Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Who Didn't Want to be Olivia Newton-John???

When I was little, I wanted to be Olivia Newton-John when I grew up. She was the epitome of the Perfect Girl - sweet, pretty, sassy, musically talented, and she got Danny Zuko in the end. Who wouldn't want that?? Actually, I fell in love with her long before Grease, as the very first movie I ever saw in a movie theater was Xanadu.
When Olivia and her sisters came to life from that wall I thought my little head would explode. It was truly magical. Hello, they were singing AND roller skating! This was Big News in the life of a six-year-old. All they had to do was add eating ice cream to the list and my head would've truly busted open.Of course, then came Grease and every little girl on earth became completely and totally obsessed with Olivia in a way we didn't even know was possible. I can't lie: There's a big part of me that still wants to be her. I even sang one of her songs for a talent show at school in 4th grade. And, duh, I totally rocked it.Grease had everything - drama, intrigue, dancing, romance, and, the most important factor of all, The Pink Ladies. Seriously, how do I become one? Because I've been trying my hardest ever since and have yet to receive my jacket. When Olivia transformed herself into the "bad girl" at the end, I thought she was the most beautiful creature on earth. Even though now I see that the moral of the movie (transforming yourself into the person who you think your partner wants) is a *wee* bit off-base, I can still appreciate the sentiment and enjoy the dance numbers. We watched this movie so many times in my house my parents banned it (which just meant we watched it on repeat whenever we had a babysitter). I still have to watch it on a regular basis and the soundtrack is loaded on my iPod. It makes me deliriously happy.
Friends, a magical thing happened last night - I MET OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN!!! I'm sorry for shouting, but it's Olivia Newton-John! The person I most want to be like! When I was a teenager I used to try to shop at Koala Blue just to be near something she touched (oh, crap, have I said too much??). I still can't even believe I met her. Olivia Newton-John!!! I'm hopelessly devoted to her. She's the one that I want (see what I did there???). OK, I'll stop. But, seriously, I'm dying!!!

1 comment:

Tracie said...

OMG!!!! LOVE HER!!!! Did I ever tell you my very first album I ever owned was a cassette tape version of Olivia's Greatest Hits, Vol. II? Sigh...Those were the days. And damn - she still looks as fabulous as she did in "Grease". Ageless.