Serene Reinholz

We all know them; the ones who were shining stars back when it was cool for boys to wear loose button-up shirts with flames and lizards. Back when it required some talent to be on TV and in the movies. Hilary Duff. Aaron Carter. Jonathan Taylor Thomas. Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. Oh, the joys of tweens from the past.

Remember when you could not say “JTT” without hearing the inevitable sigh of a girl thinking of the boy of her dreams? Remember the days when child stars were actually good kids? When you could talk about teen stars without thinking about scandal.

You can even say Lindsay Lohan was a good kid (before she went to rehab three times in one year). And speaking of Lohan, you must remember the highly publicized feud between her and her fellow Disney Darling over the dashing Aaron Carter

And how about those child stars from Nickelodeon? Take a look at All That, the sketch comedy show that helped launch the careers of some names you might recognize: Amanda Bynes, (who has a successful acting career), Kenan Thompson (who appears on the much-loved Saturday Night Live) and the infamous Jamie Lynn Spears (who became pregnant when she was 16). The tween queens and kings have long played a fascinating role in our cravings for drama.

So what are some opinions on child stars of then and now? Freshman Tyler Louder named his favorite childhood actor as Macaulay Culkin.

“What he did in Home Alone? That was great! He’s underrated and gets an undeserved bad rap,” Louder said.

Kelsey Malteverne, also a freshman, said Duff was her favorite and thinks that the Olsen twins were highly overexposed.

“I think they missed out on a lot of the fundamental building blocks of life as (children) because they were under so much pressure. They never got the chance to lead a normal life,” Malteverne said.

Allen Dean, a sophomore, has a more cynical view on the subject.

“I think they are stuck up and don’t know the value of a dollar,” Dean said.

Sophomore Mariah Langager agreed.

“They are overrated, and I think that the ones today are a little more open with sexuality than ones from five years ago,” Langager said.

Remember when being a skeleton used to be unattractive? It seems to be all the rage these days. Snapshots of skinny starlets walking in or out of rehab centers are not uncommon tabloid covers.

And do not forget that rehab is not just for eating disorders. It seems that this younger generation has become famous for being infamous. Well, there is no such thing as bad publicity, right?

#1.881324:4237848321.jpg:LizzieMcGuire.1.jpg:Hilary Duff, as Lizzie McGuire, starred on the popular Disney show. Since McGuire ended in 2003, Duff has not been prominent in entertainment.:Courtesy Photo