I watched the DVD "Spellbound" last weekend. It's about eight kids who are entered in the National Spelling Bee in Washington D.C. The contest has been held every year since 1925 with about 250 kids competing. It turned out to be a very entertaining film. It's amazing how hard these kids work to have a chance at being the national champion. Now that I think about it, that's a very exclusive club, because there is only one winner per year. It might be easier to win an Oscar than be spelling bee champion. The first part of the movie shows the eight kids and some of their family and friends. You see how they practice and study, sometimes covering over 4,000 words per day. It's a fairly daunting task because there are hundred of thousands of words in the English language. Some of the medical terms alone are extremely obscure. The second part of the film shows the spelling bee in Washington. There's a tremendous amount of pressure on the contestants. Imagine having your entire family watching and missing the very first word. There are no second chances; you're out. Even baseball players are allowed 3 strikes. I can remember being in only one spelling bee in my life which was in eighth grade. I came in second place to Doug Wagner. I want a rematch.

I saw Blue/Orange at the Northlight Theater on Saturday afternoon. I like seeing plays in the afternoon. Live performances are obviously so much more real than films. The plays was good in parts. Although, it was hard to get a good feel for the point. It was about two english psychiatrists discussing whether to release a young black patient. The patient thinks that he is one of 100 children sired by Idi Amin in Uganda. He also thinks that oranges are blue; hence the title. The younger doctor thinks that he needs more time at the hospital for therapy. The older doctor feels that he should be released because the hospital needs the bed for sicker patients. It's probably a common argument today. There's also a rather interesting sub-plot where the older doctor uses the patient to undermine the younger doctor to the board. It's fascinating to see how one's own words can be twisted in such a way to make one seem incompetent. Taken out of context, words can be used to convey many different meanings. Not particularly profound, but interesting none the less. The Northlight Theater in Skokie is in the round and there's really not a bad seat in the house. It's a great way to spend a few hours on a snowy afternoon or evening.