Maverick, Iceman, Charlie, & Goose Are Turning 25!

Do you remember when Tom Cruise wasn't jumping on sofas and spouting Scientology every chance he got, but was just making teen-age girls everywhere weak in their knees when he showed off as a hot-shot pilot and wooed his flight instructor?

Ya. I thought so. Me too.

Most female LMS readers who came of age in the late-1980s saw Top Gun many times, each time falling a little more head-over-heels for Tom Cruise. Guys wanted to be Maverick and girls wanted to do things with him they wouldn't even consider doing with their teen-age boyfriends.

Top Gun, like any of the Brat Pack movies from the 1980s (although to be sure, it's not an official Brat Pack movie), is a movie I can't turn off when I notice it's on cable, even if it's 3am. There's just something about Top Gun that gets me every time. Maybe it's the music. Maybe it's Maverick's cockiness. Maybe it's the way he takes control with Charlie. Maybe it's the way he flies his plane and rides his motorcycle. Maybe it's a combination. Whatever it is, it still works.

And now, after 25 years of being forced to watch it on television, VHS, or DVD, Top Gun is returning to the big screen for 2 showings!

Saturday, April 30th at 12:30pm and Monday, May 2nd at 7:00pm (local times).

Wherever you are, there's sure to be a Top Gun showing near you.

You'll find me at the new AMC Randhurst 12 on Saturday, April 30th at 12:30. Come join me.

Do You Have a Need for Speed?*

Officers Poncherello and Baker and Sgt. Getraer will not be this "CHIPper" when they pull you over.

If you've got a need for speed and you're driving in Illinois, you'd better have a wallet overflowing with cash because starting September 15th, giving into that need is going to cost up to 60% more.

Here's a small breakdown of the increased fines, thanks to NBC5Chicago and ABC7.

• Get a ticket for speeding up to 20 mph over the posted speed limit and you'll pay $120 (up from $75 - that's a 60% increase!);
• If your lead foot is going 21-30 mph over the speed limit, you'll be out $140 (up from $95 - a 50% increase);
  
• And if you're doing your best Dale Earnhardt impression going 31-40 mph over the limit (and the cops can catch you), you'll be $160 poorer (up from $105 - a 52% increase);
  
• No seat belt? That'll cost you $60 (up from $55); and
• If you're caught driving on a suspended license or if you permit someone to drive under the influence, starting September 15th, you'll pay $1500 (a $500 increase).
  

So remember kids: always buckle up, drive the speed limit, stay off the roads when a court orders you to, and always have a designated driver if your night includes alcohol, no matter what the fines are. Don't be like Sammy Hagar; drive 55 and stay alive.

*Apologies to Goose and Maverick from Top Gun. In spite of it clearly being 70s and 80s day at LMS, this is a very serious topic.