strong feelings about nickelodeon
live from orlando, florida...
IT’S SLIME TIME LIVE! Why yes, I did once introduce the TRL of kids shows. The date was March 22, 2002. I was in the second grade, wearing a newly purchased 3-D slime splatter Nickelodeon t-shirt. Chalk Zone premiered during the broadcast. I’ve wanted to be on TV ever since.
Well, that’s not true, I definitely wanted to be on TV earlier than that, but as I read all of The Ringer’s Nick Week content last week, I thought that maybe seeing so many kids just like me on TV from such a young age might be one of the reasons I’ve always wanted to be famous. That and sharing a name with Sara Moulton.
I’m rambling because it’s been a while and I have so much to share. I got behind on the internet and felt I could not send you all a new installment until I had caught up, which I have finally done. In case you haven’t heard, I am not the new Jeopardy host, derailing one of my lifelong dreams. I guess now I’ll just have to figure out how to make it onto the celebrity tournament.
Back to Nickelodeon, my first love. I have a size M, Double Dare crop top from Forever 21 because it was the only one and I could not walk out of the store without it. I have a splatter logo t-shirt with all the classic characters on it from Target that makes me smile every time I see it in my drawer. I wore out my favorite Nick GaS sleep shirt that my dad won playing shuffle board with Dave Aizer. I never watched Lizzie McGuire or That’s So Raven, I was a Nickelodeon girl through and through.
Though Spongebob Squarepants edged out Tommy Pickles to win the best character tournament, game shows and live action comedies were always my favorite. Zoey 101 got me through Swine Flu! (Also a plug for the very adult iCarly reboot) And I hadn’t thought about some of the game shows I used to love like Finders Keepers in years until I read the oral history of GUTS. Boy do I miss Nickelodeon Games and Sports.
There was so much great content tied to the 30th anniversary of the premiere of Nicktoons (which started with Doug, Ren & Stimpy and Rugrats) but some of my other favorites were this one on the generational divide in watching Nick programing, how they came up with the slime-drenched aesthetic (no wonder I love Memphis designs) and this completely incomplete ranking of theme songs – WHERE’S VICTORIOUS? Just remember, you don’t have to be afraid to put your dreams in action.
Moving on from truly one of my favorite things to talk about, if you’re interested in paying for my photos to post on your Insta stories so that people think you eat places you can’t get a reservation at, please contact my manager so we can discuss rates. I’ll be using all the money to purchase magical dishes from Fishs Eddy, a store I have always loved but never knew the story behind until recently. I will then go on an adventurous saga to find some drool worth (sounding, I’ve never tried) Pakistani mangoes that I will likely have to pick up from the tarmac at Newark airport to eat off the plates.
Last in this rambling rant: two complimentary pieces about nail art. The first comes from Bon Appetit and is about how nail polish is now more acceptable for female chefs (praise the scientist who came up with gel polish.) The second is a photo shoot from The Cut about how nail art is not just a style statement but a form of Black culture. I am thrilled that the kitchen is no longer fully excluding this form of self expression (it’s one of the reasons I give for not wanting to work in a restaurant) and that nail art is getting the respect and acknowledgement it deserves. Let me know if you want a referral to my salon :)
Other things I felt strongly about this week:
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is back!
You have though the end of the month to apply for the SNL ticket lottery
Roku picked up Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist so I can stop listening to Skylar Astin’s version of “Numb” on repeat
Olympic gymnastics reminding people that Stick It is a great movie
Learning that Steve Aoki’s dad was the founder of Benihana
The art of the bring up
Mark McGrath calling himself “the last douche” and claiming that four songs let Sugar Ray tour through this day (I can only think of three without Googling)
A scholarly article about Riverdale full of literary references
Now that you’ve caught up on what I’ve caught up on the internet, take a brunch break at Empanology at The Bronx Brewery (yes, I wrote about it) or use gochujang in your cooking (another self credit). Do you have strong feelings about Nickelodeon, Sugar Ray or stand up comedy? Send them my way!
You didn't tell me you were one of the Slime Time Live kids! Pics or it didn't happen!