Mad Hot Ballroom

'Mad Hot Ballroom' is a thoroughly charming movie (showing now at the Crest), dramatizing the trials and tribulations of New York City 10-and 11-year-olds in learning ballroom dancing, and competing (featuring Ann Reinking as a judge in the finals competition).

Here is an interesting article about clearing the copyrighted music for use in the film.

After the movie, a gothish crowd was gathering for the Trash Film Orgy's midnight showing of 'An American Werewolf in London.' I lingered briefly in the lobby, partly out of curiosity, because Trash Film Orgy out-competes me regularly on the Sacramento's Top 25, and partly to see if I knew anyone there. At the far end of the lobby, helpful young people spanked those needing discipline; in the middle of the lobby, a hydraulic-powered werewolf lunged forward and snapped its teeth; at the near end of the lobby, Mr. Lobo of the 'Insomnia' cable TV show sold T-Shirts (I bought one). After the ballroom movie, I felt more like Dr. Jekyll than Mr. Hyde, though, so I gingerly excused myself and slipped past the Werewolf Girls and the cops.