Stress Relief

Seems I'm not the only one feeling a little frustrated. Several "fights" have broken out in the premise contest threads (chuckle). I wondered early on how long it would take for things to get ugly. To paraphrase the little cartoons seeking answers about a Tootsie pop:
"How many rounds does it take to get to the nasty in a writing contest?"
"Let's see. One. To-who. Crunch! Two."

Poor Jeff the Publisher. He called for a group hug. Hopefully, it will be enough to remind us all to behave ourselves. I'm feeling a little more magnanimous today. I apologize to any and all yesterday's rant may have offended. I'm not sorry for the rant. I'm sorry for the offense.

In the spirit of stress relief, I recommend everyone take two hours off and watch a Christmas movie instead of fret over the contest. Here are some of my favorites.

Galaxy Quest: Not technically a Christmas movie, but I once watched it every single day in a December (that's 31 days for those of you who like math). It is, quite possibly, my favorite movie ever. It exalts teamwork, loyalty, self-reliance and helping innocent aliens whenever possible. It also has some of the funniest one-liners ever uttered by Tony Shaloub: "The floors are so clean," "Didn't you see that thing, with the eyeball, like this?" and "Seems okay." This may be my most quoted movie, too.

Scrooged: This is my favorite incarnation of A Christmas Carol. Bill Murray is Frank Cross, a TV executive who hates Christmas and is planning the largest live Christmas show ever on Christmas Eve. It has the Solid Gold Dancers in it! By the time Frank comes around to the meaning of Christmas, I'm balling like a baby. Every time. Great show. Susie, you'll need the TNT version.

The Addams Family: Opened during the Christmas season and spawned a not-too-bad-all-things-considered sequel. This show proves that good triumphs over evil, because in trying to show how evil this family is, the writers only showed how powerful love it. This is a multi-generational family living together, involved in their children's lives and rearing them according to family tradition, with parents completely devoted to one another and supportive of each other's quirks. That's how I see it, anyway. Some of us could learn a few things, eh?

The Fellowship of the Ring: Also opened during the Christmas season. The best of the three in my opinion, and closest to the book in execution, this movie has it all: friendship, devotion, romance, endurance under persecution, and a great soundtrack. I recommend the extended version. If you have the time, go ahead and watch the other two movies. If we get that blizzard on Tuesday, you might need a way to pass 12 hours.

Die Hard: Did you really think I could list Christmas movies and not include the most iconic Christmas movie of all time? This blockbuster took America by storm, spawned three sequels and put Twinkies back on the food pyramid. Susie, you'll definitely need the TNT version of this one. But if shoot 'em up, never-say-die American spirit personified by a bloody, battered Bruce Willis is your cup of joe, by all means, sit back and enjoy the ride. It might also help get some of the fight out before you hit the forum boards again.

Happy watching, people.