After hearing a rumor that Laura Dern is playing the role of Katherine Harris in an HBO movie about the botched 2000 presidential election, I may never be able to watch another of her 80s flicks again.

And that'd be a shame, because she's in some classics:

Teachers in 1984 stands out ("Mr. Jurel, I just had an abortion. I think I'm old enough to smoke."). So does Blue Velvet in '86 ("I can't figure out if you're a detective or a pervert."). Same with Mask in '85 (though Stoltz still gives me nightmares).

However, what I remember her best for is Wild at Heart with Nic Cage, made in the unspeakable year of 1990. But I'm grandfathering it into the 80s -- just for today.

Top 3 Laura Dern lines in Wild at Heart:

3. "One of these days the sun's gonna come up and burn a hole clean through the planet like a giant electrical x-ray."

2. "Uh oh. Baby, you'd better get me back to that hotel. You got me hotter than Georgia asphalt."

1. "This whole world's wild at heart and weird on top."

[Wild at Heart publicity photo]