Whatever Happened To...

Ace of Base?

I've discovered 90s radio on iTunes which means two things: I have a LOT more material for "Whatever Happened To..." and it is making the work day go by so much faster. And which recurring gem of an artist keeps popping up? The one and only Ace of Base.  Although I am only familiar with "The Sign" as well as "Don't Turn Around" and "All That She Wants", Ace of Base had a lot of hits which they are still cranking out.

First, did you know they're from Sweden and three of the four members of the group are siblings? Fun facts. Second, the three songs I mentioned above all come from the same album making it the first debut album to produce three number 1 singles on the Billboard Top 40 chart. Sounds like Ace of Base was a lot more legit than I give them credit for.

The name Ace of Base comes from the fact that they rehearsed in the basement of a car repair shop and apparently considered themselves to be "masters of their studio" - thus aces of the basement and ere go Ace of Base.  The more I learn, the more amazing they become.

Their first, and arguably their most popular, album Happy Signs came out in 1993 and was followed by The Bridge in 1995 and Flowers in 1998.  A greatest hits CD came in 1999 and the group's fourth album Da Capo came out in 2002. The group took a hiatus for a few years starting in 2003 but came together for a reunion concert four years later, but slowly things started to fall apart.

It was revealed that one of the female leads hadn't been part of the group for a while (scandal) and nobody wanted to sign the group now that there were only three members.  An album they put together in 2009 never got released, but they kept insisting that new music is coming out.  Also, one of the guys is a judge on Sweden's version of American Idol.

Well lo and behold, the new and improved Ace of Base, complete with two new lady members, released a single called "All for You" in September. Magic.



So have no fear LTD and Ace of Base fans, it looks like the quartet, albeit a brand spanking new version, is still going strong. I know I can rest a lot easier now.

Whatever Happened To...

The beat is unmistakable. The lyrics are unforgettable. All it takes is those first three words and you have an instant party on your hands.



So whatever happened to Sir Mix-a-Lot, who singlehandedly created the ultimate party song with "Baby Got Back" in 1992?

First a little history. Mix (as we at LTD like to call him) was born Anthony Ray in Seattle and created his own record label called Nastymix in 1986, releasing his first hit "Posse on Broadway" that same year. His debut album Swass was released in 1988 and went platinum. He then came out with his second album, Seminar, in 1990 and saw it go gold.

And then... magic.

Sir Mix-a-Lot moves to the Def American label and releases his first album with the label, Mack Daddy, which includes "Baby Got Back". The song reached No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 100 chart for five weeks in the summer of '92, went double platinum and won the Grammy for Best Rap Solo Performance. Did you know that song won a Grammy? I sure didn't. And yes it is that amazing.

Another awesome fact about the song? MTV would only air the video at night because of its "sexual nature". And now, not even ten years later, we get to watch Snookie in the middle of the day.

After that? Nothing. Talk about a one-hit wonder. He released three more albums from 1994-2003, none of which did anything, and tried a TV career with a show called "Watcher" that lasted exactly five months on UPN.

So where is he now?

According to www.sirmixalot.com (which loads incredibly slowly but is oh so worth the wait), Sir Mix-a-Lot is a producer with Rhyme Cartel Records and has two music acts on his label. Not bad. He also has a Twitter account. Awesome. Follow him at "therealmix" (I don't know how you write that out in Twitter-speak).

But the one thing you know he's definitely still doing? Absolutely getting paid when every movie, TV show, department store chain, you name it wants to use some version of "Baby Got Back". Apparently it was in the movie Shrek and Target did a parody of it to sell backpacks with the phrase "I like backpacks and I cannot lie." I'm pretty sure he is getting some kind of cash money back for this.

Oh and not to mention this SNL skit for Sir Mix-a-Lot's Photo Shop


So while Sir Mix-a-Lot's fame and fortune might have been shortlived, his legend will live on in his music. He's changed the way people look at large butts forever. What a true pioneer.

Whatever Happened To...

Jonathan Taylor Thomas?

Oh yes. It's time for the long-lost feature "Whatever Happened To" to return to LTD and who better to re-kick things off with than the one, the only JTT.

This weekend, Jess reminded me of the good ole days of Jonathan Taylor Thomas. I mean you couldn't walk past a Teen Beat magazine without seeing his face on it. So where in the world is he now?

I'm not gonna lie, he is not the easiest washed up celeb to track down.

So for those of you who might not be familiar with the name - or should I say acronym - JTT, he is best known as Randy, the middle son, on Home Improvement. In fact he played Tim the Toolman Taylor's son for a good seven seasons before leaving the show in 1998 to pursue academic interests. In reality, he was looking to further his film career but exactly how well did that play out for him? "Man of the House" and "I'll Be Home for Christmas" weren't exactly blockbuster hits were they?

Basically since then JTT has faded into relative obscurity. Sorry Jess. Apparently the only really exciting thing to have happened to him in the last five years is that he's been the subject of rumors that he might be gay. Other than that, he's had a few bit roles in some small independent (by which I mean nobody has ever heard of them) movies as well as on a few semi-popular TV shows including "Veronica Mars" (cancelled), "Smallville" (probably almost cancelled) and "8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter" (has to be cancelled).

But let me tell you. His TV and film career might be floundering, but he is THRIVING in the Youtube world. A quick search of his name pulls up over 600 tribute videos and montages of his "super hott" face and they're not from 10 years ago either. We're talking six months ago that people were setting pictures of JTT to hits like "My Heart Will Go On". The ladies still love them some Jonathan Taylor Thomas, that's for sure.

Seriously though... can you blame them?

Whatever Happened to...

Snow?

Welcome to the first installment of "Whatever Happened To...", the newest feature on LTD that answers your burning questions about the whereabouts of your favorite celebs from the past.

Today we are chronicling Snow, and I don't mean the weather.

For those of you who can't quite place the name, Snow is probably best known for his diddy "Informer". Observe:



So now that you are familiar with his work, let's take a look at what could possibly have happened to this obviously super-talented individual.

First of all, Snow's real name is Darren O'Brien and he's Canadian. Snow apparently also stands for "Super Notorious Outrageous Whiteboy" and was given to him by Marvin Prince, the Jamaican born DJ that discovered him. "Informer" was the #1 song for seven straight weeks and is in the Guiness Book of World Records as the best selling reggae single in U.S. history.

But wait there's more. According to Snow's official MySpace page (which was last updated Jan. 29) he discovered his love of music in prison and was just recently allowed back into the United States where, great news everybody, he is back in the recording studio.

So since "Informer", Snow continues to make music and is a big hit in Canada where in 2000 and 2002 he had two songs race to the top of the charts.

And he released a single in 2009 called "Adore You". Enjoy:



Hope you all liked the first installment of "Whatever Happened To..." Again, suggestions, comments and concerns are always welcomed and encouraged. Except for the concerns.