I have to say, I'm crazily excited about the release of the theatrical version of Mamma Mia the Musical to the silver screen. You see, I have a not-so-secret love of all things ABBA and all things musical theatre, so the combination of the two? Blammo, my head explodes with sheer joy as I soak in all in the campy goodness. The plot, if you haven't seen the stage version, is, er, not exactly deep, ok? In fact, it's a weird stitching together of all the best ABBA songs, so much so that some of the interruptions in the song medleys for supposed character development made me roll my eyes just a little bit (but not want to stab myself, the way that Across the Universe did, with its main characters named Jude and Lucy... gee, I wonder which Beatles songs will be in that movie?), but at the last curtain call, I still found myself flushed with excitement at having spent a lovely time with some of the best songs of the 70's and 80's. Besides, at one point, there is a male chorus line of guys in snorkels and swim fins, singing "Lay All Your Love On Me". If you fail to see the awesome in that, you might just be dead inside.

So, the plot isn't great, and even though they've wrestled the Devil in Prada herself, Meryl Streep for the lead role of Donna, I doubt that the cinematic version is going to earn any Oscars. Even so, I kind of love the fact that the plot features not one but two plotlines driven entirely by strong female characters. Also, I love the fact that the sexiest women in the show are in their "wrinkly glory", to quote one of the characters.

Bonus: if you're interested, you can win a free trip to the London premier (with a pit stop in NYC for a $500 shopping spree) in Leicester Square with Ms. Streep, Pierce Brosnan (drool) and the Royals. Oh, and one Mr Colin Firth will undoubtedly be there as well. Swoon! Sign me up!