In the Club and On Fire

 Now the title of this post may seem confusing, but the subject matter is not what's implied. Taking a look at several trailers for summer blockbusters, there's no one I'd rather be than Emma Stone. Why you may ask? This week she breaks up with Justin Timberlake in Friends With Benefits only to fall for dangerous charms of Ryan Gosling in next week's Crazy Stupid Love. To paraphrase Rod Stewart, some girls have all the luck. But I digress.
 I'm not sure if this is the first time where two mouseketeers open as stars in movies back to back, but it had me wonder about both of these fellas in relative comparison to their fellow MMC alumni. Now rather you agree with it or not, the New Mickey Mouse Club which ran from the late eighties to the mid nineties was one of the best launching pads for a diverse group of stars since the Brat Pack. And very much like the Brat Pack each of its members have had varying degrees of success.
 Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake may have been the two most unlikely candidates for most successful former mouseketeer,  but nevertheless I believe their impact on pop culture is greater than the sum of their former club cast mates.
 Christina Aguilera has had a career resurgence of sorts on NBC's The Voice that ran this past spring, but before then she was destined to becoming a tabloid punchline for boozing. Not that I'm trying to downplay her amazing voice, but it seemed like the instant success of her first album had her trying to search for artistic freedom and sexual independence in ways that were at times brash rather than unique. She also tried acting in Burlesque starring alongside Cher, but with disastrous results. I hope after this new found popularity that she'll focus on her true talent which is that mind blowing voice.
  JC Chasez, (aka the other dude in *NSYNC) tried to go solo right after Justin but he obviously became a victim of the curse of the second banana. His voice was more layered and dynamic than Timberlake's but his ability to shape shift wasn't as savvy as his old friend's. Now every season on America's Best Dance Crew he serves as the Simon to Lil' Mama's Paula, but nonetheless has remained visible.
  Britney Spears who at one point was the most famous ex-mouseketeer, has gone from peak to valley and back again. There's no denying her impact on popular culture but beyond her music she hasn't extended herself in the way many people first envisioned her. While many did say she was the next Madonna, however I think in many ways she has rebounded in such a way to make her a very potent force in her own unique way.
  This brings me back to JT and Gosling. They're both very easy on the eyes and very talented but as I said they were the ones who weren't supposed to succeed.
  Being in a boy band is the surefire way to end up on a season of Celebrity Rehab, but Justin Timberlake took everyone's miscalculations and made sure we would remember him as more than that dude with crazy hair from *NSYNC. He took the path of someone who was still wanting to be challenged by his work, not always going for convention. Even in movies, he didn't want to be in The Notebook. It as obviously paid off because he's exceeded everyone's expectations and then some.
 And then there was the dude from The Notebook. Ryan Gosling took smaller parts and blew up as Noah but after which he decidedly took smaller and weightier roles such as his brilliant performance in Half Nelson. But he might be setting himself up for even greater success in Crazy Stupid Love by charming us.I think the distinction of being the first Academy Award nominated mouseketeer is in great hands.
 Yet if you really want to know why these two are as successful as they are the proof is in the pudding. If you look at any of the YouTube clips of the MMC days, you can see who the camera loves them. This is particularly evident in a cover of Cry for You by Jodeci they share lead on. The charm, the charisma, and the hair was already there, they were just waiting on us to notice.