Attention Hollywood C-listers: for the vital career resurgence you are all seeking, look no further than VH1's new reality show Confessions of a Teen Idol to put you back in the public eye. I'm going to help VH1 select the next seven contestants by listing here the 1990s acting careers I'd like to see revitalized.
Sean O'Neal - What preteen girl didn't want to steal O'Neal's Sam Anders from Clarissa on the Nickelodeon sitcom Clarissa Explains It All? I certainly did. Sam was the perfect best friend: sensitive, protective and always ready to climb that ladder whenever she needed him. That resume lends him all the qualities of a leading man in the Freddie Prinze, Jr. vein.
Brandon Call - As J.T. on ABC's Step By Step, Call was a general nuisance whose character never progressed beyond immaturity. Call doesn't have any film or TV credits after the show ended, and an older Call could prove the surprise talent (or just the surprise) of the show.
Scott Michaelson - He co-starred in the '90s PAX TV series Flipper and a merman in the Sabrina, The Teenage Witch TV movie Sabrina, Down Under. His experience with marine life makes him my pick for Aquaman, if the rumored big screen adaptation ever comes to fruition.
Don Johnson - His two major roles were as police Detective Sonny Crockett in Miami Vice and in the '90s as title character Nash Bridges on CBS. He's a sure bet to play another wisecracking cop, maybe in another CSI spin-off. Plus, he'd make an entertaining mentor to the other cast members.
James Wlcek - Wlcek toyed with C-list fame as martial artist Trent Malloy on the CBS hit Walker, Texas Ranger and its very brief spin-off Sons of Thunder. Wlcek's emotive range puts him in line to succeed Steven Seagal in the apathetic action franchise.
Jason David Frank - Every girl had her favorite Power Ranger, and Tommy Oliver (green/white) was mine. Frank made a lasting impression throughout the run of Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers on FOX, but a move to more mature fare might be the kick his career needs. Might I suggest a teen comedy?
Aaron Lohr - I harbored a major crush on this Bash Brother back in the '90s, when he played Dean Portman in The Mighty Ducks movie franchise. Lohr is a triple threat: actor, singer (theater and movies) and ice skater. Watch out world.
---Stephanie Hummel is a senior studying journalism. Dragonzord! her at sh213005@ohiou.edu.
3 Culture
Stephanie Hummel
