Marshall and the Movies

You might not be reading this blog if it weren’t from the surge of euphoria and a somewhat bloated ego I had on July 27, 2009.  I attended an advanced screening of “Julie & Julia,” and at promotional screenings, they usually have contests to give away free goods.  At this particular one, they were giving away prize packs to people that could do an impression of Julia Child.  I was being spurred on by family and friends to go, even though my only knowledge of Julia Child’s voice and mannerisms came from watching Meryl Streep in the trailer.

I ended up getting selected to be one of three people competing for a $30 gift card to Whole Foods Markets and a cooking class.  They gave me a whisk and a giant bowl, put a microphone up to my mouth, and told me to be Julia Child for 20 seconds.  All I could muster up with confidence was, “I’m Julia Child, don’t be afraid!”  From then on, my acting skills kicked in and I improvised for 15 seconds.  All the while, I could faintly make out my group cackling with laughter in the dim theater lighting.  I ended up getting second place in a voting system decided by applause, mainly because the other woman remembered Child’s most famous line, “Bon appetit!”  I still got an apron, a tote bag, some mini kitchen tools, and a $20 gift card though, so it was all good.  I rushed back up to my seat with the prizes and became an instant celebrity in my section, asked to reprise my impression multiple times by people I didn’t even know.  Perhaps this momentary renown was indirectly responsible for the creation of the blog, but I’ll never be able to sort out the processes of my mind to give you a black and white answer to that.