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I'm a sucker for a guy in leather. I guess it all dates back to 1978; I was six and Grease was the word. I must have seen Grease in the theater about ten times and I had a huge poster of Olivia Newton-John dancing around in her post-makeover cigarette pants. I'm afraid I even had the soundtrack -- on 8-track. I'd wanted to marry John Travolta since his Welcome Back Kotter days, but of all the characters he'd played, Danny Zucco was my absolute favorite. How could he not be with those curvy lips and that adorable little dent in his chin and his awesome dance moves? These are the things a six year old finds awfully important in a future spouse.

Grease is the all-American story of Danny and Sandy (although she's actually Austrailian, but that's beside the point.) It's your typical boy meets girl, boy disses girl at the bonfire in a bid to look "cool", boy and girl make up and go to the dance contest, boy pisses girl off again, boy wins drag race. It culminates in the dubious transformation of Sandy from pristine good girl to cigarette smoking hussy. I'm not sure how positive a message that was for my six year old intellect, but Lord how I wanted those shiny pants and red Candies!

Of course, all of the sexual innuendo flew straight over my head when I first saw Grease. All I knew was that there was lots of catchy tunes and dancing girls wearing frothy crinolines. It wasn't until I saw it on VHS in the '80s that I realized what a bawdy romp it actually is. Practically every word out of Rizzo's mouth is filthy, which, of course, is what makes her so appealing. In 1998 Grease was rereleased in theaters for it's twentieth anniversary. I was there -- front row center, popcorn in hand. I had a ball.

Now there's a new way to experience Grease: The Grease Rockin' Rydell Edition on DVD. Presented in letterbox with a picture as clear as when it first hit the theaters, this new edition of Grease has loads of extra features. I particularly liked the Rydell Sing Along, which conveniently plays all of the scenes with songs along with the lyrics so you can, yes, sing-along (which I actually did, I'm such a dork). There is also a trip down memory lane with the people who brought Grease to the big screen: the producers, the director, the choreographer and of course the stars. It was interesting to see Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta reminiscing about the production. It adds another dimension to my experience of watching Grease to hear about their experience making it. Grease is still fun twenty-five years later, although my favorite part of the new Grease DVD is the tuff little pleather jacket it comes wrapped in. If only it smelled like real leather!

Buy it!