Hurry, hurry lover come to me...

Thanks to my habit now of watching Vh1 more often than any other channel (those countdowns are addicting) I just got another dose of Paula Abdul. For all her dysfunction, fighting with that delightful dream-smashing Simon, sleeping with the sleazy-looking Idol guy with the afro and crusading for safer nail salons...I hold a place in my memories for her music.

It's 1991, 3 young friends decide to enter the elementary school talent show. There really was only one option for the ambitious trio...to choreograph a dance routine (and showcase thier vocal powers) to a song by their idol, Paula Abdul. They argued over what song to choose, with the final choice being "Rush Rush." Obviously it was the perfect song for two 5th graders and a 4th grader to sing. They created the dance routine, but put more effort into their costumes-- shiny black and gold tank tops, black dance tights and black slippers. Put together with their boy-cut hairdos and the 1 microphone-- they were destined for success. One father, deciding to preserve the moment for posterity (and hilarity) taped the performance. It recieved rave reviews from grandmothers and younger siblings alike.

14 years later...

My dad, after cementing my future embarassment by taping my first taste of fame, converted it to dvd. Out of the 3 of us, the oldest is now married, the youngest is engaged, and I...well, I aim to have a puppy within the next couple months. In May I went down south for my friend's wedding, and I brought the dvd. The day after the wedding we watched it and her new husband summed it up best by saying, "If I'd seen this yesterday, there'd been no wedding." We laughed about it, but damn, I looked like I was made out of toothpicks (clearly the look that Nicole Ritchie is going for) because it was years before puberty ran me down like a 94 year-old woman behind the wheel of a Lincoln. My favorite part is where I'm the one who wore leggings with 2 inches of skinny ankle showing (I can't remember why I didn't have tights) and then we were all off cue and doing the same bizarre dance-- but forgetting to look out at the audience.

Another one of my friends watched the video and all he could say was, "What the...are you guys picking up change off the floor or something? Being electrocuted?"

Whatever. Clearly he was jealous of the shiny gold flowered tank tops. But I do live in fear of any of us becoming famous. My love of Vh1 would doubtless bite me in the ass when that tape became the newest episode of Before They Were Famous. I still wish we'd sang "Cold-Hearted Snake"...