Today is a very special day in the world of ‘90s television — 90210 Day!  Get it? September 2, 2010. 090210!  So let’s revisit the hallowed halls of West Beverly High and the well-worn booths of the Peach Pit with a look back at some of our favorite memories:

Once a Bimbo: When Brenda catches her on-again off-again brooding boytoy Dylan kissing blonde bombshell Kelly, she says: “If you are trying to lose your bimbo image, I honestly don’t think this will help.”

French Faux-Pas: While spending the summer in Paris, Brenda tries to snag hottie Dean Cain by pretending to be French.  When he comes to LA and looks her up, she keeps the charade up until she arrives at the Peach Pit and finally gives it up when she is faced with pr

The Dark Side of Diet Pills: Kelly’s experimentation with over-the-counter diet pills lands her in the hospital. Best pal and occasional nemesis Brenda comes for a visit. Kelly looks up from the hospital bed and says: “I’m gonna live so you can’t have Dylan back.”

Dylan’s Dad: One of the most emotional and gut-wrenching moments of the entire series is when Dylan’s father Jack, a convicted felon just released from prison, is killed by a car bomb. Dylan is standing nearby and witnesses the explosion, which sends him on yet another downward spiral.

Funny Valentine: Bad girl Emily Valentine tries to take upstanding citizen Brendan Walsh down with her at an underground club one night by slipping a hallucinogenic drug in his drink. The police raid the club and Brandon is forced to flee and leave his prized car to get torn apart. The tagline for the episode when it originally aired: “Tonight, Brendan finds out about drugs and Emily… the hard way.”

David Silver Saves the Day:  Oh-so vulnerable Donna is attacked by previously-convicted stalker Garret Slan. Earlier, she and boyfriend David Silver had been arguing, so he came back to the apartment to apologize. Donna tells him to leave but she keeps calling him “Dave” rather than “David.”  This miraculously tips him off that something is amiss and he storms back into the apartment with a baseball bat, saving Donna.

THE UNANONYMOUS #1 MOMENT… Notorious good girl Donna has a few sips of champagne on an empty stomach (trust me, if you saw her in the mid-90s it was very empty). She gets caught and isn’t allowed to graduate with the rest of her class. Her friends and the entire student body gather outside her school board hearing in solidarity. A chant grows among the protesters, softer and first, then louder and louder, until these three words were heard across all of Beverly Hills: DONNA MARTIN GRADUATES!

What are your favorite moments from 90210?

CLINTON:

With red-striped couches, gold curtains, and a dark blue rug, Clinton was clearly not afraid of color:

BUSH:

Here we see a lot of yellows and cremes. The furniture is American-classic:

OBAMA:

Our current president has chosen a sleeker, more modern look, with lots of neutral colors and comfy couches:

I think Obama’s office looks the most homey and inviting…which style do you like the best???

We asked Thomas Scott McKenzie, co-author of the just-released THE MAN BEHIND THE NOSE by Larry “Bozo” Harmon, what it was like to work side-by-side with the legendary entertainer. McKenzie, unsurprisingly, had some amusing tales from his collaboration with the late Harmon.

I got a call from a writer friend.

“I’ve just heard the most amazing, most outrageous story ever,” he said. “This tops anything an interview subject has told me.”

My buddy built a career on writing about notorious rock stars and porn performers. All of his subjects were self-admitted drug abusers of legendary proportions. And this tale topped them all? What kind of degenerate, axe-wielding, master of mayhem was he going to tell me about?

“I have three words for you: Bozo. The. Clown.”

And with that began my time in the big top universe of the world’s most famous clown and Larry Harmon, the driving force behind the icon.

At first, I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into. As a country boy who grew up in the boonies, I was lucky to see any television at all, and that was if the weather was just right and you delicately grasped the antennae at a precarious angle. So I didn’t watch The Bozo Show during my childhood years. I remember seeing the WGN version of the show broadcast on their nationwide superstation when I would visit relatives lucky enough to have cable television. But I didn’t know much more about him than the obvious characteristics of a big red wig, big floppy shoes, and so forth.

In spite of my ignorance of the character, there was never any doubt in my mind that I wanted to co-author Larry Harmon’s book. Bozo is as pure a piece of Americana as baseball or apple pie or hot dogs on the Fourth of July. Any writer would be thrilled at such an opportunity.

In real life, Larry was as you might expect the world’s most famous clown to be: funny, amusing, and full of energy. But there were surprises. For example, he was intensely detail-oriented. On one version of the manuscript, I formatted some text to appear in red font.

“That’s the wrong shade of red,” he said. “It needs to be deeper, and yet more bright.”

“It doesn’t matter, Larry. It’s just to bring attention to the phrase during the editing process. It’s not going to be in the finished book.”

“Yeah, but if you marked it red for whatever reason, then it needs to be the right red.”

And so we devoted the next hour to discussing shades of red.

Larry’s focus on the minutiae was understandable when you consider the massive empire of Bozo merchandise that he oversaw. He was determined that every single Bozo bank, lunch box, or bop bag be perfect. And that determination is partly why we have such a pristine cultural icon today. In spite of more than 200 men portraying the character over five decades, in spite of countless television shows, cartoons, and products sold, Bozo remains exactly as people remember him from childhood. Unsullied, untouched, unadulterated. And that’s a result of Larry Harmon’s focus on detail.

Some celebrities barely spend a couple of hours with a co-author or ghostwriter. And you end up with situations like the time that basketball legend Charles Barkley said he was misquoted in his own book. My experience working with Larry Harmon on The Man Behind the Nose: Assassins, Astronauts, Cannibals, and Other Stupendous Tales was exactly the opposite. I encountered a man who was as funny as I assumed he would be, but who was also driven, determined, and focused on every aspect of the project. I was immersed in a big top universe that was held together over the decades by the sheer strength of Larry Harmon’s work ethic and willpower.

Thomas Scott McKenzie was raised on a thoroughbred horse farm in Bourbon County, Kentucky. His nonfiction has appeared in Tin House, Paste, Premier Guitar, Stuff, InSync, Columbus Monthly, Kentucky Monthly, Pen World International and many others. He runs the litblog Slushpile.net.

Last night, late night host and comedian Jimmy Fallon brought much-needed energy and light-hearted wacky skits to The

If Fallon had any insecurity about hosting, he certainly made it impossible for viewers to resist his opening sketch. The musical number featured all of America’s favorites rolled into one: Glee, Springsteen, Tina Fey, Betty White. What could be better?

Joined by Glee actors Chris Colfer, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith and Amber Riley, Fallon bounded through the intro sketch building a glee club ensemble that featured Tina Fey, Joel McHale, Jane Lynch, and Jon Hamm, and which included hilarious cameos by Kate Gosselin, Betty White, and Tim Gunn. The new all-star group then performed Bruce Springsteen’s “Born To Run” live on the stage where Randy Jackson accompanied them on guitar. What an opener!

Like any young host (and as opposed to Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin’s veteran ease while hosting the Oscars earlier this year), Fallon had his moments of uncertainty and a few failed one liners. But his high-energy and fast paced evening kept it all entertaining, fun, and most importantly moving. Though, according to USA Today, “The entire evening felt uncomfortably rushed and flustered…” Fallon may be guilty of rushing the tempo, but it kept me engaged during that very long third hour – the HBO hour where the network saw wins for Temple Grandin (Claire Danes), the miniseries The Pacific, and You Don’t Know Jack (Al Pacino).

My favorite sketch was the musical farewell to three shows off the air this year: 24, Law & Order, and Lost. Dressed as Elton John, he delivered his own version of “Candle in the Wind” behind a pink grand piano in a bid to say goodbye to series “24″: “Goodbye 24/ Though I never watched you on TV/ I missed one episode/ Had to buy the DVDs.” Then, Fallon channeled Boyz II Men and adapted the lyrics of “It’s So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday” to salute Law & Order. Finally, Fallon, performing as Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, brought out  guitar and and a Billie Joe-style wig, to play ”Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)” in tribute to Lost. “The island it was mythical, but in the end they died/ I didn’t understand it, but I tried.”

Though some of my favorite shows didn’t see the recognition they deserved (where were the Emmys for True Blood, The Good Wife, and Friday Night Lights?), the night was full of memorable and often hilarious moments.

What was your favorite Emmy moment?

Though Glee snagged only 2 of the 19 Emmys it was nominated for last night, a new clothing line based on the hit show will surely distract disappointed “Gleeksters”. Available exclusively at Macy’s, the line will feature tees and hoodies priced from $20-$35. Find it just in time for back to school shopping in the juniors section or online at Macys.com!

And if memorizing Glee songs and dances and donning clothes based on the show isn’t enough to satisfy your cravings, ShopGlee.com tracks down the exact make and model of the clothes worn on the show and features them alongside video clips of the characters wearing the items. For example, zip into the same track jackets worn by Sue Sylvester here, and pick up Will Schuester’s v-neck sweaters and collared shirts right here.

All this Glee talk makes me very excited for the Britney Spears episode airing in September! Which songs do you want them to sing???

In honor of Mac’s birthday, and all of us born in 1980, here’s a quick rundown of the wealth of talent born the year Reagan was elected and Lennon was killed.

January 17 – Zooey Deschanel, American actress

January 18 – Jason Segel, American actor

January 22 – Christopher Masterson, American actor

January 28 – Nick Carter, American pop singer

February 11 – Matthew Lawrence, American actor

February 12 – Christina Ricci, American actress

February 15 – Conor Oberst, American singer/songwriter

February 27 – Chelsea Clinton, First daughter

April 1 – Bijou Phillips, American actress and socialite

June 17 – Venus Williams, American tennis player

June 26 – Jason Schwartzman, American actor

July 10 – Jessica Simpson, American singer

July 20 – Gisele Bündchen, Brazilian supermodel

August 26 – Macaulay Culkin, American actor

September 9 – Michelle Williams, American actress

September 25 – T.I., American rapper

November 12 – Ryan Gosling, Canadian actor

December 18 – Christina Aguilera, American singer

December 19 – Jake Gyllenhaal, American actor

Do you want to get rid of something in your wardrobe? Do you like free jeans? Are you one of 54% of women who try on an average of 10 pairs of jeans before finding one that fits? Do you like free jeans? If you said yes to any of the above, you should definitely find yourself in NYC’s Bryant Park at 10 am this Friday, August 27th for the Levi’s Wear What Fits event!

Just bring an unwanted garment to the event, and in exchange Levi’s will donate the item to Goodwill and hand you a FREE pair of their new Curve ID jeans.  The Wear What Fits event will also feature a live performance by singer Janelle Monáe and a meet and greet with style guide Bobbie Thomas.

Touting Curve ID as a line of custom fit jeans that focus on shape instead of size, Levi’s says the three fits are based on their analysis of  over 60,000 3D body scans and 1-on-1 conversations with real women. This entertaining video on their website explains the options:

If your jeans are too tight at the waist – you need the slight curve

If the waist fits but doesn’t flatter - you need the demi curve

If  the waist fits but gaps at the back – you need the bold curve

All of these descriptions seem like a thinly-veiled way to ask: how big is your butt??? but we’ll let it go. Free jeans for everyone!

After sending the video to a few friends, it didn’t really cross my mind again until I opened the newest issue of Wired magazine. There, in substantial detail, was the story of Jimmy Lai–the tabloid king of China–and his newest venture: Next Media. The studio’s mission is to give us the thrill of video re-enactment when no live tape exists. Apparently I missed one of the studio’s first international hits, an unpolished rendering of the Tiger Woods car-crash incident. Since that rudimentary effort, however, Next Media has refined their skills, and the more recent offerings are quite sleek considering their less-than-24-hour turnaround time.

Here’s the video that launched Next Media onto the world stage: Tiger’s trials and tribulations:

Visit their official YouTube page for the full collection. May I recommend the hilarious Snookie vid, featuring a fantasy sequence of our favorite Jersey Shore cast member assaulting the the President over the tanning tax?

Thanking my lucky stars I had avoided this crazy mob from the Aug. 3rd Material Girl opening day ceremony, I dropped by Macy’s in Herald Square this weekend to check out the new clothing line from Madonna and her daughter Lourdes. The spokesmodel for the collection is, of course, Taylor Momsen, and posters of the Gossip Girl sporting looks from the line appeared throughout the 7 floors of the store.

I was surprised to see how much floor-space was dedicated to the line – two whole sections – and how many individual pieces were available – everything from tops to skirts to dresses, vests, shoes, bags, jeans, and leggings. Everything you would need, presumably, to transform yourself into a true Material Girl.

The collection, which is priced from $12.99 to $40, was clearly inspired by Madonna’s wardrobe in the 1980s, though there were some current trend pieces sprinkled in, like chambray button-ups and skinny jeans. Just so I could take my YourItList readers along for the journey, I snapped some photos with my trusty camera phone:

Some cute (albeit short) skirts grabbed my eye, like this black and white-striped mini with exposed zipper, and this white studded one, which also came in black.

A surprising number and variety of vests were on display, yet all of them fell flat, including the washer-studded cowboy vest and the fur look below:

Floral was ubiquitous – turning up on mini skirts, dresses, and tops. But as much as I love floral…these leggings? Too much.

Overall, Material Girl offers lots of cute and fun pieces and the $40 price cap makes the line accessible for their target teenage girl demographic. But it seems to me that the best way to wear these clothes would be to pick up a few items and wear them separately. Like, on different days. Because otherwise, you will definitely end up looking like you just emerged from Madonna’s Hot Tub Time Machine.

There’s still time to reverse the trend this summer. Check out these alternatives to the modern American monstrosities:

These Apolis Classic swim trunks ($99) are a good gateway for guys who aren’t ready to jump straight from those roomy board shorts into the world of the banana hammock. They have a slim, above-the-knee cut, but you’ll still feel fully-covered enough to play a vigorous game of paddle ball.

Once you’ve gotten accustomed to the slimmer look of your new Apolis, these retro trunks from LA-based Lightning Bolt are a logical next step. Their designs are still surf-inspired, but the 1970s cut is more Hawai’i Five-O than Jersey shore-style bro-trunks:

When you’re ready to take the plunge into full-on Daniel Craig territory, this square cut trunk from Tulio will send a message that you’re confident in your manhood, without landing you in Borat-territory.