sammi says

Upon hearing about the tragic death of LFO lead singer, Rich Cronin, I went straight to YouTube to watch the “Summer Girls” music video. YouTube’s related video suggestions took me on a trip down memory lane. I ended up spending way too much time watching music videos from some of my old favorites and videos from some groups I haven’t thought about in years.

So here’s my list of the best (worst?) boy band songs of the late 90’s…

"Everybody (Backstreet's Back)"- Backstreet Boys, 1998

I could have easily put every single Backstreet Boys song from the late 90's on this list...It was very difficult for me to a choose a favorite so I chose the one with the best music video. Why were the Backstreet Boys trapped in a haunted house and transformed into monsters? I don't know and I don't care- this video is AWESOME! Some of my fondest pre-teen memories are watching the behind-the-scenes making of this music video with my friends and learning the moves to the dance break (at 3:50 in the video). You can't watch this and tell me you don't remember busting a move to this song.



"Tearing Up My Heart"- N'Sync, 1998

If you couldn’t tell from the previous song description, I was (am?) a die-hard Backstreet Boys fan and despised N'Sync. Before I bought into the manufactured competition between the two groups, I admit that I loved hearing "Tearing Up My Heart" on Radio Disney.



"Because of You"- 98 Degrees, 1998

Nick Lachey. Oh my god. So hot and the best voice. For some reason 98 Degrees wasn't really involved in the competition between Backstreet Boys and N'Sync. Was it because they lacked a 5th member? Because they didn't dance? The world may never know...but what I do know is that I really liked 98 Degrees.



"Summer Girls"-LFO, 1999

Amazing song with lyrical gems such as, "You like fun dip and cherry coke. I like the way you laugh when I tell a joke," "Like the color purple, macaroni and cheese. Ruby red slippers and a bunch of trees. Call you up, but what's the use. I like Kevin Bacon but I hate Footloose." This song made us white girls feel like we could rap.



"Hardest Part of Breaking Up (Is Getting Back Your Stuff)"- 2gether, 2000

MTV decided to capitalize on the boy band phenomenon with the spoof group, 2gether. How can you forget U+Me=Us? Looking back at it now, this song still cracks me up. The music video is perfect too...it definitely brings me back to the days of rushing home to see who would be the top video on TRL.



"Back Here"- BBMak, 1999

Aww, this is still a pretty solid pop song. I'm only a little ashamed to say that I still remember a lot of the lyrics.



"When the Lights Go Out"- 5ive, 1998

I can't say I really remember a lot about 5ive, but I definitely remember liking this song. It screams 90's.



"I Love You Came Too Late"- Joey McIntyre, 1999

I was a little too young to be a fan of New Kids on the Block but I was a fan of the group's solo endeavors. I couldn't help but fall victim to Joey Mac's baby blue eyes in "I Love You Came Too Late."



"Give it to You"- Jordan Knight, 1999

He wasn't nearly as cute as Joey Mac, but Jordan Knight's "Give it to You" was a TRL summer favorite.



"Can I Get Your Number (Girl Like You)"- No Authority, 2000

Hit me with those seven digits! This was one of those songs that I knew was dumb at the time but was so bad it's good.



"Liquid Dreams"- O-Town, 2001

Looking back at this song and music video I can't help but think, "Did this really happen?" It just proves how huge the boy band craze became and that we would literally listen to anything MTV threw at us. Four seasons later and MTV still hasn't learned that "Making the Band" just does not work.



"Mmm...Bop"- Hanson, 1997

I was never a huge Hanson fan but how could I make this list and not include "Mmm...Bop?" I still don't know what they're saying or what this song means but it's so much fun! They were the blonde, long-haired predecessors to the Jonas Brothers.



I’m sure there are some great (terrible?) songs I’ve overlooked. Let me know what I’m missing!

P.S.You’re welcome!

I watched the pilot of "Rubicon" on AMC after the finale of "Breaking Bad" earlier this summer. The pilot set it up to be a show about conspiracy theories, superstitions and code breaking. It centers around Will, an analyst at a top secret government agency called API. In the first episode Will cracks some sort of code spanning all major newspaper crossword puzzles. He tells his boss, who also happens to be his father-in-law, about his discovery. Dear old dad tells him that it's nothing and to forget about it but then mysteriously dies in a train accident the next morning. Several clues lead Will to believe that his father-in-law's death was no accident and that there are greater powers at work.

I tend to like shows about mystery, finding out pieces of the puzzle, big reveals at the end of each episode...So I added "Rubicon" to my TiVo season pass. I think I'm about five episodes in and besides the pilot, "Rubicon" has been a total bore. Each episode moves at a snails pace and is very quiet. Seriously. Minutes go by several times in each episode with absolutely no dialogue.

We see Will brooding, thinking, walking, reading...basically a nightmare for a multi-tasking TV watcher like myself. Did I mention that Will, played by James Badge Dale, looks like Matthew Morrison's (Mr. Schuester on "Glee") older, more serious brother? (Upon googling their photos for a side-by-side, I discovered I'm not the only with this astute observation. Read New York Magazine's "Guide to Telling Apart the Wills")

I keep telling myself to let it go and stop watching, but I can't help but feel like it's going to start getting good. I'm probably too hopeful but AMC has proved to be a pretty exciting TV network with shows like "Breaking Bad" and "Mad Men." Maybe it's just a show geared towards old men and I'm clearly not it's target demographic. Is there hope for "Rubicon?"