Men in Tights. And Heels. And Wigs.

My husband and I went to the Hasty Pudding show the other night (hey, I don't live near Broadway; this is the closest I can come to competing with Kristina's show reviews). For those who don't know, the Hasty Pudding is Harvard's answer to RuPaul: college boys in drag. Here are a couple of them kissing up to Ben Stiller, in a very skanky bra and headband. The show they put on is what you might expect from college boys: some slapstick, some bad jokes, some self-deprecating jokes, a lot of awful puns, and a woman with three breasts. If this doesn't sound funny to you, well, that's why I recommend a two martini minimum. Everything is a lot funnier after two martinis, but especially a group of guys trying to dance in high heels (bonus: one guy lost his wig during it!). Also, it really mellows you out while trying to find the lone unoccupied parking space in Cambridge, and then squeezing your car into it.

Anyway, where was I going with this? Oh, yeah, copy Kristina's reviews. The show this year is called The Tent Commandments. A freak show and a circus are existing, testily, side-by-side, until they actually read the Tent Commandments (the tablets look just like the ones Charlton Heston had), and find out that they can't exist side-by-side. There's a subplot about a Frenchie who wants to assassinate an elephant, a witchdoctor who can't quite get her spells straight, and a lovelorn three-breasted woman who wonders why she can't find a man who loves her ("Because nobody's got three hands!" the other characters tell her). Even the names are jokes: the trapeze artist is named Will U. Bellomy. Say it quickly. Emphasize the O.

So we're watching this show, groaning at times, laughing at others (remember the martinis), and what should appear in this show, written by college guys, starring college guys, performed by college guys in dresses, but romance. Not one, not two, but three romantic relationships! Four, if you include the elephant's unrequited passion for the French guy. And it made me think (much later--those were good martinis) that romance pops up way, way, way more than people think. Star Wars. Terminator. Every sitcom and medical drama on TV. For all those condescending stories about 'bodice rippers' and 'chick porn,' there's an awful lot of romance woven into every genre of entertainment.

So where's the most unexpected place--TV show, book, movie, YouTube clip--you've seen a romance play out? And did the romance help or hurt the rest of the work?

I HEART The Office

First off, let me admit to my obsessive nature...when I love a movie, I watch it a dozen times. In a dozen days. Characters fascinate me, and I can't stop thinking about them. This happens to me all the time--I'm a film buff, a member of BAFTA (the British Academy of Film and Television Arts--it's a long story...), and I watch a lot of movies, go to a lot of advance screenings, oftentimes with Q&A sessions with the filmmakers/cast (and I've got stories! Colin Firth stories...Colin Farrell stories!).

Anyway, it's usually feature films that capture my obsessions, not TV. Since I started writing, I pretty much stopped watching TV, except for LOST. But last December, while visiting my parents for Christmas, I happened to catch an episode of The Office (the American version--I love the British version, too, but that's a whole other story). It was the Christmas episode, and I don't think I've EVER laughed so hard at a television show in my life (my mom, on the other hand, kept saying, "I just don't get it. That's not funny."). So, I started watching regularly. And yeah, it's a funny show, in that squirm-in-your-seat-uncomfortable-funny kind of way. Next thing I knew, I was addicted. I now plan my schedule around Thursday nights.

What *really* surprised me (and hooked me) wasn't the humor, but the touching romantic story that was subtly playing out between the everyman paper salesman Jim Halpert and the engaged-to-someone-else receptionist Pam Beesly. It was one of those unrequited love/friend pining after a friend whose affections were engaged elsewhere stories, which I just adore. Jim and Pam are a modern-day Sam and Diane, and personally I think they are the best TV couple *ever* (strong words, I know!).

The season finale last May was a TOTAL shocker--I was entirely speechless. I waited impatiently for months to see what was going to happen. Not since "Who Shot JR?" have I been so eager for a show's season opener. This season, the show has surprised me in so many ways. This past week's episode "Back from Vacation" made me cry. I'm amazed that a show that's first and foremost a hilarious comedy (starring Steve Carrell, after all!) has so much heart.

So, romantics out there, if you don't watch The Office, I highly suggest you do! You can catch up with the first two seasons on iTunes or on DVD, and there's also lots of Jim/Pam stuff on YouTube -- in fact, for those of you who have missed out, I highly recommend you start here. This user has uploaded something like 20 'episodes' of "The Story of Jim and Pam" (which is basically condensed versions of the show, just showing the Jim/Pam interactions). I'm willing to bet you'll find yourself hooked!

And then you can obsess along with me!