I feel like a light has gone out.

So, I just heard about Elizabeth Taylor's death. I've never seen any of her films, and I feel an odd sense of regret that I never bothered to learn more about her while she was still alive -- not that it would have made much difference to her; but I suppose I find interest generated by a person's death a little distasteful.

Just look at this gorgeous woman.

At any rate, she was certainly a legend. If ever there was an actress who deserved to be remembered for her exceptional beauty as much as her acting, she's basically it. Aside from that, I can't help but like her for her outspoken fight against AIDS at a time when it wasn't a fashionable bandwagon to be on. It feels very strange to think of her in past tense. 

On nostalgia in the form of film.

I spent tonight revisiting Cruel Intentions, the 1999 film that blew my little baby mind wide open when I was about 13. I was 8 years old when it was made. Aside from reminding me how excellent it is in every way, it made me long for the 90's.

Gone are the days of The Rachel, jelly bangles, Cindy Crawford and her glorious hair:

Children are being raised these days totally ignorant of the fact that there ever was a show called 'Pokemon'. They don't really have a clue who Princess Diana was. They missed the release of Titanic. They missed Shakespeare in Love winning Best Picture at the Oscars and confirming that the whole event is nothing more than a popularity contest. There are young people out there who probably don't realize that at one point Mariah Carey was a respectable pop artist. R.L. Stine never even got a decent chance at their early literary careers.

You remember.

The 90's saw the release of one of the greatest Disney films of all time, The Lion King. The Spice Girls, tamagotchi, the ten minutes when rollerblades were cool - who knew there could be so much to miss in the decade that produced Blink-182 and ER?

The most fun my 7-year-old self had ever had.

I intend to watch Cruel Intentions at least twice more tonight, and pretend I don't know that Ryan Philippe and Reese Witherspoon are going to break up. 

And remember kids - "Email is for geeks and pedophiles."