University of Pittsburgh - Owl Yearbook (Pittsburgh, PA)

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NATION Entertainment was a major force this year, with the word superstar really being put to use. Two people in particular come to mind with the mention of that word. Michael Jackson and the Cabbage Patch Kid. Much as Pac-Man fever swept the country last year, this creation was every child's vision at Christmastime. It was something not even Phil Donahue could not ignore, as he devoted half a show to the craze. Reports of Cabbage Patch Kids be ing held for ransom and riots in stores were not uncommon. Parents told stories of waiting in line for hours on end only to find the store sold out before they even opened. And what was so special about these dolls? Could it be that each came with its own unique adoption papers? Or was it their cute, scrunched up faces? Who knows. But someone isn't wondering, all the way to the bank. Michael megabucks Jackson certainly cemented his place in music history this year. His album Thriller sold over 27 million copies; five singles hitting number one and one receiving a Grammy for Song of the Year. The million dollar video mini-movie to the title song was a cinematic triumph and a destined trendsetter and classic. The Michael Jackson look. the one sequined glove and white socks and loafers became the style. And his teaming up with fellow superstar Paul McCartney for another chart- topping single was not to be forgotten. And speaking of forgetting, let's not forget Mr. Jack-son's affair with Pepsi and Brooke. One set his hair on fire, the other . .. well. A record indeed. Michael Jackson withstanding, 1984 was the year music came out of the slumps. Newcomers like Duran Duran. Culture Club and Cyndi Lauper and old standbys such as the Rolling Stones. Van Halen and the Pre tenders pulled music out of the doldrums. The new sound as 10 Introduction Natlon

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1984. An election year. With three strong candidates, the campaigning is fierce and the results interesting. With the first strong black candidate in the running, whatever the outcome is. '84 will probably be looked back on as a turning point in politics. Walter (Fritz) Mondale, born in Minnc-sola in 1928. began his career in Hum phrey's Senatorial campaign in 1940. When Humphrey left his Senate posi tion in 1965. Mondale took his seat. Serving 12 years in the Senate. Mondale built a liberal reputation on issues of school busing and education. His cam paign now stresses nuclear deployment. increased education spending and affirmative action on civil rights. Jesse Louis Jackson s political inter csts were sparked in 1959 when he was refused access to a public library in South Carolina The following year, he participated in a sit in at the library. He was a part of M.L.K's Southern Christian Leadership Conference until 1971. His campaign stresses rights for the un der privileged and disadvantaged. The college students and black Americans are the focal point of Jackson's Rain bow Coalition.” Gary (you got to have) Hart worked as a volunteer in J.F.K.'s presidential cam paign of I960. Later he served as assis tant to Interior Secretary Stewart (Jdall. Twice, in '74 and '80. he was elected Senator from Colorado His campaign stresses education. Introduction (Nation 9

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ui Friday... The Day Of well as the new look, otherwise known as MTV. made it a year of welcome musical revision. In the humor department. Eddie Murphy and Joan Rivers reigned supreme. Eddie s break into the big screen with both ‘.'48 Hours and Trading Places as well as his HBO special Delirious brought back the kind of hard hitting, biting humor you're almost, but not quite, afraid to laugh at. And Joan Rivers' can we talk? sums her up for the lady who hits everyone and everything in her routines. If perchance our spare time led us into the theater, we were indeed well-rewarded. Staying Alive. The Right Stuff , Footloose and Terms of Endearment were some of the biggest hits of the year. It seems the big difference in the cinema this year was the move back to actual people rather than alien creatures and machines. On the smaller screen. T.V. brought us a monumental work. The Day After dramatized a nuclear attack in a mythical American city. The fact that prime time television made a 2 hour movie out of this topic emphasized the imminent nuclear threat felt. Introduction Nation II