To paraphrase Abraham Lincoln, "People who don't like this sort of thing will find this isn't the sort of thing they like." Over the last two days, we've revealed the not-so-sordid secrets of many Yahoo!s by letting them publicly confess some of the things they're proud to have never done. We conclude those revelations today with a grab-bag of confessions that didn't fit into any other categories (or that came in late -- you know who you are ...). They mostly (and unsurpringly) deal with pop culture, but there are one or two surprises to be found. Emily: I've never read any of the "Harry Potter" books, or seen any of the movies, and I don’t plan on changing that anytime soon. I’m just obstinate, and the fan fic/slash kind of creeps me out. Heather: Somehow, despite all the random piercings and multi-colored dye-jobs my friends got as teenagers, I managed to make it through my youth without so much as having a needle held to my ear, or a bottle of hydrogen peroxide tingling on my scalp. Richard: I’ve never seen a movie in which Melanie Griffith could act as a convincing human being. Never. Mitzi: I've never seen "Eraserhead." I refuse to watch "Dancing with the Stars" (I don’t care how popular it is!). I've never seen "Citizen Kane" (I’ve rented it a few times, but never got around to seeing it). I've never read "1984." (I know!) And I've never seen the "Oprah" show (not even when I’m at home sick with the flu or something). Adrianna: My bike was stolen before the training wheels were taken off, so I never learned how to ride a bike! I have tried as an adult, but every time I get on, the wobbly feeling makes me hop right off. Jasmin: I’ve never been to a frat party. I attended a JC before transferring to a private women’s college. No boys equals no frat parties. Mike: I’ve surely donned some trendy fashions in my day (pegged pants, flat top, MULLET!), but I never thought those wannabe-a-Spaceman sunglasses from Oakley were cool, and I certainly never owned a pair. And to end this festival of soul-bearing, we present this following rant: Brian: I’ve never created a MySpace or Facebook profile -- and never intend to. I've purposely stayed away from MySpace not because it's "addicting" (according to some people), but because I just don't have time -- or the need -- to look at a page that could give one a seizure. (MySpace users are the biggest offenders in this regard.) What makes MySpace intolerable is the plethora of choices one can pick from to create a page. It's like when a 5-year-old wants to cook something for the first time for his or her parents. What does the kid do? They grab every ingredient that looks appealing and dump it all into one bowl, which makes for the most inedible steaming pile of crap one could imagine. That’s what MySpace pages are: "Let's add an obnoxious background, and sprinkle it with some bright fonts which make reading the page impossible! And for good measure, let's add a music video and an audio clip to the mix so that the connection speed is like a 14.4 K modem!" Can you say "Geocities page, circa 1997?" Considering most people on MySpace are teens and have the most time to kill, it's understandable they dominate the population of the site. However, I remember when I was in high school, I kept in touch with my friends the old-fashioned way ... IN PERSON. I guess face-to-face contact can't compete nowadays with a quick message and an amusing photo pasted in a comment field of some random guy getting hit in the nuts, can it? Suggested Sites... Why I Hate Harry Potter - but I guess you'd have had to read it to hate it, wouldn't you? Why Citizen Kane is Overrated - on the other hand, maybe the ill-informed shouldn't watch stuff. Dancing with the Stars - know your enemy in order to avoid it. How to Ride a Bike - it's never too late to learn. Mullet Madness - "business in the front, party in the back"

Directory categories: Harry Potter Books, Piercing, Melanie Griffith, Oprah Winfrey Show, Social Networks

Archived under: 1984, Actors, Biking, Body Art, Books, Children´s Literature, Citizen Kane, College and Universities, Dancing With the Stars, David Lynch, Education, Entertainment, Fan Fiction, Hair, Harry Potter, In Character, Movies, MySpace, Oprah, Reality TV, Social Networking, Yahoo!

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To paraphrase Groucho Marx, "we don't want to belong to any club that would accept us as members" Yesterday, we shared some of the things that Yahoo!s have never done -- and don't care who knows it. While the first round of confessions dealt with television shows we've never seen, today's round concentrates on travel and food. Pretty much everyone has a place they've always wanted to visit, or a location they return to over and over. But there are places that we've never been to -- and couldn't care less if we did. In my case, it's Walt Disney World. I know there are millions who share a fervor to visit the Magic Kingdom and who go annually -- or even more than once a year, but I can think of fewer places that hold less interest than the greater Orlando area. Other than heat, humidity, and crowds, I can't see what they offer. But where do Yahoo!s long to not travel to? Sarah: I have never been to Las Vegas, even though I grew up just off the 15 freeway in Southern California. Despite how glamorous it looks in the movies, I have no interest in gambling, buffets, or rooftop amusement parks. Richard: I’ve never been to Canada Eugenia: I’ve never gone camping! Mitzi: I’ve never done any traditional camping (tent, sleeping bag, etc.). Never been to Walt Disney World/Epcot (although I’ve been to Disneyland many times).(Editor’s note: Ditto and good for you!) Now, there are plenty of us who don't own a television or who never travel, but one thing we all have in common is eating. Some of us may have more limited menus than other, but we all need sustenance -- excepting, of course, those things we've never eaten or restaurants we don't want to visit. Myself, I've never eaten lobster and have no desire to. Those giant waterbugs just look disgusting and the whole process of cracking open the shells is repulsive. Anyone else? Mitzi: Never eaten at the Olive Garden (and don’t plan to). Ali: I really don't consider this to be noteworthy, but since you're being so inclusive ... I have never had a cup of tea or coffee. I'd never really thought about that in the "never" sense, so thank you for the opportunity to feel incomplete. Lydia: I’ve never eaten a bagel. At first, it was because bagels pale in comparison to the sweeter pastries that my palate demands for breakfast. Now, it’s more so I can say “I’ve never eaten a bagel” on random occasions -- like in a blog about random things people have never done. What say you, gentle reader? Anyplace you have no desire to visit? Is there some delectable dish that turns you off? Tell us about it, and we'll be back tomorrow with more stuff we can't wait not to do. Suggested Sites... I Hate Disney World - ...and so do her kids. I Hate Las Vegas - and he's the editor of a travel magazine! Why I Hate Camping - all of these only prove we're right not to have done this stuff. I Hate Coffee - you wonder why we don't want to try it? The Spark: Don't Forget the Jellied Eels! - a whole bunch of foods we don't want any part of, from pork brains in milk gravy to cheeseburger in a can.

Directory categories: Walt Disney World, Camping, Las Vegas, Bagels, Camping Equipment

Archived under: Amusement Parks, Camping, Canada, Coffee, Disney, Disneyland, Eating, Food and Drink, In Character, Italian Food, Las Vegas, Outdoors, Recreation and Travel, Restaurants, Tea, The Spark, Tourist Attractions, Travel, Yahoo!

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In the words of Samuel Goldwyn, "include us out!" One of our favorite things to do at The Spark is to compare notes with our fellow Yahoo!s -- and you, our readers -- on things that we have in common. In the past, we've polled folks about things we hate or which celebrities we had our first teen crushes on. In researching items for today’s Spark, though, we noted that August 31st marks the 35th anniversary of the last network airing of "The Partridge Family." Seeing this, I was reminded of the fact that I've never seen an episode of either "The Partridge Family" or "The Brady Bunch." Now, I like to think of myself as something of a maven on popular culture, so how have I dodged these particular bullets for nearly 40 years? Well, it hasn’t been easy, I'll admit. As a kid, I just thought they were stupid (I still do, for that matter) and after a while, because of their endless reruns, it became a challenge to avoid them, and a point of pride (not to mention a great conversational gambit) to say I’d never watched them. With that fun fact in mind, I decided to ask my fellow Yahoo!s to detail things they had never done; the kind of thing that, when they would mention them, the average person would probably reply "really?" Looking at the list, it's surprising to me how many of them revolve around television. For example: Liz: I have never seen a full episode of either "Sex and the City or "Desperate Housewives." Chandra: I have never watched ""The Simpsons." Are those characters supposed to be funny? (Maybe we should keep this one anonymous ...) Micaela: I've never actually watched a whole episode of "Lost." (I am a fan of "Heroes," though! (Editor's note: I've never watched "Heroes" myself.) Brian: I've never watched a single episode of "Survivor," I think I should win something for that. We're not just avoiders of television, though; there are other aspects of entertainment and pop culture of which we're blissfully aware: Jasmin: I have never seen the original "Star Wars" movies, "The Big Lebowski," or "The Godfather." Thanks to my friends and family, who insist that I have thus far led an incomplete life, all of the aforementioned films are in my Netflix queue. Richard: I've never danced the Macarena. I've also never seen Leo and Kate in "Titanic." Of these minor accomplishments, I am boastfully proud. And just what are you blissfully proud of? Tell us, and we'll be back tomorrow with more Things We've Never Done. Suggested Sites... C'Mon, Get Happy! - this means nothing to me. Brady World - neither does this. Survivor Sucks - these people wish they hadn't seen the show, either. Wikipedia: I've Never Seen Star Wars - these are folks after our own hearts. Stuff I've Never Done, That's Always Done In the Movies - Cindy Swanson either hangs out with the right people or the wrong people.

Directory categories: The Partridge Family, The Brady Bunch, Television Comedies, Movies and Film, Television Shows

Archived under: 1970s, Actors, Anniversaries, Entertainment, In Character, Lost, Movies, Reality TV, Star Wars, Survivor, TV, The Simpsons, The Spark, Yahoo!

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And you thought blogging was a recent phenomenon (Photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com) If you're a woman and a blogger, chances are you've already heard of the BlogHer conference, which starts today in Chicago. If not, it would be worth your while to peruse their site, as they provide a nice central locale on the Web for a vast number of women bloggers (and even a few men, as well!). This year's agenda looks worth the trek to the windy city, with topics including business, privacy, sexuality, branding, and a host of educational "geek labs." Of course The Spark has several women bloggers, and I decided to take this opportunity to find out what women here at Yahoo! are blogging about (Yahoo! has more than a dozen blogs in the U.S. alone), and discover staff favorites. You’ll find women blogging on the Yahoo! Answers blog, as well as the Buzz Log, Shine, and Yodel Anecdotal, inspiring curiosity and conversations. In their off-hours, Yahoo! women blog about knitting, public transit in San Francisco, and finding the cutest things on the Web. At least one even blogs in French! And what women-authored blogs are Yahoos (who are online a lot) reading? The topics run the gamut from the traditional "ladymag" fare of "Jezebel" to Maud Newton’s musings on literature and Jackie Clay’s advice on homesteading. And several staff members rely on "Cake Wrecks" for a daily laugh. It’s nice to be reminded that the online community of women is alive and well, and that it extends into realms beyond "mommy-blogging" (er -- not that there’s anything wrong with mommy-blogging ...). Suggested Sites... BlogHer's Blog Directory - browse blogs in twenty topic areas. How Do I Sell Advertising On My Blog? - About.com interview with BlogHer presenter Lynn Truong. Yahoo! Moms Video Channel - Yahoo! video coverage of the BlogHer Conference. Yodeling Mamas - Yahoo's very own mommy-blogger hub. Best Female Bloggers of 2008 - year-end round-up of some standout bloggers on various topics, from thefrisky.com.

Directory categories: Blog Directories, Women and the Internet, Mommy Blogs, Cyberculture, Collaborative Blogs

Archived under: Blogs, Chicago, Conventions, Cyberculture, In Character, Internet, The Spark, Women, Yahoo!

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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.

Directory categories: Teenagers, Teenage Girls' Magazines, Actors, Musical Artists, Music in the 1960s

Archived under: 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, Actors, Athletes, Birthdays, Celebrities, Entertainment, Humor, Ice Skating, In Character, Keanu Reeves, Magic, Men, Michael Jackson, Movies, Music, Musicians, Olympics, Pin-Ups, Secrets, Superman, TV, Teens, The Beatles, Women, Yahoo!

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