MTV’s Origins in the 80s
On August 1, 1981, something happened to cable television – something that would define pop culture, change generations, and shape an industry. That something had a name. The name was MTV. It launched at 12:01 in the morning, ushered in by John Lack (then the Executive Vice President of Warner-Amex Satellite Entertainment) saying, “Ladies and gentlemen, rock and roll.” And so it began. Prior to 1981, MTV didn’t...
Top 5 80s Summer Fashions
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here! Back again with the Top 5 Countdown. This time it is Top 5 80s Summer Fashions. As Buster Poindexter would say, it’s “Hot, Hot, Hot!” and so are these summertime fashion trends. 5. Members Only Jackets Yes, I know these aren’t too summer-ish. But hey, sometimes there are cool summer nights, and if the night chill gives you the need to be ill, you can slip on the M.O. You know how you...
Top 5 Summer Movies of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman With summer coming up, what better way to celebrate than to crank out a top 5 of 80s Summer Themed Movies? So oil up baby, this is gonna burn you up! 5. Dirty Dancing Okay, so I’m a dude, and am putting my manhood on the line here, but the “Double D” was an 80s staple, and the summer vacation that Baby took up to Kellerman’s was indeed memorable. It’s the same old story of “Boy Meets Girl,”...
Top 5 “Oh I almost forgot about those” of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here – back after a long hiatus and ready to rock and roll with my latest Top 5 countdown. This time around we have the Top 5 “Oh I almost forgot about those” of the 80s. Enjoy! 5. Choose Your Own Adventure Books It’s a book. No- it’s a game. No- it’s a Game Book! A vast array of titles in the series covered the scary, the funny and the always mysterious paths of perplexity, as...
Top 5 Things that Never Should Have Existed in the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here. Back with my weekly top 5. This week’s top 5 is “Top 5 Things that Never Should Have Existed in the 80s.” 5. I Want Your Sex (sung by George Michael) Seemingly, in trying to sex up his image and forget the more delicate Wham days of “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go,” George Michael penned this crap-sterpiece, probably in about 4 minutes. George! You are so much better than this!...
Top 5 80s Game Shows
By Ryan Zimmerman Hi all! Ryan here with my top 5. This week’s top 5 is Top 5 80s Game Shows. Now, I know that Wheel of Fortune, Price is Right, etc were big in the 80s, but in my countdown, I am trying to stick with those that aren’t still thriving and really took off back in the 80s. Enjoy! 5. Remote Control Back when MTV showed actual music Videos, Remote Control rocked the MTV world. Ken Ober hosted and Kari...
Top 5 Cartoons of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here, and back with an all new Top 5 this week: 5. He-Man: Masters of the Universe He-Man was THE Man (say “THE” with the long “e” . . . sounds way cooler). He had the power of Grayskull and used his HE-roics to take on Skeletor and his evil empire. When he wasn’t roided up, he was just Adam–boring old Adam. At least Adam wore pants, and not a He-Mana Hammock, but I digress. He also had a twin...
80s Slang: It’s, like, totally bitchin’
Like, Ok. So, this is like a study in 80s slang. I mean, like, the way people talked in the 80s – like, the phrases they used. Ya know? It all started in Cali – I mean, doesn’t everything? In the Valley – the San Fernando Valley, where, like the girls talked a certain way, ya know? Valley Girls. Seriously, what defined 80s slang? What phrases mark the uniquely 80s way of speaking? This was an era long before emoticons and text-speak –...
Top 5 Candy from the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Back again with this week’s countdown. . . . This week: Top 5 Candy of the 80s. This list was actually tough to narrow down to just 5; there are just so many candies out there that were memorable from the 80s. Keep in mind that not all of these candies were created in the 80s, but they all had a large presence on TV and in the mouths of all of us 80s survivors. 5. Big League Chew Bubble Gum Hey Kids! Wanna be like...
Top 5 Underrated Movies of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here . . . back with my weekly Top 5 . . . This week “Top 5 Underrated Movies of the 80s.” These are those movies that may not stand out amongst the most popular, but are great nonetheless. 5. The Monster Squad The Monster Squad taught us all about legendary creatures of the night. Mummies are old and dusty. Vampires have accents. “Wolfman has nards.” A group of youngsters, known as “The Monster Squad” are...
Top 5 Kid Shows of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Ryan here . . . back with my weekly Top 5 . . . This week “Top Kid Shows of the 80s.” These shows had you glued to the tube in 80s. 5. Double Dare (1986-1993) I’ll take the physical challenge! Nickelodeon broke out the dares and the debauchery known as Double Dare back in the 80s. Teams would battle back and forth on trivia questions and inevitably, physical challenges . . . hilarity would then ensue. The...
Top 5 Movie Babes of the 80s
By Ryan Zimmerman Hey, it’s Ryan — and I am back again with my weekly countdown. This week’s countdown is: Top 5 Movie Babes of the 80s. These bodacious babes sizzled on the big screen. 5. Amanda Peterson as Cindy Mancini Can’t Buy Me Love : Donned in her all white, fringe, suede jacket, Cindy made a “Man”-cini out of teen boys across the country. Captain of the cheerleaders, She Rah-Rah’d for Ronald Miller (after he paid her)...
Smell the 80s: Trend’s Scratch ‘n Sniff Stickers
It was a good day in the 5th grade when my homework was returned with a sticker on it. It would not be any regular ole sticker; those were the days of the scratch and sniff stickers. Would I get the pizza one telling me my work was “Hot Stuff,” the strawberry sticker declaring that it was “Berry Good,” or maybe even the ice cream cone that was so sweet smelling and reassuring with its “Scooper...
80s Parachute Pants
If I say the word “parachute,” what’s the first thing that comes to your mind? If you were born in the 90s, you probably think of a device that’s used when jumping out of a plane; if you are a Fortune 500 exec, you probably think of your retirement or severance benefits; however, if you grew up in the eighties, the word “parachute” is more likely bring parachute pants to mind (or those crazy games we played in PE with a big parachute,...
