I recently did a rewatch of Life With Loopy, a kooky regular short in Nickelodeon’s animated sketch comedy anthology KaBlam! (1996-2000). Loopy is a 7-year-old girl always going down some rabbit hole (or in one case, a toilet, to see her late fish in Fish Heaven), to the curiosity, amusement, and sometimes chagrin of her older brother, Larry. The execution of her many ideas is misguided, but her heart is as big as her quirky imagination.
As a kid, I related to Loopy – head in the clouds, boundlessly creative, always having fun, wearing sick platform shoes. I’ve decided to get back in touch with my inner Lupicia Cooper, and it’s going very well!!!! Here’s what I’ve been up to this summer!
Catch me at Methodz every Thursday AM (Bushwick) this summer!!!!! Core Strength is 8am-9am, Dance Cardio is 9am-10am. Each class i only $15, which is an AMAZING value. (You can hardly buy a sandwich for $15 these days.) Come to my classes for the rest of the summer!!!!! Also please share with any of your friends who are fun/love dance! 💖 💖 💖
I’m also teaching CORE:30 (6-6:30pm) and CARDIO DANCE (6:35-7:20pm) at Grind House (Flatiron) on Tuesday nights (only exception is this upcoming Tuesday 6/28). Both studios are on ClassPass, and all the info is in one place on my very cute website.
If you can’t make any of these times, or if you want private solo lessons or group events, please inquire within. Happy to set that up for you. You can also watch Cher or Carmen Electra or Lisa Rinna or Richard Simmons workout videos on my website, because why not?!
Spandex The Musical and I are Instagram mutuals, because of course we are, and they invited me to a dance cardio class with 80s teen superstar Tiffany. She is starring in the upcoming Off-Broadway musical and was super nice. Also got to meet her aerobics instructor, who was wearing an INCREDIBLE oversized non-functional belt. (Wow, the 20-year trend cycle never fails!)
I went to a screening at the Roxy of Rhythm is a Dancer, moderated by my lovely friend Abbey Bender. Lauren Caster directed, produced, and starred in this movie about a 29-year-old woman – terrified to turn 30 – whose performing career in New York “isn’t working out”. She goes home for the summer to her lesbian mom’s house and finally meets her biological father (aka. her bio dad, rather than ‘dad’ or ‘donor’). It’s based on her real life!
There were a couple of O.C. Easter eggs in the film, mainly Tate’s character living in Newport Beach/Orange County and the name drop of Lauren’s character’s high school boyfriend named James Cooper.1 I see what she did there, and I loved it.
It was very cool to meet Tate Donovan, who finally got to play a good dad after being a terrible dad on The O.C., and Conor Donnally, who is just as lovely as his character with the ‘brooding eyes’. The Roxy is a lovely theater, so cozy…like if you were in a ‘movie room’ at a rich person’s house. I’ve asked them how I can set up a screening of Spice World…let’s see what they say…
Went to a 25th anniversary screening of one of my favorite movies, Josie and the Pussycats, at Nitehawk Cinema. Josie and The Pussycats really IS The Best Movie Ever™. I’m genuinely confused as to why Tara Reid did not win a Best Comedic Actress Oscar for her role?! While the marquee in the Megarecords
The pre-screening Q&A was with Writer/Director Deborah Kaplan. (Her co-writer/director Harry Elfont couldn’t be there due to an apparent tornado warning.) I got a fabulous hat and sticker from Super Yaki and smelled an amazing Mise en Scènt candle. Physical media forever!!
Saw Spoon in Central Park a couple weeks ago. There is something sooooo satisfying about seeing a show from a band that I first found out about through The O.C. or MySpace. Feels like I’m at The Bait Shop kinda.
Also FINALLY saw “Weird Al” Yankovic in concert!! He is was honestly a big influence on my developing brain, which I suppose says a lot. I find his lyrics clever and funny, plus, he is a stickler for grammar. I have very fond memories of listening to his greatest hits album with my best friend in sixth grade while we played The Sims on her computer after school. My favorite song was always “One More Minute” for some reason, which he played, but I also love “Ebay”, the parody of “I Want It That Way” about all the random shit he bought on eBay. Relatable! (Btw, does anyone have $999.99 to spare for these RARE MEGARECORDS Original 2001 MOVIE PROP Josie and The Pussycats EAR HEADPHONES?)
Check out my dance company, Methodz of Madzness, in our Season 1 dance visual “For you”. I was so excited when our song, “Cellophane” by FKA Twigs, was recently featured as a Jeopardy! answer lol.
I transformed into renowned news anchor Linda Kensington for my dear, talented friend Janine’s Mrs. Meteorology music video! Playing a character in the Retro Avocado universe was sooooo much fun and I will actually be getting a lot of use out of that wig. I served as Talent, Movement Director, and Additional Camera Operator. (Turns out, it’s fun being in front of AND behind the camera!) Conveniently, the mv dropped just in time for The Weather Channel to bring back its RetroCast website.
Huge thank you to the paid subscribers who support my work: Janine, Liv, CY, Matthew, Emily, Gina, Taylor, Alejandra, Lindsay, Bea, Janani, Tia, and Taylor! À la Jessica Simpson, I’m gonna love you forever 💐💐💐
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There is no known relation between Jimmy Cooper and Lupicia ‘Loopy’ Cooper :)

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