Freaks and Geeks

source: NBC Universal / Getty Images

As with most cult favorites, I'm late to the party on the 1999-2000 television show "Freaks and Geeks". But honestly, how many of us teens were watching "Freaks and Geeks" the first time around? Weren't we too busy setting ourselves up for later disappointment, watching The WB with its loquacious teen melodramas? Not caring about how teens lived in the oh-so-vintage '80s? How many of us touched NBC, aside from its Must See Thursday nights?

Now that I'm older (and frankly, a little bitter that life did not turn out the way The WB promised it would), I fully appreciate the quality television NBC offers. "Friday Night Lights" was probably one of its greatest gems, and "Freaks and Geeks," while not nearly as serious or earnest as "Friday Night Lights," speaks of high school with the same honesty.

This is a world where romances last two weeks, teens are too self-involved to spend more than half an episode bullying their peers, and kids are just trying to get by. Cindy is a genuinely nice girl, in spite of being a cheerleader. She is equally nice to the geeks, the freaks, and the popular kids. And one of the most balanced adults I've seen on television, guidance counselor Mr. Rosso. (Although some of the guidance counselors at my school were as bad as you hear.)

Most people of my generation seem to think that "Mean Girls" was the pinnacle of what high school was like, but I just can't relate. "Freaks and Geeks" ... that I get. And to think, one of the co-creators was Mr. Poole from "Sabrina the Teenage Witch."

14 Pop Culture-y Things That Turn 10 This Year

source: breatheheavy.com

... just to make you feel old (or just very confused), let's make a list of 14 pop culture-related things that will turn 10 years old in 2014. And ... go!

1. Facebook
And are we any better for it?

2. "Mean Girls"
Which also means that it's been 10 years since Lindsay Lohan was considered an ingenue, a good actress, attractive, and reliable by most. Tell me the truth -- do you still quote this movie?

3. "The College Dropout"

Kanye West releases his debut album and becomes a megastar instantly. Things haven't changed too much.

4. Britney Spears gets married ... twice

Within a span of 12, nay, 10 months, Britney Spears gets married in Vegas, has her marriage annulled, then inexplicably gets married to Kevin Federline.

5. Ashlee Simpson gets caught lip synching on "Saturday Night Live"

... and then does a weird jig. I can't believe that was 10 years ago. I remember watching that live, crammed into an uncomfortable corner of an eerie corner kitchen of my basement dorm hall. I didn't think she deserved all the hate then, and I still don't now.

6. "The Notebook"

And yet, I can't seem to imagine Ryan Gosling or Rachel McAdams a day older than they looked in "The Notebook." And I don't think they do look a day older now. If you're a bird, I'm a bird, right?

7. Paris Hilton's popularity

Ugh, I do not miss the era of celebrity gossip when all that mattered was what stupid thing Paris Hilton, Nicole Richie, Lindsay Lohan, and Mischa Barton had done that week. But do you remember the phrase "That's hot"? And how Paris successfully trademarked it? The rockbottom of pop culture.

8. Massachusetts and same-sex marriage

The state of Massachusetts, then under the watchful eye of future presidential candidate Mitt Romney, became the very first U.S. state to legalize same-sex marriages.

9. "Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County"

The reality show that spawned a new style of "reality" shows made its debut on September 28, 2004 and became arguably bigger than the show from which it drew inspiration: "The O.C."

10. "Nipplegate"

Justin Timberlake "accidentally" exposed 80% of Janet Jackson's star-covered breast at the Super Bowl. The pair consequently begin backpedaling with the lamest PR excuses I've ever heard in my life. I didn't think it was that controversial ten years ago, but now I just think it's plain stupid. Why would you end a song by ripping off a pocket of a woman's shirt to expose a sparkly star-covered boob? Like, what's the point? If it was purely shock they were after, I guess they succeeded. Also: ten years on, and people are still treating Justin Timberlake like he's some sort of demi-legend. Still don't get it.

11. "Napoleon Dynamite"

Now this is something that feels more like it happened 20 years ago, maybe even 30. And that probably makes "Napoleon Dynamite" a classic. Or incredibly dated when it was released.

12. "Friends" ends

Good riddance.

13. The Curse of the Bambino is lifted

The Boston Red Sox beat the New York Yankees to win their first World Series in 86 years. Yeah, I'm New Yorker born and raised, but I still know all about the Bambino. I happened to be living in Boston at the time, and it was madness. Pure madness.

14. The Olsen Twins turned 18

There was a countdown and everything. Sick. Especially since they still look underage, ten years later.

Top Five: "The Hills" moments

"The Hills," sadly, started out as a continuation of the wildly popular "Laguna Beach: The Real O.C." but overstayed its welcome and went down in history books as a huge joke, a joke that its producers were happy to share the punchline to. In the past few weeks, I did two "Laguna Beach: The Real O.C." posts, a top five moments entry for each of the first two seasons of the show (season one, season two). For "The Hills," though, I'm going to do just one because as the seasons wore on, each episode seemed to revolve around the same recycled drama, just with prettier clothes and more plastic noses.

Unfortunately, none of the full episodes of "The Hills" currently work on MTV.com, but I managed to find a pretty good compilation via PopSugar's YouTube page.

5. Elodie vs. Heidi
(Season 3, Episode 7)
Oh, the satisfaction I felt when Elodie showed Heidi what's up after Heidi went behind Elodie's back to get a promotion. On Elodie's last day, Heidi asked her to take over her late night nightclub shift so she could spend time with Spencer ... and Elodie agreed to it, all the while not telling Heidi she'd already quit. I almost forgot Elodie existed, but she made for some great, great television that night.

4. Jason vs. Paris
(Season 1, Episode 10; 0:16 in the video above)
When the final episode of the first season of "The Hills" aired, I was well into my college years, a world backpacker, and a seasoned intern. And I knew that you should never, ever pass up an opportunity to go to Europe ... especially not for a boyfriend. Especially not if your boyfriend is Jason Wahler. Need I say more?

3. Audrina vs. Lo
(Season 4, Episode 1)
Let me just start by saying that I never liked Lo. I especially did not like Lo when she was "Laguna Beach's resident Paris Hilton," and though she seemed to become less shallow during and after her college years, she was no more engaging as a character. That said, I thought the season-long riff between Lo and Audrina was mildly entertaining, with the "drama" playing out in the very best representation of a passive aggressive confrontation between two girls ever captured on film, maybe. "I know, but ..." "I hear you, but ..." You hear nothing, Lo. You hear nothing.

2. Lauren vs. Audrina
(Season 4, Episode 5; 0:57 in the video above)
The penultimate moment of "The Hills." Cheeks streaked with mascara-stained tears, Lauren -- with her croaky day-after-Les-Deux voice -- confronts Audrina about the tension that's built up between the three roommates. The other most memorable dramatic moment has got to be the "I want to forgive you, and I want to forget you" speech Lauren gives to Heidi.

1. Whitney Port vs. Overly Dramatic Reality Television
On "The Hills," Whitney Port played a minor, supporting role to the show's main girl, Lauren. Because we got to see so little of Whitney on "The Hills," she was always entertaining, always wise, always a little mysterious. Unfortunately, those illusions vanished into thin air when Whitney signed on to do two seasons of "The City," but while she was on "The Hills," I have to say, she was the greatest entertainment of all -- a voice of reason and humor. Let these GIFs demonstrate my point.

"A date!?"
source: gabeswebsite.com

source: heresgifsforyou.tumblr.com

tumblr.com

tumblr.com

source: giphy.com

Yes.

Top Five: "Laguna Beach" Season Two moments

source: MTV.com

I'm back with the second installment of "Laguna Beach" moments. In my first post, I ruminated on my favorite moments of the first season of "Laguna Beach: The Real O.C.," which, in retrospect, seemed an altogether more wholesome and earnest endeavor. All this went down the drain in the show's second season, when MTV realized it had found its sweet spot in what teenagers really wanted to see -- and that was drama, drama, drama.

Bad Girl Kristin Cavallari took over as protagonist and main narrator in the reality show's second season, and in my opinion, that was probably among the smartest moves MTV made between 2004 and now. Aside from riding on the not-so-well-intentioned coattails of "Teen Mom"'s success. Team Kristin or not, I honestly don't think "The Hills" and all its successors would have come to be if Kristin hadn't taken over Lauren Conrad's role in the second season.

That said, my top five favorite moments of the second season of "Laguna Beach" won't be as heartfelt or sappy as my top five from the first season. They'll be more ridiculous, over-the-top, and maybe even ironic. The second season brought along the likes of the paradoxically dull Bad Boy Jason Wahler, tough girl Alex Murrel, doll-faced Taylor Cole, the insufferable Casey Reinhardt, and more screen time for Talan Torriero and Kristin's BFFs, Alex Hooser and the ever-lovable Jessica Smith.

Without further ado, here are my top five favorite moments ...

5. Episode 10 - 10:00
Casey decides she wants to talk with Alex M. about the alleged rumors she's spread about Alex's "hygiene problem." Things escalate when Casey calls Alex "an evil person" and Alex shuts down all talks.

Bonus moment from the same episode, at 1:02, when Kristin advises Alex H. that the way to get all the guys is to be a bitch.

4. Episode 7 - 7:30
Jason takes Alex M. out on their first on-screen date, and Alex whispers sweet nothings like "I like your face" to him over a romantic surf 'n turf dinner. Plus, it's fun to see both the awkwardness and sweetness of the early stages of a relationship. Even if that relationship only lasts two episodes.

3. Episode 14 - 12:45
Okay, so I had to stuff a little mush into this list, because otherwise, I'd be admitting that "Laguna Beach" is completely void of substance. Is it just me or does the LBHS valedictorian have a Jersey accent? Anyway, I actually teared up when I watched the little Laguna Beach High School seniors graduate. The Chantal Kreviazuk song didn't help.

2. Episode 4 - 9:15
JP, recurring background character, makes his second appearance on "Laguna Beach" here. He is undoubtedly the hottest member of the Laguna Beach community we've been introduced to -- I don't care how good-looking you think Jason or Stephen are. JP has got that skater boy laidback-ness to him, and in a minute's time scales the distance between Men from Mars and Women from Venus. It's always fun to hear a man's (or boy, in this case) perspective on why women do what they do.

Bonus moment from earlier in this episode, at 7:40: we see Kristin and Talan at dinner, alone together. It's clear that Kristin has some feelings for him, though it's unclear just how deep those feelings are. It's just nice to see Kristin kind of disarmed, and "giddy" in her detached, Kristin Cavallari way.

1. Episode 11 - 6:30
There are two reasons I love this clip so, so much. One, Jessica is happy for once in her freaking life. Two, Kristin is finally drunk enough to have let go of her inhibitions, and it's really refreshing. Not that I'm condoning underage drinking or anything, but it's rare that we see Kristin without some sort of front. I love the bonding being achieved here by Jessica and Kristin. Too bad it lasts for only about, oh, half a scene. Followed by unmatchable humor, courtesy of Alex H. Fiiiiiiestaaaaaaa!

source: MTV.com

Seth Cohen, is that you?

Two-and-a-half years ago, I made this blog post about how much One Direction's Harry Styles reminded me of The O.C.'s Seth Cohen. Or Adam Brody. Not that it really matters, because we all know they're the same person.

Over the past three years, Harry Styles has grown out of his borderline awkwardness and become somewhat of a stud, so Seth Cohen moments have been few and far between. But I caught a glimmer of the Seth Cohen that lies within him last week, at the London premiere of One Direction's new documentary "This Is Us."

I mean ... it's not spot on, because let's face it -- Seth Cohen would never be caught dead looking that disheveled -- but isn't it truly Seth Cohen-esque? The essence of Seth Cohen is captured here.

And as much as I enjoyed The O.C. back in the day, it hasn't been a show that I've revisited since it went off the air, like I've done with Gilmore Girls and coughLagunaBeachcough. So let me remind you of what Mr. Seth Cohen was like.

source: PerezHilton.com (wince)

source: craving-bliss.tumblr.com

And Harry in his "younger years" was the spitting image ...

source: Original source unknown

But we know how this story ends. Seth Cohens grow up to date not-so-girls next door like Rachel Bilson and Leighton Meester, stomping out every girl's dream of dating a cute nerdy boy. 

I guess they just don't exist.

The Hills: An alternate ending

The original cast of "The Hills," with their original faces and bodies (for the most part) in 2006.
source: MTV.com

Last week, MTV released an alternate ending to reality series "The Hills," which ended its run in 2010. For all the talk and mocking of "The Hills," it seems kind of lost on the general population that it started out as a somewhat humble little "reality" show in fall 2004 that, in itself, was a response to the popularity of the television show "The O.C."

I loyally watched pretty much every episode of "The Hills" because I'd loved "Laguna Beach" so much, and not because I always enjoyed it. When Kristin Cavallari joined the cast, I cheered because I'd always been "Team Kristin," never "Team Lauren." Sure, she was more dramatic and perhaps arrogant, but she also stood up for herself and didn't take crap from anyone.

Anyway, the "Hills" ending that aired in 2010 showed Kristin seemingly on her way to the airport, headed for Europe. An acoustic version of the show's theme song, "Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield, plays somberly in the background. Kristin looks out the window of her cab towards her proverbial future as Lauren had once done in her flashy convertible, driving up the 101 from Laguna Beach, California to Los Angeles. And as Kristin had herself done in 2005, when she drove up the same route a year after Lauren, to begin college in Los Angeles.

We are then shown each of the cast members looking contemplative, juxtaposed against old footage of themselves. As the scene returns to Brody Jenner, the Hollywood sign behind him begins to move and is removed from the frame, and the camera pans out to reveal a soundstage, lights, production crew.

The alternate ending has an appendix to the original ending: that of Brody returning to his apartment to find Lauren Conrad nonchalantly waiting for him on his couch. We are meant to believe that they are together, and that Brody is still hiding something from Lauren when he refers to Kristin as "a friend." After a short, stilted exchange and dramatic glances into nothingness (a "Laguna Beach/Hills" trademark), Brody smiles at Lauren and she breaks into a wicked grin.

Lauren wins. She's always been a step ahead of Kristin, paving the path for her as far as MTV reality shows are concerned. But this time, she finally gets the guy, too. It's not Stephen Colletti, but Brody Jenner's not a bad alternative.

I don't know, guys. What do you think of the alternate ending? Which do you like better? Do you think Lauren should've taken the "high road" and stayed out of the finale altogether, or do you think it was cheeky of her to return for the last scene and, effectively, "win" the Lauren vs. Kristin battle?

What I will say, though, is that I really loved the flashbacks to the earlier seasons, and particularly to the first two seasons of "Laguna Beach." We've all come a long way, and for some of the cast members, it was apparent through all the facial and bodily augmentations. There was a time when they were young, brash and somewhat innocent, and there was a time when there was probably some truth to the words that came out of their mouths.

"The Hills" as it ended, with two original cast members, in 2010.
source: MTV.com

Top Ten List: Disney Channel Original Movies

source: The Walt Disney Company
via Wikipedia

So the Disney Channel will be premiering a new Disney Channel Original Movie this Friday called "Teen Beach Movie," and I have to say I'm pretty excited about it. It must be the maternal/family cues kicking in, because it's been a minute since I've watched or even really thought about any of those Original Movies. (Can you believe it's been 7 years since the "High School Musical" phenomenon took off?) The Disney Channel, in the late '90s and early '00s, used to produce about 7 of these movies during the year, but that number's since dropped to about 4 a year.

So, as a child of the '90s, I'm here to dredge up some of your best childhood memories ... let's get started, shall we?

10. Princess Protection Program (2009)
Okay, so maybe it hasn't been so long since I last saw a Disney Channel Original Movie. I was well into my 20s when I saw this, but I thought it was the sweetest little movie I'd seen in a long time. The movie's basically about an endangered princess (Demi Lovato) who needs to masquerade as a normal American teenager, so she takes up residence with a normal American teenager (Selena Gomez), and they become close before the entire plan is foiled. This was back when Selena Gomez and Demi Lovato were still the best of friends, and you could really see their chemistry on screen.

9. Wish Upon A Star (1996)
Once upon a time, I had ambitions of growing up a girly girl. Those ambitions died sometime between middle and high school, but wow, did I want Katherine Heigl's wardrobe from "Wish Upon A Star." This is your typical "Freaky Friday" kind of story, in which two sisters who just can't seem to get along somehow swap bodies and learn to love one another again. You know the drill. There are some shockingly provocative scenes, considering it's a Disney movie, like the scene when Danielle Harris' character Hayley's body is being inhabited by her sister Alexa, who wants to ruin Hayley's reputation and turns up to school in a borderline S&M-type outfit. It's brainless, it's pretty, and it's got a sweet ending -- what else do you need?

8. Smart House (1999)
Oh, Disney and its visions for the future. "Smart House" is a movie about a family who wins a "smart house" named Pat which has a bunch of really advanced built-in functions, like being able to whip up whatever you want to eat within seconds. As all things technological do, Pat eventually begins to get out of hand and traps the family inside. But not before everyone learns to love one another, natch.

7. Brink! (1997)
Classic Disney. This was the fourth movie Disney made under the "Disney Channel Original Movie" title, and the one that started the obsession for me. Oh, Erik von Detten, with that oh-so-cool skater look that was so popular during the time ... that luscious dirty blond hair ... Anyway, the movie is about a group of friends who call themselves "Soul Skaters" and skate for fun, and their "rivals," a semi-professional (a.k.a. corporate sponsored) team called "Team X-Bladz," led by evil Val. After Andy Brink (Erik von Detten)'s father loses his job, he decides to pick up some extra dough by sneakily joining Team X-Bladz without telling the Soul Skaters. As you can imagine, this story has a happy ending, but not before friends feel betrayed and "bad guy" Val makes you shudder and want to punch him in the face.

6. High School Musical 2 (2007)
This was the quirkiest, most self-aware Disney Channel Original Movie I've ever laid my eyes on. Where the first "High School Musical" movie faltered in its inability to decide whether it wanted to be serious or camp, the sequel soared. Bright colors, coordinated dance moves, catchy tunes, puppy love, a sinister subplot, summertime, Zac Efron's overacting, veiled homoeroticism, no real adult supervision ... yeah, you've got the elements of a great made-for-TV movie.

5. Stepsister From Planet Weird (2000)
I'll bet this is an oft forgotten Original Movie. I watched this movie over and over back in the day ... I couldn't get enough of the improbability of it all, of the rainbow colors, and the quirky eccentricity. The story goes: Mom invites eccentric Cosmo Cola and his daughter Ariel (Tamara Hope) to move in with her and her kids, Megan (Courtnee Draper) and little brother Trevor. The more Megan gets to know Ariel, the weirder Ariel seems ... until she discovers that her new stepsister and stepfather are actually aliens hiding from their kind. The dialogue in this film, particularly Ariel's, stood out to me as kind of forward-thinking and really different.

4. Rip Girls (2000)
Oh, Camilla Belle, this was the only time I ever liked you. Little Camilla Belle played a girl (Sydney) who is visiting her deceased mother's homeland of Hawaii. She's inherited a plot of land that a hotel chain wants to commercialize. But as Sydney gets to know the locals, she becomes torn between selling the land to the hotel chain and preserving it for the locals. This movie aired a year after I'd first visited Hawaii, and it instilled in me an even greater desire to learn how to surf (which I attempted 5 years later). And although Camilla's Sydney seems kind of feeble, the movie has an overall message of girl power that I really appreciated at the time.

 

(unfortunately not in English)

3. Genius (1999)
I saw this movie on TV about a year ago and had to clear my schedule for it. I thought "Genius" was smart and funny, and like most Disney movies, had a lot of heart. Charlie (Trevor Morgan) is a hockey-loving preteen physics genius who's enrolled at college, but decides to go undercover as a slacker at the local junior high after falling for Claire (a young and equally insufferable Emmy Rossum). Claire eventually uncovers his secret and helps Charlie develop his particle accelerator and put it to "good use" during a hockey game. Sounds boring, but it's cuter and sweeter than that.

 

2. Tru Confessions (2002)
This movie was among the best Disney's ever created, and would be in the number one spot if the number one movie hadn't begun a craze that us 20-something girls are still nostalgic for to this day. "Tru Confessions" is, again, about two siblings who can't seem to get along ... except this time, it's because one of them has a developmental disability. Tru (Clara Bryant) decides to enter a video-making contest and decides to focus her video on her developmentally disabled twin brother, Eddie (Shia LaBeouf). This movie made me laugh, it made me cry ... and it produced some of the best acting I've seen in a Disney Channel Original Movie. This was the movie that convinced me Shia LaBeouf's career would be one worth following in years to come.

 

1. Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century (1998)
If you haven't already guessed, "Zenon" is my number one choice for best Disney Channel Original Movie. It spawned a bit of a phenomenon (2 follow-up movies and a slew of teenage girls using "futuristic" vocabulary, like "zetus lapetus") that was a precursor to the "High School Musical" craze. Zenon (Kirsten Storms) is sent to Earth after having misbehaved on an orbiting space station in the year 2049. Before landing on Earth, Zenon had won a contest to see her favorite rock band, Proto Zoa, and she wants nothing more than to get back to the space station in time to see them live. As she adjusts to life as a teenager on Earth, she discovers that a space station investor is plotting to more-or-less destroy the station, and rounds up her space and Earth friends (including a very young Gregory Smith and Raven Simone) to help her stop the plot and save the station in time for the Proto Zoa concert. Easy peasy. Girl power at its best, especially when you've got a 13-year-old at the helm! So captivating is the storyline (and ensuing romance) that I didn't even mind the "futuristic" spandex outfits in bright colors more suited to the early '90s than 2049. But you never know what'll come back into fashion ... zoom zoom zoom, you make my heart go boom boom.

 

Maybe Kevin does make a difference after all. #BSB

source: Backstreet Boys' Facebook page

So the Backstreet Boys made an appearance on "Good Morning America" this morning, and it was all marketed as "the guys are back!" Yeah, only for like the 14th time on broadcast television in the past 3 or 4 years. C'mon now.

Anyway. I haven't been the biggest BSB supporter over the past 5 years, I've gotta admit. The last album of theirs I thoroughly enjoyed was "Incomplete," which was released in 2005. Their sound changed ... oddly (or not-so-oddly) enough, after Kevin left the group, and their music began leaning towards electronic, dance pop music, which I felt was a) totally not their style, b) totally not their forte, c) totally not suited to their voices ... just imagining Brian singing dance music right now is giving me the heebie jeebies.

So I don't know what the rest of their new album "In A World Like This" (releasing July 30th) is going to sound like, but if the song they performed on "Good Morning America" this morning is any indication, maybe I can think "Backstreet's back, alright!" without wanting to slap myself. It's not so much that they're BACK, but it seems like they've found their sweet spot again.

"Permanent Stain" doesn't quite sound like anything they've done before, but it still sounds like them. A grown-up version of them, without sounding stuffy. It has an anthem-y feel to it without seeming like they're trying to imitate any of the actual teenaged boy bands out there today. Actually, it sounds kind of Coldplay/U2-ish to me, which is more than a long-time BSB fan (or at least this one) could hope for! And they are still ON POINT with their vocal harmonies! And dare I say it -- their dance moves are still sharp! (This is coming from a girl who thinks it's peculiar when middle-aged men dance for a bunch of girls/women.)

Of course, the Boys ended their GMA appearance with a performance of "Everybody (Backstreet's Back)," complete with those 15-year-old dance moves and everything. I love nothing more than early BSB, but that's a song I wish they would retire already.

Because Backstreet's not back ... it's never gone away.

[Bonus points if you caught the unintentional pun in there.]

Ghostwriter ... what a trip.

source: Wikimedia Commons

Gaby, Lenni, Jamal, Casey, Hector, Alex, Tina. Grandma Jenkins, and of course, Ghostwriter. Do these names ring a bell? I considered myself a member of the Ghostwriter Team, and it was one of my favorite shows growing up. I had a crush on Alex Hernandez (played by David Lopez), and I wanted Tina and Alex to get together sooooo badly. And even though Alex always had a thang for Tina, I wanted to be Lenni, with her awesome singer-songwriterliness. That music video episode? Probably the coolest thing I'd seen in my 8-or-so years at the time, and likely the reason I became so insatiably obsessed with music and the music industry.

Sigh.

I remember the later episodes/seasons far better than the earlier ones, partially because my local PBS station relished in the show's popularity towards its end, and I think I watched all 5 replays of the "Attack of the Slime Monster" episodes with faux-Gaby. (Why'd you leave us, Mayteana Morales, why?) I owned at least one Ghostwriter paperback novel, had a casebook that looked suspiciously identical to Tina's, and had my very own black Paper Mate Flair pen on a string around my neck. Yes, I was that dorky, and yes, I probably really thought I was "on the case" with the rest of the child actors. I thought Jamal's multicolored, threaded backpack in the London episodes was the coolest thing next to whatever Clarissa Darling was sporting at the time. I also thought Fulton Street was where I had to be, and tried to get my parents to make a detour there every time we left the city on vacation.

Looking back, I'm really impressed with the show, its ability to pull big-name actors, and most importantly, its ability to educate without being stuffy, pedantic or condescending. Bravo, Ghostwriter.

"You gotta believe and reach for the sky / you gotta believe, let your spirit soar high ..."

I'm not gonna lie. 1993 still seems cool to me.