Reappropriate This 2.0

I'm well over 100 posts in now at good ol' Reappropriate This, and I figured it was time to spice things up (in case my small but true band of readers were tiring of hearing mostly about Sprout). Luckily, my pal Maggie was ready and willing to step in as a guest blogger and provide us with an exciting new monthly (or as long as we stay organized) feature: Celebrity Crush Album. Enjoy her first entry, "My Faux-Bollywood Crush."

[A quick introduction: On March 10th, 2008, I was visiting my parents in the 'burbs and bored out of my gourd. So I sat on our couch and created a Celebrity Crush Album on Facebook, filled to the brim with unrequited love. Some picks were predictable, some were quirky, and I didn't expect too many people to care. However, a fair amount of friends and acquaintances got a kick out of it. Soon the album was filled with their comments, which ranged from agreeable ("stunningly handsome") to oppositional ("I think she's weird-lookin'"). I am honored to have a monthly guest posting on Reappropriate This! My imaginary love life is your reading pleasure.]

A recent celebrity crush of mine is Dev Patel, star of the film Slumdog Millionaire. This comes as a surprise even to me, because I did not like Slumdog Millionaire. I saw it with my mother, who laughed and cried and gasped throughout the whole thing, and generally made me feel as though I have a heart of stone. "Pricelessly original," said the reviews."A buoyant hymn to life!" Even after it won Best Picture I kept my opinion to myself, mostly because I want people to think I have a soul.


But in spite of everything, I have to say I was completely won over by Dev Patel, who played Jamal Malik. This character's got a heart of gold. He is a true mensch (you don't have to be Jewish!) and there's something really attractive about that. Call it Michael Bluth Syndrome or Kevin Arnold Condition but sometimes nice guys finish first in my book. Especially if they're cute in a non-traditional way. Director Danny Boyle chose Patel for this very reason, saying "I wanted a guy who didn't look like a potential hero; I wanted him to earn that in the film."

It also doesn't hurt that he can dance up a storm. My favorite part of the movie was the end credits, which included awesome choreography, music, and titles/graphics. I've probably watched that dance sequence fifteen million times on YouTube. So, due to your character's gumption, your genuine acting talent, your dancing skills, and your hipster physique: Dev Patel, you are my Celebrity Crush of the Month. Congratulations!