E.T. is my favorite movie of all time.

Last night cemented that fact for me as I watched it at the Arclight, which ran it as part of their AFI series. There is something so damn magical to that film. Its human characters have this "ahead of their time feeling" to me, given that they were allowed to wear their dysfunctions on their sleeves. And let's face it. You have to believe that E.T. is a pretty endearing character. He makes flowers grow, drinks beer, dresses in drag, AND is handy with tools and a speak-n-spell.

My stuffed E.T. was my best friend growing up, and I completely recall my childhood visit to Universal Studios after the film came out where I got to go inside the space ship gift shop and take my picture on the bike. Man, I would give anything for that picture. Anyway, I was only about five or so when the movie came out, but the thrill of its story and excitement wasn't the only thing that floored me about watching it. I remember knowing that it was a movie and that Steven Spielberg was the man who created it all. I remember wanting to meet him. Not E.T. I wanted to make movies, like him. And so almost twenty-five years later now, I get to work on that same lot where the film probably had its creative inception, and something about all that means a lot to me.

So, back to last night. Yes, the movie was great. It got me crying when he was pronounced dead, and I got chills at the ending as the rainbow swept across the sky. But next to my friend and I was this couple. The whole time, the guy kept mocking the movie and the girl he was watching it with, as she teared up and got really into it. It was annoying. I mean, really. If you didn't want to see it, why'd you come? And why was she with some loser who made fun of her for feeling and enjoying what was probably HER favorite movie. This guy needed E.T. to land in his back yard right quick and teach him a lesson. Well instead, he got up right when the movie ended and tripped over my friend's feet walking out. His girlfriend made a huge apology for him, which we just stared at. They left. After they were gone from the theater, my friend leaned into me and said, "I'd been waiting to do that all night."

"You mean, you tripped him?"

"Yeah. He was an asshole. We can go whenever you like." I love her. Total theater seat vigilante. It made me laugh.

Afterwards we went to the Hungry Cat, which is now one of my new favorite places in the galaxy.



They did something with rum and a kumquat that is out of this, or E.T.'s world. And I flirted with a hot and probably very straight bartender. AND I saw my favorite L Word star. Leisha Hailey. When she heard we had just saw E.T., I said, "Nothing goes better with E.T. than a stiff drink." She did not laugh. Oh well. I guess Lush is not her L word. And that is O.K. by me.

Hmm. Perhaps the reason that I love E.T so much is because I too wear my dysfunctions on my sleeve.

What about it?