Blockbuster is Dying. Does This Mean I Don't Have to Return The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus?

Who will wear the blue and gold now?

Because I can't find it anywhere. And I probably owe them a billion dollars for it.

As a simultaneous Netflix member and a regular Blockbuster customer (because sometimes Watch Instantly isn't instant enough?): I'm sort of sorry to hear that Blockbuster is facing the end of its brick-and-mortar existence.

My sister worked at Blockbuster for two weeks back in its heyday, and in that short time collected some horror stories about uptight yuppie customers that we chortle over to this day.

And remember Blockbuster Music? I'm pretty sure I bought a Hole album there once.... Memories.

Also, I've always been charmed by the movie geeks who worked at my various neighborhood Blockbusters. They didn't carry around that bizarre sense of entitlement like the mom'n'pop video store nerds. Nor did they scoff when I rented embarrassing romantic comedies. These guys were earnest geeks who really wanted to see my horizons expanded by good movies; and see me take advantage of the 5-for-5 soda and popcorn deal. Somehow they stayed connected to their unbridled movie-geek enthusiasm, despite their corporate saddles.

I hope they all get good severance packages.

And that they read this and take pity on me...and maybe get on the ol' work computer and delete any record of my having rented that weird movie...