There were less than thirty people ahead of us so we were guaranteed to get good seats. By 11:15, the line had twice wrapped around itself and we could see people near the back eying us and the other early birds with mild envy.
I saw several of my past students, just as I'd expected to. I always run into a few students at the movies, but being an English teacher, I tend to run into hordes of them when going to view films based on popular young adult novels. I hugged many and waved at others who were further away, many with a scholarly twinkle of pride in their eyes as if to say, "Even though I'm not your student anymore, I soooo deserve to get extra credit for coming to see a movie based on a book, even if it is, like, the coolest series ever and I would have come to see it anyway if like, it wasn't a book." All of them, and many other moviegoers were dressed in either Potter-related shirts or Twilight gear.
Going to see HP6 holds double appeal for both Potterites and Twilighters. Many of the Twilight fans fell in love with the series as a suitable salve for the ache that the conclusion of the Potter series left. The trailer for New Moon, the second movie installment of the Twilight series, was released on TV a couple of months ago during the MTV Movie Awards and has been available since then on the Internet. However, HP6 provided the first chance for Twilighters to see the trailer on the big screen. I overheard several starry-eyed teenage girls say that though they were excited to see HP6, what they really, like - OMIGOSH - couldn't wait for was the New Moon trailer. Because like -- *squeal!* -- they were totally on Team Jacob and -- swoon -- Edward was still killer sexy and he could like, bite me any day.
People cheered when the ushers finally unhooked the velvet rope and started admitting people into the theater. The dim theater was abuzz with Potter and Twilight talk. Another chorus of cheers and ear-popping teeny-bopper shrieks erupted again when the lights finally dimmed. Once the previews began and the voices were hushed, the air was electric with the anticipation of the New Moon trailer. Finally after three previews that clearly ranked a status of whatev by the lack of response, the opening chords of the hauntingly familiar Twilight series resonated through theater. SCREAMS of pubescent fervor exploded through the theater, followed by an immediate SHHHHHHHHHH!!! so that they could all better watch the trailer which they had all undoubtedly watched a zillion times from home on YouTube. Everyone leaned in, and from the row behind me I could hear a girl whisper to her friend, "Ohmigosh. I'm going to cry, or faint, or SOMETHING, ohmigoshohmigoshOHMIGOSH!" Frank and I cast sideways glances at each other and rolled our eyes. The trailer finally got to the part when our fair-skinned damsel in distress found herself about to be vampire lunch. The palpable, tense energy in the theater that was barely restrained broke free when the shirtless and chisel-muscled Jacob ran to Bella's aid, morphing suddenly into a giant wolf mid-stride. The only thing more annoying than the ear-splitting girly screams which exploded around me was the fact that I, too, found myself squealing with excitement.
I cannot flippin' wait until New Moon opens in November. I mean, like. Oh. My. Gawsh. Seriously.
An aside:
Don't I almost kinda look like the poster child for a particular alcoholic beverage here?
