Imagine my elation when I saw former teen heartthrob Jonathan Taylor Thomas reach No. 59 on Google Trends today.
His reemergence into popular culture left me hopeful. Was it a new movie? A shocking personal revelation. Submission to the lure of celeb reality TV?
Turns out it's just his birthday.
In fact, a quick Google search of JTT's -- yeah, I'm not afraid to use Tiger Beat slang -- recent accomplishments yields, well, not too much. (Although "Jonathan Taylor Thomas dead" produces 344,000 results.)
But that doesn't take away from the good times we shared in his acting prime.
Hands down, I considered him the hottest character on "Home Improvement" -- second only to Pamela Anderson, who's not exactly a crush a seventh grade girl should reveal in public. Trust me.
JTT was especially near and dear to my heart because his family reportedly lived near my home base of Sacramento, Calif. In junior high, one of my friends swore she had enough local connections to get him to visit our school.
Yeah, that never happened.
But I did spend almost an entire year prepping myself for his impromptu visit.
So thanks, JTT, for teaching me the importance of always keeping a flavored tube of lip gloss in my purse.
And happy birthday. Wherever you are.
