Pet Rock: The Pop Culture Blog

NKOTB photos

And yes, Long Island girls-turned-women, they're coming to the Coliseum, so get out the aerosol cans and get that hair high!

May 16 - New York City: The Today Show
May 17 - East Rutherford: Izod Center
May 18 - Boston: Tweeter Center

Sept. 20 - Montreal: Bell Centre
Sept. 21 - Toronto: ON Air Canada Center
Sept. 23 - East Rutherford, Izod Center (Pre-sale: May 5, 10 a.m.; on sale: May 12, 10 a.m.)
Sept. 24 - Nassau Coliseum (Pre-sale: May 5, 10 a.m.; on sale: May 12, 10 a.m.)
Sept. 26 - Boston: TD Banknorth Garden
Sept. 27 - Atlantic City: Borgata (on sale May 17)

Oct. 4 - Chicago: Allstate Arena

Look for updated dates as they announce them at nkotb.com/tour

OK, so this may be the coolest thing we hear about and then do this week, perhaps even this month.

This Thursday (April 24) at 7:30 p.m. at the TriBeCa Drive-In (North Cove at the World Financial Center), they will celebrate the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's epic "Thriller" music video.

This was a groundbreaking event in 1984, and all these years later, it remains the greatest video ever made. A bold statement, to be sure, but name one that is better.

“Thriller” video director John Landis will be on hand during the screening and the classic "Making of Thriller" video to follow. Folks will teach you the Thriller dance -- as if you don't remember it -- and then join in for the world's largest zombie disco. There's a face-painting station, too, so ghoul it up, son! P.S. It's free!

Get more info here and watch the entire video below -- the ENTIRE video just the way it debuted on MTV in 1984 -- just because you know you want to kill a few minutes at work today. (Note: The video player takes a few seconds to load and you might get hit with a 15-second commercial firs, but "This is Thriller, Thriller Night" and no one's gonna save you from the commercial beast that's about to strike, so deal with it.)

- La Monica

What do Canada, Alan Thicke, former pop-sensation Tiffany and James Van Der Beek all have in common? Yes, they are all things no one cares about anymore. However, they are also all featured in the new Robin Sparkles video "Sandcastles in the Sand."

The folks at "How I Met Your Mother" may just have another hit on their hands.

Watch the video here

Networks finally ran out of celebrities to cast on reality shows, so they're turning to their kids for help.

MTV debuts "Rock the Cradle" on Thursday night at 10 p.m., which features nine offspring of famous musicians competing for a record deal.

Sounds tragic in a lot of ways. But, at least we can say MTV is producing a show about music.

For some of you, these next two sentences may be hard to believe: There was a time when MTV aired original shows as a way to break up videos and promote different genres of music. Music Television, a network once aptly named, created programs about music and pop culture and would air them. No, seriously, it's true.

This was before The Real World and The Hills, before True Life and MTV Cribs.

Top 5 Thursday remembers all too well those days when the television was about music and not about, well, television. So here we go with our Top 5 countdown of the best old-school shows from MTV:

5) Headbanger's Ball

Metal heads partied deep into the night when this show came along. If not for host Riki Rachtman, there's a lot of music none of us would ever have been introduced to and spent money on back then.

4) 120 Minutes

When alternative music hit the scene, MTV went nuts. It soon became mainstream to be alternative. And even if you weren't too into this music, you watched this show on Sunday nights.

3) Beavis & Butthead

Arguably the most controversial show in MTV history. It started out as an excuse to play bad videos and then blew up into a full-fledged pop culture phenomenon. Love 'em or hate 'em, you watched this show and yelled "Kick me in the jimmy!" on more than one occasion. It's OK, you don't have to lie. We know you did. Heck, I did it on Monday.

2) Remote Control

An MTV classic and its first game show that paved the way for all those silly shows we watched (and loved) during the network's Spring Break coverage. Adam Sandler and Denis Leary got their starts here, as did Colin Quinn and the lovely Kari Wuhrer. Buzz-bin.com will tell you more about this show just in case you don't remember it. Buzz-bin.com will also show you video clips of "Beat the Bishop" and other elements of the show just in case you remember it and want to watch.

1) Yo! MTV Raps

Fab 5 Freddy. Ed Lover. Dr. Dre. 'Nuff said . . . but we'll say more anyway. The Ed Lover Dance. Rappers showing their normal side instead of acting hard. A feeling of hanging out in your basement with Ed, Dre and whatever big-name or up-and-coming rap artists came on the show that week. Fab 5 Freddy interviewing people on location and always being positive no matter what the interview subject said. (I still don't think he ever listened to what they said, but it was compelling TV.) By the way, MTV is honoring the 20-year anniverary of the show's start this April. Check the schedule and watch old clips at yo.mtv.com (and let me know if you beat a score of 8,000 on the Yo! quiz).

P.S. Other shows we liked but not in our top 5: The Cut, House of Style, Beauty and the Beach, Singled Out, Fade to Black.

- Mark La Monica

Gotta love when old school musical artists return with new albums but are forced to perform their old stuff, too. You know, the songs that we actually know.

This time, it's Taylor Dayne, a Long Island native, rocking out on the CW11 with "Tell It To My Heart" as she promotes her new album "Satisfied."

I was so fired up when I stumbled upon the video that for a moment I considered joining Taylor Dayne's I-Team. Seriously.

- Mark La Monica

That damn Soda Popinski!

It's been 20 years and he's still unbeatable in Mike Tyson's Punch-Out! You'd think after this length of time, he'd be a bit out of shape with wimpy noodle arms.

But oh no. He's still a mighty Russian with uppercuts that start at the floor and end at the top of the TV screen, Little Mac's rattled brain caught in the middle.

Thanks to Jitsu friend Jitsu and his keen ability to spend $5 to download the original game to his Wii, I scored the opportunity to conquer my childhood demons.

Isn't this what we dream about? To be older and wiser when we meet our childhood nemesis? To have that "one of these days" when we're at our peak and the sides are equal?

I cruised through the early rounds, laying out Von Kaiser in under a minute and taking Dom Flamenco to the third round just for fun. I even remembered the timing on countering Bald Bull's bull charge (no thanks to Doc Lewis).

Then came Soda Popinski, with his two left hooks, his Russian two-step and quick right jabs and those mighty uppercuts. He smoked me. Again. I felt like I made no progress in life. If there were an Alyssa Milano poster hanging on the wall, I'd have felt 12 years ago again. Sitting on a couch, no closer to personal glory as I see Little Mac sitting on a chair after the fight with Nintendo's game makers taunting me into retirement after losing the rematch.

Damn you, Soda Popinski!

But here's the major difference in life these days. Fueled by 20 years of anger and embarassment about rarely being able to beat the almighty Russian, I went on YouTube and typed in "Soda Popinski." I found a tutorial on how to use a glitch against Popinski.

Now we'll see what happens in our next fight. Bring back the Cold War, this Russian is going down!

- Mark La Monica