KIRSTI BUICK
Aqua
“Barbie Girl”: our generation’s version of that awkward chicken dance middle-aged people do at parties. But where did the bubble-gum pop band that created this masterpiece of cheese disappear to? Well, the Danish-Norwegian group consisted of vocalists Lene Nystrøm and René Dif (the squeaky one), keyboardist Søren Rasted and guitarist Claus Norreen. Apparently (pay close attention, this is where things get complicated) Lene and René had initially been dating, but then they split and Lene, the hound dog, began dating Søren. According to the Danish media, René was not too pleased about this. So in 2001, just four years after the release of “Barbie Girl”, they split. Aqua, not Lene and Søren. But there is a happy ending to this tragic romance: Aqua have set aside their issues to release a new album this year.
Ricky Martin
Last year, Ricky finally confirmed the rumours of homosexuality that had followed him for almost a decade. And now, the Puerto Rican singer has taken the next step: theatre. The star is confirmed to play Ché in the 2012 Broadway revival of Evita. Perdeby hopes this new gig will leave him enough time to take care of his four-year-old twins, Matteo and Valentino. A surrogate mother gave birth to the boys in 2008.
The Cosby Show Kids
Bill Cosby’s The Cosby Show may be one of the best-loved sitcoms of all time. Perdeby still wonders why this was the show’s name, as Cosby’s character was actually called Heathcliff Huxtable. Incidentally, Perdeby also wonders what happened to the billions of Huxtable children on the show. If you occasionally wonder such things too, here is the answer: Sabrina Le Beauf (Sondra on the show – the one who eventually had twins and called them Nelson and Winnie) now owns her own interior design company. Lisa Bonet (Denise – who married the divorced guy with the daughter) eloped with, had a child with, and divorced Lenny Kravitz. Busy girl! Malcolm-Jamal Warner (the only Huxtable boy, Theo) still acts, and now also directs music videos and sitcoms and has released two EPs. Tempest Bledsoe (Vanessa – the nosy one) is the new host of the hit TV series Clean House. Keshia Knight Pulliam (Rudy – the cute one) now plays a reformed con artist in Tyler Perry’s House of Payne.
The Spice Girls
This 90s pop sensation was arguably the biggest girl band of all time. But, sadly, all that girl power couldn’t last forever. The first one to lose it was Geri Halliwell (Ginger Spice) when she left the group in 1998. It was all downhill from there: although the four remaining girls released their third album, they too called it quits in 2000. The girls (can we still call them girls?) made a brief comeback in 2007 – with a tour and a mediocre album – but have yet to work together since. Interestingly enough, however, rumours are circulating about a possible Spice Girls musical, entitled Viva Forever. The show will reportedly follow in the footsteps of Mamma Mia! and will be based on the Spice Girls music, rather than their personal story.
Sarah Michelle Gellar
So why has Buffy disappeared off the face of the earth? Perhaps she just has no work, now that the vampires have all turned good and sparkly. As it turns out, however, Sarah Michelle Gellar’s fame has not simply been eclipsed (excuse the pun) by the Twilight era. Mrs Freddie Prinze Jr took a break from vampire slaying and mystery solving to raise her daughter, Charlotte Grace. Aw. But she will be back on American TV screens in September in the new series Ringer.
Image: JP Nathrass