Bobby Sherman's autobiography, "Still Remembering You" (From Yahoo! Shopping) Today we note the 66th birthday of Bobby Sherman. For those of you who are not of a certain age, that name will mean little. But if you were a teenager (particularly a teenage girl) in the 1960s, that name will bring back a flood of memories, for Mr. Sherman was a teen idol, beloved by kids and parents for his "non-threatening good looks" (to quote Marge Simpson) and such hit records as "Julie, Do Ya Love Me?" and "Easy Come, Easy Go." Bobby was hardly the first teen idol. The fad goes back to at least the 1940s, when bobby-soxers went wild for Frank Sinatra. In the '50s, when rock and roll was getting started, it seemed like there was a new sensation every five minutes. (I'm lookin' at you, Fabian, Frankie, and Bobby ... ) But, with Sherman’s birthday in mind, I remembered how the teenage girls I knew in those days were gaga over him, and that got me to wondering who my fellow Yahoo!s were crushing on in their own formative years. (Myself, I was crazy for Diana Rigg, aka Mrs. Emma Peel of "The Avengers." There was something innovative and appealing about a beautiful woman in a cat suit who could hold her own in a fight -- and probably kick your behind.) With that little tidbit revealed, I'd like to turn matters over to my fellow Yahoo!s, as they bravely reveal just who it was who made their adolescent pulses beat a little faster. Jasmin: When I was a teenager, I was deeply, madly, in love with Dean Cain. He was starring as Clark Kent/Superman on "Lois and Clark," and man, could he rock a spandex unitard. My friends would all congregate to watch the show, and squeal and giggle. I bought the boxed set last year, and I still find myself giggling like I'm thirteen again. Helene: My teen idol had a mullet (he still does), would always get half-naked, and didn’t talk much, but he turned ice-skating from a succession of “Swan Lake” ice skaters in tight pants into real fun on the ice. I’m probably the only one who still remembers him, but he won two medals at the Olympics in 1994 and 1998. My husband always made fun of my crush for Philippe Candeloro, until I revealed to my laughing audience that my ice skater with his mullet was still better than his own teen idol with a wig -- Elton John. Heather: I had several teen crushes, but the one that I remember most distinctly was Jonathan Jackson in "Camp Nowhere." Those dreamy eyes had me captivated for hours, imagining ways I might accidentally bump into him one day, where he’d magically realize he was madly in love with me (and my geeky glasses). Sarah H.: I loved David Bowie in the 80's. I went to Berlin because of him (not completely stalkerish -- he and Lou Reed had already left). I wrote my senior thesis ("From Stardust to Moonlight" -- a masterpiece!) about him. I sent him birthday cards (January 8), and wrote him poetry (nope, not gonna share). Never did buy "Bowie Bonds," though ... Mahlon: Totally Ewan McGregor! I had a huge crush on him during his "Shallow Grave"/"Trainspotting" years. Suzi: Don Johnson was just the coolest. Those sockless outfits and deck shoes were the bomb. And his TV character had a pet alligator named Elvis. Who can beat that? Andrea: I was twelve at the height of my "romance" with Harrison Ford. I had this "Empire Strikes Back" poster (from Pringles!) that showed Han Solo and Princess Leia gazing at each other in that pivotal scene just before Solo got (sob!) frozen in carbonite. I’d stand before that poster and grieve over Solo's fate and relive that moment when Leia told him, "I love you" and he responded (rogue-like but with a hint of tenderness), "I know." I loved him, too! Such dreamy plans I had then for my future with Harrison Ford ... Jessica: I wanted Christian Slater's Hard Harry to Gleam my Cube, Kuff me, and call me "Heather." Also, I had a childhood crush on Derek from "Barbie and the Rockers." (Yes, he was a plastic doll.) Liz: Like thousands of other teenage girls in the '80's, I had a big poster on my wall of George Michael in his Wham! Days. But in the interest of truly embarrassing myself, I will confess that I had a mad crush on Bruce Willis, and actually went out and purchased his album. Ann: My teen crush was Keanu Reeves -- not much by way of acting chops, but he sure is nice to look at! Thanks to teen mags (this was pre-Internet ...), I found out he was into Shakespeare and liked to disappear on his motorcycle for lengths of time. Mike M.: I suppose my teen crush would have to be judged on the number of wall posters I purchased of my favorite lovely ladies: Christie Brinkley: 1; Samantha Fox: 1, Apollonia: 1 (yes, Apollonia); Kathy Smith: 2; Heather Thomas: 3. Yup, I'm going to have to go with Heather Thomas. She was one of the many rad reasons I watched "The Fall Guy." Cathleen: In high school, I was obsessed with Jason Priestley. Even though all my friends preferred the bad boy Luke Perry, my closet doors were covered with Brandon posters. I loved his serious, studious persona and over-styled hair. Richard: Patti LuPone. Dave T.: I had a real thing for Daisy Duke and Heather Thomas, but the mainstay for me was pop diva Kylie Minogue. (Please note this was not saucy-sophisticated 1999 Kylie, this was wholesome, frizzy-haired, straight-out-of-a-soap-opera 1985 Kylie.) Michelle: I thought at the time I was equally in love with Prince and Michael Jackson -- but Michael was the only star who made it onto my wall. I had a dreamy poster of him in a pale yellow sweater in my room for years! Mike W.: Mine would be Eddie Furlong. I think it was the way he was the general to lead the resistance against Skynet, and also that dreamy hair…. (P.S. I once wrote a 30 page fantasy short story about meeting him; what can I say, I was 15 ...) Sarah L.: My first teen idol was Mark-Paul Gosselaar, aka "Zack" from "Saved by the Bell." I don't know if it was the blond hair, the high-top shoes, the abnormally large cell phone (before it was cool or commonplace to have one), or the bad boy antics (like holding a belated surprise party for a friend in the principal's office or manipulating a teachers' strike to get out of school), but I had posters of him from "Tiger Beat" all over my room. Eugenia: Your teen idol might have had impeccable hair or adorable dimples, but can he make an airplane disappear? Can he walk through the Great Wall of China? Float over the Grand Canyon? I didn’t think so! My teen idol, David Copperfield, has yours beat in magical powers, which makes it that much more embarrassing for me to admit my adoration for the "illusionist." Knowing that there was no way I could save up enough money to attend one of his shows, I made my family and relatives watch his many television specials instead. Lydia: My teen crush is still my current crush -- Johnny Depp (much better to admit that then my second teen crush, Donny Walberg, of NKOTB fame). There’s really no need to explain why Johnny is anybody's crush. Brian: Tiffani Amber Thiessen! Kelly Kapowski on "Saved by the Bell" was "so fine" when I was 13. Donnalyn: I had a huge crush on Michael J. Fox in the movie "Back to the Future." I even wore a similar denim jacket and Chuck's All-Stars to show off my teen obsession. Ugh. Adrianna: My first crush was Leonardo DiCaprio. As all my summer camp friends were pouring over the latest issue of "Bop", I saw Leo there, who at the time was best known for his role in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape." My friends agreed to let me tear out his picture (since he was not a known cutie), and I hung it on my wall. In 1997, "Romeo + Juliet" came out and DiCaprio was catapulted into pre-teen sex symbol status, but I liked him before anyone else! Mitzi: OMG, I may have had a crush on Bobby Sherman! I loved "Here Come the Brides." Of course, I had crushes on all the Beatles and the Monkees, but my first teen crush with posters on the wall, would have to be ... drum roll ... Jack Wild, of "Oliver!" and "Pufnstuff" fame. I mean, how can you resist the Artful Dodger? This was probably hanging on my wall. Don't judge me! I won’t judge you, but I do dare you, the reader, to post your own teen idol -- or are you chicken? Suggested Sites... Bobby Sherman.com - official site for today's birthday boy and inspiration. Teen Idols 4 You - really? This is the best the 21st century can do? Wikipedia: Teen Idol - a nice little intro to the topic. Mortified - it's bad enough we confess this stuff here. These folks do it live on stage. Kid's Health: Crushes - how to deal with them.

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