I am a child of the ’80s who grew up with the Brat Pack and their movies. So, I was like, what is wrong with them for not wanting to be associated with the title?
Therefore, I have been anxiously waiting for Brats since Andrew McCarthy announced it almost two years ago.
When ABC News Studios and Hulu announced that they were going to be streaming it, I felt like a teenager getting excited to see one of their films in a movie theater.
The Brat Pack was an article written in 1985 by David Blum for New York Magazine. It was a feature on three up-and-coming actors, Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, and Judd Nelson.
Estevez was the main subject because he and Lowe were promoting their film St. Elmo’s Fire, which came out that same month. Which as we know, was a huge hit and propelled a group of actors from playing teenagers to portraying adults in film.
This was supposed to launch their careers as 20-somethings. But then the article came out, and the actors who were considered members of the Brat Pack felt it stalled their careers.
So much so that they don’t talk to each other, and some of them have not seen their co-stars since the movies came out.
McCarthy, after the success of his book Brat: An ’80s Story, decided to do a documentary about what it was like to be a member of the Brat Pack.
If you ask any ’80s kid what they would do to be a member of the Brat Pack, they will tell you that they would sell their soul. However, the members hated it.
McCarthy traveled to LA, and the first actor who is featured is Estevez. You can tell he didn’t want to do this interview because he is still dealing with the ramifications of being named a Brat.
Next, he talks to Ally Sheedy, who is a little more accepting of it. But she also has problems with being declared a member.
So, at this point, I am not loving the doc. I hate that they are shitting on such a remarkable legacy.
But then he talks to Demi Moore and Rob Lowe, and they wear the title with honor. Lowe says they opened the door for future teenagers. And now I am enjoying it a little more.
McCarthy also spoke to Blum about his inspiration for the article. He did not mean any harm with the article or the title. But he does admit that as a 29-year-old writer, he was pompous and made mistakes. He also agreed that some of the article was mean, yet he wouldn’t change it.
At this point, I am not sure how I feel about the doc. My BFF from my teenage years loved it. She texted me, “Andrew McCarthy for President!”
I decided to take a breather. And by breather, I mean read the article that started it all.
And that is where everything changes and how I feel about them hating being in the Brat Pack. They have every reason to be pissed. And it looks like it destroyed most of their careers because most of them never had a hit like they did in 1985.
They suddenly became typecasted with a title, not for their work. We will never know what could’ve been. But it was intriguing to hear where they are today and who still holds a grudge.
In case you are wondering how bad this article is, here is the only mention of McCarthy in it: “And of Andrew McCarthy, one of the New York–based actors in St. Elmo’s Fire, a co-star says, ‘He plays all his roles with too much of the same intensity. I don’t think he’ll make it.’ The Brat Packers save their praise for themselves.”
If I was an actor in my early 20s with the world about to become my oyster and I read that about myself, I would be fucking pissed too.
That is just half a paragraph. They were not shown in the best light in the cover story, and I felt bad for them. It was a tough read. And Brats is light-hearted as compared to Blum’s words.
So now, I appreciate the doc. I have been telling my friends to watch Brats and then read the article. I think you need to go into it with an open mind. I also think if you watch it, you need to read the article because it puts everything into perspective.
There is so much more I can say about the feature, but you need to read it. It is more important for you to watch the program.
McCarthy needs to do more documentaries because he gets people to open up and make them feel comfortable. That, and you want to know more about the story as he is telling it.
And I am saying all of this as someone who was Team Steph (James Spader) in Pretty in Pink.
Before Emilio Estevez had a strict father in The Breakfast Club, he had a tough but good one in Insight. He looks the same now as he did when he was 17 in that 1980 episode. That is because those Martin Sheen genes are strong.
Tonight was a big night for Taylor Swift in Liverpool, home of The Beatles. It was her 100th show on the Eras tour, which began on March 17, 2023.
To honor the milestone, she told the audience that the tour is officially ending in December.
“You know, this is actually the 100th show of the Eras Tour! Absolutely, that blows my mind. That doesn’t feel like a real statistic to me because this has definitely been exhausting, all-encompassing, but the most joyful, most rewarding, most wonderful thing that has ever happened in my life, this tour. That’s what I want to say to you. And I think, you know, a lot of you are like, ‘How are you going to celebrate the 100th show?'” she told her fans. “And for me, the celebration of the 100th show for me means this is the very first time I’ve ever acknowledged to myself and admitted that this tour is going to end in December, like that’s it. And that feels like so far away from now, but then again, it feels like we just played our first show on this tour because you have made this so much fun for us that we wanted to do a hundred shows, 150-something shows that we have on the whole tour, and you know, I think that this tour has really become my entire life.”
The tour is slated to end on December 8th, the day John Lennon was shot, in Vancouver.
That means that Swift will be able to enjoy the playoff games and the Super Bowl with her lover, Travis Kelce’s mom. Travis will be too busy playing to hang out with her. And with that, I just jinxed the Kansas City Chiefs. Sorry.
The Spice Girls have reunited several times since their official split in 2008. Minus a few occasions, like the 2012 Olympics, Victoria Beckham has put a kibosh on reuniting with her old bandmates.
Mel B keeps teasing us by saying that something is in the works with all five Spices. The only thing we got was Beckham performing with Geri Halliwell, Mel B, Mel C, and Emma Burton at her 50th birthday party. Thanks to her husband, who is their biggest fan.
So when Variety had a cover story with David Beckham, they asked him if there will ever be a Spice Girls reunion. He told the trade, “Unfortunately, that’s not happening. Victoria was so pleased to see the girls, and it was a massive part of her life, the girls, but obviously, all the girls have got their own things going on. They will do certain things together at certain times. But Victoria’s full on with her beauty and fashion businesses. If anyone’s busier than me, it’s her.”
But don’t lose all hope that we will never see them on the same stage as Posh Spice, Ginger Spice, Scary Spice, Sporty Spice, and Baby Spice. The soccer great says he will continue working on his wife to make it happen.
