Guide to 90's Television

So this is it, I've made it through to the end of my look back at 90's culture, I've looked the the films and the music that made the decade now I'm turning my attention to the television shows that did the same.

The 80's and 90's signaled a boom in both Sky and cable services in the UK and now we had more choice than ever when it came to sitting down in front of TV, but what was actually worth watching? Well there was,

Comedy

The 90's were the decade that gave us two juggernaut comedies that laid the foundations for all comedy shows in the future; massive ratings winners - check, massive pay days for their stars - check, phrases that will forever enter the cultural lexicon - check, of course I'm talking about Friends and Seinfeld. Two shows about a group of friends that couldn't be more different from each other if they tried, yet both were so hugely popular you couldn't move without bumping into a fan, a piece of merchandise or a puffy shirt. They were also both really fantastic, funny, well written and well acted shows and both ended while they were still wildly popular (something some other shows could take heed from). Today you can find both shows constantly being re-run, keeping old fans happy and finding a whole new generation to appeal to.

It wasn't just our friends that were keeping us laughing though, family life also raised a chuckle or two with one lady in particular owning the airwaves. Roseanne began in the 1980's but the show' popularity peaked in the 90's, making a household name and superstar of its namesake. It also broke down the barriers of class and sexuality, representing the working class families of America as well as being one of the first prime time shows to screen a same sex kiss and have a character who was out and proud, a feat only topped a few years later by Ellen Degeneres when she came out not only as her autobiographical character on the show but in real life.

By the late 90's a new breed of comedy was beginning to emerge. HBO had laid successful ground in being the independent voice in a sea of network television in the US market, but it was the launch of Sex and the City, a comedy/drama that was aimed squarely at a female audience that really got people talking. Funny and racey the show raised questions about relationships, love and sex that any other network would have run a mile from. 

Best Comedy Shows of the 90's

Friends

Seinfeld

Sex and the City

Absolutely Fabulous 

Mad About You

Will & Grace

Ellen

3rd Rock from the Sun

Step by Step

Frasier

Caroline in the City

Teen Comedy 

While the 90's will be remembered from the main network comedies, teen comedy was doing a roaring trade in the background. The granddaddy of them all was Saved by the Bell, the format of which was copied over and over again by NBC with varying success - California Dreams = good, Hang Time/USA High = not so much. 

We were also introduced to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air a little known rapper called Will Smith who would soon become one of the biggest stars in the world. Rumor has it he only signed on as he had a big tax bill to pay, possibly the only time the US Tax Dept. has ever given anything useful back to the public. Then much like his big brother before him, Ben Savage grew up in front of our eyes in Boy Meets World, which was and still is one of my all time favourite shows. It was doofy, funny but heartfelt and somewhat honest in its portrayal of growing up and the fact that many years later it has spawned a successful spin off show, Girl Meets World, proves that it must have got something right in the first place. 

The final year of the decade also gave us one of the finest shows to grace our screens, Freaks and Geeks, which not only was a launching pad for stars such as Seth Rogen, James Franco and Jason Segel but was also a truly funny and honest look at being the outsider in High School. While in it's lead, Lindsey Weir, the voice of a million teenage girls was finally represented. 

Best Teen Comedy Shows of the 90's

Boy Meets World

Saved By The Bell

Freaks and Geeks

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Sabrina The Teenage Witch

Home Improvement

California Dreams

Blossom

Sister, Sister

Dinosaurs 

Supernatural/Sci-Fi Drama & Comedy

If there was anything to be thankful to the decade for, it was the introduction of Supernatural/Sci-Fi Drama to the small screen. There had always been the likes of Star Trek to entertain the masses, and the popularity of Star Trek: The Next Generation was probably a great help in getting some of these shows developed and produced. From Sam Beckett leaping through time in Quantum Leap to the Crypt Keeper telling scary stories or the guys over at Mystery Science Theater 3000 making fun of it all, there was plenty for every one to enjoy.

Twin Peaks took a look at the darker side of it all. Starting off as a murder mystery, we were all soon to discover that the small Washington town was home to more than just a run of the mill murder. As cult TV shows go you will probably not find any better than this peak into the mind of David Lynch. 

The biggest supernatural show of the decade had to be however The X-Files. Following agents Mulder and Scully as they made their way through weird and wonderful cases, the believer and the skeptic had one of the greatest will they/won't they relationships on television. 

Then there was Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a hugely successful show that was a spin-off of a not so successful movie. Vampires, high school drama, monsters, witches, kick-ass ladies, it had it all and then some, a huge hit for the fledgling WB network, it would lay the ground work for future supernatural TV series well into the new millennium. 

Best Supernatural/Sci-Fi Drama & Comedy Shows of the 90's

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

The X-Files

Twin Peaks

Picket Fences

The Outer Limits

Eerie Indiana

Highlander

The New Adventures of Superman

Quantum Leap

Tales from the Crypt

Mystery Science Theater 3000

Rosewell

Teen Drama

This past week I have written quite a bit about Teen Drama for Den of Geek and you can find that right here, - http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/my-so-called-life/31837/how-my-so-called-life-changed-teen-drama

The 90's was when Teen Drama was really created as a genre, starting with the glitzy Beverly Hills 90210 and moving into the more realistic with the superb My So-Called Life. By the Mid-90's it had taken off so much that The WB was created just to cater for the growing market with its flagship show, Dawson's Creek becoming the poster child for the genre.

Best Teen Drama Shows of the 90's

Beverly Hills 90210

Dawson's Creek

My So-Called Life

Party of Five

Doogie Howser M.D.

Nickelodeon 

If there was one television network that had its glory days in the 90's it was sure to have been Nickelodeon. Not only did cater for kids with shows that spoke their language and didn't condescend, it also made really great programmes that appealed to the wider audience to boot.

They made off the wall comedy shows, scary shows, kid friendly but slightly subversive animation and made the act of sliming major Hollywood stars the norm. Their output was proof that kid's can be some of the most savvy consumers out there, each show had strong, relatable characters, strong story lines which were well written and well acted. They didn't skimp on their budgets and left a legacy of work that most working in the industry now would be enviable of. I think it is sad that kids TV today doesn't take half as many risks as it did back in the 90's, but thankfully due to the majority of shows getting DVD release, we can at least look back to the glory days with fondness.

Best Nickelodeon Shows of the 90's 

Are You Afraid of the Dark?

The Adventures of Pete & Pete

Clarissa Explain's It All

The Secret World of Alex Mack

Kenan & Kel

Rocko's Modern Life

Rugrats

Doug

The Ren & Stimpy Show

Best of the Rest

The 90's was also the decade that gave us the beginning of the 'harder' cop dramas like Homicide: Life on the Street, the heart in your mouth medical drama's like ER, cruder, boundary pushing animation like South Park and the advent of what was to become the reality TV revolution. As we moved into the new decade a show would start that would mark the resurgence of the well written, well acted drama and who would have thought it would have started with a mob boss with physiological issues. 

Best of the Rest 90's Shows

The Soprano's

ER

Once and Again

Due South

Early Edition

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

LA Law

Homicide: Life on the Street

Life Goes On

Beavis and Butthead

South Park

Futurama

Daria

Guide to 90's Music

There was something almost golden about the music scene in the 90's - Grunge ruled the waves during the first part of the decade and as we marched into the new millennium the charts were as diverse as they ever were with pop, rock, rap and R'n'B all being happily represented.

The M in MTV actually stood for music rather than morons and the Brit Awards were something to look forward to watching on a wet Wednesday school night. Woolworth's was the place to be on a Monday afternoon, after all the week's singles came out, you never missed an episode of Top of the Pop's and Sunday afternoon's were taken up with listening to the top 40 countdown on Capital FM.

So what made the 90's music scene so great? Well there was;

Grunge

"He's the one who likes all the pretty song, and he likes to sing along" - In Bloom - Nirvana

Shiver's down the spine, excitement of what is to come, an ear worm that will stay with you for the rest of your life? Those are all the feelings I associate with the opening riff of Smell's Like Teen Spirit, which is in my opinion one of the all time greatest songs ever written. The video was bleak, a more realistic portrait of the American High School experience, the song was explosive and the lead singer was mesmerizing. In the early 90's Nirvana were the poster children for the Grunge movement and along with Pearl Jam and Soundgarden, spearheaded the movement into the mainstream music scene. Suddenly it was cool to wear flannel shirts, for boys to grow their hair long and for everybody to want to start a garage band. The complete antithesis of the 80's big haired rock, Grunge was dirtier, a more truthful version of the reality of teens and twenty-somethings in the new era. 

Some of the Best 90's Grunge Bands

Nirvana - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hTWKbfoikeg

Pearl Jam - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qM0zINtulhM

Soundgarden - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3mbBbFH9fAg

Jane's Addiction - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sb3FJdRk-tI

Hole - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O3dWBLoU--E

Rock

"Tonight I'm tangled in my blanket of clouds, dreaming aloud" - Walking After You - Foo Fighters

 It was actually pretty bloody fantastic to be a rock fan in the 90's. One one side of the spectrum you had the soft, radio friendly tones of Bryan Adams and Bon Jovi, then the slightly edgier Red Hot Chili Peppers and Smashing Pumpkin's taking over MTV and the harder edged Marilyn Manson who tore up the rule book when it came to pretty much everything. But it was the emergence of one band which sticks with me personally and that is the creation of the Foo Fighters. After Kurt Cobain's death, nobody expected Dave Grohl to a. set up on his own b. be as successful as the band was c. be one of the last standing bastions of true rock in the following decades. I love Nirvana for really opening my eyes to a new style of music but I will forever adore the Foo Fighters for just being the greatest band that ever existed (well in my opinion anyways) and for given me albums and albums worth of amazing songs and putting on film some of the funniest music videos to hit the airwaves. It was also a great time to be a woman rock singer, Alanis Morissette really hit it out of the park with Jagged Little Pill and Dolores O'Riordan and Shirley Manson held their own with the boys as lead singers in two of the best bands of the decade.

Some of the Best 90's Rock Bands/Singers
Foo Fighters - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TNwkN9vrUYY
Red Hot Chili Peppers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lwlogyj7nFE
Bon Jovi - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BMwcO6_hyA
Smashing Pumpkins - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aeETEoNfOg
Radiohead - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5CVsCnxyXg
Alanis Morissette - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jne9t8sHpUc
Aerosmith - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMNgbISmF4I
The Cranberries - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ejga4kJUts
Lenny Kravitz - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5PZQMwL7iE
Garbage - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=esEdC0c3YI4
Marilyn Manson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ypkv0HeUvTc
Bryan Adams - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZGoWtY_h4xo
Sugar Ray - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQSCKWfJlXs

Pop Punk

"Do you have the time, to listen to me whine?" - Basket Case - Green Day

An off-shot of both grunge and punk came the sub-genre of pop punk. More radio friendly and less anti-establishment than its forefathers, pop punk bands sang songs that could stick in your head for weeks or go deep enough to break your heart. Blink-182 became the face of the moment with their memorable videos and wacky antics, while Green Day became the heart, with songs such as Time of Your Life becoming the anthem of the late 90's teen. There was also Gwen Stefani holding her own with the guys as lead singer and all around kick ass lady of No Doubt, just a girl? Hardly.

Some of the Best 90's Pop Punk Bands

Blink 182 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7l5ZeVVoCA

Green Day - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnQ8N1KacJc

No Doubt - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHzOOQfhPFg 

Weezer - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kemivUKb4f4

The Offspring - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzY2Qcu5i2A

Pop 

"I never wanna hear you say, I want it that way" - Backstreet Boys - I Want it That Way

The 90's was the last great decade of the boy band. There were plenty of them and each suited somebodies taste. You had the homegrown lads such as Take That and East 17, the Irish eyes of Boyzone and Westlife or the Yankee invaders of Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. Pretty much every girl had her favourite (mine was Backstreet Boys) and their faced adored bedroom walls up and down the country.

Madonna was still the Queen of Pop but contenders were snapping at her heels and most teenage boys could probably still recall where they were the first time they saw Britney Spears step out in that school uniform. Then there was a Spice Girls - the loud, brash, colourful group who not only released catchy tunes but made a generation of teens truly get behind the notion of girl power. Then there were the ladies of soul, Whitney and Mariah who topped the charts with their high ranging anthems of love and the first lady of country Shania Twain who wasn't very easily impressed. 

Some of the Best 90's Pop Bands/Singers

Backstreet Boys - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ug88HO2mg44

Michael Jackson - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNJL6nfu__Q

Madonna - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7IKMXfI5hzE

Whitney Houston - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7_sqdkaAfo

Mariah Carey - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LfRNRymrv9k

Shania Twain - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-Lp2uC_1lg

Savage Garden - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQnAxOQxQIU

Spice Girls - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JD6ejmlpa8

N'Sync - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ZcmuKsyvzg

Britney Spears - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-u5WLJ9Yk4

Ace of Base - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d73tiBBzvFM

Roxette - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2C5TjS2sh4

Rap

"Stop, collaborate and listen." - Ice, Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice

So the 90's did really start on a high with the whitest, white boy ever to have one of the biggest selling rap singles, but during the 90's the explosion of the genre, Rap music was to make waves across the entire industry and firmly root itself into the public mainstream where it remains stronger than ever today. The 90's was all about which coast you laid you allegiance to, East or West/Biggy or Tupac. Both unfortunately met untimely ends during this battle but their legacy lives on, although the 90's did end with another white rapper, Eminem making his mark on the scene. 

Some of the Best 90's Rappers

Tupac Shakur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWOsbGP5Ox4

Notorious B.I.G - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glEiPXAYE-U

Jay-Z - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rq0FrCdFd9U

Wu-Tang Clan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194

Snoop Dogg - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DI3yXg-sX5c

Dr. Dre - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_u-kWkrNxw

LL Cool J - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vimZj8HW0Kg

Eminem - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJO5HU_7_1w

Best of the Rest

There was so much going on the 90's, novelty singles that were always Christmas Number One, the Britpop explosion, which side you fell on the Blur/Oasis war and what exactly was Weird Al Yankovic on? So here are some more best of the rest of in 90's music,

Blur - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SSbBvKaM6sk

Oasis - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hzrDeceEKc

Pulp - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuTMWgOduFM

TLC - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dP2t9LBeAwo

Boyz II Men - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDKO6XYXioc

All 4 One - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFD9lW9PGM4

The Fugees - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKOtzIo-uYw

Aaliyah - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKbWF1jwMhE

R Kelly - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GIQn8pab8Vc

REM -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCQ0vDAbF7s

Dave Matthews Band - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WqEOvEoCV3w

Goo Goo Dolls - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdYWuo9OFAw

Matchbox Twenty - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C-Naa1HXeDQ

Weird Al Yankovic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOfZLb33uCg

Lisa Loeb - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ka9mCmx9Jhs

Sarah McLachlan - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1GmxMTwUgs

My So-Called Life - Where Are They Now?

A lot has changed in the last twenty years, fads have come and gone, the internet has taken over the world and none of us are without our smart phones, but most importantly of all we have all changed as would have some of our favourite TV characters (you know if they were real). 

So in celebration of the twentieth birthday of My-So Called Life here is what I think the characters would be up to now. 

Angela Chase

One of the great unanswered questions of the 90’s – what did Angela do once she found out who actually wrote her the letter?  After some lengthy internal dialogue she came to the decision that as hot as Jordan Catalano was she was never going to be able to truly forgive him for sleeping with Rayanne or enlisting Brian to write a love letter on his behalf, after all he could write a perfectly good love letter to his car, so she broke up with him.  

She spent the summer getting to know Brian all over again and began to get past his social awkwardness and bullish nature to reveal a sweet, caring boy who she couldn’t help but fall in love with. They dated each other until the end of high school but went to different collages (Angela to NYU and Brian to MIT) and went their separate ways, although they remained good friends. Upon graduation Angela became a best-selling YA author, married and now raises a family in Brooklyn. 

Jordan Catalano 

After being dumped by Angela, he unsuccessfully attempts to win her back through the remainder of the school year. When he sees how close she is getting to Brian he decided to drop out of school and follow the dream of hitting the big time with Frozen Embryos. After arriving in LA with Tino and signing with a small record label, the pair tour as an opening act for bigger bands until their first record is released and becomes a favourite on college radio which then leads to a number one single. Excesses of drink, drug and groupies lead the band to split and a stint in rehab follows, where Jordan connects with Rayanne again. The two now run an animal rescue shelter together in Arizona. His favourite band is 30 Seconds to Mars. 

Ryanne Graff

After a great deal of effort, apology and remorse, Ryanne and Angela become friends again, but they were never as close as they once were and Ryanne found herself opening up to Sharon more and more with the two becoming firm friends and confidents. Upon graduation and unsure what to do with the rest of her life, she travelled around the world before finally settling in India where she lived with the Yogis, won her substance abuse battle and found the inner peace she had always been searching for. After a few years she returned to the states and settled in LA where she trained to be a drug and alcohol counsellor. She reconnected with Jordan when he came into her treatment programme and after his treatment ended they began to date. They decided to leave city life and it’s temptations behind and bought a house and some land in Arizona.

Rickie Vazquez

After moving in with Mr. Katimski, who assumed full parental reasonability for him, Rickie soon became one of the star pupils at Liberty High School, excelling especially in English. After graduating within the top 2% of his class, he accepted a full scholarship to UCLA where he focused on the creative arts and eventually became a teacher, with a focus on students who come from under privileged backgrounds in Los Angeles.  A fierce equal rights campaigner he was at a forefront of campaigning against Prop 8. He met his partner at one of the rallies and the two live together with their two adopted children. Mr. Katimski gave him away at his wedding. 

He speaks with Angela at least once a day and they are Godparents to each other’s children. 

Brian Krakow

After finally getting Angela to notice him, Brian and Angela began a relationship which lasted the remainder of their High School careers. After trying and failing at a long distance relationship, Brian focused his energies into his studies and was part of the first wave of the dot com bubble with a site not dissimilar to Facebook, which he remains convinced until this day was his idea. Undeterred he worked his way through a series of tech companies until he founded his own, a service which writes love letters on behalf of teens unable to find the right words to express their feelings.

The company then moved into the greeting card industry and Brian became a multi-millionaire on the back of its success. He retired early and now spends his time on his private island with his model girlfriend.

Patty and Graham Chase

After getting backing to open his first restaurant, Graham becomes well known locally and soon has people coming far and wide to taste his simple but honest food.  Soon he opens a second restaurant then a third and with his popularity rising, Patty becomes head of his business interests and the pair become one of the hottest power couples in the restaurant industry and after becoming a familiar face on his show on The Food Network, she also becomes a well-known face on the entertainment circuit and a regular contributor to business publications. 

They are still happily married.

Sharon Cherski

On the evening of her graduation from High School, Sharon ran off to Vegas to marry her high school sweetheart. They settled back in Three Rivers and soon started a family.  Five children later, Sharon opened her own business, a small coffee shop which soon became the go-to place for the teens of the town, a title which was cemented when Jordan held an intimate concert there. She and Ryanne are still best friends and visit each other as often as they can.

Danielle Chase 

After completing her education, Danielle moved in with her big sister in New York and became a famous theatre actress. You can see her performing on Broadway most nights and is always the centre of attention wherever she goes.

Tino

Whereabouts unknown. 

You can also check out my look back at how My So-Called Life changed teen drama over at Den of Geek here, http://www.denofgeek.com/tv/my-so-called-life/31837/how-my-so-called-life-changed-teen-drama 

Guide to the 90's Best Films

I've just finished watching the National Geographic series The 90's - The Last Great Decade? and it asked the question (as given away by the title) was it the last great decade? Well between the advent of gutter reality TV (Jerry Springer), the violence (Waco, the first World Trade Centre bombing, Oklahoma, the brutal murder of Matthew Shepard, Columbine) and the leader of the free world sticking it to his intern in the most inappropriate way possible, I would say maybe not - however the Internet did take off but does one great thing counteract all the others?

I was really looking forward to watching this show as I had really enjoyed their previous outing in The 80's - The Decade that Made Us, but what I felt was missing from this 90's look-back was the impact of popular culture. There was a slight mention of Nirvana, Friends and Seinfeld but not much else, which got me thinking about what was great during the 90's, so over the next few posts I'll be looking at some of the great movies, bands and television shows that came out of the 90's. The last great decade? Possibly not but did get some great things out of it, such as some of the following;

The Summer Blockbuster

The 90's did really feel like the last decade of the proper summer blockbuster. As the 00's gave us epic movies like The Lord of the Ring's, popular adaptions such as Harry Potter and the complete takeover of Marvel at the local multiplex the stand alone summer juggernauts came to a bit of a standstill, but the 90's were a glorious time to lose yourself in an action flick over the summer holiday's.

Best of the Decade: Summer Blockbusters
Jurassic Park 
Independence Day 
The Rock
Bad Boys
Con Air
Speed
Armageddon

The Game Changers

What would any good decade be without something that changes the way we look at things? The 90's could be remembered for the decade that finally gave us super realistic SFX. James Cameron lead the way with Terminator 2: Judgement Day and his impossibly impressive T-1000 and finished it with a giant iceberg in Titanic. Robert Zemeckis would digitally add Forrest Gump to any part of history he fancied and The Wachowski's made the impossible, possible in The Matrix. I would also add in Episode One but the less said about that the better.

But it wasn't all just SFX that shook up the decade, a director by the name of Wes Craven (AKA creator of your nightmares) decided to shake up the horror genre with a fresh take on the teen slasher genre and created one of the best horror movie questions ever, "What's your favourite scary movie?" Then some young directors also decided to take the old school Hollywood formula and turn it on its head. First Quentin Tarantino made a film that shot the idea of linear film making out of the window with his masterpiece Pulp Fiction, Kevin Smith proved you don't need millions of dollars to make a funny and successful movie with Clerks (and a personal favourite Chasing Amy) and M Night Shyamalan brought 'the twist' back to mainstream cinema with masterful The Sixth Sense.

Best of the Decade: Game Changers
Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Forrest Gump
Scream
Pulp Fiction
Titanic
Clerks
Saving Private Ryan
The Sixth Sense
The Matrix

Teenage Kicks

As somebody who straddled the 90's and 00's as a teenager I wasn't short of movies aimed at my demographic to watch, but more importantly the movie output for teens was becoming more interesting and diverse. Some things remained the same, gross-out comedies such as American Pie became the new Porky's and romances were a dime a dozen, however movies like The Faculty and The Craft began to move the boundaries and lead to far more interesting movies being made and becoming a success with the mainstream audience. The two greatest movies of the decade for me personally though were Clueless and 10 Things I Hate About You - both were so clever and slightly subversive, I can't help but love them until this day.

Best of the Decade: Teen Movies

10 Things I Hate About You
Clueless
Pump Up the Volume 
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
The Craft
Can't Hardly Wait
The Faculty
Cruel Intentions
Idle Hands
She's All That
American Pie
Romeo + Juliet 

Doing It For the Kids

 As I mentioned above my adolescent/teenage years were split across the 90's so I have plenty of time to enjoy the vast range of movies aimed at both demographics. It may be that now I look at these through rose tinted glasses but I really do think that movies aimed at kids (much like the television of the time) was far superior to what is shown now. You had somewhat subversively dark movies like The Addams Family and The Witches, action/adventure like Hook or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and broad comedies with soul like Mrs. Doubtfire. However the 90's was the decade that gave us not only one of my all time favourite movies but a Christmas classic to be enjoyed through the ages, The Muppet Christmas Carol and who couldn't be thankful for that? The 90's also signalled the resurgence of The House of Mouse, with Disney releasing a slew of classic animations that are still beloved today. The late 90's also saw the coming out party of a little studio know as Pixar and with it's first feature length feature, Toy Story, took us all to infinity and beyond.

Best of the Decade: Kids Movies
Home Alone
Hocus Pocus 
Beauty and the Beast
Addams Family Values
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Aladdin
The Witches
Hook
The Mighty Ducks
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Lion King
Mrs. Doubtfire
Toy Story

And the Rest...

I could go on for ages more about all the great films of the 90's, how Bill Murray provided a comedy masterclass in Groundhog Day, how Julia Robert's became America's sweetheart by playing a tart with a heart in Pretty Woman, how a million catchphrases were born with the release of Wayne's World, how Tom Hanks broke a millions hearts as the shy widower in Sleepless in Seattle, how Arnie showed his softer side in Kindergarten Cop or what Brad Pitt found in that box in Seven. Needless to say there is plenty of great movies to catch up with from the 90's and the best of the rest is listed below.

Best of the Rest
Batman Returns
Ghost
Pretty Woman
Sleepless in Seattle
Soapdish
Wanye's World
Total Recall
Kindergarten Cop
Schindler's List
Groundhog Day
True Romance
Demolition Man
What's Eating Gilbert Grape?
True Lies
Four Weddings and a Funeral
Interview with the Vampire
Reality Bites
The Shawshank Redemption 
The Usual Suspects
Seven
Jerry Maguire 
The First Wives Club
The Fifth Element
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Good Will Hunting
Shakespeare in Love
The Wedding Singer

Guide to New York

One of the things I really love to write about is travel. I've been lucky enough to have been to quite a few places around the world but one of my all time favorite has to be New York City and this year I was able to visit again as part of our East Coast extravaganza.

I need to be honest straight off the bat here, I love New York as much as I love London, it is a vibrant, busy, hustling, exciting and playful melting pot. There is always something to do and it truly lives up to its moniker of the City that never sleeps. The shopping is fantastic, the arts scene is amazing and the architecture will take your breath away. Basically if I had to live anywhere else on the planet it would be there. After two visits I'm still itching to go back, but if you are heading to the Big Apple anytime soon here are some of my thoughts and tips,

- Give yourself a good six days in the city - there is plenty to see and expect large lines for the more well known sites. We spent a good couple of hours waiting to get up the Empire State Building and a good half day in line for the Statue of Liberty, but don't let the lines put you off, both are great experiences and you get the added bonus of being able to hum the theme music from Working Girl as you make your way across the Hudson River.

- Book yourself tickets to a night viewing up the Top of the Rock. The Empire State Building never looks more magnificent then when it is lit up and the view from there is spectacular over the city. Head to the visitor center at Rockefeller Plaza on the day you want to go up to book in advance.

- Make time to go downtown and visit the 9/11 Memorial. The new World Trade Center Tower is opening later this year and it is a sight to see but it is the really beautiful memorial that truly takes your breath away. Based on the footprints of the Twin Towers, the infinity fountains are engraved with the names of all who fell on that fateful day and each day the ground staff add a single white rose to anybody who would have been having a birthday. You need to book tickets in advance if you just want to enter the memorial, however I could not recommend highly enough a tour with the 9/11 Tribute Center -  http://tributewtc.org/ - each tour is lead by people who were there on the day, were part of the emergency crews who dealt with the aftermath or the family of somebody who was lost and all profits go back into the great charity work they do.

-Walk over the Brooklyn Bridge.

- Save a good half day to explore Central Park and make sure to visit the Lake, the Alice in Wonderland statue and Strawberry Fields where you can buy John Lennon badges from hippies.

- Immerse yourself  in the sheer over the topness of Times Square. One of my favourite things to do is sit on the red steps above the Tkts booth and just people watch.

- Have your picture taken with the Naked Cowboy.

- See a Broadway show. The sheer amount of choice you have in New York is breathtaking and there will be something on that will suit any taste. If there is something you know you want to see then book your tickets before you leave, you can pick them up at the box office on the day. If you fancy taking a punt the Tkts booth in Times Square offers substantial discounts on a huge majority of shows.

-Eat lunch at the original Shake Shack in Madison Square Park. If you look one way you see the Flatiron Building and the other the Empire State Building, doesn't get much more New York than that.

- If you are a film and TV buff like me make time to,

• Go to Katz Deli and see the place Sally had *that* moment in When Harry Met Sally, and also eat the best sandwich of your life.
• Visit Carrie's stoop from Sex and the City then grab a cupcake at the original Magnolia Bakery
• Go to Hook and Ladder 8 AKA Ghostbuster HQ
• Have breakfast at Tom's - the Diner from Seinfeld 
• Have a frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity III (Serendipity) 
• Eat the the Bubba Gump Shrimp Company (Forrest Gump)
• Go to FAO Schwarz and go on the Big Piano from Big 

- Have afternoon tea at Alice's Tea Cup - their house blend is amazing. (Three locations around the City)

- Spend some time exploring Rockefeller Plaza.

- Shop! Even the most ardent anti-shopper could not be impressed by the experience you have in New York - and even better any clothes purchase under $100 is tax exempt! 

I've only just scratched the surface of what this amazing city has to offer but make sure when you are next in NYC to give my regards to Broadway and remember me to Herald Square. 

Robin Williams 1951-2014

It has been a week now since the terrible news broke that Robin Williams was no longer with us. Since then many people have written many words far more eloquently than I ever could, but still I feel the need to write sometime to express just how deeply his loss was felt, not just by me but by hundreds and thousands of people around the world.

Like so many others I grew up watching Williams play the lovable alien Mork in Mork & Mindy. As a kid it appealed on a really simple level, here was an man doing funny things that made me laugh. Watching as adult the same can still be said, but what I can also appreciate now is what talent it took to make that character come to live, to be so innocent but not condescending, to pull off physical comedy with grace and not just for easy laughs and to pull an emotional punch when needed, after all Williams was an exceptional actor and comedian and this was to truly come to life in his impressive film career.

Good Morning, Vietnam, Dead Poets Society, The Fisher King, Awakenings, Hook, Aladdin, Mrs. Doubtfire, The Birdcage and Good Will Hunting will always turn up on my list of favorite films, films that can make you laugh and make you cry and for three of them at least remind me of my childhood. His stand-up was also truly exception and if you haven't seen it get onto Netflix now and find it.

I'm not ashamed to say that I shed more than a tear last week when I heard the news of his passing, it seems strange really, to cry over somebody you never met or knew, but in some small way it felt that I did and from the outpouring of sentiment over the last week I wasn't alone in feeling that.

So sleep well Sir, I hope you're up there cracking jokes with the best of them and thank you so, so much for everything.

"Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The ones who see things differently. While some may see crazy, we see genius."

The details surrounding the death of Robin Williams have been reported pretty insensitively by the mainstream press, depression is an illness that can strike anybody at anytime and doesn't discriminate. Den of Geek posted this the day after the news broke, not only is it one of the most classy things I have seen it also might just help somebody out there who is suffering in silence, please remember, you are wanted and you are loved and there will always be somebody to listen to and help you when you need it the most - http://www.denofgeek.com/movies/robin-williams/31684/where-to-get-help-with-depression