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penpusherWe have had child stars at top of mind this week because of various reasons, and admittedly, when we think about child stars, it's usually something bad that has happened. And, well, this is no exception.
I have previously weighed in about Child "Actors" HERE, which I guess could make this a "Throwback Monday," since I wrote that over nineteen years ago. And the comments that were attached to that entry are still pretty interesting too.
But I wanted to take a moment and use this Music Monday to present a collection of women who graced both the screens they were featured on and the whatever music devices were available at the time they recorded these songs.
Goling Most Recent to Oldest...
Olivia Rodrigo (left) and Madison Hu, the stars of Disney Channel's "Bizaardvark"
Olivia was actually the third most popular castmember of this show. The first was Jake Paul who was a legit (albeit slightly insane) streamer who would do a lot of borderline crazy, injury inducing type stunts all for the likes. I wonder whatever happened to him?
Madison Hu as Frankie was the taller and more outgoing leader of the pair, and then Olivia, who did her share. But things took a major turn as Olivia began her recording career. I don't known if she is the "Voice of her Generation" but a lot of people are buying, or downloading or multistreaming her songs all over the planet.
Here's Olivia Rodrigo with her smash, "Driver's License"
Mckenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler from Sony/Columbia Pictures' "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"
Mckenna Grace had been "bubbling under" child star fame for awhile before landing the part that got her noticed, with a lot of her roles as being younger versions of star parts: like the young version of Kiernan Shipka's Sabrina in "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," The young version of Brie Larson's Carol Danvers in "Captain Marvel" and the young vesion of Margot Robbie's Tonya Harding in "I, Tonya." But in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," she got to play Phoebe, the granddaughter of Original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis) and inserted enough of the style and flair of that character into her performance to make it a memorable tribute.
She also wrote and performed the song that played under the film's closing credits. It's called "Haunted House."
Rowan Blanchard and Sabrina Carpenter of Disney Channel's "Girl Meets World"
Sabrina Carpenter played BFF Maya Hart to show's star Rowan Blanchard's Riley Matthews, with RIley the daughter to Ben Savage's Cory and Danielle Fishel's Topanga from the original series: "Boy Meets World." Instead of Philadelphia, Riley lives with her brother and parents in The Village as Cory is now a History teacher (just like Mr. Feeny was) at a high school in New York City (that Riley and Maya just also happen to attend).
Similarly to the Olivia Rodrigo/Madison Hu dynamic, Sabrina skyrocketed when she became a solo singer, and the rest is music history.
This is Sabrina's early "Can't Blame a Girl For Trying"
Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande of Nickelodeon's "Victorious"
Ariana Grande played the sweet, naive and determined Cat Valentine on "Victorious," named for series star Victoria Justice who played Tori Vega. The show was set at a Performing Arts High School in LA, similarly, but more comedically, to "Fame," which took place in NYC.
Despite the fact that Victoria Justice was supposed to be the breakout star of the show, SURPRISE! her singing got upstaged by Ariana, who took her character to a crossover spinoff of "iCarly" titled "Sam & Cat."But that was just the final stop before, just like Olivia and Sabrina, her career exploded.
This is Ariana Grande's "Put Your Hearts Up."
Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennett on NBC's "Heroes"
Hayden Panettiere, of course, is one of the inspirations for this post, having lost her life last week at the impossibly young age of 36, just a couple of days short of her 37th birthday. She truly was a kid actor, with featured roles in daytime dramas, "One Life to Live" and "Guiding Light," before raising her profile with performances in "Remember the Titans" and Disney's "Ice Princess." I think I first became fully aware of her as she turned up on "Ally McBeal," as the biological daughter of the title character.
But when "Heroes" debuted, she was kind of the breakout star of that series, especially since the promotional catchphrase for the show became "Save The Cheerleader, Save The World." "Heroes" was one of those shows that featured mysteries and supernatural events, much like ABC's "Lost." And Hayden's character was right at the center of the action, and it's sad because Hayden's character, Claire, was known for being able to quickly heal from any physical trauma, essentially indestructable.
Hayden went on to appear on the Country music based nighttime soap, "Nashville," as a sultry and not so kind singer ready to climb the charts and step on anyone that got in her way to do it, but prior to that, she did a couple of ad campaigns... one of which, Neutrogena, has gotten a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons, because of how they dropped her, after she publicly spoke about her post-partum depression after having her daughter. Neutrogena apologized for their actions, but the apology wasn't heard by the person who should have received it, years ago.
Hayden had also done other ads, including a series of commericals and print ads for Candie's which is where this next song originated.
This is Hayden Panettiere's "Wake Up Call"
Bella Thorne and Zendaya of Disney Channel's "Shake It Up"
Zendaya and Bella Thorne were brought in to "Shake It Up" because of their dance abilities. as the show was about a couple of aspiring dancers trying to get their first break in show biz, on the tv show within the show "Shake It Up, Chicago!" But it certainly didn't hurt that they could each carry a tune (though Bella got saddled with the somewhat ridiculous "TTYLXOX" as a breakout song, which is why she's not on this list).
But Zendaya, though clearly a good singer (she performed her own theme song for the Disney Channel series "KC Undercover") didn't seem intent on following that path, and the times she has, she had run into some issues and roadblocks with the music industry. Of course she would eventually go on to be on the soundtrack to "The Greatest Showman," which is currently in preparation for a staged version in London's West End for a Spring 2027 run before it will very likely come to Broadway, possibly that autumn or in early 2028. Zendaya has even served as a "video girl" in the Bruno Mars song "Vercace on the Floor."
And, well, I think she's doing okay for herself lately, Her HBO series "Euphoria" is over, and her beloved Tom Holland and she are stars of the two biggest movies of the year, Christopher Nolan's epic "The Odyssey," and the MCU sequel, "Spiderman Brand New Day." But now, we're taking it all back to her beginnings.
Here's Zendaya with "Swag It Out"
Selena Gomez in Disney Channel's "Wizards of Waverly Place"
Selena Gomez wasn't just the breakout star of "Wizards of Waverly Place," she sang solo on her own theme song. And she didn't just sing her TV theme, she also sang the theme song to the aforementioned Disney Channel's "Shake It Up" while stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya, were just starting their attempts to be singers, themselves.
But Selena's Alex Russo became a fan favorite because of her ability to capture the audience's attention, and her relatable reluctance to use her powers in a world where she should be doing the work, like every other kid in her school. As an aside, there used to be a shop called "The Magickal Childe" that sold items like quartz crystals, tarot cards and amulets, walking distance from Waverly Place, back in the day. Coincidence? Show creator Todd Greenwald was a New Yorker, so, I think not!
I gave Selena a name check in my Greatest Foot Fetish Story Ever Told Foot Friday tribute to Cinderella, as she played the part in Disney's "Another Cinderella Story," which she made during the same time frame as "Wizards." And that's where this song comes from.
This is Selena Gomez singing "Tell Me Something I Don't Know"
Miley Cyrus as the Miley Stewart version of herself from Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana"
When your life is being a pop star princess, is there any wonder Miley Cyrus was going to sing? Of course, her famous dad, Billy Ray Cyrus gave her some early acting opportunities on his series "Doc." But the genius of "Hannah Montana" was casting Billy Ray as Miley's dad on the show.
Miley got to sing her own theme song, too, yet another actress pulling double duty on their own program. And "Hannah Montana" was a bona fide hit, as were at least a couple of the songs from the albums released with the series. But she didn't become the star she would be until she exited the titular character of her Disney show and broke out on her own.
Here's Miley Cyrus singing "See You Again"
Lindsay Lohan as one half of the two twins from the Disney motion picture "The Parent Trap"
Lindsay Lohan was just a force to be reckoned with... much like Hayden, she got her first big acting gigs on soap operas: Both Hayden and Lindsay had "Guiding Light" in common (though they were on that show in different years) but Lindsay's more prominent role was on NBC's "Another World."
Apparently the producers of Disney's remake of "The Parent Trap" (the original starring Hayley Mills),saw something special because she landed the role(s) and that launched her career in a big, big way. It also didn't hurt that Disney Channel early in their existence, didn't have too much programming and ran that movie multiple times a month! Lindsay was getting a following, without even doing anything else.
Of course, she did do a lot else, including her turn with that Love Buggable VW Beetle in "Herbie: Fully Loaded" and her pairing (eventually the first of two) doing a remake of "Freaky Friday" with Jamie Lee Curtis, prior to that massive smash "Mean Girls."
But early on, Ms. Lohan already had her eyes and her mind on the Hollywood media, the paparazzi, the gossip rags and all of the negative stuff that comes with stardom.
This is Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors"
Hilary Duff as "Lizzy McGuire"
It was extremely relatable for viewrs of this show to get into the head of a teen girl as she went about her life, at home, at school and in her social time with her pals. It was both a cute conceit and a brilliant idea. But then again, series creator Terri Minsky was full of a lot of brilliant ideas: she eventually would create the groundbreaking Disney series "Andi Mack."
But here, Hilary's assignment was to both play the part as herself and to narrate the story, as an animated version of the character, explaining the thoughts, feelings and occasional logic as to the whys and the wherefores of the action in that episode.
But the show did well enough to merit a big screen film, which essentially served as the end of Lizzy's story, and it was just a couple of months later that Hilary released this single.
Here's Hilary Duff performing "So Yesterday"
Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears on Disney Channel's "MMC"
We have to shout out the name Matt Cassella. He was the casting director for "MMC," Disney Channel's (SECOND) revival of "The Mickey Mouse Club." Just look at who was on the roster: Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, JC Chasez, and the two people pictured, above.
Well, maybe it wasn't that they were all that much more talented, but there were a whole lot more opportunities for them to spread their wings after this series ended.
Either way, Britney Spears was determined. Sure, she tried out for "MMC" and was told she was "too young." Okay! Join the cast, later! She was talented, but she also worked hard and that paid off because she started trying to push her way beyond. She appeared on "Star Search" and won a couple of rounds, and that apparently was good enough because then she started getting courted by record labels. Her look, her sound, it was fresh and new and at the turn of the century, new is what everyone wanted.
Max Martin, songwriter extraordinaire, created the song, and he didn't know American slang that well (he's from Sweden, after all) so he didn't quite get the title right but it still became a landmark song, both for him and for the singer.
Here's Britney Spears doing "...Baby One More Time"
Ashley (left) and Mary-Kate Olsen of the ABC series "Full House"
Kinda the reverse of Lindsay Lohan, these two girls played one role: Michelle Tanner on the ABC comedy "Full House." It's good to remember that Mary-Kate and Ashley are FRATERNAL twins, that just happen to look a whole lot alike. Two eggs, not one split zygote. Still, I remember when they came to FAO Schwarz for a Video signing of one of their films. The line literally went around the block. These girls had already become a phenomenon and they still weren't teens yet.
I had talked about the Olsens previously... Terror of the Twin Tweenage Twillionaires was my take on everything they were up to at that point in their career, but we have to admit something. Whomever handled their accounts did a magnificent job. Their website provided a whole host of purchasing opportunities, including personal management, clothing choices, food and beverage suggestions, home decor ideas and a whole lot more. It was a whole lifestyle MK&A were selling and they were making that money throughout.
Meanwhile, they did do a number of things, some films, a couple of sitcoms, all before they decided to go to NYU to study fashion, but then they dropped out. Why do they need to study fashion, when they've already been teaching it for most of their lives? Their high end fashion line, The Row is keeping these two in business.
We'll forego all of the personal life stuff, because that is strange and at times horrifying. but we do have them performing their classic song.
It's Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with "Brother For Sale"
Shelley Fabares as Mary Stone from "The Donna Reed Show"
And that brings us to the other person that inspired this post. We heard today that Shelley Fabares died at the age of 82. She was a fixture on television from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s on "The Donna Reed Show. and of course the program went into syndicated reruns soon after it left the air, preservig Shelley's youth and fun for years after.
Producers and Promoters were always looking for ways to get more publicity for their clients, and one of the things that happened in this case was that Shelley was encouraged to sing. Apparently, she didn't have a lot of aspirations to go down that road, but hey, it was another something to do, another payday and another chance to be seen by the audience.
They gave her a song, and the production and effort was pretty darned good! Maybe Shelley didn't want to be a singer, but she had a legitimate hit and now, we can imagine that she's the angel truly in heaven.
Shelley Fabares - "Johnny Angel"
Annette Funicello of "The Mickey Mouse Club"
Annette Funicello. The single reason Walt Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club" succeeded. I don't think anyone cared that much about the Mouseketeers generally. But Annette was the focus of the group and, may I say, it's because she was the most unique (read: ETHNIC) member of the show! Sweet, charming, and that word again, relatable, Annette even starred in her own self-titled serial within the show. That's popularity.
A few of the kids on that program went on to have careers of some sort, but Annette became a favorite through her series of "Beach" movies with Frankie Avalon and surprisingly with her songs, some of which were on soundtrack albums.
It was a tragedy that the goodest girl met such a sad end, and additionally, really lost about ten years of her life to Multiple Sclerosis, before she passed away in 2013 at the age of 70.
I'm playing my favorite of all her songs, from a Disney movie in which she starred.
Finishing with Annette Funicello and The Beach Boys with the title track from "The Monkey's Uncle"
I have previously weighed in about Child "Actors" HERE, which I guess could make this a "Throwback Monday," since I wrote that over nineteen years ago. And the comments that were attached to that entry are still pretty interesting too.
But I wanted to take a moment and use this Music Monday to present a collection of women who graced both the screens they were featured on and the whatever music devices were available at the time they recorded these songs.
Goling Most Recent to Oldest...
Olivia Rodrigo (left) and Madison Hu, the stars of Disney Channel's "Bizaardvark"
Olivia was actually the third most popular castmember of this show. The first was Jake Paul who was a legit (albeit slightly insane) streamer who would do a lot of borderline crazy, injury inducing type stunts all for the likes. I wonder whatever happened to him?
Madison Hu as Frankie was the taller and more outgoing leader of the pair, and then Olivia, who did her share. But things took a major turn as Olivia began her recording career. I don't known if she is the "Voice of her Generation" but a lot of people are buying, or downloading or multistreaming her songs all over the planet.
Here's Olivia Rodrigo with her smash, "Driver's License"
Mckenna Grace as Phoebe Spengler from Sony/Columbia Pictures' "Ghostbusters: Afterlife"
Mckenna Grace had been "bubbling under" child star fame for awhile before landing the part that got her noticed, with a lot of her roles as being younger versions of star parts: like the young version of Kiernan Shipka's Sabrina in "The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina," The young version of Brie Larson's Carol Danvers in "Captain Marvel" and the young vesion of Margot Robbie's Tonya Harding in "I, Tonya." But in "Ghostbusters: Afterlife," she got to play Phoebe, the granddaughter of Original Ghostbuster Egon Spengler (played by Harold Ramis) and inserted enough of the style and flair of that character into her performance to make it a memorable tribute.
She also wrote and performed the song that played under the film's closing credits. It's called "Haunted House."
Rowan Blanchard and Sabrina Carpenter of Disney Channel's "Girl Meets World"
Sabrina Carpenter played BFF Maya Hart to show's star Rowan Blanchard's Riley Matthews, with RIley the daughter to Ben Savage's Cory and Danielle Fishel's Topanga from the original series: "Boy Meets World." Instead of Philadelphia, Riley lives with her brother and parents in The Village as Cory is now a History teacher (just like Mr. Feeny was) at a high school in New York City (that Riley and Maya just also happen to attend).
Similarly to the Olivia Rodrigo/Madison Hu dynamic, Sabrina skyrocketed when she became a solo singer, and the rest is music history.
This is Sabrina's early "Can't Blame a Girl For Trying"
Victoria Justice and Ariana Grande of Nickelodeon's "Victorious"
Ariana Grande played the sweet, naive and determined Cat Valentine on "Victorious," named for series star Victoria Justice who played Tori Vega. The show was set at a Performing Arts High School in LA, similarly, but more comedically, to "Fame," which took place in NYC.
Despite the fact that Victoria Justice was supposed to be the breakout star of the show, SURPRISE! her singing got upstaged by Ariana, who took her character to a crossover spinoff of "iCarly" titled "Sam & Cat."But that was just the final stop before, just like Olivia and Sabrina, her career exploded.
This is Ariana Grande's "Put Your Hearts Up."
Hayden Panettiere as Claire Bennett on NBC's "Heroes"
Hayden Panettiere, of course, is one of the inspirations for this post, having lost her life last week at the impossibly young age of 36, just a couple of days short of her 37th birthday. She truly was a kid actor, with featured roles in daytime dramas, "One Life to Live" and "Guiding Light," before raising her profile with performances in "Remember the Titans" and Disney's "Ice Princess." I think I first became fully aware of her as she turned up on "Ally McBeal," as the biological daughter of the title character.
But when "Heroes" debuted, she was kind of the breakout star of that series, especially since the promotional catchphrase for the show became "Save The Cheerleader, Save The World." "Heroes" was one of those shows that featured mysteries and supernatural events, much like ABC's "Lost." And Hayden's character was right at the center of the action, and it's sad because Hayden's character, Claire, was known for being able to quickly heal from any physical trauma, essentially indestructable.
Hayden went on to appear on the Country music based nighttime soap, "Nashville," as a sultry and not so kind singer ready to climb the charts and step on anyone that got in her way to do it, but prior to that, she did a couple of ad campaigns... one of which, Neutrogena, has gotten a lot of attention for all the wrong reasons, because of how they dropped her, after she publicly spoke about her post-partum depression after having her daughter. Neutrogena apologized for their actions, but the apology wasn't heard by the person who should have received it, years ago.
Hayden had also done other ads, including a series of commericals and print ads for Candie's which is where this next song originated.
This is Hayden Panettiere's "Wake Up Call"
Bella Thorne and Zendaya of Disney Channel's "Shake It Up"
Zendaya and Bella Thorne were brought in to "Shake It Up" because of their dance abilities. as the show was about a couple of aspiring dancers trying to get their first break in show biz, on the tv show within the show "Shake It Up, Chicago!" But it certainly didn't hurt that they could each carry a tune (though Bella got saddled with the somewhat ridiculous "TTYLXOX" as a breakout song, which is why she's not on this list).
But Zendaya, though clearly a good singer (she performed her own theme song for the Disney Channel series "KC Undercover") didn't seem intent on following that path, and the times she has, she had run into some issues and roadblocks with the music industry. Of course she would eventually go on to be on the soundtrack to "The Greatest Showman," which is currently in preparation for a staged version in London's West End for a Spring 2027 run before it will very likely come to Broadway, possibly that autumn or in early 2028. Zendaya has even served as a "video girl" in the Bruno Mars song "Vercace on the Floor."
And, well, I think she's doing okay for herself lately, Her HBO series "Euphoria" is over, and her beloved Tom Holland and she are stars of the two biggest movies of the year, Christopher Nolan's epic "The Odyssey," and the MCU sequel, "Spiderman Brand New Day." But now, we're taking it all back to her beginnings.
Here's Zendaya with "Swag It Out"
Selena Gomez in Disney Channel's "Wizards of Waverly Place"
Selena Gomez wasn't just the breakout star of "Wizards of Waverly Place," she sang solo on her own theme song. And she didn't just sing her TV theme, she also sang the theme song to the aforementioned Disney Channel's "Shake It Up" while stars Bella Thorne and Zendaya, were just starting their attempts to be singers, themselves.
But Selena's Alex Russo became a fan favorite because of her ability to capture the audience's attention, and her relatable reluctance to use her powers in a world where she should be doing the work, like every other kid in her school. As an aside, there used to be a shop called "The Magickal Childe" that sold items like quartz crystals, tarot cards and amulets, walking distance from Waverly Place, back in the day. Coincidence? Show creator Todd Greenwald was a New Yorker, so, I think not!
I gave Selena a name check in my Greatest Foot Fetish Story Ever Told Foot Friday tribute to Cinderella, as she played the part in Disney's "Another Cinderella Story," which she made during the same time frame as "Wizards." And that's where this song comes from.
This is Selena Gomez singing "Tell Me Something I Don't Know"
Miley Cyrus as the Miley Stewart version of herself from Disney Channel's "Hannah Montana"
When your life is being a pop star princess, is there any wonder Miley Cyrus was going to sing? Of course, her famous dad, Billy Ray Cyrus gave her some early acting opportunities on his series "Doc." But the genius of "Hannah Montana" was casting Billy Ray as Miley's dad on the show.
Miley got to sing her own theme song, too, yet another actress pulling double duty on their own program. And "Hannah Montana" was a bona fide hit, as were at least a couple of the songs from the albums released with the series. But she didn't become the star she would be until she exited the titular character of her Disney show and broke out on her own.
Here's Miley Cyrus singing "See You Again"
Lindsay Lohan as one half of the two twins from the Disney motion picture "The Parent Trap"
Lindsay Lohan was just a force to be reckoned with... much like Hayden, she got her first big acting gigs on soap operas: Both Hayden and Lindsay had "Guiding Light" in common (though they were on that show in different years) but Lindsay's more prominent role was on NBC's "Another World."
Apparently the producers of Disney's remake of "The Parent Trap" (the original starring Hayley Mills),saw something special because she landed the role(s) and that launched her career in a big, big way. It also didn't hurt that Disney Channel early in their existence, didn't have too much programming and ran that movie multiple times a month! Lindsay was getting a following, without even doing anything else.
Of course, she did do a lot else, including her turn with that Love Buggable VW Beetle in "Herbie: Fully Loaded" and her pairing (eventually the first of two) doing a remake of "Freaky Friday" with Jamie Lee Curtis, prior to that massive smash "Mean Girls."
But early on, Ms. Lohan already had her eyes and her mind on the Hollywood media, the paparazzi, the gossip rags and all of the negative stuff that comes with stardom.
This is Lindsay Lohan's "Rumors"
Hilary Duff as "Lizzy McGuire"
It was extremely relatable for viewrs of this show to get into the head of a teen girl as she went about her life, at home, at school and in her social time with her pals. It was both a cute conceit and a brilliant idea. But then again, series creator Terri Minsky was full of a lot of brilliant ideas: she eventually would create the groundbreaking Disney series "Andi Mack."
But here, Hilary's assignment was to both play the part as herself and to narrate the story, as an animated version of the character, explaining the thoughts, feelings and occasional logic as to the whys and the wherefores of the action in that episode.
But the show did well enough to merit a big screen film, which essentially served as the end of Lizzy's story, and it was just a couple of months later that Hilary released this single.
Here's Hilary Duff performing "So Yesterday"
Ryan Gosling and Britney Spears on Disney Channel's "MMC"
We have to shout out the name Matt Cassella. He was the casting director for "MMC," Disney Channel's (SECOND) revival of "The Mickey Mouse Club." Just look at who was on the roster: Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, JC Chasez, and the two people pictured, above.
Well, maybe it wasn't that they were all that much more talented, but there were a whole lot more opportunities for them to spread their wings after this series ended.
Either way, Britney Spears was determined. Sure, she tried out for "MMC" and was told she was "too young." Okay! Join the cast, later! She was talented, but she also worked hard and that paid off because she started trying to push her way beyond. She appeared on "Star Search" and won a couple of rounds, and that apparently was good enough because then she started getting courted by record labels. Her look, her sound, it was fresh and new and at the turn of the century, new is what everyone wanted.
Max Martin, songwriter extraordinaire, created the song, and he didn't know American slang that well (he's from Sweden, after all) so he didn't quite get the title right but it still became a landmark song, both for him and for the singer.
Here's Britney Spears doing "...Baby One More Time"
Ashley (left) and Mary-Kate Olsen of the ABC series "Full House"
Kinda the reverse of Lindsay Lohan, these two girls played one role: Michelle Tanner on the ABC comedy "Full House." It's good to remember that Mary-Kate and Ashley are FRATERNAL twins, that just happen to look a whole lot alike. Two eggs, not one split zygote. Still, I remember when they came to FAO Schwarz for a Video signing of one of their films. The line literally went around the block. These girls had already become a phenomenon and they still weren't teens yet.
I had talked about the Olsens previously... Terror of the Twin Tweenage Twillionaires was my take on everything they were up to at that point in their career, but we have to admit something. Whomever handled their accounts did a magnificent job. Their website provided a whole host of purchasing opportunities, including personal management, clothing choices, food and beverage suggestions, home decor ideas and a whole lot more. It was a whole lifestyle MK&A were selling and they were making that money throughout.
Meanwhile, they did do a number of things, some films, a couple of sitcoms, all before they decided to go to NYU to study fashion, but then they dropped out. Why do they need to study fashion, when they've already been teaching it for most of their lives? Their high end fashion line, The Row is keeping these two in business.
We'll forego all of the personal life stuff, because that is strange and at times horrifying. but we do have them performing their classic song.
It's Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen with "Brother For Sale"
Shelley Fabares as Mary Stone from "The Donna Reed Show"
And that brings us to the other person that inspired this post. We heard today that Shelley Fabares died at the age of 82. She was a fixture on television from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s on "The Donna Reed Show. and of course the program went into syndicated reruns soon after it left the air, preservig Shelley's youth and fun for years after.
Producers and Promoters were always looking for ways to get more publicity for their clients, and one of the things that happened in this case was that Shelley was encouraged to sing. Apparently, she didn't have a lot of aspirations to go down that road, but hey, it was another something to do, another payday and another chance to be seen by the audience.
They gave her a song, and the production and effort was pretty darned good! Maybe Shelley didn't want to be a singer, but she had a legitimate hit and now, we can imagine that she's the angel truly in heaven.
Shelley Fabares - "Johnny Angel"
Annette Funicello of "The Mickey Mouse Club"
Annette Funicello. The single reason Walt Disney's "Mickey Mouse Club" succeeded. I don't think anyone cared that much about the Mouseketeers generally. But Annette was the focus of the group and, may I say, it's because she was the most unique (read: ETHNIC) member of the show! Sweet, charming, and that word again, relatable, Annette even starred in her own self-titled serial within the show. That's popularity.
A few of the kids on that program went on to have careers of some sort, but Annette became a favorite through her series of "Beach" movies with Frankie Avalon and surprisingly with her songs, some of which were on soundtrack albums.
It was a tragedy that the goodest girl met such a sad end, and additionally, really lost about ten years of her life to Multiple Sclerosis, before she passed away in 2013 at the age of 70.
I'm playing my favorite of all her songs, from a Disney movie in which she starred.
Finishing with Annette Funicello and The Beach Boys with the title track from "The Monkey's Uncle"