Must See TV.

I've always had a weakness for certain movies or TV shows, a weakness that compels me to watch if I happen across them while flipping channels. This compulsion has nothing to do with rarity, and the shows in question are almost always ones I own on DVD or video. So why do I do it?

In college it was Dirty Dancing. The first summer my roomies and I shared an apartment, we had free HBO with our cable service. That was the summer of '88, and Dirty Dancing seemed to be on all. the. time. Because we were goofy college kids (who just happened to admire Patrick Swayze's--umm--acting skills), we felt like we had to watch that movie every time it was on! We learned all the lines and knew all the dances. Good times.

Overboard is another oldie but goodie. TBS used to play that movie quite a bit, and if I happened to have the TV on, I couldn't help but watch. Why would I feel compelled to watch it? It's certainly not because of the Oscar-quality screenwriting, cinematography or acting!

Singin' in the Rain is another one I can't pass up. Ryan and Katie really love this one, too. We caught it on PBS right before "Good Mornin'" and the famous rain scene--i.e., the best part! What an amazing musical! Whenever I see Gene Kelly swinging around that lamp post, I'm filled with joy, and being able to share that with my kids is so much fun. At dinner tonight, the kids were talking about returning to school today after their long Thanksgiving break. BOTH kids mentioned that they had "Good Mornin'" running through their heads as they walked the halls! Gotta love that!

And then there's White Christmas. It was on WGN and Turner Classic Movies this weekend, and you betcha, I watched as much of both airings as I could. All the songs, the dancing, the end when they open the big doors to reveal the snow... just awesome. I'm just in love with Bing Crosby and Danny Kaye, and I'll never get tired of this movie!

This compulsion isn't limited to movies. A few times lately, I've noticed that the Texas-USC Rose Bowl game was on ESPN Classic, and even though I own the DVD, I just couldn't change the channel to something else. Every time I watch, I get nervous; every time I cry when we win. (And amazingly enough, we win every time!) When Ryan catches me watching the game, sometimes he'll join me, but usually he'll just ask me to let him know when Vince is about to score the winning touchdown.

So why do I feel compelled to watch these? Several times during the break, Ryan or Brett would notice what was on TV and ask me, "Don't you OWN this?" Well, maybe my compulsion has a logical explanation. As busy as we are, I can't imagine setting aside two hours to play my White Christmas DVD, but if I'm folding laundry and it happens to be on, VOILA! I know these shows well enough to watch them while getting some chores done, and they all bring back some fantastic memories. They provide an escape, but it's an escape to a familiar, safe place. I guess all of these are the video equivalent of comfort food!

Now that we're back in school, I doubt I'll be doing much channel surfing, but come Christmas break, watch out! If I hear just one note of "Make 'Em Laugh," "She's Like the Wind" or "Count Your Blessings Instead of Sheep," I'm there!