Rex Manning Day, 2014

I was a teenager in the 90's. And like many teenagers, in whatever generation you're a part of, I was drawn to certain movies. Movies that captured the spirit of my youth.  Movies that made me wish that I was part of the world in which these characters lived. And there has been one movie that's maybe done that a little more than the others.

Empire Records.

I wanted to work in that record store more than anything.

I wanted to glue quarters to the floor, and not have to explain my art to anyone.

I wanted Mark to kiss my ballerina foot, as Romeo and Juliet by Dire Straits played in the background.

I wanted AJ to tell me he loved me, at exactly 1:37.

I wanted to dress like Corey, sing like Gina, and be a kick-ass chick like Deb.

I wanted to make buttons.

I wanted a boss like Joe, because there was no one cooler.

I did not want to throw myself at Rex Manning, even though his presence made the story come together.

Rex Manning.

Who would have thought that such a jerkwad character, could bring so many awesome people together every April 8th? But that's just what happened.

Last night on Twitter, I was part of something spectacular. Something that was even picked up by People Magazine. I, along with thousands of other fans, and Empire Records cast members, live tweeted the movie together, in honor of Rex Manning Day. We all pushed play at exactly 10:00 pm EST, and made it a night for the books. (That Deb is awesome at keeping track of, by the way.)

Surreal is the word I'm using. Never could I have imagined back in the 90's, that someday I would be watching Empire Records, and interacting directly with Ethan Embry, AKA Mark, as we all sat comfortably in our homes, thousands of miles apart.

Twitter is so magical, you guys. Laugh if you must, but this was unheard of when I was a teenager. If you wanted to interact with a celebrity, or person you admired, you had to write a letter. And chances are, you'd never hear back from them. Now, not only do we get to converse with these fellow humans, but we actually get a feel for if they're truly good people, or king and queen douchebags. (Just so you know, Ethan Embry is a down to Earth guy, who also happens to be a great musician.)

Here are the stats of our superb extravaganza. I made it onto a list, you guys! http://www.tweetbinder.com/rs/JC3N4wcIqK1

And with all my tweeting, I was worried about losing followers. It was nice that Ethan felt my pain. 😉 

Then, to put the icing on the Corey-made cupcakes, a tweet I made about the band, Toad the Wet Sprocket, that Ethan retweeted last night, was responded to by freakin' Toad the Wet Sprocket! And then the 90's Gods were all like, "Oh, you think that's all we've got? How about a retweet of that very tweet, by non other than Gin Blossoms?!" 

Last night was such a blast! And if it becomes a yearly tradition, you should totally play along, because why not? Damn the man!!


(You can follow Ethan Embry on Twitter here., and you can also find him on Instagram.)

Thank you for letting me fangirl.

Happy Rex Manning Day!!