Top 100 Teen Idols

Oh Vh1. How is it that even though every show that has ever aired on that channel follows the same exact formula every time...it's still so mindlessly entertaining and gripping? When they start a top 100 countdown...you know you're in for a 4-5 hour long haul...and yet, somehow...you watch. I sat and watched 4 hours of the top 100 teen idol count down on VH1 this afternoon...and I couldn't get enough of it. I even paused the damn thing while I was making myself some food (thanks to the recent wonders of DVR.) The whole thing just fascinates me. I don't get how it's possible that complete strangers, failed comedians, and D list actors commenting on celebrities can be so entertaining. But it is. And this program was especially interesting for me.

I'm going into this field right now as a very young (and even younger-looking) actor. I will be playing "teen" until I'm 30 if my current baby face doesn't disappear magically within the next few years. I was really impressed by the careers of some of these young stars and starlets. Some of them completely wasted away into oblivion after even 5 or 6 successful movies...some just slowly walked away because it wasn't right for them...some are working in TV off and on and are still in and out of acting...and a few (I stress "few") have remained steadfast and strong. I'm not quite sure what it is...but you do see it when they show who's made it in the end and who hasn't. There are a few exceptions...For instance, I never thought Alicia Silverstone, in all her Clueless glory, would ever fade into a C list quality...at least she's still hanging in there, but I thought she was destined for Hollywood glory. Most of the ones who have made it though, make a lot of sense. There is either such a strong attractive quality behind their persona that Hollywood could never let them fade away...or the person actually has talent. Very rarely do you find both. Leonardo DiCaprio has both, and I praise everything he has done with his career...what a dream! But then, who would have thought Jessica Biel would ever persevere after 7th Heaven? And now that she has...I'm actually starting to like her! I mean, she's working with Edward Norton. I admire her hard work and risky choices. I think it shows a drive.

I also admire people who simply stepped away from the cameras for different reasons. Remember the stud from Sixteen Candles? He left the acting world at the height of his game to go after his true passion...Carpentry. And so many of these stars leave the business to become moms, go to college, or they leave because they never really wanted it in the first place. I admire that more than anything else. I think that no matter what happens to you in this outrageous world of acting, you should always make sure that you are happy. You need to have a life that isn't a life you are portraying.

I felt like I learned a lot from that fascinating little VH1 special. Who knew? I never thought I'd recover after "I love the 80s."