–by Bevianna Bones

It feels like that cover photo is straight out of an issue of Bop! doesn’t it? If you don’t know what I’m talking about then sadness for you that you never experienced the awesomeness of Bop! magazine and the craze that was JTT for most little girls.

Believe it or not, that is not a cover of Softball & Rescue Cats monthly. (That’s a reference to say that all those little boys look like softball playin’ animal rescuin’ lesbos for those of you that may have missed that joke)

Anyway, while most little girls were obsessing over JTT and the like, I was swooning over little miss Alyssa Milano…aka Samantha Micelli…aka Jennifer Canterville.

You remember, that really obscure 80’s tv special that featured Sir John Gielgud as Sir Simon the ghost and Ted Wass..aka Blossom’s Dad…as Alyssa Milano’s dad?? You don’t remember it?? Maybe you remember the 90s made for tv version that had Patrick Stewart as the ghost and Neve Campbell as the daughter? Still no? Well I recommend doing what I did and take the plunge and make that drunken Amazon purchase you’ve been waiting for and drop 50 (US Dollars…) on the DVD, because its not to be missed. In fact, I watched it so many times as a child (we had a vhs recording taped off the tv full of marvelous 80s advertising) that as an adult, I longed to watch it again for a bit of nostalgia. So onto the interwebs I go, only to find out its available on Amazon for the mere price of 50 USD. Sadness, as I swore to myself I would pay that much for a DVD; long story short, a few too many beers and a couple days later, surprise, it’s there in my mailbox.

Anyway, this crush thing for me involves both the character from Canterville Ghost, and the more widely known character of Samantha from Who’s the Boss? Mainly because, all in all they were pretty much one in the same. Only difference really being that one’s dad was Blossom’s Dad, and the other’s dad was Tony Danza.  They were both tomboy’s, which I immediately grew a liking too, and they both were smart asses, which, I also grew a liking too.

Anyone else notice how much she/they resemble my other 80s childstar crush? Jo? Maybe it’s all that denim. I apparently have a thing for dark haired Italian girls with attitude. Does Katy Perry have some Itailian in her? That would explain an awful lot for me if she does.

By the Gods, Google…I’m really hoping that image came out of an old Bop too…

But hey, what wasn’t there for me to like? They both were just like me! Minus the Italian part of course. That was my main rationale as a child for all of these apparent crushes I once had. I just so wanted to be like them. I wasn’t old enough to know that it was just my loins talking.

We all got to watch little Sam grow up over the eight seasons Who’s the Boss? ran for, and in the end in 1992, she had grown from 80s tomboy into the dream of the 90s.

Bottom line is, I will always hold a special place in my heart, for Sam/Jen, as the girl I wanted to be…aka the 80s me version of coping with a crush.

And why not? Anyone seen Alyssa Milano lately? She’s still smoking hot now in her 40s.

–BB