Nickelodeon brings back the '90s

Clarissa Darling. Tommy Pickles. Donkeylips. Big Pete. Kel. Oswald ‘Sam’ Rocket. Ug. Little Pete. Kenan. Lori Beth Denberg. Lil’ and Phil. Amanda Bynes.

Sound familiar? Do those names bring back a hint of nostalgia? If so, then you’ll be happy to know that Nickelodeon has announced they will be bringing back the ’90s this fall.

In a new segment on the TeenNick block fittingly titled “’90s Are All That!”, old-school shows such as “All That”; “Clarissa Explains It All”; “The Adventures of Pete and Pete”; “Rugrats”; “Rocket Power”; “Salute Your Shorts”; “The Amanda Show”; and “Kenan & Kel” will be added to the roster for all of us early-20-somethings to enjoy, along with a new batch of kids to discover what real cartoons and kids shows are all about — none of this Hannah Montana junk.

These classic shows will air in a midnight to 2 a.m. block every night of the week, perfect for us night owls. Nickelodeon also said related films will be added to the roster down the line…so get ready to hear ‘Welcome to the Good Burger. Home of the Good Burger. Can I take your orrrrdeerrr?’ at some point soon.

According to Entertainment Weekly magazine, Nickelodeon came up with the idea after seeing the love for the ’90s era of sitcoms and cartoons on Facebook. Currently, a page dedicated to the the topic has 9 million fans.

In case the kid in you hasn’t come to life lately or you’re a little fuzzy on some of the shows coming back to life this fall, here’s a rundown of what made these shows leave such a special place in our hearts.

“All That”: Running for 10 seasons overall, first airing in 1994, “All That” was a live-action comedy sketch show that featured such skits as ‘Vital Information’ with Lori Beth Denberg, ‘Good Burger’ with Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell, and ‘Lemonade Stand’ with Katrina Johnson. It also featured live musical acts during each show, including performances from such artists as TLC, Coolio, Brandy and Naughty By Nature.

“All That” spawned three spin-offs, two of which will also air in the ’90s Are All That!’ programming this fall. “Kenan and Kel,” was a sitcom series featuring “All That” players Kenan & Kel getting into sticky situations and “The Amanda Show” was a variety show featuring breakout “All That” star Amanda Bynes.

“Rugrats”: Who can forget “Rugrats”? Perhaps the most commercially successful of the shows returning this fall, “Rugrats” is the longest running NickToon, spanning 13 years (although “SpongeBob SquarePants” is breathing down their neck.) It revolved around babies Tommy, Chuckie, twins Phil and Lil’ and Tommy’s cousin, toddler Angelica, and their wild imaginations and play-dates. Three movies following this troop of babies were also brought to the big screen, with the first grossing more than $140 million. I guess babies really do rule.

“Clarissa Explains It All”: First airing in 1991, Clarissa, played by Melissa John Hart (later of “Sabrina, the Teenage Witch” fame), is a teen who vents her concerns about her family, especially her annoying little brother, Ferguson; boys; driving tests — any topic blown out of proportion by teens, really — by talking to the audience and breaking the fourth wall. It was one of the few Nickelodeon shows to confront teen issues such as sex and partying, and Clarissa was able to appeal to both a girl and boy fanbase.

“The Adventures of Pete and Pete”: “Pete and Pete” revolves around two brothers, Big Pete, the voice of reason, and Little Pete, the trouble-maker. It aired for 34 episodes from 1993-1996 and had many celebrity guest stars including Blondie’s Debbie Harry, L.L. Cool J, Selma Blair, J.K. Simmons and Janeane Garofalo. And who can forget Little’s Pete’s personal superhero and fan-favorite character, Artie, the Strongest Man in the World, and Petunia, Little Pete’s tattoo.

“Rocket Power”: One of the later NickToon favorites, it ran from 1999 to 2004. “Rocket Power” revolved around a group of California kids and the antics that ensued while skateboarding, biking, roller skating and what have you. It reminds me of the real-life Z-Boys, who were skateboarding pioneers, in a way — only in cartoon form. Pretty fun and hipper to watch if you’re a teen, than say, ‘Rugrats.’

“Salute Your Shorts”: It may have only run for a year — a mere 26 episodes — but it might be one of the most popular and memorable Nick shows. Taking place at Camp Anawanna, the show revolves around a bunch of kids at camp, obviously. They spend most of their time harrassing Camp Counselor Ug.

Now if we can just get “The Secret World of Alex Mack” and “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” added to that schedule, we’d be in business. Maybe some “Double Dare” and “Wild & Crazy Kids” too, for good measure.

Daniel Tosh's 'Happy Thoughts' delivers jaw-dropping comedy

“I’m not a misogynistic and racist person...But I do find those jokes funny, so I say them.”
— Daniel Tosh

Daniel Tosh. His name has garnered quite a bit of recognition over the last few years, no doubt due to his envelop-pushing comedy bits and “Tosh.O” gig on Comedy Central. And he’s only getting bigger — his latest comedy special, “Happy Thoughts,” premiered last Saturday on Comedy Central.

For those of you unaware of the comedy stylings of Tosh, be warned: He’s not everyone’s cup of tea. Tosh is an observational comedian who tends to mock outward trends, religions, celebrities, ways of life, what have you, and he could care less if you find him to be overly offensive. He is as honest as you can get when it comes to blunt, direct, in-your-face comedy, and there’s no looking back and no mind for the audience’s ‘awws’ that his jokes have gone too far.

During “Happy Thoughts,” Tosh’s third comedy special, the comedian touches on the topics of domestic violence (“People say there’s no excuse for domestic violence. To me, it sounds like a challenge.”), Mormons (“I don’t know why they’re wearing their pajamas under their clothes. I assume their God wants them to be comfy.”) and how women will always be number two in the world:

“At least we’re not women... right fellas? What is that like? Is it horrible? Is it awful? To know you’re number two. I love when women try to rationalize it, too. Nah, it’s great being a woman. Free drinks is not worth having equality.”

A comedian’s job is to make the audience laugh...not be politically correct, and Tosh addresses the fact that people take his jokes too literally. I can’t entirely spell it out how he addresses the issue, but let’s say he’s uses an example involving the idea of David Beckham and Brad Pitt having a baby.

On the other side of things, in Tosh’s weekly series, “Tosh.O,” which premiered in 2009, we get a green-screen half-hour show where Tosh provides commentary on Internet clips. First aimed at the 18-34 male set of eyes, the show has grown into a fan base of all ages and genders. As of June 2010, it hit a record-breaking high in viewership, beating out both “The Daily Show” and “The Colbert Report.”

What “Tosh.O” sets out to find are the dumbest and/or most hilarious people and web clips out there. Think MTV’s “Jackass,” but where the stunts aren’t necessarily done on purpose and the clips aren’t all about people getting hurt. Throw in a weekly “Web Redemption” where well-known YouTube “characters” get a chance to redeem themselves from the stupidity which made them famous in the first place — think, or see for that matter, the Daniel After Dentist kid, the football player who tackled his own teammate, the double rainbow guy, or Antoine Dodson, from the “Bed Intruder” song — and you have a show for the making. It’s an easy show to sit down and watch any time and just have a good laugh at other people’s expenses. It’s the new-age “America’s Funniest Home Videos” without the God-awful jokes from Bob Saget. And for that, Daniel Tosh, we thank you.

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Daniel Tosh’s third comedy special “Happy Thoughts” aired last Saturday on Comedy Central. In case you missed it, you can find the DVD/CD special of “Happy Thoughts” in stores now.

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“Tosh.O,” in its third season, airs reguarly on Comedy Central, Tuesdays at 10 p.m.

The Best (Oscars) and Worst (Razzies) in film

And so the time has come. Award season is over (tear, sniffle, sniffle). At least for the big players. We’ve had the Emmys, the Golden Globes, the SAG awards and the Grammys all pass us by. And beside the last-minute addition to bring back the Billboard Music Awards (May 22), and maybe a mediocre Kid’s Choice Awards (April 2) or the MTV Movie Awards (June 5), the ultimate culmination of great film, directing, acting, cinematography, costume designing, what have you, concluded with the 83rd Annual Academy Awards on Sunday. Couple that with the not-so-coveted Razzie Awards that were presented Saturday night and we can celebrate the hard work of the past year — the work we can admire…and the work we can blow a raspberry at.

The Academy Awards, as hard as they try not to, always seem to drag on. It’s three hours long, so how can they not? This year, though, the show seemed to move along at a decent pace. Others may disagree, but I didn’t get antsy or go on a snacking rampage to fill the void at any moment during the show.

As for the hosts, as one of my fellow Facebookers stated, “Anne Hathaway didn’t seem to be in that great a shape at the Academy Awards, but she must have been because she carried James Franco all night.” True story. Hathaway was her usual bubbly self, making the best of the moment — even the awkward ones — and even showcasing the singing chops she debuted when Hugh Jackman hosted two years ago. Surprise — Anne can sing!

I had high expectations for her co-host, James Franco. I’m not sure what went wrong, but there was absolutely no delivery to his lines. I know he was reluctant to host in the first place — but if he had pretended it was just another acting job, he could have brought out the funny-cool demeanor that we often see in gigs like “Pineapple Express” or “Freaks and Geeks.” Except for maybe his Marilyn Monroe costume change (although any man in a bright pink dress and a blond wig is funny), Franco just seemed like a hum-drum robot.

As far as awards went, all the acting awards were predictable — Best Actor: Colin Firth “The King’s Speech”; Best Actress: Natalie Portman “The Black Swan”; Best Supporting Actor: Christian Bale “The Fighter”; Best Supporting Actress: Melissa Leo “The Fighter”; as was Best Animated Feature, “Toy Story 3” and Best Adapted Screenplay, Aaron Sorkin for “The Social Network.”

The only toss-ups were Best Director — which surprisingly went to Tom Hooper for “The King’s Speech”; most were betting on David Fincher for “The Social Network” to snag that one, and Best Picture — which again went to the more formal Oscar choice, “The King’s Speech,” rather than the younger, clever, hip movie “The Social Network.”

Overall, though, it was well-balanced: “The Social Network” took home three awards; “The King’s Speech” took home four awards; “Inception” took home four awards (Best Director should have been one of those, but Christopher Nolan was snubbed from a nomination yet again); and “Alice in Wonderland” and “Toy Story 3” both received two awards. One of “Toy Story 3’s” awards went to Randy Newman for Best Original Song. Newman, with 20 Oscar nominations, now adds two wins to his belt, and he gave quite an amusing acceptance speech. Who knew the man was so funny?

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For those unfamiliar with the Razzie Awards, more formally known as the Golden Raspberry Awards, it is a presentation of the worst in show. The first-ever Razzies, back in 1981, awarded “Can’t Stop the Music” (a pseudo-biography on the Village People) the Worst Picture Award. Since then, such movies as “Showgirls,” “Cocktail,” “Wild Wild West,” “Catwoman” and “The Love Guru” have all taken the cake, or the raspberry if you will. The Razzies are always presented — but not yet aired on TV — the night before the Academy Awards. Hopefully, that will soon change.

Despite a $318 million worldwide gross for “The Last Airbender” and a $228 million worldwide gross for “Sex and the City 2” — which also made it the highest grossing romantic comedy of 2010 — both didn’t pan out well at this year’s Razzie Awards. I guess money isn’t everything.

***“The Last Airbender” snagged the Worst Picture Award (along with Worst Eye-Gouging Use of 3-D; Worst Screenplay; Worst Director; and Worst Supporting Actor), while fellow nominees of the category included far-worse films such as “The Bounty Hunter,” “Twilight: Eclipse,” and “Vampires Suck.”

“Sex and the City 2” snagged Worst Prequel, Remake, Ripoff or Sequel; Worst Screen Couple or Ensemble (More-so suited for the cast of “Valentine’s Day”); and all four ladies went home with the Worst Actress award, which should have gone to the all-time worst actress out there, Megan Fox, for her role in “Jonah Hex.” That movie (it would demean the industry to call it a “film”) should have also taken home Worst Picture, though it wasn’t even nominated.

***As a “Sex and the City” fan, I didn’t think the movie sequel was as God-awful as the critics claimed. It was a weird premise, sure, having the girls head over to Abu Dhabi. But, hey, it was still fun. And the same goes for “The Last Airbender.” I’m sure the fan boys who envy the original animated series were stoked about the movie. But maybe fandom just isn’t enough these days.

The most well-deserved wins of the night went to five-time nominee Jessica Alba for Worst Supporting Actress for her roles in “The Killer Inside Me,” “Little Fockers,” “Machete” and “Valentine’s Day,” and to pretty boy Ashton Kutcher, who took home Worst Actor for “Valentine’s Day,” and “The Killers,” starring alongside Katherine Heigl, who would have also made a great Worst Actress nominee.

I’m all in favor of the idea of the Razzies, but it’s too bad that the awards in the past few years only seem to go to those films that are not only bad, but blockbuster bad. Whatever happened to the concept of recognizing actual bad movies without regard to box office? I’d like it better if the Razzies went to those movies that made no money because they were, well, just so bad. I’m not sure why the Razzies have gone off the path the last few years, but they really should get back to finding those hidden awful gems, like “Xanadu” “Road House” and “Gigli.”