According to the Oregonian, a generation has been inspired by the film CLUELESS, which was, of course, inspired by Jane Austen’s novel Emma.

Lindsay Rowan and gal-pal Tabitha “Tabby” Calhoun can rattle off the film’s dialogue and definitions with barely a second breath.

A Betty? “A hot chick. Also called a Monet,” says Rowan, 25.

No, no, no…Betty and Monet are not synonymous. Amber was the Monet, because “from far away she’s okay, but up close she’s a big old mess!”

And what about their heroine Cher Horowitz’s favorite response? Hands fly up, thumbs lock, index fingers extend as each makes the signature “W” sign.

That was Amber, too.

Besides instantly adding about a dozen new words to the teen lexicon, like “Betty,” “Baldwin” and “Outie” (”Clueless” to English translation: “We’re out of here!”)

Umm…we believe that’s “We’re Audi.” Like the car. Rhymes with “outie,” short for “outtahere.” Which is, like, funny. *sigh*

Whatever.

(Note: An inspection of the film closed captioning reveals that it is, indeed, “Audi” as in the car. HAH!)

(The Editrix wrote a term paper on CLUELESS. Can you tell?)

But here’s some good news:

“It’s one of those movies that when it’s on you have to watch it,” says fan Alex Ranch, 21, who estimates with only slight exaggeration that the number of times she’s seen it is nearing the “million” mark. “I saw it on HBO when I was a kid. Then heard it was about ‘Emma,’ and read the Jane Austen book, and then rented the A&E (Network) movie of ‘Emma,’ just because I couldn’t get enough of the story.”

w00t!

And even more good news for us CLUELESS fans…to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the film’s release, Paramount Home Video will release a new version of the DVD, called “The Whatever Version,” in August. DVD features include:

• Available subtitles: English, Spanish
• Available Audio Tracks: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
• The Class of ‘95 - A look at the cast, then and now
• Creative Writing - Director Amy Heckerling talkes about creating the world of Clueless
• Fashion 101 - How the filmmakers invented the trend-setting fashions
• How To Play the “Suck ‘n Blow” Game - A Tutorial
• Driver’s Ed - Get behind the wheel with the cast and crew
• We’re History - Stories from the cast and crew
• 2 Theatrical Trailers

Wow. That’s, like, cooler than getting a pink Jeep for your sixteenth birthday!