Today we celebrate Madonna's torrid 80's affair with the silver screen. Like many romances, it started out fresh and invigorating, with a hint of mystery. But later it became stiff and awkward, burdened by the weight of too many unrealistic expectations. That doesn't mean Madonna's relationship with the movies didn't drag on for years (or that it's necessarily over), and while it didn't yield much in terms of box office success (after "Desperately Seeking Susan" anyways) or compelling cinema, it did add a bunch of hit tunes to her song catalog.

Maybe it's unfair to blame Madonna alone for her less-than successful films. After all, what about her leading men? We won't pick on Sean Penn or Warren Beatty, they've each got enough winners amongst their credits. But what about the leading man from "Who's That Girl?" He started out his career with some promising roles, but by the time he teamed up ith Madonna in 1987, he was on the downward slope towards supporting parts and production work. So what was the name of the actor who played Louden Trott in "Who's That Girl?"

Bonus Question: As mentioned above, Madonna movies that didn't sell movie tickets still managed to sell soundtrack records and hit singles. "Who's That Girl" not only had hits on the soundtrack, it had it's own very successful concert tour. But one of Madonna's big studio films from the 80's had no Madonna songs, and therefore had no Madonna hits, and instead featured another rock star's songs on a soundtrack that only saw limited release. Which movie was it and which rock star recorded the songs for the film's soundtrack?

The cabbage patch kids were perhaps the most popular and memorable dolls from the 80's. The dolls were so popular and in such high demand, that stories of mother's fighting each other over the last doll in the toy store started surfacing in the mainstream news. Typically these maternal brawls occured during the christmas season when demand for the dolls was at its highest.

The plastic headed dolls were originally created with plush, fabric heads but when the went into mass production, they began having plastic heads that were much easier to produce. The original doll's creator, Xavier Roberts, began creating the dolls by hand and sold them at small festival and local busineses. Eventually he sold the licenscing of the dolls to Coleco who renamed them to: "Cabbage Patch Kids" and sold them succesfully throughout the 80's.

So, what was the original name of the "Cabbage Patch Kids" dolls?

Film Director John Hughes was THE chronicler of teenage experience back in the 80's, and probably stands out amongst directors of any era when it comes to credible portrayals of adolescence in the movies. Maybe Hughes did such a good job representing teenagers because he was so close to his own high school experiences. In fact, he lets it show in the choice of geographical settings for many of his best known films. Several of his films are set in the area of the country (even in the same neighborhoods) that John Hughes lived in during high school. As with most movie productions, different scenes for the same movie ended being shot in different places, but one U.S. city has always been closer to the center of the John Hughes universe than any other. The locations and settings for such Hughes classics as The Breakfast Club, Sixteen Candles, Weird Science, Home Alone, Planes Trains & Automobiles, She's Having A Baby, and Ferris Bueller's Day Off were in the suburbs and towns that surround it, and in the art of the city itself. So what city are we talking about?

Bonus Question: Actual high schools were used as settings in many of Hughes' films, and often times more than one high school was actually used in the film to represent the fictitious school in the story. Which two John Hughes films from the 80's used the same two high schools for shooting interior and/or exterior scenes that appeared in those films? (I anticipate a fair amount of debate on this one...)

Amongst the vast selection of one hit wonders of the 80's (and there were plenty) was popstar Stacey Q. She was born Stacey Swain, and early on in her career performed in the Ringling Brothers Circus. Later, she joined a synthpop band called Q, who then became SSQ (basically adding her initials to the band's name). When SSQ ceased to be, apparently she got to take the 'Q' with her, re-emerging as the solo artist Stacey Q. Her debut solo album "Better Than Heaven" was released in 1986. It produced two hit singles, one of which made it to number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. What was the name of Stacey Q's biggest hit from back in the 80's?

Bonus Question: Like Suzi Quatro before her, Stacey Q got a spot on the television sitcom, "The Facts Of Life" playing (of all things) a pop star. In fact, George Clooney's character is so taken by her that he elects to become a roadie for her band as she departs to go on a concert tour. So what was the name of Stacey Q's character on the TV show, The Facts of Life?

Last Thursday night was the night of the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards ceremony. MTV was a central part of the 80's pop culture experience, and long time readers know that I always scan the list of winners and nominees for artists who first got big in the 80's. While the Grammies still love giving awards to Rock's old timers, they're harder to find on the VMA list. Still, there are a few, mostly amongst the nominees. Madonna was nominated, along with U2, Prince, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Green Day (who just barely have a foot in the 80's based on their first couple of records for Lookout Records).

Well, despite her five nominations, Madonna didn't score a moonman. The Red Hot Chili Peppers got six nominations, but only one win, in the less glamorous category of "Best Art Direction." Congrats all the same. Most people think of the 90's and Lollapalooza when they think of the Chili Peppers, but their first record did come out in 1984, and had their first big hits by the time of their fourth album in 1989. The songs "Knock Me Down" and "Higher Ground" made it onto the Billboard charts, paving the way for the bands even bigger success in the early 90's. So, what was the name of the 1989 Red Hot Chili Peppers album that put the band on the charts?

Bonus Question: As much as MTV portrays itself as revolutionary and courageous, they often act a bit cautious with new musical trends (This thought goes through my head as I note that this years winner for Best Hip Hop Video is Black Eyed Peas "My Humps.") When it comes to MTV's association with Hip Hop, it wasn't always the foregone conclusion it appears to be today. By 1988 rap music was already an established form. Nevertheless, it was in '88 that MTV first got into the game with a weekly two hour showcase known as "Yo! MTV Raps." The show's DJ was a well known figure in the New York scene who started out as a graffiti artist and went on to do production work and direct music videos. He was even mentioned in the lyrics to Blondie's "Rapture," and he appeared briefly in the video. What was the name of the DJ on "Yo! MTV Raps?"

We all remember the "baby on board" signs that were popular during the 80's. The five-inch signs were originally intended to be placed in the back window of an automobile to deter tailgating. The baby on board sign were first marketed in September 1984, the sign became a huge fad reaching it pinnacle in 1985. Its use in the US rapidly declined by 1986 as parody imitations with lines like "Baby I'm Bored," "Pit Bull on Board," and "Mother-In-Law in Trunk" became popular, but it is still popular in the UK (along with other versions such as "Princess on Board" and "Little Person on Board").

Although we rarely see the baby on board signs in the back of cars anymore, we still see this lexicon show up in american pop culture. In 1993, an episode of a popular television program featured a barbershop quartet tune called Baby On Board. The song crooned about how "each trip's a trip to paradise, with my baby on board", thanks to "the sign in my car's windowpane". What was the name of this television program?

Bonus question: What was the name of the company that first marketed the "baby on board" signs in 1984?

The term "yuppie" is a popular 80's slang that often was used with connotations of selfishness, materialism, and superficiality. Originally the term held some positive meaning, but quickly led to backlash against those that self-identified with the term. Much like the term "valley girl", "yuppie" enjoyed great popularity during the 1980's but died quickly in the 90's. The term "yuppie" is interesting because it sounds similar to the pupular 70's term "hippie" but is, by most accounts, the opposite in meaning.

So your 80's trivia question today is, where did the term yuppie come from? This is a tough one, so, i'll give you a little help. The term originated from an acronym that describes this particular demographic. The acronym is Y.U.P. What does this acronym stand for?

Bonus Question: Perhaps the most famous fictional yuppie character to-date is present in the novel "American Psycho" written by Bret Easton Ellis. What is the name of this famous yuppie character?