Everything ’90s nostalgia is extremely hot right now. Yes, Hollywood has always lacked originality; and the entertainment industry has always regarded the American public to have a very short attention span, but these two ideas have been ramped up a notch with the “let’s reboot everything from the ’90s” craze.
Of course, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” is very unique in that it was rebooted in it’s heyday. (So maybe they were ahead of the curve on this?) The movie “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” with actress Kristy Swanson in the title role came five years before “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” the television series with Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy.
It also put her on the map.
Gellar’s Buffy is/was/has been more popular than Swanson’s Buffy and that’s probably a bit unfair given how Swanson came first. Sarah Michelle Gellar certainly had her turn as ’90s “it girl” while Swanson never did.
That’s again unfortunate as Swanson had everything going for her that Gellar did; except for maybe the right publicist.
Well, her agent booked her a nice sweet gig for Friday, August 21. Swanson, now 45, will throw out the first pitch to kick off the ‘90s Day Bleacher Friday event at Wrigley Field. Bleacher guests age 21-and-older receive a ‘90s Re-issue Cubs Hat in neon pink or yellow.
Even though the ’90s Cubs hat is exactly the same as today’s Cubs hat. Doesn’t matter though as the Cubs are now winning again; having seen a major rebirth this season under new Manager Joe Maddon. His unique, fun-loving style has rubbed off on his players.
Both the film and TV versions of Buffy were set in Southern California, and while Swanson actually hails from that region in real life, Gellar is actually a New York City native. Writer-producer Joss Whedon created both, taking his vision in a much darker direction in 1997. (The film came out in 1992) It was definitely the right decision and it obviously paid off.
The TV series has had a much longer lasting effect on pop culture than the film did. Swanson appeared in many more ’90s hits including the thought-provoking college film “Higher Learning” (1994). She also had the female lead in the college football cult classic “The Program.”
Swanson has a Chicago connection too; she had a small role in “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.” This isn’t the first time that the Cubs have joined the ’90s nostalgia bandwagon in 2015 by partnering with an actor from an iconic ’90s entertainment brand.
John O’Hurley, who played the legendary J. Peterman on “Seinfeld,” emceed a fund-raiser earlier this month.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is part of the FOX Sports Engage Network.Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes to the Chicago Tribune RedEye edition. He also appears regularly on numerous talk radio stations all across the country. Catch him Tuesdays on KOZN 1620 The Zone.
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