So, as I mentioned in the L Word recap this week, today is my last day as an AfterEllen.com staffer. (I just have a new job; there's no big drama here.) I'll miss this place! To commemorate the day (yes, I'm commemorating myself — so?), here are some goodbye scenes and songs that say farewell better than I ever could.

The Way We Were, final scene

It's the laughter we'll remember. And the greatness of Barbra.

Casablanca, "We'll always have Paris"

We'll always have AfterEllen.com. Somehow that doesn't have the same ring to it.

The Carol Burnett Show, "I'm So Glad We Had This Time Together" … continue reading

In their next issue, Vanity Fair will publish their list of the top 40 movie soundtracks of all time. But we don't need to wait to find out their top 10: Purple Rain, A Hard Day's Night, The Harder They Come, Pulp Fiction, The Graduate, Superfly, Trainspotting, Saturday Night Fever, American Graffiti and The Big Chill.

I don't know about you, but this is not exactly my top 10. I own and agree with a few -- A Hard Day's Night, The Graduate, American Graffiti and The Big Chill. And Purple Rain is tricky. I can understand why others would rank it as such, but I wouldn't. Ranking soundtracks is complicated though, because there can be so many factors to consider. Do the songs tell the story of the movie? Do they evoke scenes from the movie? Are they just a collection of great songs? Ten people could probably come up with ten different criteria for what makes a great soundtrack.

Therefore, instead of analyzing Vanity Fair's selections, I'm going to have more fun making my own list. Here are the parameters: It must be a movie soundtrack. I must own it. I must have listened to it in the past year. And I'll give each pick a category for context. And I won't pick all movie musicals (even though I could.)

1. The Sound of Music (Best movie musical soundtrack)

This one is a no-brainer. The Sound of Music is, without question, my pick for best movie musical ever, so it stands to reason that the soundtrack would be the best movie soundtrack. … continue reading

According to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, "[t]hat is the question that only you can answer!" As long as you live in Canada, that is. Next year, the Andrew Lloyd Webber/David Ian production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's The Sound of Music will make its North American debut in Toronto. And the role of Maria von Trapp will be cast the same way the West End version's was: via a reality show titled How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?

I have mixed feelings about this. Mostly, I find it horrifying to watch the American Idol-ification of musical theater. But as critical and dismissive as I'm inclined to be, I cannot ignore the fact that the West End production has been not only a commercial success, but a critical success as well.

The format of the BBC show was somewhat similar to the format of American Idol. The producers held open auditions and selected approximately 50 aspiring Marias to attend "Maria School." Eventually this group was winnowed down to 10 aspiring Marias who were given catchy nicknames such as "Sexy Maria," "Tomboy Maria" and "Romanian Maria."

One Maria was eliminated each week until voters eventually chose "Telesales/Intense Maria," Connie Fisher. … continue reading

The American Film Institute has revised its list of the 100 greatest movies of all time. I have to say I'm glad I wasn't on the "panel of experts." It was traumatic enough just tallying up your votes for the hot 100 — imagine actually trying to select the 100 best films from the universe of film based on your own so-called expertise. Jeez. (Technically, the experts chose the 100 best films from a pre-selected list of 400 movies, but let's not get picky.)

Anyway, my sympathy for the panel won't stop me from complaining about the list. Let's just start with the most obvious source of annoyance: Citizen Kane (1941) tops the list. Again.

Fine, fine. It's a great movie, I guess. I've seen it once and don't particularly care to see it again. The point is, where is the suspense? This movie is No. 1 on every list everywhere. Let's mix it up a little, eh? Give someone else a chance, Orson.

The Graduate (1967) is at No. 17. Why does everyone love this movie so much? I find it self-indulgent, misogynist and eye-roll–inducing. At least it's starting to fall out of favor: It was initially No. 7 on the list. Of course I admit that Anne Bancroft was phenomenal (and, incidentally, was only six years older than Dustin Hoffman). … continue reading

Like the rest of the world, Julie Andrews misses her voice.

In a new interview, Andrews confesses that she still feels the loss of her "freak four-octave voice." I for one consider it an extreme tragedy that her magnificent instrument was taken away when she should have had years of singing left. It's an unimaginable injustice — no matter how big the settlement was. But she seems to be coping pretty well, I guess. She's now writing children's books and directing.

"My daughter, the one that I write with, said something so lovely. I was bemoaning the fact that I wasn’t singing and how much I missed it. And she said, 'Mom, you’ve just found a different way of using your voice by writing.' It made me feel so much better. ... I do miss singing with an orchestra, the beauty of it all. I miss the music. But at least I am able to still contribute, which is lovely.”

Sigh. Yes, and Andrews herself is still lovely. When I was a kid, I was sure she was gay. She just had to be: I loved her too much. I thought the sheer force of my affection might make her a lesbian. Besides, how could she look this good in a tuxedo and not be gay? I wanted her to sweep me off my feet and teach me the do-re-mi's of sapphic bliss. … continue reading