It will always be you, Kevin...

My all-time favorite movie from approximately 1986-1998 was Footloose. I owned the soundtrack (on vinyl--hard core), knew every lyric to every song, and learned as many moves to as many of the dances as possible. When I couldn't figure out the choreographed moves from the movie (e.g. the Kevin Bacon solo dance scene in the warehouse), I would make up my own moves that were painfully literal interpretations of the lyrics. If the lyrics included the line, "You can never hide your heart," you'd likely see me wagging my finger right before cleverly covering my heart with my hands. Take that, Janet Jackson.

No doubt part--much?--of the appeal of Footloose was Kevin Bacon as Ren McCormick in the film. (I like to call it a film because it suggests artistry, and that validates my love for it.) Kevin Bacon was hot. Foxy? A beefcake? No, no. He was never a beefcake. That conjures images of huge biceps, and there's a reason Ren McCormick never doffed his shirt. Anyway, I found him incredibly sexy. I've seen the movie well over a hundred times and even found a way to incorporate it into my Puritan teaching unit during my student teaching semester in 1999. (Imagine my disappointment when my students weren't as moved as I have always been.)

I'll admit, it's been several years since I've watched Footloose. In fact, I don't even own it on DVD. Sure, I worry a little that my love for the movie will have faded in the last decade once I do finally watch it again, but I'm certain that I will always love Footloose in an irrational, illogical way. It was a huge part of my adolescence, and it qualifies as one of my first loves.

I suspect this is the way many 11, 12, 13, 14...maybe even 15 year olds feel about High School Musical. Merchandising in 2008 is much different than it was in the mid-80s, so you have to virtually be living in a hole (or without children, television, and radio) to not have at least heard of High School Musical (and HSM2...and HSM3). That's all I had done: heard of it. That is until my daughter entered elementary school. Even though she'd never seen the movie, she began pointing out--and gesticulating over--High School Musical merchandise in stores. She knew all about Troy and Gabriella. It didn't matter if she'd seen the movie or not, this was part of her culture. So for Christmas we decided to give her the movie. I mean, if you're going to be obsessed, you should be fully armed with the necessary information.

So on Christmas night, we popped HSM into our DVD player for its maiden voyage, and what an adventure it was. We laughed! We cried! Well, we laughed. And we replayed scenes. And we sang along. Ah, yes. I now fully comprehend the draw of High School Musical. If I was 12, I'd be sporting a "T" necklace and snuggling up in my East High fleece pajamas. (Let's be honest, if they made East High pajamas in Misses sizes, I'd be snuggling up in them right now.) This movie appeals to every cell of Little Girl left in me. I'm not going to lie: I've considered learning the dance moves to "We're All In This Together," but I can't think of anyone willing to participate with me. My Footloose dance routine buddy is now pushing 40 and most certainly unwilling to go all "Wildcat" with me, and there's something tacitly sad about dancing to "We're All In This Together"...alone.

Like his Kevin Bacon counterpart in 1984, Zac Efron is likely the biggest draw of the film. (Did you see what I just did there?) He can never be my Kevin Bacon since a) he's playing a high school student in a movie and I'm a high school teacher, and b) see a. However, I think he would've given Kevin Bacon a run for his money in 1984. Wow.

Then again, maybe he can be his own Kevin Bacon.