While other kids grew up with cable television I was lucky to grow up with PBS, which stands for Public Broadcasting System. It was free and it came with standard channels. In Manhattan where I was born and spent my childhood, that channel was channel 13. There I experienced television shows like Reading Rainbow, Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact, Doctor Who, The Voyage of the Mimi, and another show called Degrassi Junior High.

Degrassi is known today by its revival with the series of the Next Generation but it all began in 1979. A production company called Playing With Time Inc. decided to create a show that would follow the lives of kids and address challenging topics such as death, drug abuse, and teen pregnancy.

The first show was The Kids of Degrassi Street (1979) and although many of the actors that were on this series turned up in Degrassi Junior High (1987-1989) and Degrassi High (1989-1991) they were not the same characters so it is not considered a precursor to the later shows.

What blew me away as preteen and teenager was for the first time being exposed to teen pregnancy. Most of us who watched Degrassi back in the 80's will never forget Spike and the moment she found out she was pregnant. I think Spike's character became pregnant at only 13 years old (by 14 she had Emma) so it was shocking.  But the way they handled her story line you couldn't help but learn a thing or two. It was powerful.

There were other story lines that can easily be applied to today which makes Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High so timeless. They address issues on sexual confusion, parental abuse and alcoholism, the effects of taking drugs, cancer, suicide, molestation, cheating, lying, young love, insecurities, and all sorts of peer pressures.

I learned so darn much from those episodes as a kid that I decided to take a look back and refresh my memory on them. I can tell you that it felt like I was walking through memory lane. There was a rawness and simplicity about the 70's and 80's that was gone once the 90's came and I miss often.

Degrassi is something special. I watching a few episodes of the latest two reincarnations (Next Generation and New Class) of the show and although it is too much like a soap opera for my taste I appreciate that the writers and producers are still addressing real problems among teens today.

I own all the cds to Degrassi Junior High and Degrassi High (including their movie School's Out) and I will definitely  let my children view them when they are older. I think the best part of the show (aside from The Zit Remedy) is that watching it can open up a dialogue with your child. And frankly I think that is just incredibly awesome.

I am a sucker for cheese and not just the kind that comes from cows. I love the uber cheesiness of the 80's and Degrassi delivers. Better still it will teach you a little something about others and give you the appreciation in knowing that the teen angst years are far, far behind you.

A Vintage Nerd Supplementary Reading:

Which Degrassi Junior High Character Are You?

Degrassi Junior High Reviewed

Degrassi Junior High: What They Look Like Now

67 Truly Iconic Degrassi Moments (old and current)

Four Decades of Degrassi-Interview with Stefan Brogren

Degrassi star Neil Hope, "Wheels"

The Zit Remedy Lyrics

This film was made of pre-adolescent daydreams, some fairy dust, and a dash of rock godliness. That's what happens when you bring Jim Henson together with David Bowie. Dance magic, dance.

And that is how I felt when I first watched this film so many years ago. I felt like magic was dancing on the television screen. It may seem silly to some because muppets were involved but to me it was just  normal. I grew up with the magic of Jim Henson my entire life, first with Sesame Street and then with The Muppet Show.

Jim Henson really was made of some special stuff. He ignited the imaginations of children all over the world but it didn't stop with them. With Labyrinth the imagination of teens everywhere were ignited as well. The best part is that even adults can still enjoy the workings of a muppet singing and dancing and just being themselves. You can really get lost in the idea that they are real.

The story is simple. A young girl feeling lonely and tossed aside by her fathers new wife and child throws herself into the world of make believe. One fatal wish thrusts her brother into the hands of a Goblin king (Bowie) and Sarah (Jennifer Connelly) finds that she must grow up a little in order to save her brother.

Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, she finds her way out of the Goblin City with her baby brother in tow and a few new friends she made along the way.

For those of you who remember this film and want to enjoy it again in a special way, this year marks the 30th Anniversary of its release. Fathom Events is screening it nationwide here in the States in September and special Anniversary comic books are being released as well. I have the original comic that if you would like me to share one day, I'd be happy to.

I found a heap of great links for you Labyrinth die-hard fans that I hope you will enjoy. And don't forget, that you remind me of the babe. What babe? The babe with the power. What power? The power of vooodoo. Who do? You do? Do what? Remind me of the babe.

A Vintage Nerd Supplementary Reading:

Labyrinth Masquerade Ball 2016

Labyrinth Anniversary Comic Books

How Well Do You Know Labyrinth QUIZ

Jim Henson's Labyrinth's Tales

Labyrinth: The Ultimate Visual History

Return to Labyrinth (Manga Books)

5 Fun Facts About Labyrinth

15 You May Not Know About Labyrinth

Are you also reminiscent about the 80's? Or wishing you were able to experience the 80's first hand? How about 80's movies? Are you totally hooked on them? Do they put a silly smile on your face even if its the 100th time you have seen the movie?

Well, hold onto your hair gel and jean jackets because I am hear to share with you the BIG news that a 1980's teen movie classic will be in theaters all across the states in February!

Pretty in Pink is celebrating their 30th Anniversary and Fathom Events is hosting two days of screenings on February 14th and February 17th. They will be shown at 2pm and 7pm on both days or depending on the movie theater you may see it in.

Aside from being able to view this John Hughes classic on the big screen they will also be showing behind the scenes footage as well as the alternate ending. That is, the ending many of us fans longed for and was actually the real ending of the book also called Pretty in Pink.

I don't know about you but I never got the chance to see this movie on the big screen. I was ten at the time and this would have been considered a teen or young adult film and my father would have never taken me. So, like a lot of folks back in the day, I first saw it on cable and then on reruns until of course I bought my dvd copy.

I already purchased my ticket and I cannot wait to go. This is going to be trippy in the best way and on a personal level to be able to see what the original ending should have been is going to be beyond dreamy. I hope you end up going to see it. Was Pretty in Pink a movie you loved or hated? Team Duckie or Team Blane?

You may not know this already but I am a huge fan of brooches. I know when I wear my vintagey outfits and I place a brooch on my cardigan people look at it-then at me-then at it and most likely wonder why they heck am I wearing that on my sweater. I know for the younger folks brooches are so old fashioned but for those who appreciate vintage and old school ways, know how much fun brooches can be. Not to meniton how cute they are as well as a  great way to express yourself by wearing them.

I just love vintage brooches, handmade brooches, and fun ones like these Pop Culture brooches (Buffy Brooch seen above) that I am going to share with you today. It is one of my favorite accessories to wear with any type of outfit.

Sylvia Plath Brooch///Sherlock Holmes with Quote///Frida Kahlo Felt Brooch///Edward Scissorhands

Wonder Woman///Heathers Winona Ryder///Virgin Suicides Brooch///Pee Wee Herman Chairy Brooch

Woman Inheirts The Earth///Phyllis Dietrichson Brooch///I Liked The X-Files///Life...Uh...Finds A Way

Aren't these fun? Do you use brooches often? Are they your least or most favorite accessory? Are there other Pop Culture brooches out there that you love and would recommend?

I don't know if this has happened to you while you are watching a modern film (pre-1980) but suddenly you find yourself noticing aspects of vintage fashion that the characters are wearing that you would have never noticed before. Well, that happened to me while watching the 1988 film Heathers.

Today it has garnered cult movie status but to me it was a movie like so many others that were a part of my childhood and teens years. It's now  become a staple for every 80's movie collection.

This time around while I was watching it I kept seeing a whole lot of 1940's fashion. My jaw dropped! How did I miss this? I remember loving their outfits when I was twelve in 1988 when it came out and noticed the resemblance when I watched Clueless in the 90's, but vintage fashion never crossed my mind. After taking a closer look at the fashion in the film Heathers, it was evident to me that the designer on set must have been inspired by vintage fashion, in particular the 1940's.

Double breasted jackets, brooches, the cut of particular dresses, and even Veronica's pageboy-esque hair, to me seemed like it came right out of the 1940's. Thanks to my eyes opening up more to the world of fashion, specifically vintage, I will forever see Heathers going vintage.

Did you ever notice the vintage influence in this film? Are there other bits of fashion in the film that you think are inspired by the past?

I can't help but love films and shows that have good fighting the bad. This show plays out that theme in every episode. Now Jared is inspiring those suffering the consequences of mental illness by inspiring them to keep fighting the good fight.

If you'd like to learn more about the Always Keep Fighting campaign:

Jared Explains Always Keep Fighting

Jared Speaks About Mental Illness