Degrassi Still Rules!

In the middle of the afternoon on a Thursday, Showcase delivers the classic School's Out - otherwise known as the Degrassi movie. Just priceless. It takes NO time to get completely sucked in. Characters arrive at the grad party and I know everyone's name. And eventhough it's been 14 years (can you believe that!), I know the entire story too. It has it all - just as I remember. Joey's hounddog ways. The tempting Tessa Campenelli. Kaitlin's hair. Lucy's spandex. The engagements. The sex. The drugs. The beer. The abortion. The drunk-driving. The break-up. All the joys and all the consequences that are only found at that bridge between adolescence and adulthood. And it's all captured in a realism that highlights the failings of today's slick, WB programming. Because beyond the wooden performances, the mullets, and the oversize shirts, Degrassi offers an honesty about youth that makes it captivating (sincerely nostalgic rather than embarrassing) - even after all this time.