Photo From listoftheday.blogspot.com

To his fans he was know as “JTT,” but what girl didn’t have a crush on him? This kid was pretty hot stuff; both as an actor and in looks. He was like the Zac Efron of the day. Two things in particular stand out about him: his gorgeous blond hair and the way he dressed. If you see his pictures from back in the the day he practically encompasses the “look” of the 90′s.

His last name is actually Weiss, but his name sounds so much cooler by replacing it with his brother’s middle name. What was it about him that made girls go crazy? He was no Hannah Montana, yet I felt like he was one of the few actors I could identify as a kid. I would definitely call him a child star.

Home Improvement

Randy from Home Improvement was Jonathan’s most well known character. Starting at the age of 10, he practically grew up on the show, staying on well into his teenage years. He was always getting into trouble but had an adorable grin that could get him out of anything.

Lion King

Photo From aveleyman.com

I believe JTT was born to be the voice of young Simba. The two were perfect for each other. He really brought life and spunk into a lovable character. I remember how excited I was to watch Lion King just because I knew he was going to be in it. It was cool to feel like you “knew” one of the actors who was voicing the characters. Even though there were other well known actors also in the film, I had know idea who they were at the time.  I personally believe that Simba wouldn’t have been as hot of a lion cub if Johnathan wasn’t his voice actor.

The Adventures of Pinocchio

This was a weird movie, and honestly the only reason I watched it was because Jonathan Taylor Thomas was in it. It was basically a live version of the story Pinocchio with Jonathan playing the complex animatronic wooden boy. You don’t see him until the end of the movie when the puppet turns into a real boy. Perhaps you remember the video cover which changed from puppet to boy depending on how you held it with its dual image “Magic Action Art.”

Today

A Y-Kid himself, Jonathan vanished into thin air in the early 2000s. As far as I can tell he hasn’t made any movies since 2006 and instead went on to study at Harvard and Columbia.  There were some rumors floating around that he was gay, but he denied them. There is no news of him being married so there is still hope for his fan girls. For a child star he turned out okay.

What are your favorite memories of JTT?

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the rss feed or following us on twitter. And don’t forget to give us some love on StumbleUpon! If you think this post could have been better, contact us about writing a guest post!

Photo By Gage Skidmore

Nick-na-Nick-Nick-na-Nick-Nick-Nick NICKELODEON

Although cable television was a rare occurrence in my house while growing up, I still knew what my favorite Nickelodeon shows were and watched them whenever I got the chance. So here’s my “5 cents” on which cartoon shows I remember the most in no particular order.

1. Inspector Gadget

Although this isn’t technically a Nicktoon, it was aired on Nickelodeon (primarily in the 1980s when Nick was still outsourcing their cartoons). The theme song was catchy despite the only words being “Inspector Gadget” and “Go Gadget Go.” They eventually made a movie out of the 2 season long series which wasn’t nearly as good as the cartoon. The basic premise was that Inspector Gadget was always trying to stop “Claw” but Penny and her dog, Brain, seemed to do all of the work and get none of the credit. I have to admit it was fun to watch what kind of gadgets would come out of his hat at his command of “Go! Go! Gadget!” Today Inspector Gadget is a favorite to dress up as at costume parties. Refresh your memory on the opening theme song below:

2. Doug

Doug was the first original Nicktoon and I thought this was a great show. The characters all had great names: Doug Funny, Porkchop, Patty Mayonaise, Skeeter. And even though the characters were blue, and purple, and green… their personalities and characteristics were easy to identify with. Doug’s most lasting legacy has probably been “Quailman.” Why anyone would base a super hero on a quail is beyond me, but it was this kind of humor that made the show awesome. Quailman is another favorite character to dress up as for costume parties.

3. Rugrats

Photo By Genesis Dearest

Rugrats followed Doug in the same year (1991) but continued to air up to ten years after they stopped making new episodes of Doug. Rugrats practically became the face of Nickelodeon. You could buy any kind of merchandise with them on it. They eventually ended up making several movies. This is probably one of the most influential cartoons on pop culture of our time. These were the most famous babies without even being real. Tommy, Chucky, Phil and Lil were always going on adventures with their dog Spike and being terrorized by sinister toddler Angelica. Even though the plot was almost always the same, there was something about this show that made you want to watch long after you stopped being a kid.

4. Rocko’s Modern Life

I wasn’t a very big fan of this show, but it seemed to be on ALL the time whenever we went to visit my cousins (who actually had cable). This was definitely one of those shows that didn’t really have a plot. You couldn’t tell what half of the characters were and weird stuff was always happening. Maybe if I had been older I would have understood the sexual innuendos. It was about the day to day life of a wallaby named Rocko and his friends, Heffer and Filburt. It took me a very long time to realize that Heffer was a cow, which now that I think about it is pretty obvious. Filburt was a turtle. Rocko also had a dog named Spunky and was always trying to deal with the grouchy Big Heads.

5. Hey Arnold

Photo By Alexandra Tinder

MOVE IT FOOTBALL HEAD! This was probably my favorite show to ever be on Nickelodeon. A modern day version of the Peanuts gang, Arnold and his friends were always dealing with the day to day struggles of growing up in today’s society. Arnold lived with his crazy grandparent’s in a boarding house with crazy tenants and his pet pig. He was also the secret crush of Helga the bully. It seemed that everyone in this show had outlandish hairdos, but at least their hair and skin color was normal. I felt like each episode was new and different. I don’t think I ever watched one that I didn’t enjoy. The funny thing is that for the longest time, I thought Arnold wore a kilt!

What were your favorite Nicktoons?

Runners up included: Angry Beavers, Cat Dog, and Ahh Real Monsters. Comment below and share your Nicktoon memories!

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the rss feed or following us on twitter. And don’t forget to give us some love on StumbleUpon! If you think this post could have been better, contact us about writing a guest post!

Photo From bestweekever.tv

Before the Jonas Brothers, there was Hanson. Debuting in the mid 90s, the three brothers from Tulsa, Oklahoma rocketed to huge success only to fall off the face of the earth just as fast. Isaac, Taylor, and Zac have made several comebacks, but could never regain the popularity that their first major hit “MMMBop” gave them. Believe it or not, they’re still around today. There is something about them that although their success was fleeting, it was definitely memorable.

Boy Band Sensation

I remember my friend got the Hanson CD for her birthday in 3rd grade, and even though I barely knew who they were, I proclaimed “Move over Spice Girls! There’s a new band in town!” These teenage heartthrobs with their long, blond locks were enough to make any girl crazy. Hanson was my first experience with the boy band craze, although Backstreet Boys and Nsync quickly followed (and replaced) the trio.

Photo By THEMACGIRL*

MMMBOP

Probably considered a one hit wonder among some circles, this song was what really launched Hanson. Both written and performed by the pop group, this catchy song debuted on their 1997 album Middle of Nowhere. Its crazy to think that a song I only knew one word of reached number one in  27 countries. This is a timeless song, however, that never gets old. I still don’t know what the other words are!

Then

When they hit the music scene, the brothers were between 10 and 15 years old. They sounded and looked like girls. I remember watching them on TV once and seriously contemplating if they were really guys or not. There were also a lot of rumors going around that one of them was gay. They played off “cool” really well, and I was ready to accept them back into my life when I heard they had released new music in 2000 with their seventh album This Time Around. They were mature, actually sounded like guys, and were starting to look really cute. “If Only” became a second favorite to “MMMBop.”

Now

Photo By koesbong

The brothers have come a long way from their tween years…. they’re all married and have kids! They now record under their own independent label 3GC Records. They’ve been on several tours and are really into charity work. They mostly support children in Africa who have been affected by AIDS. Their most recent CD The Walk was released in 2007, and they are currently working on another album to release sometime this year. Hanson has moved from “Pop” to a more Indie Rock sound and the transformation has been for the better. If you hated Hanson, you should seriously give them a second chance.

Fans

Every band has it’s fans, but the ones who have truly stuck by Hanson for more than ten years are truly irreplaceable. Apparently many Hanson fans around the world celebrate “Hanson Day” on May 6th which was the day their first album was released. I would really like to know if they’ve stuck around for the music, or for the dream boys. If you feel the urge to reconnect to your days as a Hanson fan, check out their surprisingly spiffy website.

So I have to ask… are there any Hanson fans out there? Any haters? Personally, I’ll take Hanson over the Jonas Brothers any day!

Photo By loveyousave

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the rss feed or following us on twitter. And don’t forget to give us some love on StumbleUpon! If you think this post could have been better, contact us about writing a guest post!

Photo By toastforbrekkie

Who would have known that when the first movie of Land Before Time appeared it would turn into a never ending series. There has been a movie made based on these adorable animated dinosaurs almost every year since 1988 and it’s still going strong (number 14 is supposed to be released sometime this year). With so many sequels, it has become a huge joke, especially to those in Generation Y. How could they possibly come up with so many story lines? After awhile the titles aren’t even that good; although the same them of size doesn’t matter prevails.

The Series

The Land Before Time (1988)

The original in which Littlefoot is orphaned and goes in search of “The Great Valley.” Along the way he meets some friends, escapes danger, and triumphs despite size.

The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure (1994)

None of the original cast and crew returned for the making of this film except for the voice of Cera. Now that the children dinos are safe in the great valley, they have to find new ways to get into trouble so they cause a landslide and hatch a “sharptooth.”

The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving (1995)

A rock blocks the water source and causes a lack of water that leads to a lot of conflict among the residents of the Great Valley. Unfortunately, lightning strikes and completely burns up the dry valley. After being chased by sharptooths, the main characters are able to break the “dam” and restore peace.

The Land Before Time IV: Journey through the Mists (1996)

Migrating Long Necks come to the Great Valley and Littlefoot gets a girlfriend. Littlefoot’s grandpa gets sick and the only way to heal him is with the Golden Nightflower, which is in the scary Land of the Mists. Littlefoot sneaks off with his friends to go and find it and brings the flower back just in time.

The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island (1997)

All the plants are eaten by “leaf gobblers” so there is nothing left in the Great Valley to eat. Everyone leaves to find a place with food, and the main characters wander off, eventually finding an island in the ocean. They are trapped there, but after some adventures that include their old friend Chomper (the sharptooth from the second episode) they meet Elsie who takes them back to shore.

The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock (1998)

After hearing a tale of “The Lone Dinosaur” and meeting Doc who seems to be him, the twins Dinah and Dana go to Saurus rock. The gang goes after them to try and find them before anyone gets hurt. In the rescue process, Saurus Rock breaks and suddenly bad things start happening as the story always predicted. They eventually fix the monolith and everyone lives happily after.

The Land Before Time VII: The Stone of Cold Fire (2000)

A mysterious flying rock causes a hubbub in the Great Valley. A sketchy scheme to go find this rock (which supposedly has magical powers) emerges and goes awry. Lessons are learned but no one dies, although the master mind of the plot is kicked out of the Valley for 5 years.

The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze (2001)

The dinosaur families get trapped in the valley by an ice storm. One family of “spiketail” dinosaurs volunteers to leave since they usually eat more food than the others. Mr. Thicknose and the children then go off to bring Spike back.

The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water (2002)

Littlefoot becomes friends with Mo the mischievous Ophthalmosaurus who has been separated from his pod by heavy rains to the “new water.” Littlefoot and friends then try to help get Mo back home to the “big water” while developing brotherly love.

The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration (2003)

The Longnecks migrate to a giant crater in order to save the sun which had been done once long ago. Littlefoot meets his father, but after saving the world from a “solar eclipse,” Littlefoot decides to return back to the valley without him.

The Land Before Time XI: Invasion of the Tinysauruses (2004)

Littlefoot accidentally knocks all of the prized treesweets down before “nibbling day” and the Tinysauruses come and eat them all! Littlefoot blames everything on them, and the other dinosaurs begin a search to drive the Tinysauruses out. Littlefoot befriends them, however, and learns they aren’t so bad, which eventually forces him to tell the truth. In the end the Tinysauruses become heroes.

The Land Before Time XII: The Great Day of the Flyers (2006)

Petrie is trying to get ready for “The Day of the Flyers”, Littlefoot is trying to help a new friend, Guido, figure out exactly what kind of animal he is, and Cera is jealous of a her dad’s new mate and hatchling. The gang ends up going on a perilous adventure into the “mysterious beyond.”

The Land Before Time XIII: The Wisdom of Friends (2007)

Littlefoot, Cera, Spike, Petrie and Ducky find two goofy new friends who have gotten lost on there way to Berry Valley. The little dinosaurs help them find their way and exchange life lessons along the journey.

The Land Before Time XIV (2009)

To Be Continued…

The Characters

Photo By kafka4prez

Littlefoot

One of the three characters to appear in every movie, he has been voiced by eight different actors! He is a a lovable Brontosaurus who easily makes friends.

Cera

Is most easily recognized for her bossy and proud demeanor, but also has her friendly side. She is a Triceratops with a mean tempered father.

Ducky

Another one of the three to appear in all the movies, she has only had three people to voice her. Ducky is a Parasaurolophus, which is a dinosaur known for swimming. She’s cute, outgoing, positive, and best known for frequently saying “Yep, yep, yep” and “Nope, nope, nope.”

Spike

A Stegosaurus raised by Ducky after being separated from his parents at birth, he always reminded me of a dog. He was super laid back and hardly ever talked.

Petrie

He is the other one of three to appear in all of the movies and has only been voiced by two people. Petrie is a nervous and timid Pteranodon with poor grammar usage used originally for comic relief.

What about you?

Who was your favorite character? How many of them have you seen? Did you ever watch the TV Show?

For more info on Land Before Time, check out their wikia!

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the rss feed or following us on twitter. And don’t forget to give us some love on StumbleUpon! If you think this post could have been better, contact us about writing a guest post!

Photo By hugovk

Number One Songs from Billboard Hot 100

Below are the #1 songs from each year of the 80′s according to the archives of Billboard Hot 100. Even if you were just a baby in the 80′s, I know that you will recognize at least some of these. I’m not necessarily saying these were the “best” because that’s practically impossible; there is a lot of great music from this decade. This is just to give you a taste of some good old songs you might have forgotten. Don’t let the titles of the songs fool you– make sure you actually listen to it (I was skeptical of the list I put together at first). And even if you still don’t remember the songs, there is nothing like a classic 80′s music video!

“Physical” is my favorite music video out of these, but most of the rest are tied for 2nd. Check out how different George Michael looks from “Careless Whisper” to “Faith.” Oh and of course… Prince in a bathtub?!

Which 80′s songs  or music videos were your favorite? Personally I would have to say “Girl’s just want to have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper haha.

1980-Blondie: Call Me

1988- George Michael: Faith

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the rss feed or following us on twitter. And don’t forget to give us some love on StumbleUpon! If you think this post could have been better, contact us about writing a guest post!

Phot By fredseibert

In a mission to save the earth, five “children” (more like young adults) from around the world receive magic rings that when combined they create one of the greatest superheroes of all time: Captain Planet!

Characters

With light blue skin and a green 80s mullet hairdo, Captain Planet was unstoppable when it came to battling the eco-villains that were always coming up with greedy, earth polluting schemes. According to Wikipedia his superpowers include: “Superhuman strength, speed and stamina, flight, invulnerbility, super-breath, telepathy, telekinesis,  shapeshifting, and control over the elements.” He also had a great sense of humor and loved to use puns.

On top of that each ring had its own special power that the “Planeteers” could use before it was truly necessary to call on Captain Planet. The power of Fire belonged to Wheeler (who was super cute) from North America who had fiery red hair and could burn things with his ring. He and Linka were secretly “involved” or at least that is how I always felt. Linka was from the Soviet Union/Former Soviet Union/Russia and had the power of Wind which could blow things away with hurricane force. The power of Earth belonged to Kwame from Africa and could cause earthquakes and landslides. There was also the power of Water which was kind of like a tsunami and blonged to Gi from Asia. My favorite power was Heart because you could read peoples thoughts (or heart). The ring of Heart belonged to Ma-Ti who was from South America and had an adorable little monkey. Then there was also Gaia who was sort of like the brains of the opperation… well really Mother Earth.

Photo From missgeeky.com

But like every superhero, Captain Planet had his weaknesses. Pollution, radiation, and toxic waste all affected his strength and dimmed the power of the rings.  Luckily he could be healed by absorbing natural energy and elements. He was apparently “depowered” three times during the series according to the Wikipedia article on the show. The villains had corny names like “Hoggish Greedly,” “Sly Sludge,” and “Duke Nukem” and no matter how many times Captain Planet foiled their schemes, they were always back raking up muck in the next episode.

History

The show was created in 1990 by Ted Turner as a way to “bridge the gap between educational and entertainment programming.” He envisioned the show to be action packed but more educational than violent. Therefore each episode features some aspect of environmental destruction and calls the viewers to action to be part of the solution. The overall message was that “every individual must respect planet earth and preserve its resources if we are to ensure our survival.“

Childhood Memories

Playing “Captain Planet” was so great as a kid… all you needed was a ring to be a Planeteer and then you could point it at things and imagine the super power coming out of it. Plus it was fun to join rings together and form Captain Planet. My brother was always Fire and I was always Wind; my sister switched around between Water and Heart. At the time I didn’t realize the environmental agenda that was being pushed, I just thought it was a cool show. It did inspire me to tell my parents that we should recycle more, though. I think it’s really neat that this was one of the first things we saw in the “green movement,” and I’m surprised there haven’t been that many other environmentally focused shows since.

Fun Facts

The show also featured well known actors such as Whoopi Goldberg, LeVar Burton, and Meg Ryan. It’s also interesting to note that the theme song came at the end of the show instead of at the beginning. Enjoy the lyrics below!

Did you know you can color in your favorite Captain Planet characters on the official Captain Planet website? To learn more about Captain Planet and environmental responsibilities check out these “Frequently Asked Questions.” Tell us your favorite Captain Planet memory!

Theme Song

Photo From electricityandlust

“EARTH!”
“FIRE!”
“WIND!”
“WATER!”
“HEART!”

“Go Planet!”

“By your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!”

Captain Planet, he’s our hero
Gonna take pollution down to zero
He’s our powers magnified
And he’s fighting on the planet’s side
Captain Planet, he’s our hero
Gonna take pollution down to zero
Gonna help him put asunder
Bad guys who like to loot and plunder

“You’ll pay for this Captain Planet!”

We’re the Planeteers
You can be one too
‘Cause saving our planet is the thing to do!
Looting and polluting is not the way
Hear what Captain Planet has to say!

“The Power is Yours!”

If you enjoyed this post, consider subscribing to the rss feed or following us on twitter. And don’t forget to give us some love on StumbleUpon! If you think this post could have been better, contact us about writing a guest post!

Photo From Ecb.org

Bill! Bill! Bill! Bill!

The only thing better to watch at school than the Magic School Bus was Bill Nye the Science Guy. This quirky scientist was not only funny but made science interesting. The show had 100 episodes covering volcanoes, electricity, humans and more. There were cool experiments, interesting facts, and funny skits that helped students see that “science rules.” And who could keep themselves from singing along to the theme song?

My favorite part of the show was at the end where they would do a music video of a song that correlated with the episode that was a parody of a popular one. The one I will never forget was done to TLC’s Don’t Go Chasing Waterfalls featured at the end of an episode on volcanoes. It even mimics their music video! I highly recommend checking this out and more on YouTube.

By the end of elementary school we all had our own theories as to what happened to our favorite science guy. There was the typical “he overdosed on drugs” or “went to jail” But the truth is… he’s still around! In 2005 he had a PBS series called “The Eyes of Nye” which was more for older people. He has appeared on several TV shows; most recently as the “Ask the Expert” lifeline in Who Want’s to be a Millionaire and host of StuffHappens. So here is to Bill Nye, the man who taught me science!

Craving more? Check out his website: http://www.nyelabs.com/billnye.html