Can you imagine the changes in pop cultural history?
It was like the day before the opening of a summer blockbuster, where some would do anything to get in line. I wasn't thinking of a middle-aged mother who was about to give up her five-year-old boy (for a place in a line), but the scene at the airport was quite close to how I imagined the last thirty minutes or so. There was a delay in our flight, and my parents weren't happy about it. Bob, my younger brother, didn't mind at all. (He was reading "The Trials of Apollo" one more time.) My thoughts turned to recent happenings last spring.
I was green with envy at Matt, who would try the nomadic lifestyle in Europe. He had doubts that the university would be the one for him, but he hasn't made up his mind (on dropping out). Our coursemates doubted that he visited the guidance office, even consulted some members of the faculty. He might discover something, while on the road. This could lead him to a major decision. He promised us to keep in touch, but there was no word from him. I wondered if he found a better way to celebrate New Year than watching a live TV coverage of fireworks on television.
My coursemates and I have an animated conversation before the term ended. Sam liked the idea of changing pop cultural history. Billy Joel would write a different lyrics of "We Didn't Start the Fire", but there could be a profound effect on cinema. I wasn't thinking of J.D. Salinger being receptive to the idea of a Hollywood filmmaker adapting "Catcher on the Rye" to the big screen. It made my coursemates smiling from ear to ear. What would happen if "The Wizard of Oz" was a flop? Judy Garland won't be a household name, as some critics thought she was a bit too old to play Dorothy Gale. Her pair of red shoes could be lost, and no one would care to look for it. L. Frank Baum's beloved book might not reach the height of popularity that it enjoyed (after the release of its film version). The producers of "The Simpsons" would have one less subject to think about.
We were divided on "Star Wars". I was glad that the space opera was a mammoth hit, as it played a part in Akira Kurosawa's recognition in America. "Kill Bill" prompted me to look for samurai films, and it didn't take long to discover Kurosawa's works. Toshiro Mifune, who played the irascible hero, was said to turn down a part in "Star Wars". Perhaps he might have a change of mind if the film, a homage of "Hidden Fortress", was underwhelming at the box office. George Lucas may end up as a producer of a TV children's show. It could be another "Sesame Street", which my coursemates doubted much. Bill imagine Lucas as part of Steven Spielberg's crew, never ending up as a producer. Dan was thinking of a groundbreaking animated show, which might mean "The Simpsons" won't be conceptualized at all.
We were excited at the probability of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" changing the pop culture landscape. President Jimmy Carter might have initiated the end of the Cold War after looking at the starlit sky a bit too often. It should have happened two decades earlier, which could have diminished B Cinema. It was really hard to tell. I gave up after it dawned on me that we have been waiting for more than half an hour. I promised my buddies to send them postcards, so I stood up and look around.
