Italian Newsies
What do Dominic Maldonado, Max Casella, and Aaron Lohr all have in common? Well, besides the fact that they were in Newsies, the answer is they are all Italian. (Aaron Lohr's mother is Italian. His dad is said to be Jewish.) Why the great number of Italian actors in the movie is unknown to the three of us, but it should be acknowledged and maybe wondered about. Maybe Kenny Ortega just liked Italians. Or maybe the setting of the movie is, very specifically, in the Italian area of Manhattan. After all it did imply that they were near Little Italy ("Little Italy's a secret...") Of course it's obvious that Max Casella is Italian, even his character was given an Italian heritage. Italians are usually light-skinned  with dark hair and very thick eyebrows. (Pixie and Penny call them "Italian eyebrows"- somewhat of an inside joke, but it sounds really funny. Say it. Italian eyebrows. It rolls right off the tongue.) (The words, not the eyebrows.) (Oh, ew...) Pixie, the lucky girl, is Italian. Her mother is extremely Italian. Her mother is also extremely argumentive, but we won't go there. Anyway, that's why at our house, if you ask where we want to go out to eat we'll all immediately insist on Fazoli's or The Olive Garden or some other Italian cuisine. And that's why anything Italian is making a reference to Newsies. The Latin language is very close to Italian. Penny's taking Latin and in two years she's gonna travel to Italy. Yayyy!
		Here are some lines from The Movie translated into Italian. None of us speak Italian, so we used the Altavista Babel Fish.
In diciotto novanta nove, le vie di New York City hanno echeggiato con le voci del peddling dei newsies le carte di Joseph Pulitzer, di William Randalph Hearst e di altri giganti del mondo del giornale. Su ogni angolo le avete viste trasportare la bandiera, portantevi le notizie per un penny una carta. I orphans poveri e le instabilità, i newsies erano un esercito ragged senza una guida. Fino ad un giorno, tutto che è cambiato. (Opening sequence) Mai il timore, Brooklyn è qui. (Never fear, Brooklyn is here.) Dire loro, Jack. (Tell 'em, Jack.) Non può contare a venti con i suoi pattini sopra. (He can't count to twenty with his shoes on.) Aprire i cancelli e grippare il giorno. (Open the gates and seize the day.)
		Also here's a joke that our sister sent us, because we "love Italians so much". Think of Racetrack while you read this.
	READ THIS WITH AN ITALIAN ACCENT:    One day ima gonna Malta to bigga hotel. Ina morning I go down to eat breakfast. I tella waitress I wanna two pissis toast. She brings me only one piss. I tella her I want two piss. She say go to the toilet. I say you no understand, I wanna piss onna my plate. She say you better no piss onna plate, you sonna ma bitch. I don't even know the lady and she call me sonna ma bitch. Later I go to eat at the bigga restaurant. The waitress brings me a spoon and knife but no fock. I tella her I wanna fock. She tell me everyone wanna fock. I tell her you no understand. I wanna fock on the table. She say you better not fock on the table, you sonna ma bitch. So I go back to my room inna hotel and there is no shits onna my bed. Call the manager and tella him I wanna shit. He tell me to go to toilet. I say you no understand. I wanna shit on my bed. He say you better not shit onna bed, you sonna ma bitch. I go to the checkout and the man at the desk say: "Peace on you". I say piss on you too, you sonna ma bitch, I gonna back to Italy.
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