American Cheerleader

This weekend was jam-packed for me—especially Saturday. My boyfriend and I started out our day-of-fun at 11AM, heading to a BBQ restaurant in NYC called Hill Country Barbecue Market. As part of my guy’s 27th b-day (yep, we’re THAT old), I’d promised him we could go to a restaurant of his choosing (he picked Hill Country)—which we quickly dubbed, “MeatFest 2010″. This place has great BBQ (and a gluten-free menu, which is awesome for people with Celiac Disease like me!), and you order the meat by the pound. My beau ordered $60 worth of meat! Seriously, no joke. Hello, carnivor!

Disney

Then, it was on to see Alice In Wonderland in 3D. I think the last time I saw something in 3D, it was Michael Jackson’s Captain EO movie (which recently made a triumphant return at Disneyland). To be honest, I was a little nervous going into the movie, because it just looked so…freaky. But it wasn’t too out there, considering it was a Tim Burton film and all. In the end, the 3D was fun (although the goofy glasses were too big for my head and started making my eyes feel wonky), but I wasn’t totally impressed with the movie. Johnny Depp of course, did a great job creating a new, totally creative character in the Mad Hatter.

We ended our night with a serious grand finalé. For Valentine’s Day, my guy had bought us tickets to see the broadway show, Time Stands Still, starring…drumroll, please…Laura Linney (The Nanny Diaries, Mystic River and  the upcoming HBO show, “The Big C”) and the hilariously talented Alicia Silverstone! Now, you may remember Alicia from her stint as cupid’s little helper on the short-lived show “Miss Match” or from her days of being a daredevil star of Aerosmith rock videos. But this blonde beauty is probably best known for her stint as loveable airhead, Cher Horowitz from the mid-90s teen comedy, Clueless.

Paramount Pictures

I remember being totally sucked into the world of wealth and privilege and adult-like teen-speak when Clueless first came out (back when I was in HS!!!!) and being beyond in-love with Cher’s matchy-matchy outfits (and her step-bro-turned-love-interest, played by cutie-patootie Paul Rudd). Well, in Time Stands Still, Alicia gets the chance to flex her comedy chops again as a simple-yet-loveable pretty young thing among three serious journalist types. The play itself is quite serious at times, telling the story of two 40-ish journalists who’ve just returned home from covering the Iraq war. The woman (Linney) is a photojournalist who’s recently suffered serious injuries due to a roadside bomb going off while she was overseas and the play revolves around her return to the U.S. and the rocky relationship she has with her writer/journalist boyfriend.

Alicia as Cher in "Clueless"/Paramount Pictures

I’m not usually a fan of “serious” plays (Shows like the upcoming Bring It On: The Musical and Legally Blonde: The Musical are more my speed), but Alicia’s performance in Time Stands Still, made the night for me. From the time that she made her appearance onstage and delivered her first lines in that little girl-like cadence she has to her voice, I was grinning like a starstruck fool. At one point, my boyfriend looked over at me and just shook his head, I was THAT excited to see her. This is why I have to give Time Stands Still 5 POMS up. Alicia rocked and Laura Linney was fabu, too!

This probably doesn’t come as a shock to anyone who’s seen Clueless, but Alicia is also a former cheerleader! I’ll be posting her cheer feature on our site in the next few weeks, so be on the lookout for the full story!

Brittany

P.S. What did you think of Alice in Wonderland? What’s your fave Alicia Silverstone movie? What did you do this weekend? Leave your answers in the comment boxes below!