Hollywood Blvd.: Where the wild things are

I have to say, it's always a treat when we can head over to the El Capitan and watch a movie with CC. Not only is the theater itself beautifully ornate and complete with its own organist (!), it's also a place that caters to screamers and loud talkers (not that I, ahem, know any of those).

It's not that she's disruptive. OK, so maybe a little. It's just that when she's surrounded by so many kids and there are live animals (!!) on stage, she can't resist the urge to tell them all hello or squeal with delight.

Despite some restless moments, the outing did not disappoint. Experts from the Wildlife Learning Foundation in Sylmar brought in animals such as a porcupine, an arctic fox, an alligator and a serval (from the cat family). They also took questions after each presentation. CC, along with the rest of the kids, was on her feet, pointing, ooh-ing and ahh-ing with everyone else.

The movie itself, Disneynature's "Earth," was amazing. The photography alone is stunning, and watching these various sets of animals interact in the wild is awe-inspiring and often harrowing. (Just as a warning, the movie doesn't shy away from death. As narrator James Earl Jones says, "It's the circle of life." The gruesome part of the circle is left off screen, thank God.) The movie tracks three families (polar bears, elephants and whales) on their quest for sustenance as well as various animals (predators and prey) they meet along the way.

My new fave animal, though, has got to be the insane-looking bird of paradise (left). Watching it tidy up its digs before bringing sexy back to a fellow feathered friend left me in happy tears.

What made my day though, also bird-related coincidentally, was before any of this even got started -- before the wild animals, even before the movie. It was during the overture (for lack of a better word) as the music played, curtains parted and various screens lit up on stage. One of the images was a peacock, with its feathers adorned in lights. CC smiled so wide, waved at the screen and screamed, "Hi, Peacock!" amid the silent moviegoers. She had just learned the word that day and apparently was proud of it.