September 14th in nerd history: Thank you for being a friend
Last updated: February 22, 2024
Happy National Cream Filled Donut Day! I mean, honestly, do I have to describe why this is a day worth celebrating?
This is The Reset Button from Classic Nerd, resetting your day.
September 14 in Nerd History
Here are five things that happened on September 14th for those of us who watched HBO through the squiggly lines.
I.
Birthdays of honor: Andrew Lincoln (1973), Nas (1973), Sam Neill (1947), Amy Winehouse (1983), Jack Hawkins (1910).
II.
Today in 1985 over 44 million people tuned in for the premiere of The Golden Girls on NBC. It was the top-rated show of the week and went on to be a top 10 show for six out of its seven seasons.
Each of the show’s stars won an Emmy, a feat only achieved by three other shows, and it’s regularly listed among the greatest TV productions of all time. If all of that weren’t enough, it’s got one of the best theme songs in sitcom history.
Thank you for being a friend, indeed.
III.
I know you’re still walking on pins and needles after this year’s VMAs, but today let’s talk about the anniversary of the first-ever MTV Video Music Awards, held today in 1984.
Madonna performed in a revealing wedding dress, Cyndi Lauper rambled, and Michael Jackon’s “Thriller” lost to The Cars’ “You Might Think” for Video of the Year.
Yet at no point did anyone explain why it’s called the Video Music Awards and not the Music Video Awards.
IV.
Before 1981 how the hell did you get your entertainment news? Trick question: you didn’t! Because it was tonight in 1981 that Entertainment Tonight made its debut — or as those in the know call it, ET.
Despite the fact that John Tesh didn’t join until 1986, the show somehow survived and we’ve been able to get our fix of Hollywood gossip and soft entertainment news ever since. That’s a long time, considering ET is the longest-running daily syndicated program.
V.
What would you do for love? Anything?
Today in 1993 we learned there was just one thing Meat Loaf wouldn’t do for love — but we never did learn what it was. 16 years after Bat Out of Hell rocked the world, he released Bat Out Of Hell II: Back Into Hell. Besides having possibly the best album title of all time, it revitalized Mr. Loaf’s career and included the future chart-topping single, “I’d Do Anything for Love (But I Won’t Do That).”