What is this? A so-called "strict" Star Wars author publishing something RENT-related?

In all seriousness, if someone would have told me this would happen about a month ago, I'd laugh. Actually, I didn't even know there was a RENT section here at but here it is, and after a bizarre set of circumstances, I have something to publish.

I guess I'm not as strict as I thought. I can't help it though, RENT is too amazing to ignore. This little piece may seem crazy. Actually, that's my hope.

I'm hoping this will come across not just as insane, but light-hearted. It was after all, the result of two crazy teenagers letting their minds go wild. Oh my, yes, very frightening.

By that, I mean this wasn't just me. Some credit must go to Sarah, my cousin who happened to get herself caught up in a random attempt to explain something obscure. She's almost as crazy as me. Almost.

Read and enjoy. No flames! Flames will be thrown out the window. In garbage cans!

Note: The "they" we refer to here is everyone except Rog who hugs him. :P

A LONG EMBRACE

Have you ever noticed how many hugs Roger receives in the movie RENT?

Perhaps not. Perhaps this is something only people as crazy as me and my cousin could notice. If you didn't, next time you watch it, take note. If you did, high five! If you are totally lost right now, it's probably because you still have a little sanity. Not only were we silly enough to turn this observation into a full-length discussion, but we wrote it all down, which resulted in the publication of this interesting piece.

But needless to say, Roger Davis, pretty boy front man, receives a great deal of hugs from others during the course of the movie. Why, you ask? Let's explore that shall we? In the form of a list generated by two teenage girls who found it amusing.

The question: Why hug?

Because...

Roger always looks like he needs a hug. It's that simple.

They are cold, after all, and they want to generate heat. Roger is their new heat source, though he doesn't know it. They volunteered him without permission.

He's trendy. They hope the trendy-ness will spread.

Everybody thinks he looks like a teddy bear. Natural instincts draw them to give him a hug.

They think that hugging him will help him write a song.

He mentions "a long embrace" in Another Day, so they hug him.

Just because. They want to. Come on, admit it, you would give him a nice big hug too...

They are bribing him to come outdoors more with hugs.

They are trying to show him that after actually going out, they are in good sprits. It's all part of coaxing him out.

His full name is actually Roger Davis Rabbit, and they are convinced he is, a real live rabbit. Since they don't have any carrots on them, they give him hugs instead. They also feel bad because apparently, at one point in his life, he was framed.

He smells good. Not only that, but he magically releases your favorite scent if you hug him.

They think its good luck to hug Roger.

They are convinced that hugging him continually will squeeze the sadness from him.

They think he's a human stress ball. But they have to exercise caution or his eyes could bulge completely from his head.

When Roger was a child, he swallowed a squeaker. They are still trying to find it by squeezing him.

You know how you squeeze lemons to make lemonade? Well, they are trying to make Rogerade.

Strangely, whenever they see Roger, they forget how long it's been since they last saw him, and suddenly are led to believe that it's been ages, so they hug him. (Whoa. Mark must be hugging him a lot then.)

Put simply, Roger is a REALLY good hugger.

They're trying to give him a back massage.

They think he looks scrumptious, but whenever they hug him, he's not ripe yet.

Roger once was born to be bad. That is, before everyone hugged the badness away. As a precaution, they still hug him to make sure it can't sneak back.

They think he may run away while they're gone, so they frequently remind him that they love him with hugs.

They asked Roger once what his favorite candy was and he said "Hershey's Hugs". They misunderstood, and keep on giving him bone-crushing bear hugs.

They're afraid he'll turn to the Dark Side.

They forgot it was his birthday once, and he was really sad. They are forever sorry and indebted to him, and since then, they give him lots of hugs.

THEY ALL LOVE HIM SO VERY MUCH!

They, for some reason, always think he's choking, and are trying to perform to Heimlich maneuver.

His father... (sniff, sniff)... never hugged him. Isn't that sad?

They think he's turned into a suicidal Mickey Mouse. They hug him to boost his self-esteem, and obviously Mickey was made for hugging.

When he was little, his mother made him use Pampers, but he wanted to use Huggies. His friends hug him to make up for her meanness.

Roger's EVERYBODY'S bestest best friend.

His tummy hurts and they are trying to get him to burp.

They're just happy he's there.

They think he's a rising superstar so they hug him because they want to be acknowledged in any "thank-you speeches" he delivers upon receiving awards.

Because he's soft and squishy.

He has flies on his back, they're trying to do him a favor by swatting them off. (Credit to Uncle Steve for that one)

37.) He's huggable. Duh.

Well, I don't know what to think, unless I get some feedback. The list could continue, suggestion welcomed. That is, if you like it enough for there to be more. Do you have an idea for why he gets so many hugs?