Today & Back in the Day: About Last Night
Comparing our favorite things from the '80s with today.
1 / 16
Today and Back in the Day
2 / 16
About Last Night - This Valentine's Day brings us the ultimate date movie in About Last Night, starring Kevin Hart, Michael Ealy and Regina Hall. The romantic comedy of errors is a reboot of the 1987 classic with the same name, starring Rob Lowe and Demi Moore. To gear up for the release, here are a few things from the '80s and their modern-day equivalents. (Photos from left: TriStar Pictures, Rainforest Films)
3 / 16
Janet Jackson and Rihanna - One was a nasty girl, the other is a bad gal, but what these two pop stars of different generations have in common is attitude. Rih Rih is truly Miss Jackson's heir apparent for the title of Baddest Woman in Music. (Photos from left: Chris Walter/WireImage, Al Bello/Getty Images)
4 / 16
Star Search and American Idol - Star Search put a spotlight on Beyoncè and American Idol gave Jennifer Hudson a chance to shine. Both shows were prime-time talent competitions that captured the imaginations of millions of Americans and provided career launching pads for many stars. (Photos from left: Ron Wolfson /Landov, Vince Bucci/Fox/PictureGroup)
Photo By Photos from left: Ron Wolfson /Landov
5 / 16
Dreamgirls and Motown: The Musical - Each of these Broadway hits brought back an era of music. Dreamgirls, which ran from 1981 to 1985, fictionalizes the birth of R&B through the rags-to-riches story of girl group The Dreams, while Motown: The Musical, which bowed in 2013, pays homage to Berry Gordy's legacy and was based on his 1994 autobiography. (Photos: Courtesy of Broadway)
ADVERTISEMENT
6 / 16
Floppy Disk and Flash Drive - Kids born after the year 2000 would probably look at floppy disks like they're plastic coasters, but those of us old enough to vote remember how they work. These days, we use flash drives for data storage, though by the time you read this, we will likely be on to the next technological breakthrough! (Photos from left: SSPL/Getty Images, Simon Lees/PC Plus magazine via Getty Images)
7 / 16
Danitra Vance and Sasheer Zamata - Three decades have passed between these two comedians' stints on SNL, but the number of Black female cast members between Vance and Zamata could be counted on one hand. All the more reason these two SNL alums — Vance was on the show from 1985-86 and Zamata joined in January 2014 — both occupy a place in comedy history. (Photos from left: Alan Singer/NBCU Photo Bank, Sasheer Zamata via Instagram)
8 / 16
Reaganomics and Obamacare - Every president has a policy agenda that defines his time in office. For Ronald Reagan in the 1980s, it was his "trickle down" approach to taxes known as Reaganomics. For Barack Obama, of course, it's his controversial health care reform law lovingly — and begrudgingly — referred to as Obamacare. (Photos from left: Hulton Archive/Getty Images, Alex Wong/Getty Images)
9 / 16
Landlines and Cellphones - Remember when people used to wait by the phone, waiting for their loved ones to call? Yeah, neither do we. In the last decade or so, cellphones have become as common among humanoids as opposable thumbs. Ironic, isn't it, that you don't even need those to operate an iPhone? (Photos from left: Fox Photos/Getty Images, AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
10 / 16
WWF and MMA - The fight-to-the-near-death sport known as mixed martial arts, popular worldwide these days, is so realistic it makes the ringside antics of guys like Andre the Giant and Rowdy Randy Savage look like Cirque du Soleil. Still, we have a nostalgic soft spot for the outlandish costumes and bravado of WWF champs. (Photos from left: Ethan Miller/Getty Images, Al Bello/Zuffa LLC/Zuffa LLC via Getty Images)
ADVERTISEMENT