Photo credit: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Left to right: Olivia Newton-John (as Sandy Olsson) and John Travolta (as Danny Zuko) in Grease. © 2010 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to see a movie, you went to the movie theater. Sure, you could see plenty of films on TV, but watching a film on television was like looking at a great work of art in a book. Now with HD and home theaters and sophisticated sound systems, you can enjoy a film at home without sacrificing one bit of the sensory experience the filmmakers intended.

What does that mean? Hollywood is working overtime trying to keep millions of theater seats filled. Technology is a big draw. The 3-D films have been incredibly successful this year, but on the other end of the spectrum, a decidedly low-tech offering is also stirring up ticket sales this summer—the sing-along.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Paramount Pictures Left to right: Olivia Newton-John (as Sandy Olsson) and John Travolta (as Danny Zuko) in Grease.© 2010 Paramount Pictures Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

The limited release of the classic musical Grease in a new sing-along version has been selling out in theaters across the nation. It’s the same great flick you enjoyed when it was first released in 1978, but this time the song lyrics appear at the bottom of the screen during each musical number. (Think Mitch Miller with modern, animated flourishes.)

There’s no denying the appeal of Grease. It’s the highest grossing movie musical in the U.S. This classic film has been enjoyed by multiple generations of fans, but what about the sing-along version? Are true fans excited about this or turned off? A year ago, the wildly popular High School Musical 3: Senior Year was released in a sing-along version and its teenage fans flocked to theaters.

My father, Ed Harris, a man who has seen both the Broadway show and the movie versions of Grease so many times he could not only sing along but also speak along with the entire film—and he wouldn’t even need the words on the bottom of the screen—says he’s curious enough about the sing-along version that he would go to a theater to see it, but adds that he’s not so sure he wants to sing along. How about you? Are you going to see Grease Sing-A-Long? Or better yet, have you already seen it? What did you think?

Not many classic films can draw audiences out of the comfort of their homes and into theaters, but everyone has their favorites. What’s yours? My father, an avid movie fan, says the 1946 musical The Jolson Story is one of his personal favorites and a film he would go out of his way to see in a theater. Beyond that, he lists Star Wars and Raiders of the Lost Ark as “must be seen in a theater” films.

He adds that he’d like to take his young grandchildren to see A Christmas Story, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and the Eddie Murphy version of The Nutty Professor in a theater.  “Watching movies is one of the most rewarding, relaxing, fun things you can do,” he says. “I’ve spent a lot of time taking my eldest grandson (who is now 20) to the movies. It’s something we have always done together. We’ve seen many good movies and occasionally we’ll see a turkey, but even then we’ve had some time out together and maybe a good laugh, which is not such a bad thing.”

I’d like to know what films you’d like to see back in theaters. Post a comment and share your favorite films with us!

Betty White -- a driving force behind the Morris Animal Foundation

Stand up and cheer! America’s latest “it” girl is 88 ½-year-young actress Betty White, with a new sitcom set to debut in June; a series of commercials now running on TV; and perhaps her biggest coup of all, recent host of Saturday Night Live.

Known for her keen ability to turn an innocent bit of dialogue into a suggestive and hilarious bit of “shtick,” Betty White had the opportunity to shine her brilliance on a whole new generation in her appearance on SNL.

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Brandon Crawford (in red) playing for Ball State (Photo courtesy of Ball State Photo Services)

As often as we hear the expression, “you are as young as you feel,” there is no denying that in many ways age defines how society sees us. Simply put, we are all expected to “act our age.” When people venture out of what is expected from their age group, others take notice.

Such is the case with Brandon Crawford. At 33, Crawford is a young man with a lifetime of possibilities ahead of him. The possibility Crawford is pursuing, however, is unusual for a 33-year-old. He has entered his name into the NFL draft that will take place at Radio City Music Hall later this week.  (April 22-24, 2010).

Crawford’s name will be alongside men who are bigger, faster, stronger, and, yes, younger. In fact, if Crawford’s dream comes true this week, he will be the oldest man ever selected in the draft. (The past record holder was Chris Weinke, who was drafted at the age of 28.)

“My path was different,” Crawford told the New York Times. “I always told myself I would pursue my dream to the end to see what happened.”  Crawford’s path included many twists and turns, including scholarship offers, an unfortunate run-in with the law that dashed his college football dream, and a stint in the Marine Corps. (read that story here)

In 2006, Crawford returned to the football field to once again pursue his dream.  Using the money he earned as a Marine, he enrolled in Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana, where as a walk-on he secured a place on the football team playing defensive end. Over the next four years, he earned both a degree in criminal justice and all-conference honors.

Now Crawford is preparing for the biggest test of his life—the NFL draft. Skeptics think Crawford is too old to play pro football, but Crawford sees it differently. As he told The Kansas City Star, “My body doesn’t have the wear and tear of guys who have been in the league for 10, 11 years. My body hasn’t taken a beating. I’ve only been playing college football for four years and am in good shape. I still can play.” (read that story here)

Pro football is a high stakes, big money industry, so it will be interesting to see how this story plays out.  Whatever the outcome, Crawford’s ability to overcome the naysayers, get himself in top physical form and put himself out there is the definition of resilience. Hopefully, an NFL team will recognize that Crawford’s talent is deeper than just how well he does on the field, but even if they don’t, Crawford’s tenacity has already inspired others to follow their dreams.  At the age of 61, his mother, Marva Crawford is taking college classes.

Dr.Lloyd Stewart in the Charlestown TV studio

Over the past year, many world leaders, businesses, and just regular folks needed to be resilient in the face of conflict, economic difficulties, job issues, health issues, devastating earthquakes, and other disasters of either personal or global significance.  What is resilience? In short, it’s the ability to move through conflict or trouble without negatively impacting either your physical well-being or your mental health; in other words, the ability to bounce back from adversity.

An article I wrote in the November 2009 edition of the Erickson Tribune explored how two people moved through difficulty to find themselves happy and fulfilled despite their initial belief that their future would be grim.  While researching that article, I happened upon a number of individuals whose stories were inspiring, funny, and interesting. In this blog space, I will share those stories with the hope that they will help readers see resilience in action.  Maybe someone else’s story will inspire you to leap over whatever hurdles you encounter.

If you know someone whose resilience saw them through a tough time, send me their story and information on how to contact them and I’ll try to include their story in a future blog post.  Michele.Harris@Erickson.com

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