"The heart wants what it wants."

Director Woody Allen's famous line regarding why he pursued Soon-Yi Previn, the adopted daughter of then-girlfriend Mia Farrow, became one of those quotes that captures the pop culture zeitgeist.



"Where's the beef?" did the same back in the '80s, but that was merely a comical riff from a burger commercial. Allen's explanation for why he began dating his longtime partner's daughter made most people queasy.

That line came back to mind today after this news snippet hit the Web courtesy of IMDB.com:

Director Woody Allen was secretly pleased by the media attention surrounding his 1992 love affair with his then-girlfriend Mia Farrow's adopted daughter, because the scandal added a little "edge" to his boring Hollywood reputation ...

... The filmmaker has refrained from speaking in detail about the odd relationship for years, although he has now opened up about the romance for new TV special "Woody Allen: A Documentary, which is set to air in America on Sunday [Nov. 20].

In the documentary, Allen, 75, admits he still can't understand why there was such an uproar.

He says, "Believe it or not, I didn't think I was that famous to warrant such coverage. But apparently it was a good, juicy story. I mean a very juicy story, and it took a little edge off my natural blandness."

I'd much prefer a blander than bland director who found something unsettling about courting his girlfriend's daughter.