2015 Anniversaries

How has it been 20 Years since 'Toy Story'?

Can you believe we are already halfway through the 2010's? 2015 unbelievably kicks off the second half of this decade, even though many of those Back To The Future II predictions didn't come true (although some did, like big flat screen TV's and video chatting).  There are also some hard to believe anniversaries this year.

2010, 5 Years Since... Lebron James joined the Miami Heat and oddly became a media "villain". Cavs fans burned his jersey, but now that he's made his return to Cleveland, love him again. Funny how sports work. The Chilean miners were freed and one famously kissed his mistress. The double rainbow also became a hit viral video, and now everyone searches for one.

2005, 10 Years Since... YouTube debuted. Before 2005 it was harder to find shareable videos where you can watch people make fools of themselves. You could still find them, though you had to search a bit more depending on which site people used. YouTube made it easy for everyone to use one site. Xbox 360 was launched, and its still going strong today despite the updated generation of video game consoles being released recently. August will see the 10th Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the most devastating natural disasters in American history.

2000, 15 Years Since... The last Subway Series. I mean the real Subway Series, during the World Series, not that interleague stuff. The Mets and Yankees squared off in the first Subway(All New York) World Series since the 1950's. Looking back, this was also New York in the final year before 9/11, and America as a whole was a different place in 2000. People also said "The Year..." before 2000. Why did so many people say "The Year 2000" again?

1995: 20 Years Since... Toy Story. That's right, this fall will mark 20 years since Toy Story hit theaters and launched Pixar into the huge studio it is today. Feels like yesterday when it came out and jaws dropped at the sight of the first fully computer animated movie. Clueless also came out, and perfectly encapsulates the style and lingo of the time. It was also the year of the OJ Simpson trial, one of the first times a trial became a television phenomenon thanks to cable news, and people are still obsessed with these today.

1990: 25 Years Since... Home Alone. The Christmas favorite will be a quarter of a century old. I wonder what Buzz's girlfriend looks like now? East & West Germany finally reunited. And now we get Angela Merkel pantsuits. "U Can't Touch This" was released and popularized parachute pants. Thankfully those have not stood the test of time.

1985: 30 Years Since... Live Aid took place on July 13, 1985, simultaneously from London and Philadelphia, becoming one of the biggest TV broadcasts and satellite link-ups ever. Bono sported quite the show stealing mullet when he moved down to the crowd during U2's 14-minute performance of "Bad".  The Breakfast Club and The Goonies came out. It has really been 30 years since the Truffle Shuffle.

1980: 35 Years Since... John Lennon was sadly shot in December 1980, but his timeless music and memory live on today. The Empire Strikes Back took over the world and had people waiting in long lines for tickets, which is a rare thing now thanks to the internet and apps.

1975: 40 Years Since... Saturday Night Live began, launching many careers and providing some late night laughs. Sonny and Cher divorced, which made "I Got You Babe" a bit awkward. Jaws started the summer blockbuster movie craze and scared tons of people from going in the water.

1970: 45 Years Since... The Beatles broke up and released their final album, Let It Be. I'm sure lots of people were sad, but they all went on to have successful solo careers anyway. Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin both dies at age 27, which gave rise to the "27 Club" of famous musicians who tragically passed away at the same young age.

1965: 50 Years Since... The Beatles performed at Shea Stadium and the New York World's Fair took place in Queens. The NY World's Fair was not a money maker, but still has become quite a famous event which is still talked about.

'Mad Men' Season 6

The sixth and penultimate season of Mad Men begins this Sunday, April 7th, a week after the season finale of The Walking Dead. Yes, AMC gets to follow up one hit show with another. Good decision to have it begin a week after The Walking Dead, and a sincere thank you to AMC because it will help hold us over until our favorite zombies/walkers return in the fall. 

One of the big questions is always "what time-frame will Mad Men pick up in?" Season 5 ended in 1967, and we famously got a dose of an actual Beatles song, "Tomorrow Never Knows" from their 1966 album Revolver. In a video interview with Jon Hamm posted on the Rolling Stone website, Hamm explains he prefers The Rolling Stones to The Beatles. Mad Men also featured The Rolling Stones' "I Can't Get No (Satisfaction)" in Season 4. Maybe this time we'll get a song from both bands at the same time? Other musicians who could start to be played in episodes are Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, The Doors, and Aretha Franklin.

Christina Hendricks as Joan Harris

AMC also just released 10 photos from Sunday's two-hour premiere, and some of the photos feature Christmas decorations and a tree, so we can assume Season 6 picks up in November/December 1967. Most of the season will take place in 1968 that means, and should be heavily influenced by the civil rights movement and the escalating protests of the Vietnam War.

The seventh and final season should take us into 1969, with the moon landing and Woodstock. I'm looking for an episode called "Sally Goes to Woodstock". Just hopes she stays away from the brown acid. I was hoping that we'd get a few seasons that take place in the 1970s, for some leisure suit and bell-bottom fun, but it looks like that may not happen. Unless the end of Season 7 takes us there.

Whitney Houston Dead at 48

RIP to another music legend, Whitney Houston has died at the age of 48. She was found dead in her hotel room around 3:30pm in Los Angeles. Currently no cause is known, but in recent years she struggled with drug addiction along with ex-husband Bobby Brown, who many blame for introducing her to drugs. I'm assuming she never kicked the habit. Whether it's street drugs or prescription drugs, its just not worth it. Its a shame when talented people can't kick their bad habits, such as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Michael Jackson, Amy Winehouse & Kurt Cobain. They all succumbed to their addictions. She had such a powerful voice, and was a natural talent who didn't need any auto-tune. One of her better songs was 1985's "How Will I Know."

You could really get a feel for her powerful voice when she performed The Star Spangled Banner at Super Bowl XXV on January 27, 1991 in the midst of the Gulf War. The rendition reached #20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and ten years later reached #6 after September 11th: 

Her last album, I Look To You, was released in 2009 and was certified Platinum. While not a massive success like her previous albums, it still did well in a climate where albums don't sell as well as they used to. She recently completed filming of a movie titled Sparkle, which is supposed to come out in August 2012 and it is rumored she was contacted to become a judge on The X Factor alongside Simon Cowell and LA Reid. I'm sure it would have led to a career comeback, so you must wonder if and why she went back to drugs when her future seemed so bright. Anyone out there battling drug and/or alcohol addiction needs to seek help.

This news comes just one day before the 2012 Grammy Awards. I am sure they will be scrambling to conduct a fitting tribute in some way.

Lindsay Lohan better take note and get herself healthy or she will end up going down the same path.