As excited as I was to see Jonesboro's first ever film with live orchestra (FWLO) event last Saturday night--and it was "can't wait" mode for weeks--the actual experience was even more exciting.

I was familiar with the concept, in which a large theater screen is set up in a concert hall and an orchestra performs the soundtrack to create an immersive symphonic movie experience.

I knew "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" had been done in Little Rock previously, and Memphis had hosted a "Star Wars" show.

Both of those movies are nationwide favorites for the live-to-picture genre, along with "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. Other popular favorites include "Home Alone" for holiday season and a variety of Disney classics.

For northeast Arkansas' inaugural FWLO selection, the Delta Symphony Orchestra chose the "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" motion picture.

When the movie was released in the summer of 2003, our five children ranged between the ages of 7 and 13. As my wife and I secured consecutive seats in a very crowded theater and struggled to get all the concession orders correct, I remember having no idea at all what the movie was about.

Being in the audience at the Fowler Center on the A-State campus on Saturday night brought all its blockbuster elements back.

The little girl........

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