Tiger Beat beats on...

Charles Laufer, the original founder of Tiger Beat magazine passed away earlier this month.  I was shocked to hear that Tiger Beat was STILL being published.

As a preteen (I guess that we refer to that age group as "tweens" now), I was a huge fan of Tiger Beat, BOP and 16 Magazine. 

Where else did we get our celebrity gossip???  Charlie Sheen couldn't destroy his image through a mere tweet, nor did we here about his hotel antics the next morning- we waited eagerly to buy our teeny bopper mags at the news stands (or if we were really lucky we got it in the mail) to learn the latest and greatest about our teen idols!!!

I led a fairly restricted tween life.  I had limited television access (I had to sneak episodes of Three's Company) and rely on sleepovers to see the latest R-rated flicks!  What saved me socially was Tiger Beat.  How else would I have kept up?

I wasn't even allowed to watch John Hughes movies when they first came out, but I read all about the Brat Pack in my own personal tabloids.

My walls were covered with photos and interviews of my favorite movie and tv stars!  The BEST thing about Tiger Beat was the full size posters they included!!!  I remember kissing River Phoenix when I tore out his full sized image.  Oh- and do you remember the "in-depth interviews"???

I have to admit that I'm saddened by the fact that my kids won't share in the joy of the same monthly rituals- eagerly reading the interviews with their favorite stars and sending in their fan mail.  Today, between the internet and the gossip tv news shows, we are constantly barraged by celebrities and their private lives. 

I was excited to hear about Michael J Fox's favorite snack on the set, but today we know (and see) way more than that.  The paparazzi crossed the line a long time ago, and the age of celebrity innocence is lost. 

I still secretly hope that my children will enjoy their own pop idol crushes when that time comes, and hang those photos in their lockers the way I did.

Epic Quote:
Brian Johnson: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...
Andrew Clark: ...and an athlete...
Allison Reynolds: ...and a basket case...
Claire Standish: ...a princess...
John Bender: ...and a criminal...
Brian Johnson: Does that answer your question?... Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.