Respect

Growing up, I had an older sister and a younger sister. This dynamic exposed me to something no male should ever have to be exposed to….a disease I call the TigerBeat Syndrome. Yes, for several years of my young life, I was bombarded with magazines, cassettes, and tv specials that revolved around teen idols from the 70's. I am convinced that the 70's were the heyday of teen idols. I am also convinced that this exposure left me warped and slightly off-center.

Here were the big hitters, as I remember them:

• David Cassidy – The front man for the Partridge Family. Seemingly on the cover of magazines every week. I think the boy actually had some talent….just got washed away with the teen idol stuff. Here's a nice tribute on YouTube. And, yes. I remember the other short lived TV show he starred in, "David Cassidy, Man Undercover". In case anyone is interested, he has a nice web site.
  
• Shaun Cassidy – Half brother of David, one of the Hardy Boys, and all the hair. I remember he was up for new performer of the year with his version of Da Do Run Run. Here he is performing his meg-hit "That's Rock and Roll". Sing it, Joe Hardy.
  
• Bobby Sherman – This guy was #2 with my older sister (#1 will be discussed in a moment). Bobby was one of the stars on the show "Here Comes The Brides" (with David Soul). I believe he had the stuttering problem. I can still remember the Bobby Sherman cassette tape my sister had…which she played over and over. One of his big hits was Easy Come, Easy Go.
  

Now, without a doubt, the number one teen idol throughout the 70's in my household was Donny Osmond. Donny, and to a lesser degree the entire Osmond family dominated TigerBeat, Bop, and other mags. I can remember going along with my family to the Indiana State Fair one year just so my two sisters and one of their friends could see the Osmonds live.

You are likely wondering, what the heck does the title of this post have to do with anything?? Well, I am tossing my respect out to said teen idol, Donny Osmond. Donny has shown several times that he has a great sense of humor. Most recently were two very funny examples. First, his appearance with Jimmy Kimmel. Some very funny stuff.

The second example is his appearance on the Weird Al video "White and Nerdy". Donny is the guy dancing behind Al. No big need to have his name splashed around….just some funny dancing.

Not only does he have a lot of talent, but more importantly, he is cool enough to poke fun at himself. The guy gets the WHW stamp of respect…which I am sure will make his day when he hears about it. Way to go, Donny.