Natasha Henstridge, the Newfoundland-born actor, decided to do what she called a Screech-In during an appearance on The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien the other night. You can see the clip below.[UPDATE: I've been informed this is a six-year-old clip, which makes sense; Henstridge is promoting a show that went off the air in 2004. See the comments below.]
I groan whenever I encounter a Screech-In, and actively avoid them. I have to say I was caught off guard by Henstridge's explanations.
In the clip, you'll see her define Screech first as "moonshine," although she later calls it rum. (If you look closely, it looks like the dark rum she describes has been replaced by something clear. Like water. Especially when you see O'Brien ham it up and reach for the bottle.)
Then there's explanation of when Screech-Ins occur.
"In Newfoundland, we celebrate a little differently," she said, adding that Screech-Ins happen "when you have babies, or you get married."
Um ... what??
Here's a thought. A Screech-in, in which unsuspecting tourists are told this is a fine tradition (but aren't told that it was invented as a marketing ploy, dates back only to the Seventies, and is as widely loathed as it is admired), might just as well adopt Natasha Henstridge's proposed new definitions. They are, after all, just as authentic as what the NLC once came up with, and as genuine as the codswallop that the downtown bars get on with to this day.




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