"Come along and sing this song and join our jamboree". ..that was the open invitation to fun at the Mickey Mouse Club. The classic variety show first aired on October 3, 1955 with the final episode showcased on March 7, 1996. Walt Disney created "The Mickey Mouse Club" TV show to fund the construction of his Disneyland theme park in California. The recent death of Annette Funicello, one of the most famous mouseketeers, made some wonder what happened to the cast members they came to love while watching the show through the years.
We doubt Disney ever
imagined he'd be launching the careers of some of the biggest stars in
Hollywood, too. Take a look at some of the stars that got their start at the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.
Annette Funicello
Arguably the most famous original cast member, Funicello was discovered by Disney himself, when he saw her perform as the Swan Queen in "Swan Lake" at a dance recital in Burbank, California. After the show, Funicello went on to solidify her fame starring in a series of "Beach Party" flicks with Frankie Avalon in the 1960s. The duo toured the country as a singing act, and went on to parody their earlier movies in the 1987 film "Back to the Beach." In 1992, Funicello announced she was suffering from multiple sclerosis, and largely disappeared from the public eye. She died April 8 from complications of the disease.
Justin Timberlake
The
six-time Grammy award winner appeared on the television show "Star
Search" before landing his Disney gig in 1993. While in the "Mouse
Club," he roomed with Ryan Gosling, met future girlfriend Britney Spears,
future band mate J.C. Chasez, and future tour mate Christina Aguilera. After
conquering the musical world with *NSYNC, Timberlake broke out on his own,
releasing two solo albums, "Justified" and
"FutureSex/LoveSounds," before trying his hand at acting. The
multi-talented star's movie credits include "Friends With Benefits,"
"Trouble With the Curve," "Bad Teacher," and "The
Social Network." JT returned to music this year, releasing his third
studio album "The 20/20 Experience."
Britney
Spears: Likely
the most commercially successful Mouseketeer to emerge from the show's ranks,
the Princess of Pop has released seven studio albums, selling over 100 million
copies worldwide, starred in the film "Crossroads," and was a judge
on America's "The X Factor" in 2012. Although Spears had a
much-documented breakdown in 2008, resulting in her father being named her
conservator, she has since recovered, and was named the highest paid female
musician of last year, bringing in $58 million.
Ryan
Gosling: Gosling
went a different route from his "Mickey Mouse Club" peers, focusing
on acting after the show's cancellation. The Canada native, who has become an
Internet obsession inspiring the vastly popular "Hey
Girl" meme,
received an Oscar nomination for his performance in "Half Nelson" in
2007. His latest film, "The Place Beyond the Pines," is currently in
theaters.
Christina
Aguilera:
The multiple-Grammy winner also got her start on "The All New Mickey Mouse
Club" in 1993. After the show came to an end, Aguilera landed a recording
deal and went on tour with her former "Mouse" cast mates *NSYNC in the
early 2000s. Aguilera, who tried her hand at acting in the 2010 movie musical
"Burlesque," currently serves as a judge on NBC's "The
Voice."
JC
Chasez:
The famed boy-bander was cast on the '90s show's fourth season and stayed on
board until it was canceled in 1995. Chasez remained close with fellow cast mate
Justin Timberlake and reunited with him in boy band *NSYNC. Since the band's
breakup, he has released two solo albums and acted as a judge on the MTV
competition show "America’s Best Dance Crew."
Cubby
O'Brien:
The son of famed big band drummer Haskell "Hack" O'Brien, Cubby was
also personally picked by Disney for the original Mickey Mouse Club cast. After
the show, Cubby continued his musical legacy, touring with Spike Jones and
Ann-Margret before becoming the on-camera drummer for "The Carol Burnett
Show" in the late '60s. He eventually moved on to Broadway, acting as
musical director for hits like "Hair" and "Oh, Calcutta!"
Lisa
Whelchel: Though
the actress appeared on the revamped 1977 version of the show, "The New
Mickey Mouse Club," for two years, Whelchel is most famous for her
good-girl role as Blair Warner on "The Facts of Life." A vocal
Christian, she was nominated for a Grammy in 1984 for her contemporary
Christian album "All Because of You," and later competed on "Survivor:
Philippines" in 2012, tying for second place with Michael Skupin.
Julie
Piekarski:
Also a star on "The New Mickey Mouse Club," Piekarski followed in
cast mate Whelchel’s footsteps, appearing as Sue Ann Weaver on "The Facts
of Life" from 1970- 1986. Piekarski continued her television career with
guest-starring roles on "Three's Company," "Diff'rent
Strokes" and "General Hospital" before leaving the limelight to
raise her children with dentist John Probst in St. Louis, Missouri.
Keri
Russell:The
actress, who is most recognized for her starring role in "Felicity,"
for which she won a Golden Globe, got her television breakout as a cast member
on "The All New Mickey Mouse Club from 1991 to 1993. Russell, a CoverGirl
spokesmodel, currently stars in the FX series "The Americans" as a
Soviet KGB officer alongside Matthew Rhys.
"Now it's time to say goodbye to all our family, M I C-K E Y, M O U S E."
Source: OMG-Yahoo!
"Now it's time to say goodbye to all our family, M I C-K E Y, M O U S E."
Source: OMG-Yahoo!
0 comments:
Post a Comment