This is it (number 12)

I think I’m going crazy!

Ok, some folk around here debate the “going to” part of that, but can they be considered impartial in the same way that I can?

I’ll explain, AGAIN.

It’s all to do with coincidence.

What is?

The ensemble of the November posts on this blog. (12 so far)

Who are you talking to?

Myself?

See! Mad as a hatter!

Yesterday I went to the cinema in Toulouse, after reuniting the family around plates of crepes and salad in the best restaurant in Toulouse, The Sherpa.

We were faced with a choice of films that we whittled down to a short list of three; 2012 (strong vote from Loui who is worried that his world, our world is soon to end), Away We Go (I was secretly pushing for this even though I knew I was onto a looser) and This Is It – Michael Jackson’s filmed rehearsals from the never-to-be-stage show of the same name. (Minne’s choice).

There was no debate in the end; it was an obvious decision – something for everyone. There are three dancers in the family and two occasional directors, even though there are only four of us.

Now I am not one to suffer gross commercialism gladly and I am very critical about, well……just about everything – I think that’s healthy.

And I am not an unquestioning fan – I respect a great artist when I see one and have written about this recently.

So you can trust me when I say, hey – if you get a chance to go and see This Is It, take it.

The only thing I hated about the film was that after about one hour and forty five minutes I REALLY needed a pee – I had drunk a litre of water before going in (long story) – and not knowing how long the film was I had a dilemma – would I be able to hang on ‘till the end. I didn’t want to miss a SINGLE moment.

Yes, it WAS that good.

As it was I had to jump over the three rows separating me from the passageway, run bent, below the screen and exit.
Unfortunately, the door I chose and which shut behind me with a significant click, lead me out into the street a block behind the theatre.

Now I was really desperate and how to run/hobble back to the front entrance, convince the attendants that I had already paid and find the toilet before returning to my seat.

The film was SO good that no one asked me where I gad been, even though this must have been the longest pee in history!
If you go, don’t expect anything more than it is - a fascinating insight into a creative artist doing something he loves with a group of people committed to producing a superb show.

It’s a rehearsal, don’t expect it to be a polished performance, but be prepared to marvel at what was destined to be quite a show.

So?

Yes?

I thought you said that you were going crazy?

Oh yes. It’s this coincidence thing. I have wanted to write about Michael Jackson’s This is It, ALL day and I’ve been waiting for some lucky coincidence to happen.

I went for a walk in the autumnal gold forest, picked mushrooms, drove to the garage picked up the other car (wished the mechanic a good weekend for some reason) checked the newspaper headlines and even looked at the date of a review of a Jackson 5 Concert that gets space in this blog. (close - it was the 17th!)

The last two things were pursued sitting here at the kitchen table whilst Minnie did her homework on the French Army and Krissie tried to iron the curtains!

Nothing, nothing! - Not a coincidence anywhere. What am I going to do- It is getting late?

And that’s when I realised that I was going crazy – because the CD that Minnie was playing to help her “concentrate”, and had been for the previous hour or so was the Essential Michael Jackson.

Like his film, essential.