Welcome to Puerto Rico!

Magnet #492 - Puerto Rico

Here's something weird - whenever I think of Puerto Rico I think of that one travel commercial with Ricky Martin where he says, "WELcome to PUERto RIco!"

But now, I'm wondering if it's one of those false memories, particularly as I can't find the vid on YouTube. Hmmm. No one else remembers that commercial? Of Ricky in white linen, looking all hot and poetic justicy?

I think I'm just having one of those days, because I also can't for the life of me figure out who gave me this magnet. So if it's you, thanks very much!

I picked it because - and this won't surprise you in the least - I watched Disney's Princess Protection Program last night. The one with total (or Disney hype'd) BFFs Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato - filmed entirely on location in Puerto Rico. About the princess of Costa Luna (Demi) who had to be relo'd to the backwoods of Louisana with a covert agent and his daughter (Selena), and the trials and tribulations of a modern-day princess trying to blend in as a typical American teenager. Adorable concept.

What? I love DCOMs (Disney Channel Original Movies). They're great fun, you don't have to think about anything, they don't solve the world's problems, and every once in a while they make you sing.

But, there's a caveat to my DCOM love. It's basically anything pre-High School Musical. For some reason (other than singing a couple of their songs), I'm not on the HSM bandwagon. In fact, I didn't even really like Camp Rock all that much (which didn't stop me from buying the Camp Rock Band-Aids, but that's a whole other magnet, methinks.).

Yep, my favorites of the bunch are several years ago now, but movies like the Zenon series - the ones with pre-soap diva Kristen Storms, where she's a preteen in outer space, living in a spay-stay. Or, the one with pre-grown up Ryan Merriman, Luck of the Irish, about a basketball player who finds out he's half-Leprechaun. I know! It's crazy!

Up until last night, I would have said it was a function of me growing older (finally) and not liking the newer movies, but Princess Protection Program was kinda cute. Silly, but cute. And, they didn't solve anyone's problems, you didn't have to think too hard, and if I watched it more than once, I'd probably start singing the soundtrack. Of course, it didn't hurt that cutie Tom Verica was in it, playing the covert agent dad.

The one thing that I was absolutely in awe of the big Disney machine over, was the part where the whole thing centered around the concept of princesses...and how it's not about what you are, but who you are and what you can offer to the world. It dawned on me that they were totally adding another level of substance to their own Disney Princesses empire.

Whoa. C'mon, that's sheer genius.