Fictional Friends

You know those characters you can't get enough of? I'm talking about fictional characters. People in movies and books that you get into so much, you feel like you actually know them. I blogged about Harry Potter earlier this week, and I would definitely include Hermione, Ron and Harry in my list of "fictional friends". These are people I wish I could know in real life. They are so well written, you feel that they must actually exist somewhere.

My favorite TV show of all time is Sex & The City. Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda became my friends over the course of the six years they were on TV. Carrie and Charlotte especially for me. I signed up for HBO and scrimped and saved just to afford it through the hard times simply because I wanted to see my friends on Sunday night. And every week w

hen I would sit down to a new episode, I would just sigh and relish the joy of spending more time with them and catching up on what they were up to these days. When the series ended, it was like losing a friendship. It was like suddenly being cut off from people I had come to consider a part of my life.

Of course, I still had a life outside of the show. I didn't sit around and obsess over it during the week when it wasn't on, but even to this day, when I'm flipping channels and I see an episode, I have to stop and watch it. These women are fictional, but they resonated with me. Harry Potter was the same. Katniss Everdeen, too. I rooted for her in the Hunger Games. Cried for her. Wanted desperately to help her find a way out. Dagny Taggert in Atlas Shrugged was my friend for months as I read that book during a very dark time in my life. Stu Redman and Frances Goldsmith from The Stand are another two characters I rooted for so hard, I loved them. I felt what they felt and experienced the loss and hope of the end of the world through their eyes.

The sad thing about fictional friends is that once their story is over, it's over. Once the author or creator has said what they wanted to say, that character's story has been told. We don't get to see their life past a certain point. We miss them. We saw the world through them for a while and possibly had a piece of their perspective rub off on us. I know Dagny's perspective rubbed off on me big time. It changed my entire world view. I wish I had more of her story. I wish I could sit and talk to her from time to time. But she's already said all she can ever say.

Of course, the flip side to that is that those fictional characters are, in a way, immortal. Ayn Rand wrote Atlas Shrugged more than fifty years ago, but Dagny herself is timeless. She'll be changing people's views and affecting the world until the end of time. She'll never grow old. And anytime I want to be inspired by her again, she'll be there on the pages of that book, exactly the same as she always was. Our fictional friends are forever. We can always count on them. It's part of the magic of fiction and imagination and creation. It's part of the amazing miracle of stories.

What characters in fiction do you consider your friends? Have there been people in books or movies or TV that have shaped your world view? I would love to hear your stories and know that I am not alone!

Sex and The City 2: Review

Last night, my husband and I went to see the 12:01 am showing of SATC 2. It made me so happy to see the girls again and to check in on what their lives are like these days. It's so weird how fictional characters can seem so real. Overall, the movie didn't quite live up to my expectations, though. It wasn't as emotionally satisfying as the first movie, so I missed that punch in the end that I have come to expect from Sex and the City - you know the part that makes me cry. But on one point the movie did not disappoint - the GLAMOUR! It was definitely all about the fashion and the fabulous lives of these NYC women. The whole trip to Abu Dhabi was pure decadence, and it left me wishing I could afford to go on a trip like that with George or with my best girlfriends. Of course, once you see the movie you'll see why, by the end of their trip, I sort of changed my mind. Maybe Vegas? Or the Caribbean? Middle East - not so much.

This time around, the movie explored the idea of 'traditions' and how women (and men, I suppose) are dealing with the traditions of family, career, and especially marriage. Is it okay to make our own rules in marriage? Is it a sin to admit that your children are driving you crazy? Questions like this are important to women in today's society, and SATC, as always, cuts right to the heart. The movie had me laughing and bouncing in my seat right from the start, and I loved every minute of it (Okay, so the Karaoke scene wasn't my fave). I just wish it had been able, like the first movie, to bring the point home and give me that emotional punch that I love so well from the series. In the end, however, if you're a SATC fan, it's a must-see. I, for one, will go see it at least one more time while it is in the theaters.

Sex and the City 2: Today's the Day!

Okay, so technically the movie doesn't come out until tomorrow, but G and I have tickets for tonight at 12:01 AM. I am so excited! I hope it's every bit as good as the first one. Here's the trailer for the movie. Can't wait!

Oh the Pain!

The excitement for Sex and the City 2 continues, but damn, this pain is unpleasant. I had to have some oral surgery yesterday, and I thought I was tough enough to handle it - no big deal. Until I pretty much passed out and my husband had to catch me. He had his hand on the phone to call 911, even. Yikes! Luckily, I forced myself to try to wake up and take some deep breaths. He got me back into the bed and got me a cool towel. It was about half an hour before I started to feel better, but wow, that was scary! In light of that, I'll be staying home today all day, resting.

I'll just leave you with one of the most iconic parts of the SATC show - the opening. Ah - can't wait until tomorrow night at midnight!

SATC2 Countdown: 5 Days!

Yes, I know it's Saturday, but I want to keep the countdown going! This scene is one of my favorites, which is totally morbid, of course, but amazing. This scene just goes to show you that even after six seasons, the writers and characters were still finding ways to shock us. Here is the part of the episode "SPLAT" where an old party friend of Carrie's falls out a window while trying to smoke a cig. "I'm so bored I could die." Seriously. Last words.

Sex and The City 2 Countdown! 6 Days!!

I am off to go writing this morning, but I wanted to get a new Sex and the City clip. One of my favorite scenes is when Aidan moves in with Carrie and they fight over space in the closet. The dialog is more than brilliant! When she says, "You can stay here with your boxes of shit, and your shoe eating dog, and you can knock yourself out putting on the Rogaine and the Speedstick." OMG, I love it. Brilliant. Enjoy!

Countdown To SATC2: 7 DAYS!

In honor of Sex and the City 2's release in just 7 days, I thought I would do a little blog countdown. :) I have been so excited about this movie coming out! It's like getting a chance to visit with my girlfriends and see what they've been up to for the past couple of years. True SATC fans will know what I'm talking about here, right ladies? Yes, it sounds insane, but these women are a part of my life. Even though they are totally fictional, they are more real to me than a lot of people I actually know. If that makes me crazy, then I'm okay with that, haha.

So, the countdown begins! 7 days until the release of Sex and the City 2!! I actually have tickets for the 12:01 AM show, because I just don't want to wait. And in honor of this wonderfully happy occasion, I am going to post links to some of my favorite video clips in the television series.

This first clip is from the Season 2 Finale, one of those episodes that just touched home for me. At the time, I had just broken up with someone who basically said some of the same things to me that Big says to Carrie. This scene has my heart.