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«« Mini-Rewind ««

• Can't Slow Down, the second solo studio album by Lionel Richie was released October 11, 1983. The Grammy Award winning album featured a pair of #1 hits - All Night Long (All Night) and Hello.

• The start of a dynasty! SNL Season 12 launched October 11, 1986, instantly becoming a classic thanks to new cast members: Dana Carvey, Phil Hartman, Jan Hooks, Kevin Nealon, and Victoria Jackson. The show was never the same.

• October 12, 1988, Poison released their smash hit power ballad, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn,” a single from their multi-platinum second album, Open Up and Say…Ahh!

• October 12, 1987, Whitney Houston dropped the massive hit single "So Emotional"! This track, the third from her Whitney album, was part of her incredible run of #1s and became one of the biggest charting songs of 1988.

• INXS kicked down the door with their landmark sixth studio album on October 12, 1987, Kick! This record was a game-changer, featuring four incredible Top 10 singles. An absolute 80s essential.

• The sultry neo-noir classic, "The Fabulous Baker Boys," debuted in theaters October 13, 1989! The film starred real-life brothers Jeff & Beau Bridges, alongside Michelle Pfeiffer, who won a Golden Globe for her iconic role as Susie Diamond.

• Mosaic", the 4th album by Wang Chung was released October 14, 1986. The album featured a pair of hit singles "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" and "Let's Go!".

• The rescue that stopped the nation: October 14, 1987, "Baby Jessica" McClure was pulled to safety in Midland, TX, after being trapped in a well for 58 hours. The dramatic rescue effort was covered live on TV, captivating viewers around the globe.

So, if you're looking for a super fun, slightly unconventional rom-com from the late 80s, you have to check out Look Who's Talking. The entire premise is genius: what if you could hear exactly what a baby was thinking? That's the whole gag!

Kirstie Alley plays Mollie, a single accountant who gets pregnant by a married heel and ends up having to raise her son, Mikey, alone. Luckily, she meets John Travolta's character, James, a charming, flight-instructor-wannabe cab driver who helps her deliver the baby and eventually becomes Mikey's main babysitter and male role model.

The real star, though, is Mikey, whose inner thoughts are hilariously voiced by Bruce Willis. From the moment he's a tiny sperm racing to the egg, through his time in the womb, and finally as he observes his mom’s terrible dating choices, Mikey gives constant, sarcastic commentary. He knows James is the perfect guy for Mollie long before she does!

The movie is really a heartwarming story about finding unconventional family. It’s Mikey’s mission to ditch his mom's bad dates and manipulate the situation to get Mollie and James to realize they’re meant to be, proving that sometimes, the baby really does know best.

OMG, let's talk about Cyndi Lauper's debut, She's So Unusual! This 1983 album wasn't just a collection of songs; it was a total explosion of personality that defined the early '80s pop scene. Cyndi's wacky thrift-store style and four-octave voice were unlike anything else on MTV, making her an instant icon.

The hit singles are practically a soundtrack to the decade. "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" turned a guy's rock song into a feminist anthem for female solidarity and freedom. Then came the gorgeous, timeless ballad "Time After Time," which became her first number one hit. She followed those up with two more smash singles, the synth-pop gem "All Through the Night" and the controversial, playful ode to self-love, "She Bop."

She's So Unusual made history by making Cyndi the first woman to score four Top 5 singles from a debut album. Her fearless individuality and playful, yet powerful, messages paved the way for other quirky female artists and helped establish a bold, colorful, and independent vibe that was a huge part of the 1980s pop-culture revolution.

Let's be honest, the story of Kirk Gibson’s home run in the 1988 World Series is the stuff of Hollywood legend. Heading into Game 1 against the mighty Oakland A's, the Dodgers' MVP, Kirk Gibson, was practically a non-factor. He had injured both legs in the previous series—we’re talking a pulled hamstring and a swollen knee—so he wasn't even in the starting lineup. The Dodgers were trailing 4-3 in the bottom of the ninth, with two outs, and the best closer in baseball, Dennis Eckersley, was on the mound. It looked hopeless.

Then, out of nowhere, manager Tommy Lasorda sends out the crippled Gibson to pinch-hit. The image of him hobbling to the plate is iconic. It was a brutal at-bat; he could barely stand, let alone swing. With a full count, and having already fouled off a couple of pitches, Gibson was sitting on a backdoor slider, thanks to an incredible scouting report. He swung with pure upper-body strength, sending the ball soaring into the right field seats for a walk-off, two-run home run. The entire stadium erupted as he famously limped around the bases, pumping his fist. It was his only plate appearance of the series, but it set the tone for an improbable World Series win for the underdog Dodgers.

🎧 Retro Picks of the Week

📺 T.V. Show: Murder, She Wrote. Mystery writer and amateur sleuth Jessica Fletcher (Angela Lansbury) travels the world promoting her bestsellers, yet always seems to stumble upon a real-life murder to solve. Using her keen mind, charm, and persistence, the kind but sharp-witted widow must uncover the truth despite the local authorities' skepticism.

📼 Movie: Decades after leaving the game, former pool hustler "Fast Eddie" Felson (Paul Newman) takes a young, cocky, and immensely talented player (Tom Cruise) under his wing to teach him the art of hustling for money. This mentorship ultimately sparks Eddie's own desire to return to the pool table, setting up a final confrontation between the mentor and his prodigy. The Color of Money, a solid ‘80s watch.

🎵 Song: Rock Me Amadeus is a unique 1985 synth-pop hit by Austrian artist Falco that imagines 18th-century composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart as a modern-day punk superstar. This mostly German-language track became a global phenomenon, making Falco the only artist to have a German song hit number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

🕹️ Video Game: The 1984 Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) classic Duck Hunt challenged players to shoot ducks and clay pigeons directly on their CRT television screen using the iconic NES Zapper light gun. This simple yet addictive title is also famously known for featuring the perpetually mocking hunting dog who would laugh at the player every time they missed a shot.

👾 Cartoon: BraveStarr is a unique 1980s animated "space western" set on the planet New Texas, where Marshal BraveStarr maintains law and order against the villainous Tex Hex. The Native American lawman uses his four animal-based "Spirit Animal" powers—the Strength of the Bear, the Speed of the Puma, the Eyes of the Hawk, and the Ears of the Wolf—alongside his cyborg horse, Thirty/Thirty, to fight for justice.