What blockbusters opened this week in 1984?
Most weekends only have room for the opening of one blockbuster film. But the second weekend of June 1984 greeted two of the biggest movies of the decade. “Ghostbusters” and “Gremlins” were immediate smashes upon hitting theaters on June 8, 1984.“Ghostbusters” topped the box office charts with more than $23 million in tickets its first weekend, followed by “Gremlins,” which took in a little more than $20 million. (This was back when...
That song in the commercial: St. Elmo’s Fire
There’s not a single mention — spoken, visual or otherwise — of a cell phone or mobile device during Android’s latest commercial, but you already know what we’re talking about because you know Android’s latest commercial as The One With St. Elmo’s Fire. (You may also know what we’re talking about because you are a fan of rock, paper, scissors) The usage of John Parr’s chart-topping hit in an ingenious marketing campaign is just the...
Happy Birthday, Michael J. Fox
One of the most beloved actors of the ‘80s, Michael J. Fox, turns 55 today. (Here we will pause so that the realization that Alex P. Keaton is now 55 years old can properly sink in) We’d probably be noting Fox’s birthday even if his career peaked with “Family Ties,” the sitcom that flipped the script by casting Fox as the proudly Republican teenaged son of former hippies played by Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter (who, by the way,...
Fads of the ‘80s: Jelly bracelets
A search of Google can reveal the answer to anything. Except, apparently, how many jelly bracelets were sold in the 1980s. Our recent investigation was fruitless, quite possibly because infinity is a number that cannot be measured. While we’re still trying to narrow down the number of jelly bracelets purchased in the 1980s, we were able to confirm one fact with a minimal amount of Internet sleuthing: Jelly bracelets, like myriad other...
Happy Birthday, Bonnie Tyler
One of the most distinctive voices in rock turns 65 today. Bonnie Tyler and her unmistakably raspy delivery had just three top 40 singles in America, but boy did she make them count. Her first hit actually came at the height of disco in 1977, when “It’s a Heartache” hit no. 3 on the singles charts. This is a very 1970s-esque video. Six years later, Tyler produced one of the ‘80s most memorable songs and videos with “Total...
