By Selina Kaye

I love all things Prince — his music, his movies, his clothes and his hair. Most of all, I have a very special appreciation for "Purple Rain," because my parents went on their first date to see the movie. So on the 25th anniversary of the opening of the film, this is my official thank you to Prince for bringing my parents together. I couldn't have made it here without you.

When Prince first hit the music scene in 1979, he was eccentric, daring and reclusive. Hard to believe he was an introvert, right? But back then, Prince didn't give any on-camera interviews. So when "Purple Rain" premiered in 1984, fans were eager not only for his new music but for a chance to hear him speak and get an insight into what made him tick. Even when he showed up to his own red carpet, he walked right by the cameras and into the theater. My parents told me that while the movie was playing, whenever Prince would speak the women in the theater would yell seemingly uncontrollably.

I have grown up on Prince remain a diehard fan. I adore "Purple Rain" and the soundtrack is a classic. The movie is loosely based on Prince's upbringing and struggle for people to understand his music and style, though it's easy to figure how he might have been misunderstood — after all, only the Purple One has managed to pull off heels, capes and guyliner and still get a woman as beautiful as Apollonia! The movie was dramatic and sexy but also had a funny side, like when Prince mocked Wendy and Lisa in the classic "puppet scene."

You can't imagine the sheer joy that overcame me when I found out that one of the MTV News writers would be creating a news package celebrating the anniversary of "Purple Rain." I immediately jumped at the chance to help out on this story, knowing that it would undoubtedly be the highlight of my summer. I was told to pull some footage of Prince arriving to the premier and any other video I think would enhance the news package. I looked through tapes for over two weeks, weeding out the best footage I could find. It was great, because a lot of the footage were from the early '80s things I have never seen before.

Every year on the anniversary of the film's release, I get a big bag of popcorn, dim the lights and snuggle up with copy of "Purple Rain." This year, because it's a special anniversary, I will be having an all-day Prince video marathon, wearing my Prince concert t-shirt, eating a slice of cake with purple frosting and sipping a glass of wine that looks sort of purple if you squint. And I will toast to Prince Rogers Nelson.

Here's another toast to Prince: My Top 8 classic and most memorable moments from "Purple Rain."

8. Morris Day and the Time's performance of "Jungle Love."

7. Prince breaking up the fight between his parents.

6. The performance of "Darling Nikki."

5. Prince using the puppet to mock Wendy and Lisa.

4. Prince's breakdown after his father's attempted suicide.

3. Apollonia "purifying" herself in Lake Minnetonka.

2. The performance of "The Beautiful Ones."

1. The final performance of "Purple Rain" — all eight-plus minutes of it.

http://newsroom.mtv.com/2...ment-ever/

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