It’s a movie which is essentially about turning 40 and feeling old, so it’s poignant that the film itself is now 40!

And old.

Dudley Moore’s antics now seem even more tired and repetitious than they did in 1979. And they were already trite then. His entire act consisted of playing drunk and doing pratfalls, kinda like Dick Van Dyke after a bender, except with a better British accent.

But Bo looked amazing.

“What is this? 10 … 9 … 8… 7… 6… “

“Bo Derek aging”

Bo likes to tell that joke on herself. She turned 63 last year, and I can’t tell you whether Bo is actually down to a 6 or lower these days, but I sat next to her on a flight from Miami to Lima in 1996 or 1997, some twenty years after this film was released, and she was still at least a nine. She was 40 then, but her waist was still extraordinarily tiny, and she still turned every head when she walked by. And not because she was familiar. I guarantee you that the first reaction she inspired was “That woman is gorgeous.” The second was “By God – no wonder she looks so good. That’s Bo Derek.”

I know this for sure because of something that happened the next morning in my hotel. I was chatting and sipping coffee with the guys from Mobil Peru while we waited for our ride. Bo, who happened to be at the same hotel, slipped past me, touched my hand and said, “Morning, Greg.” The guys from Mobil reacted exactly as I described above. At first they wondered how I knew such a beautiful woman in a city I had never visited before. Then, when they saw crowds gather around her, they realized it was Bo Freakin’ Derek.

I told those guys absolutely nothing about how I knew her. It was my only play. If I let on like I really knew her well, they would have thought I was totally full of it, which is not really a good way for a consultant to start a relationship with a new client. If I told them the truth, I would have looked like a schmuck. “So, you sat next to her for six hours on the plane, and made no effort at all to hook up later, or even to get to know her?” The truth is that I introduced myself, passed a few pleasantries, then left her to her privacy while I watched movies and did crossword puzzles. So, yeah, of course I AM a schmuck, but once again this is not something I want a client to know. So when they said, “That’s Bo Derek,” I said “Yeah,” shrugged my shoulders, and immediately asked them a business question which required a detailed explanation.

That approach worked. By the end of the visit they were calling me “Marques”, short for “El marques de los grifos.” “Grifos” is a uniquely Peruvian slang term. (I think it’s unique. I’ve never encountered it elsewhere.) In Peru it means “gas station” or “gas stations” (the singular and plural are the same, like “tocadiscos”). That referred to my profession. In proper Spanish, however, the word simply means “nozzles” or “faucets,” and obviously can carry a certain suggestive connotation. I was the guy casual about his relationship with Bo Derek, therefore the Big Nozzle! Bo really did me a solid with that greeting!

Anyway, about the movie:

Dudley Moore’s humor seems archaic now and the entire film seems dated, but I still kinda like “10,” and always have. Most guys over 40 do, because it’s a niche film about getting to middle age, and thus has a tightly defined target audience. Men like it more than women. Older men like it more than younger men. Americans like it more than others. It’s only rated 6.1 at IMDb, but if you are a 45+ year old American man, it is probably a good bet. Even if you fit the pattern, you should realize that this film is the cinematic equivalent of what the Dudley Moore character writes for a living – elevator music. 10 is pleasant, inoffensive, and unchallenging. It has some gentle laughs, mellow tunes, and sexy women. Above all, it made Bo Derek a star and gave her A-list recognition throughout the world, including Peru.

Continue reading “There’s some nostalgia – Bo Derek in 10”

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đź•ŠHow did you evolve this year? There’s no better time to reflect on your accomplishments, cherished memories, failures, lessons, relationships that grew or ended, your self love journey I’m not sure how many of you journal or create vision boards, but I want you to take note of how much time you dedicated to yourself this year? I’m aware that isn’t easy or doesn’t seem possible depending on your financial situation, time commitments, pressure from family or to give yourself to supporting your family, maybe you aren’t safe or illness has taken over So so many reasons, but I hope there’s even just one thing you did for you this year – because you deserve it And if it didn’t happen this year, everyday is a new day and a new chance to try and prioritise you (even just for 5 minutes) Stop letting people tell you you can’t, including yourself, because often we are the only ones holding ourselves back This applies to any day of any year to anyone You’ve got this❤️ . And to my partner @philipapayne and our baby Ive got you and we’ve got each other🙏 . . Thank you for this magical shoot @ashleyjophoto @mollyfredenberg @jonmichaelhall @rywilliams.co @Zoe_sheehy @Lindsaychapinphoto @jennacurran . . . #pregnancy #pregnantbelly #pregnancyphotoshoot #preggo #babybelly #25weekspregnant #babybump #noretouch #nophotoshop #loveyourself

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That was only a few weeks ago, but it seems like it never could have happened at all. They got pulverized by a 7-5 Texas team, 38-10, in the Bardahl Okefenokee Swamp Toilet Bowl, or some such obscure thing. Although they did not make the playoff, undoubtedly sparing themselves some major embarrassment against LSU, Utah did somehow finish the regular season ranked 11th in the nation.