Thirteen Teen Idols I've Had Crushes On

*This list originally appeared on my Xanga blog about 5 years ago. I want to actively participate in the new Thursday 13, but I haven't had time to come up with some new topics. I'll be able to do that once I'm off work for the summer (8 more days and counting!) so, in the meantime, enjoy one of my previous favorites!

1. Donny Osmond- Like most little girls in the 70's, my first crush was on Donny Osmond, youngest member of the singing Osmond Brothers. Guess I can credit my two older cousins, Michelle and Angie, for introducing me to the world of teen idol worship. They had photos of the Osmonds plastered all over the walls in their bedroom, and we used to spend hours listening to all their albums. Donny had it all...cute face, perfect shag haircut, gorgeously perfect white teeth, and a cry in his singing voice that was so hard to resist. Sigh. Even though he is now a 53 year old Grandfather (gulp!), I think I would still run away with him if he showed up at my front door!

2.Randolph Mantooth- My first ever TV crush was on Randolph Mantooth (whatta name!), who portrayed paramedic Johnny Gage in the 70's drama Emergency! How much did I love this man? Enough to endure hour long episodes of Hee Haw, which ran in the time slot directly before Emergency! If you've seen Hee Haw, you know that was dedication on my part.

3.Shaun Cassidy-The younger half-brother of Teen Idol Uber-God David Cassidy, Shaun portrayed Joe Hardy in the ABC series "The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries" and also had several hit singles, such as "Hey Deanie" and "That's Rock N Roll". When he got married, I cried for 2 days.

4.Bee Gees- Ah yes... the Gods of disco, tight satin pants, and falsetto singing. Back in the day, I loved me some Barry Gibb! (for you youngsters, he is the brother in the middle) With that perfect, auburn colored lion mane 'do, manly chest hair, and *ahem* package, he was the hawt. Damn, those are some tight pants. No wonder the trio could hit those high notes!

5.Paul McCartney- I discovered the Beatles through reruns of their cheesy mid-60's cartoons and was immediately smitten with doe eyed, baby faced Paul. Somehow, I had never made the connection that the man who sang "Silly Love Songs" and "Jet" with Wings was the same man who sang "Michelle" and "Yesterday".

6.Andy Gibb- The younger brother of the Bee Gees, Andy hit the top of the pop charts in the late 70's with songs such as "I Just Want To Be Your Everything", "Shadow Dancing", and "(Love Is) Thicker Than Water". When he passed away in 1988 at the tender age of 30, I was devastated. I'll never understand why someone with so much talent would piss everything away with drugs. What a waste.

7.Rick Springfield- *swoon* How did 12 year old Julie spend the long, hot afternoons of summer 1981? Sitting in front of the TV and drooling over Rick Springfield as Dr. Noah Drake on General Hospital. Not only did I get to see him 5 days a week on my favorite soap opera, I also had him blaring on my turntable (sorry 'bout that Mom). His album, Working Class Dog, spawned such hits as "Jessie's Girl" and "I've Done Everything For You". Actor. Singer. Rick could do it all. In May 2000, two of my closest friends and I were lucky enough to see him perform at Navy Pier in Chicago, and he still looks and sounds as good as he did back in the 80's. He's hardly aged at all.

8.Duran Duran- Simon! John! Andy! Nick! Roger! I never thought I'd lust after 5 dudes who wore more make up than I did. They were purty, weren't they?

9.Menudo- Hands down, my weirdest crush. Why? The group was from Puerto Rico and only sang in Spanish. I couldn't understand a damn word (at least back then I couldn't), but they got me hot and bothered anyway. Why? Helllooooo. 5 cute young men in tight pants, gyrating and singing in Spanish. That was enough for me.

10Jason Bateman- I first noticed Jason when he played the hilariously snarky Derek Taylor on Silver Spoons . By the time he moved on to the starring role on the short lived series It's Your Move, I was head over heels for the boy. To this day, he remains one of my favorites.

11.Huey Lewis and the News- I fell in love with Huey and the boys after they released their popular album, Sports, in 1984. The group's music was good, but the funny, innovative videos were even better. Got to see them play live in the spring of '87, and to this day it remains the best concert I've ever attended. Played their asses off for 3 hours straight.

12.New Kids On The Block- Okay, I can hear the laughing. Knock it off I alternated between loving Jonathan Knight and Donnie Wahlberg. There, I've admitted it. Word.

13.Color Me Badd- My last musical crush. I can thank this quartet from Oklahoma City for helping me bond with my best friend, Kelly. When the two of us started team teaching a Pre-Kindergarten class 19 years ago, we didn't have much to talk about until we discovered a shared fondness for Brian, Mark, Kevin, and Sam. The rest, as the saying goes, is history. Kelly and I once drove 6 hours to the Kentucky State Fair in Louisville just to see the boys perform. And then there was the weekend we made the 12 hour trip to OKC so we, and our crazy friend Dena, could stalk their family members. NOT our finest moment.

Who did YOU idolize during your childhood/teenage/young adult years? Let me know in the comments!