The Paralympics have now started in London. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that I didn't even realize until this year that we had a big Paralympics.
A quick wikipedia search tells me that the Paralympics were "born" in 1948 when its forefunner, the International Wheelchair Games, was started, following the 1948 London Olympics, and it was done to allow World War II vets to participate. History geek detour: wouldn't this make a great movie that wins lots of Oscars? Brilliant Olympic athlete (played by Andrew Garfield), cut down in his prime in the war, loses a leg, goes through intense depression and therapy. He wants more than anything to compete again and regain his medal status, but he is shut down at every corner, and not able to qualify running against those bullies with two legs who make fun of him. He'll complain to his doctor/therapist, Dr. Ludwig Guttman (played by Liam Neeson, and in in real life he really was a German born doctor who fled to London to escape the Nazis - the Academy loves movies that deal in any way with Nazis, helping to increase my Oscar odds). His doctor looks at all his wounded war vets, and decides to make a games for them. With the 1st Olympics after the war taking place in London, there is lots of excitement in the city. He can lobby some politicians who at first are disbelieving, but there will be at least one true believer who rallies other to his cause, and then, finally, we have much pomp and circumstance as our young Spidey hero goes on the win para-Gold. Think
Chariots of Fire meets
Born of the Fourth of July meets
Norma Rae meets
Schindler's List. With the star of Spiderman playing my lead character, I bring in boys and teen girls (and moms) who gush over him, making my movie lots of money. Its the perfect family film - well, other than the war scenes when he loses his leg. But we'll try and keep the gore down to assure us a PG rating. Money and Oscars - what studio can turn me down?
Sidebar over.
I also learned from Wikipedia that since 1988, the Paralympic Games are held immediately following the main Olympics, in the same host country. This agreement was formalized into written contracts in 2001 - geeky lawyer talk from me, but it is kind of interesting to think that the Paralympics were basically crashing the Olympics sites for thirteen years before they made it official.
Anyways - I'm not exactly watching these games - but it does give me an excuse to find cute pictures of my favorite couple, Wills and Kate.
Who are so adorable that they even wore matching shoes. Red matching shoes. I don't know about your husband, but mine would never let me get him red sneaks - especially if they matched mine.
And look closer- at the soles of their shoes.
Red matching shoes, soles included. [third bizarre detour of this post - are those some sort of official Olympic sneakers, and WHERE CAN I GET THEM???!!!]
Back to the red sneakers. Like I said, the chances of Carl wearing those shoes are smaller than tmy odds at winning one of those mega-millions powerballs. Although... maybe when my movie "Golden Wheelchairs" is nominated for Best Original Screenplay, I could give him the option of wearing matching red sneakers, like William and Kate, since they are, after all, the shoes that gave me the idea for my brilliant movie.
Oh, who am I kidding.
Carl would never wear red sneakers.
(But my writing an Oscar nominated screenplay could totally happen).
ETA: Just realized the doctor is actually
Sir Ludwig Guttman. Which means he was knighted. By the Queen. Which means my movie can have a premiere in London, and surely some members of the royal family would come to support my very British World War II era film at the premiere, like Kate and William did for
The War Horse. If that happens, Carl and I are SO wearing the red sneakers to the premiere.
