Wednesday, December 29, 1999

Icons of the '90s

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Here's a look back at the decade that brought us Beanie Babies, PCs, cell phones all over and 'The Simpsons'

The Cincinnati Enquirer

        Every decade has its image. The '80s were about greed. The '70s were about me, me, me. The '60s were about love. How will we remember the last decade of the 20th century? Perhaps mostly by the cultural icons that set this decade apart.

        It was the decade of O.J. Simpson and The Simpsons. Soccer moms and minivans. Viagra and Prozac. Beanie Babies and Pokemon. And right here, Mapplethorpe and Marge Schott.

        We lost heroes: Joe DiMaggio, Mickey Mantle, Jackie Kennedy, Ella Fitzgerald, Princess Diana, Wilt Chamberlain and JFK Jr.

        And we were profoundly influenced by, among others:

        • MUSIC
        Boy bands
        Tu Pac
        The Three Tenors
        Notorious BIG
        Garth Brooks
        Lilith Fair
        Grunge
        Parrotheads
        The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
        Keith Lockhart

        • FILM
        Thelma and Louise
        Will Smith
        Schindler's List
        Leonardo DiCaprio
        Forrest Gump
        Tom Hanks ineverything
        The Crying Game
        Julia Roberts
        John Travolta's comeback
        Toy Story
        Kevin Costner
        Star Wars
        Denzel Washington
        Jurassic Park
        Whoopi Goldberg
        Jim Carrey
        The Lion King
        Adam Sandler
        Titanic

        • TELEVISION/CABLE
        Fox and The WB
        Chris Rock
        Ken Burns
        Home Improvement
        The Jerry Springer Show
        Beavis and Butthead
        The Simpsons
        Buffy the Vampire Slayer
        George Clooney in ER
        Intelligent drama
        Potty-mouthed comedy
        "Is that your final answer?'
        Jerry Seinfeld
        Ellen Degeneres
        Ally McBeal
        Nickelodeon
        VH1
        South Park
        The X Files
        90210
        Melrose Place
        Steve Urkel

        • SPORTS
        Magic Johnson contracts AIDS
        Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan
        Stadiums
        Ken Griffey Jr.
        Professional Wrestling
        Women's National Basketball Association
        Tiger Woods
        Expansion teams
        Bombing at Atlanta Olympics
        Scandal at Salt Lake City Olympics
        Michael Jordan
        Lance Armstrong wins Tour de France after beating cancer
        Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa
        Wayne Gretzky
        The Williams Sisters
        Steffi Graf
        Pete Sampras

        • POLITICS
        Bill and Hillary
        Bill and Monica
        The Bushes: George and Dub-Ya
        Poltical correctness
        Newt Gingrich
        Christian Coalition
        Primary Colors
        James Carville and Mary Matalin

        • TECHNOLOGY
        PCs
        Wireless phones
        Pagers
        You've Got Mail
        Boom boxes
        MP3
        DVDs
        Steven Jobs
        Bill Gates
        Video games
        Lap-tops
        Big-screen TVs
        Hand-held computer games
        Mario Bros.

        • POP CULTURE
        Soccer moms
        Minivans and SUVs
        Road rage
        Cigars
        "You go, girl'
        Double decaf latte with low-fat cream and cinnamon
        Power drinks
        Tai Chi and Tai Bo
        El Nino
        The new VW bug
        Swing and salsa
        Trenchcoat Mafia
        Hip-hop
        Beanie Babies
        Step aerobics
        Elmo
        Furby
        Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
        Power Rangers

        • BOOKS
        Everything for Dummies
        Chicken Soup for whatever
        The Rules
        Harry Potter
        Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus
        John Grisham
        The Bridges of Madison County
        Goosebumps
        The Horse Whisperer
        Stephen King
        Angela's Ashes
        Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

        • HEALTH
        Viagra
        Prozac
        Vegetarianism
        Phen fen
        Herbal supplements
        HMOs
        Chicken pox vaccine
        High-protein diets

        • TRAGIC MOMENTS
        O.J. in the Bronco
        Diana in the Mercedes
        Saddam Hussein
        Columbine
        Oklahoma City bombing
        The Waco fire
        Sinatra dies
        Jackie Kennedy dies
        JFK Jr. dies
        Where have you gone, Joe DiMaggio?

        • CINCINNATI IN THE LIMELIGHT
        Mapplethorpe
        Larry Flynt
        Marge Schott
        Pete Rose
        Stan Chesley
       

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GET TO IT
Icons of the '90s
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Job Service opens office at airport
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TRISTATE DIGEST