Crushes, crushed and crushing

Everyone in the blogosphere seems to be waxing nostalgic lately. On the weekend, Phantom Scribbler evoked the essence of my 1970s childhood with a post that crossed from Darth Vader to Peter and the Wolf; Mililou posted a great quiz on kid-TV from the 1970s, and then there was my own memories of a mediated childhood from the week before.

So when I was looking at your suggestions for blog topics, Dean Dad’s suggestion of worst celebrity crushes struck me as perfectly timely. (And when you’re done here, click on over to Dean Dad’s hilarious reproduction of a freshman essay comparing and contrasting Brokeback Mountain and Curious George. It’s painfully funny.)

See, I’m a bit of an expert on crushes, in that I always have one. I love crushes, and no, that’s not an oxymoron. My first celebrity crush was Davy Jones from the Monkees. My best friend, Jennifer Morgan, was going to marry Shaun Cassidy, and I was going to marry Davy Jones, and we were going to live across the street from each other just like we did then, and raise our families together. Since I ended up being 5’8″ tall, I think Davy Jones would have come up to around my sternum.

That crush didn’t last long, but for years I had a major thing for Donny Osmond. My cousin gave me this album and I nearly wore it out for playing “Puppy Love” over and over and over again.

Then Star Wars came out, I was instantly in love with Luke Skywalker. I had a crush on Mark Hamill, too, but by that time I could understand that he was just an actor playing a part, and lived far away in America, and we would probably never meet. But Luke Skywalker, I pined for. I read the Star Wars tie-in novel, and in the scene where Luke is confronted by the angry Tuskan Raider on the sand dune while searching for R2D2 and he faints, my nine-year-old heart melted with his vulnerability.

I went through the same Tiger Beat phase as every other preteen I know, and spent endless hours clipping out photos of John Stamos, Willie Aames and Andrew Stevens. Scott Baio in particular was a favourite of this era in crushdom.

When I started high school, I upgraded my little suitcase record player for an actual stereo, and I packed away my Donny Osmond album for a little Canadian content in the form of Bryan Adams. I had a crush on him through most of high school, and remember being endlessly jealous of an early boyfriend’s sister who actually met Bryan Adams on a train to Toronto in 1984. He’s still high on my “celebrities I would love to meet someday” list.

Yikes, this is getting ugly – okay, let’s hit the ‘fast forward’ button and skim through the 1980s and 1990s… George Michael, Rob Lowe, Michael Stipe, John Cusack, Brad Pitt (circa Legends of the Fall), and Cary Elwes from The Princess Bride (actually, it was more Westley that I had the crush on).

Today, I’d have to say that I still have a crush on Evan Farmer, the host of While You Were Out, and Ewan McGregor – especially after seeing Moulin Rouge again and again. And just this weekend we watched Elizabethtown and I finally get why everybody is going on about Orlando Bloom. And quite frankly, I wouldn’t kick Harrison Ford out of bed for eating crackers, either. And speaking of Elizabethtown, he’s not much to look at, but I am head over heels in love with the soul of Cameron Crowe. And Douglas Coupand. And Nick Hornby.

Okay, that’s more than enough from me. What about you? Dish it – who are your celebrity crushes, past or present?

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

34 thoughts on “Crushes, crushed and crushing”

  1. LMAO At Ubergeek.
    My my crushes, I have a few. I find curshes make you feel like you haven’t grown up and YOU KNOW you’ll never meet them. Cause If I did…I would just stutter.
    So I had some of the same one you did growing up, and I’m sorry Dani but Donnie Osmond is MINE. Geesh!
    Shaun Cassidy was another.
    Then I had and have Jon Bon Jovi.
    Then I had my Hockey Crushes, on Ken Dryden and Guy Lafleur. (well he wasn’t cute but he was fast)
    And my latest are Johnny Depp, Gosh Groban, that voice melts me any time. Harry Connick Jr and I met a man who is his Look alike. AND HE is very nice too boot. So I have crushes on both of them. LOL! 😉
    Good post. I’m sure I will think of more but I need another cuppa for that.

  2. LMAO At Ubergeek.
    My my crushes, I have a few. I find curshes make you feel like you haven’t grown up and YOU KNOW you’ll never meet them. Cause If I did…I would just stutter.
    So I had some of the same one you did growing up, and I’m sorry Dani but Donnie Osmond is MINE. Geesh!
    Shaun Cassidy was another.
    Then I had and have Jon Bon Jovi.
    Then I had my Hockey Crushes, on Ken Dryden and Guy Lafleur. (well he wasn’t cute but he was fast)
    And my latest are Johnny Depp, Gosh Groban, that voice melts me any time. Harry Connick Jr and I met a man who is his Look alike. AND HE is very nice too boot. So I have crushes on both of them. LOL! 😉
    Good post. I’m sure I will think of more but I need another cuppa for that.

  3. Ooh, Dani, I’m so glad you asked. I used to absolutely adore Mark Hamill too. My sister was the Han-Solo lover and I loved Luke. Now, looking back, I wonder why I didn’t go for Harrison Ford; I like him NOW. I also had a thing for Dennis Quaid for a long time when I was older. you see, I had watched ‘The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia’ a hundred times, initially because Mark Hamill had a small part in it, but then that led to Dennis Quaid, who was a newcomer but the star of the movie. I was in LOVE. I used to like Matthew Labourteaux too; he was Albert on Little House on the Prairie.
    Now, I have crushes on Johnny Depp and Kenny Chesney, at the age of 36. I guess this will never end, eh?

  4. Ooh, Dani, I’m so glad you asked. I used to absolutely adore Mark Hamill too. My sister was the Han-Solo lover and I loved Luke. Now, looking back, I wonder why I didn’t go for Harrison Ford; I like him NOW. I also had a thing for Dennis Quaid for a long time when I was older. you see, I had watched ‘The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia’ a hundred times, initially because Mark Hamill had a small part in it, but then that led to Dennis Quaid, who was a newcomer but the star of the movie. I was in LOVE. I used to like Matthew Labourteaux too; he was Albert on Little House on the Prairie.
    Now, I have crushes on Johnny Depp and Kenny Chesney, at the age of 36. I guess this will never end, eh?

  5. Dani —
    The Wife shares your attitude towards Harrison Ford.
    As a kid, I paid extra attention to Lynda Carter, Erin Gray, and Pam Dawber. Also Danger-Prone Daphne.
    In my 20’s, it was all about Jill Hennessey (in her Law and Order days) and Winona Ryder.
    Now, Lauren Graham. Definitely.
    Other than Danger-Prone Daphne, the brunettes have a clean sweep. That’s probably why I married one…

  6. Dani —
    The Wife shares your attitude towards Harrison Ford.
    As a kid, I paid extra attention to Lynda Carter, Erin Gray, and Pam Dawber. Also Danger-Prone Daphne.
    In my 20’s, it was all about Jill Hennessey (in her Law and Order days) and Winona Ryder.
    Now, Lauren Graham. Definitely.
    Other than Danger-Prone Daphne, the brunettes have a clean sweep. That’s probably why I married one…

  7. When I was a teen I had the biggest crush on the lead singer of poison, so big I can’t even remeber his nam right now! ugh! My crush today is Matthew (mcuney) not sure how to spell his last name!? But I love him in Sahara! Ewan Mcgregor stold my heart in Moulin Rouge TOO!

  8. When I was a teen I had the biggest crush on the lead singer of poison, so big I can’t even remeber his nam right now! ugh! My crush today is Matthew (mcuney) not sure how to spell his last name!? But I love him in Sahara! Ewan Mcgregor stold my heart in Moulin Rouge TOO!

  9. Childhood crushes included, bot limited to, Tom Wopat (Luke Duke),Harrison Ford (Star Wars),and Patrick Dempsey. I had a thing for dark hair.
    My three major crushes of my twenties and strecthing into my thirties are Kevin Spacey, James Gandolfini and John Cusack. Again, the dark hair is recurring. This year I have added two new crushes. One is making a return from my teen years but both are from the same show. Which I have a huge crush on. Patick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke) from Grey’s Anatomy.

  10. Childhood crushes included, bot limited to, Tom Wopat (Luke Duke),Harrison Ford (Star Wars),and Patrick Dempsey. I had a thing for dark hair.
    My three major crushes of my twenties and strecthing into my thirties are Kevin Spacey, James Gandolfini and John Cusack. Again, the dark hair is recurring. This year I have added two new crushes. One is making a return from my teen years but both are from the same show. Which I have a huge crush on. Patick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington (Preston Burke) from Grey’s Anatomy.

  11. My first “pin-up” guy, as an 11-year-old, was Parker Stephenson, from the Hardy Boys era. Yikes. I also had a poster of KC and the Sunshine Band. Thanks for making me scare myself!

  12. My first “pin-up” guy, as an 11-year-old, was Parker Stephenson, from the Hardy Boys era. Yikes. I also had a poster of KC and the Sunshine Band. Thanks for making me scare myself!

  13. Not enough bandwith on the WWW for me to list all of my past and present crushes…but I’ll randomly select who pops into my head for 20 seconds….in NO order whatsoever…3…2…1…go
    Shaun Cassidy
    George Michael
    Mark Hamill (or rather Luke S like you)
    Alex Baumann (celeb in Canada)
    Yvan Cournoyer (Habs player when I was 8 saw him in airport and ran up to him and KISSED him – my father nearly died that day)
    Andrew McCarthy – St Elmo’s aaaah
    Hugh Grant (pre-hooker incident)
    Brad Pitt (pre-cheat on Jen incident)
    Latest to makes me S in the P – Dr. McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy Patrick Dempsey
    There is more…20 secs are up

  14. Not enough bandwith on the WWW for me to list all of my past and present crushes…but I’ll randomly select who pops into my head for 20 seconds….in NO order whatsoever…3…2…1…go
    Shaun Cassidy
    George Michael
    Mark Hamill (or rather Luke S like you)
    Alex Baumann (celeb in Canada)
    Yvan Cournoyer (Habs player when I was 8 saw him in airport and ran up to him and KISSED him – my father nearly died that day)
    Andrew McCarthy – St Elmo’s aaaah
    Hugh Grant (pre-hooker incident)
    Brad Pitt (pre-cheat on Jen incident)
    Latest to makes me S in the P – Dr. McDreamy on Grey’s Anatomy Patrick Dempsey
    There is more…20 secs are up

  15. Oooooo, good choices! (And Ubergeek – of course, that goes without saying, doesn’t it?)
    JoJo – I always liked Bo Duke better, but totally forgot about that crush.
    I like Dr McDreamy too, but you know what, I think I like George better. I’m a sucker for a sensitive guy.

  16. Oooooo, good choices! (And Ubergeek – of course, that goes without saying, doesn’t it?)
    JoJo – I always liked Bo Duke better, but totally forgot about that crush.
    I like Dr McDreamy too, but you know what, I think I like George better. I’m a sucker for a sensitive guy.

  17. D – I can’t believe I fell off the list..20+ years of crush and I don’t even get a passing mention!!!
    I have to agree with Meg Ryan & Jill Hennessey withour question (both Law & Order and even now in Crossing Jordan). Bizarre ones includ Mary Stuart Masterson in ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’. Canadian content with Sarah McLachlan. I have to include the Heather’s (Thomas and Locklear) And I honestly can’t remember which Brady I wanted more, but it was defintely Mary Ann over Ginger!
    Oh, and of course you DaniGirl, as always.

  18. D – I can’t believe I fell off the list..20+ years of crush and I don’t even get a passing mention!!!
    I have to agree with Meg Ryan & Jill Hennessey withour question (both Law & Order and even now in Crossing Jordan). Bizarre ones includ Mary Stuart Masterson in ‘Some Kind of Wonderful’. Canadian content with Sarah McLachlan. I have to include the Heather’s (Thomas and Locklear) And I honestly can’t remember which Brady I wanted more, but it was defintely Mary Ann over Ginger!
    Oh, and of course you DaniGirl, as always.

  19. Flattery, darlin’, will get you everywhere!! And until you (and UberGeek) become more famous than infamous, you don’t count as celebrities just yet…

  20. Flattery, darlin’, will get you everywhere!! And until you (and UberGeek) become more famous than infamous, you don’t count as celebrities just yet…

  21. When I was young, it was Don Johnson, in the Miami Vice days. How sad is that. These days I like Hugh Grant when he’s bad (Bridget Jones), Colin Firth when he’s good (Bridget Jones), and David Beckham when he doesn’t speak (because Ashley Peacock’s voice coming out of Adonis is just weird). And, yup, McDreamy. And Burke. And George (go George in the last episode, whoo hoo!)
    Jen

  22. When I was young, it was Don Johnson, in the Miami Vice days. How sad is that. These days I like Hugh Grant when he’s bad (Bridget Jones), Colin Firth when he’s good (Bridget Jones), and David Beckham when he doesn’t speak (because Ashley Peacock’s voice coming out of Adonis is just weird). And, yup, McDreamy. And Burke. And George (go George in the last episode, whoo hoo!)
    Jen

  23. Now, how were you going to marry Shaun Cassidy when I was supposed to marry him?
    Likewise John Taylor (Duran Duran) and C. Thomas Howell. And maybe Kirk Cameron.

  24. Now, how were you going to marry Shaun Cassidy when I was supposed to marry him?
    Likewise John Taylor (Duran Duran) and C. Thomas Howell. And maybe Kirk Cameron.

  25. Also roughly chronological order– Shaun Cassidy, Andy Gibb, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, John Taylor, Robert Smith (the Cure), Bono (I’ve had a crush on him for over 20 years. Yikes!), Johnny Depp (almost as long). Other current faves are Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Jackman.

  26. Also roughly chronological order– Shaun Cassidy, Andy Gibb, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Page, John Taylor, Robert Smith (the Cure), Bono (I’ve had a crush on him for over 20 years. Yikes!), Johnny Depp (almost as long). Other current faves are Ralph Fiennes and Hugh Jackman.

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