My Wish List, sponsored by the American Film Academy, and dorkiness

I started off writing a post about my most favorite movie scenes, the ones that you wish were a part of your real life, and not just some silly thing from some dumb movie. Things like how I wish I had a friendship like Forrest Whitaker and John Travolta in “Phenomenon”…or how “You’ve Got Mail” makes me want to up and move to Central Park West. How the restaurant scene in “Notting Hill” makes me long for a group of friends whose commitment and affection for one another was that easy and comfortable. It’d also be pretty damn cool to have a friend that owns a restaurant.

Anyway, it went awry somewhere between having a place to hang out like Rick’s Café Americaine in “Casablanca,” and wishing I got to hang out with Seth Rogan in “Knocked Up.” It was after I perused my list of nonsense for the thirty-second time that I noticed a bit of a trend. There were a lot of traditionally dubbed “chick flick” moments on my list and there was a pretty common theme that orbited around friendship. I made a few completely unfounded conclusions.

First, I have both the obvious need for and the unfortunate absence of a significant male friendship, so much so that I watch Nate and George in “Phenomenon” and feel lonely. Or I catch myself watching Captain Reneault and Rick Blaine sitting out front of Ricks Café Americaine in “Casablanca” and I wish I had that easy, if not entirely ephemeral, kind of friendship…but I don’t.

Second, it was shamelessly apparent how much of a female influence there was in my life, both growing up, and perhaps even now as I work in an environment typically full of women, and now live in a household with more estrogen than testosterone. I want to watch a movie with some emotional substance and those are generally the same kind of films that your Joe Average guy avoids. Shrug…It’s funny how something as stupid as a blog post, and doubly so, a blog post about movie moments I wish I inhabited, can be so revealing.

So now that I’ve laid myself bare to the world (which I really haven’t ‘cause I’ve got on these wicked comfy pants right now, as well as flip flops and an exceptionally well fitting shirt, brand new I might add) I might as well get busy letting you catch a glimpse of the movie moments that I wish occupied my photo album. Zoey, pay attention. I know you won’t get these references now but in sixteen years you’ll be pouring over this and wondering what the hell your Dad was talking about…

I wish I worked at Annie’s bookstore, “The Little Shop Around the Corner”…but Steve Zahn has to work there too or I quit.

I wish I was Rob’s business partner and owned 40% of “Championship Vinyl”

I wish I lived in Harmon, CA and had friends like Nate and Doc Brunder.

I wish I got to be backstage with William Miller.

I wish I had John Kelso’s assignment for “Town & Country Magazine.”

I wish I worked for the Sporting News and my fiance’s father owned the White Sox.

I wish I discovered oil on my property and then punched out my boss.

I wish I was Gus Sinski.

I wish I had fun friends with accents like Charles’ or William Thacker’s.

I wish someone’s secret philanthropy supported me through an upstart art career in NYC.

I wish Trent called and convinced me to come to Vegas with him.

I wish I had a field to plow under to make room for a baseball diamond.

I wish I was invited to the Clutterbuck party.

I wish that Chuckie didn’t want me hangin’ out at his house watchin’ Patriots games.

I wish that I had a “man-boy” closet and Red Sox season tickets.

I wish I wrestled a fish down a seething river and someone called me perfect.

I wish I stepped out into the bright light from the darkness of the movie house.

I wish I had a daughter that can’t believe that I smoked, and drank, and was such a slut, but that still loves me.

I wish I was Steve Lopez.

I wish I drove a red Porsche and Samantha Ryan thought I was the cat’s meow.

I wish I had Matt Flamhaff’s life.

That’s about it for now…I was gonna live link all of the movies but you can waste some precious time at work guessing what they are. What else are you doing with your day?