Poshdeluxe

on friday night, one of my childhood dreams came true.

and it’s all thanks to “the wizard” (and the alamo).

yooooou remember “the wizard,” right? it came out in 1989 at the height of super mario mania and is awesome for the following reasons:

1) it’s a movie about video games. which is, really, all you need to know.

2) the basic premise involves kids striking out on their own to Get Things Done cos the adults in their lives are too inept/sucky/ridiculous. this is the kind of plot device that really pulls you in, *especially* if you’re a kid and you totally know you’d be better off doing things yr own way than listening to authority figures.

3) it offered the first glimpse of super mario brothers 3!!!! holy crap!!!!!! and it was everything you hoped for… and more!

4) it ALSO prominently featured the Nintendo Power Glove. which, in my mind, still stands as the coolest video game accessory of all time. suck it, power pad!

5) jenny lewis stars in the film, and i love her. sure, cos she’s a good musician, but mostly cos HELLO TROOP BEVERLY HILLS. as a child star, this girl had an indestructible pair of sassy pants.

6) there are two incredibly amazing and totally surprising cameos in this film: little teeny tiny tobey maguire, who plays a friend of the evil power glove dude, and ALISON FREAKING JANNEY!!! she’s a waitress in the diner, and i don’t think she’s even in the credits. but her mere presence in the film elevates it to the next level.

7) and last but not least, fred savage is in this movie. fred “is this a kissing book?” savage. FRED “I HEART WINNIE COOPER” SAVAGE!!!!!!! OMGGG!!!!

check out that ‘tude! and that madras!

so, i think it’s obvious why i was REALLY EXCITED when i heard that the alamo was going to play “the wizard.” of course, i went from REALLY EXCITED to OMGGGG! YOU ARE KIDDING ME! when i heard that the alamo was flying in: todd holland, the director of the movie; luke edwards, the guy who played “the wizard;” and FRED SAVAGE!!!!!!!!

and thus, no amount of !!! or OMGs can describe how i felt when i was given the chance to actually be ON STAGE with these guys. as in ARE YOU SERIOUS X OMGGG X !!!!!!! X infinity.

see, zack and tim, who were hosting the show, decided to dress up like mario and luigi. and then they decided they needed a princess peach to complete the picture.

in case you aren’t aware, princess peach is the princess in super mario brothers. you know, the one you are constantly rescuing. she looks like this:

HMMMM. does that REMIND you of anyone? perhaps someone you know? maybe a person who writes a certain blog that you find incredibly witty and fascinating?

so yeah. when zack asked me if i wanted to be princess peach, i drove my wizard-loving booty over to lucy’s and rented their “princess peach” costume. which, as it turns out, is a bit, uh, truncated. but still, it did the trick.

here’s me with mario (known as tim during regular times):

not bad, eh?

throw in zack with a faux mustache, and you’ve got a super mario photo op!

the show began with people playing super mario 3 on the massive ritz screen.

if you think it’s fun to play video games at home with people, imagine a whole theater full of folks cheering you on, shouting out tips and groaning when you accidentally hit a flying koopa troopa or this dungeon dude:

the show began with a Q&A so that fred savage could catch his flight after the movie started. little did todd, luke and fred know that i was waiting under the stage to give them a special prize!!!!

that’s right, it’s a GOLDEN POWER GLOVE. and these guys earned it, not by collecting golden coins or defeating king koopa, but by making one of the best kid’s films EVER. in the history of time. as we know it.

you guys, i was so nervous!!! cos i had to walk up there (after zack announced there was a surprise) and give it to them! I HAD TO LOOK AT FRED SAVAGE STRAIGHT IN THE EYE!!!! and then i had to say something.

so i decided to say: “i’m princess peach! and it is my honor to present you with this golden power glove as a token of yr awesomeness.” you know, short but sweet.

and i DID IT!

and fred savage looked at me!! check it out!!!

it’s hard to tell from the video, but it was *obvious* that from the moment he laid eyes on me, fred savage was tooootally in love. i mean, just look at that grin on his face!

he was totally into me!! just look at him checking princess peach out!

here’s a close-up, so you can tell that i’m not lying and that really is fred savage.

(also, it is really fun to wear gloves. and a tiara. fyi).

it’s kind of amazing that fred savage’s face hasn’t changed at all. and kinda sorta weird.

so yeah, that was it. my childhood dream came true, and i finally got to meet fred savage. WHILE DRESSED AS A PRINCESS. this is truly the stuff my dreams were made of (although my fantasy probably also included him giving me a puppy or maybe a whitman’s sampler).

we didn’t get a chance to talk after my presentation, but that’s ok. i know exactly how fred savage feels about me, and all i have to say is:

winnie cooper, watch yr back!