Danny Amatullo from Fame

First crushes are both easy and difficult to patrol and walk through—like a deep, rich dessert that takes hours to create, but .4 seconds to devour.

Having a crush on someone comes from the idea that your chest feels crushed at the thought of not being near or with the person you desire. I suppose it also describes the part that involves joy too—the prospect of actually being near or with them. The weight of desire? It’s a very dichotomous thing that we all have experienced at one time or another.

The television show Fame brought me my first TV crush. Carl Imperato, the actor, portrayed Danny Amatullo. And I was crushed. The hair. His gold necklace. His dancing. Mostly, the 1970s hair. The way he looked into Doris’s eyes before the first kiss. The New York accent. The gentle guy in the tough exterior. That was my jam back then.

The year was 1984 which puts me at seven years old. I hope this ignites a memory of your first TV crush. So what did I do with this crush at seven years old? My imagination took Danny with me to restaurants during family outings. We sunbathed during beach days. We laughed over iced tea and cheese and lettuce sandwiches in my school cafeteria. It’s okay–you couldn’t tell as an outsider. It’s not like people were catching me in the act of pretend dating. The affair was strictly inside my brain which was also filled with sticker collecting and roller skating after school.

The thrill lived in the power of my imagination without anyone else detecting my pretend bliss. It was a marvelous inner ability. Danny was a lovely first crush. Sometimes we danced together to Angel by Madonna in my driveway.

Email me if you remember your first TV or celebrity crush and how that unraveled for. you: elainaparsons77@gmail.com We can chat.

I could go into deep psychoanalysis about why and how and what this all is—but why ruin the purity and total humanity/humility surrounding first crushes? Let’s keep ‘em sacred. Let the video do the work. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QRUEXWOw8T4

Love,

Elaina