By Janessa Berlanga My long-time, off-again-on-again love affair with all things Japan started humbly enough: with an after school segment on Cartoon Network from the 1990's. That`s right, my lovelies, it`s time for another installment of *insert flashing lights, dancing anime characters, and confetti* THROWBACK THURSDAY!!
Back in the late 90's Cartoon Network launched this three hour block of cartoons called Toonami, and with it, I was launched into the world of Japanese anime. I didn’t watch the full three hours because homework, but three shows in particular will always hold a super special place in my heart. 3. Dragonball Z
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By Christie Gleason If you were to ask me, "Christie, what on this Earth do you love more than anything?" My family and friends, my dog, and Mariska Hargitay aside, I would say THE SPICE GIRLS. Easiest answer ever. Now, to some people, the Spice Girls are an irrelevant blip on the radar of pop music's past. To those people I say: you're wrong, you're tacky, and I hate you. (Just kidding...kind of. I don't know what kind of person you are if you don't love the Spice Girls.) To those same people, I also remind you that the Spice Girls changed pop music forever and were feminist icons in the 90's. They also had the funnest music ever, so you should just embrace it. This might sound silly to you, but I credit the Spice Girls (and my parents) with instilling in me the self-confidence I always had. As a young girl, I believed I could do anything, including calling a boy a "sexist pig" when he said I couldn't play basketball with the boys because I was a girl. I don't know how fifth grade Christie knew those words, but I did not hesitate to use them. Maybe it's because as an 8-year-old I spent my time throwing up the deuces and saying "Girl Power!" in a British accent. (My British accent is now flawless in my adult life, thanks to years of practicing as Baby Spice being interviewed by Carson Daly on TRL.) As a child, I didn't fully grasp the meaning of the "Girl Power" splashed across my tee-shirt but as I watched my idols repeat it time and time again, parts of it began to sink in. Girls are powerful. I have worth and value. I'm going to be somebody. I can do anything I want to do. Those messages from my parents and the women I idolized meant more to me as a little girl than almost anything else.
By Christie Gleason Back in the 90's, shows like All That and The Amanda Show were staples for a kid's prime time entertainment. I have always been a fan of Amanda Bynes, from her Nickelodeon days to What a Girl Wants (a classic film) to She's the Man and Easy A. I think she's a talented comedic actress and it saddens me that she's been having such a hard time in her personal life. (Still rooting for you, girl!) With that being said, I scoured the 'net for some of my favorite Amanda Show skits. I was chuckling as I watched them, so I hope they bring back some memories for you too! We'll start with "Courtney", a family favorite at the Gleason house. (I apologize for the low quality video!) You'll see a young Josh Peck as well! ANGELS. By Amanda Paschal Every Thursday, we’d like to pause and take a moment to remember one of the finer moments in pop culture’s past... The best weeknights were spent with Lizzie McGuire, That’s So Raven, and Even Stevens. Am I right? Thank you, Disney Channel.
Now onto a few of the best moments of That's So Raven. It's totally worth watching...I literally laughed out loud! By Jesse Powell My favorite sitcom is Friends. I didn't even start following the show until it was in its final season but by that point I had seen so many re-runs that I knew what was up. I didn't need to see every episode or even every season to know that Rachel and Ross were each other's lobsters.
I laughed so hard watching Friends that there were times I paused it just to keep from missing parts. I'm so glad I got to binge watch ten seasons instead of waiting for TEN YEARS to find out what happened. How did people do it? The 90s seem so long ago. I even had to binge watch it in what would now be considered an archaic way, I'm sure. I had all ten seasons in one collector's box and I took it with me every time I traveled for three years until it was destroyed by a dog who will not be named. (Charlie, you smelly scoundrel. I love you though.) I watched it on my laptop which I of course had to charge on every (re: nearly zero) available plug in the airport. By Christie Gleason It's that time again: THROWBACK THURSDAY!!!!!!!!! If you’re like me, you see the name ‘JoJo’s Bouncing Boneheads’ and you’re like, “What in the actual hell is a bouncing bonehead?” Fear not, dear reader, all will be revealed in time. For this Throwback Thursday, we’re throwing it waaay back to the year 1998 when baby Christie was in the fourth grade…
By Christie Gleason If you're in your mid-twenties like me, you grew up in the age of girl groups and boy bands. (Thank God!) As a child, I typically only had eyes for my life-long heroes, the Spice Girls (more on them in a future TBT), but would occasionally give other music a chance. When I first heard the sugary-sweet pop confection that is "C'est La Vie" by Irish girl group B*Witched, my 9-year-old self loved it. It had all the makings of a horrible pop song that only a child could love, and I was that child. However, even though I enjoyed "C'est La Vie", I couldn't help but compare B*Witched to my beloved Spice Girls. I thought to myself, 'Hm...They're Irish, which is kinda like British...I think.' 'It's much easier to find four people to play B*Witched than it is to find five to play Spice Girls.' 'I have so many ideas for a choreographed dance to this song...'
While my B*Witched phase was very short-lived, I decided to honor them for the first piece of our series Pop Culture Throwback Thursday. I just watched this music video for the first time in over 10 years and WOW, do I have a lot of thoughts. |
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