I‘ll Start

In addition to being a big fan of the Muppets I'm also a fan of a movie that most people consider to be cheesy. If it wasn't for its incredible soundtrack it might have faded away into obscurity. It didn't and is thought of as a cult classic these days with a pretty dedicated fan base. That movie is Xanadu. I don't remember when I first saw the movie and no doubt it was around when it appeared on television as I was a little too young for it during it's theatrical run. But I adored Olivia Newton-John since her release of the album titled, "Physical" and she was my gateway into this movie. The big thing about the movie is that it also stars Gene Kelly, an absolute screen legend. At such a young age I didn't know who he was or why his presence was so significant. To me he was just the older guy in the film. In any case Olivia was playing a Greek muse who had come to earth to help inspire a young Sonny Malone (played by Michael Beck) who starts the film as a painter who has to retreat from staking out on his own as an artist and go back to a job he hates to pay the bills. Through some mishaps Sonny meets Danny Maguire (played by Gene Kelly) who turns out to be someone Olivia's character helped inspire about 40 years earlier, she brings them together and inspires them both to join forces and open a club/roller disco called Xanadu. Yeah the plot is cheesy but it's a wonderful musical journey and the finale of the film is a wonderful spectacle. I've owned copies of the film on VHS tape, Laserdisc, DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K. I'm a big fan. The movie has even been adapted into a Broadway musical. I had the chance to meet Olivia Newton-John in 2000. I won a meet & greet opportunity at one of her concerts. I debated on what to take to have her sign at this meet & greet and ultimately decided it should be the Physical album since that is what was made me a fan. Only problem, I didn't have my original LP from my childhood and a cassette version I still had wasn't going to cut it. I found a used LP in a shop and bought it. I took it, met her, got a photo with her and she signed my album.