For many, Memorial Day weekend is the kick-off to summer! School’s out, the tunes are turned up, and the barbecue is hot!

How many of us spent hours outside in the backyard playing with friends? We didn’t have phones or expensive video consoles to occupy our time back then. Instead, we played, ran, and laughed through games like Red Light, Green Light and Tag! So to get you and your kids ready for summer fun, here’s the 5 Best Backyard Games!

1. Red Light, Green Light. One player who is It stands at one end of the yard, while everyone else lines up on the opposite end. The It player yells green light, and the others start running forward. When It yells “Red Light,” everyone stops and freezes. It turns around and if they catch anyone still moving, they go back to the line. The first one to touch It wins and becomes “It” for the next round!
2. Kick the Can. A can is placed in an open space and half of the players go hide. The other half of players are It – and they have to find the hiding players while also guarding the can. Players who are found are held together as a group in ‘jail’ but any player not tagged, who is able to go and ‘kick the can’ can release players who have been captured.
3. Red Rover. Players are divided into two teams who line up facing each other, leaving a wide space in between them. Each team holds hands, and they choose one player from the other team to play that round.  The calling team yells, “Red Rover, Red Rover, let Nina come over!” and Nina runs from the opposite line and tries to break through the line. If Nina does break through, she chooses a player from the calling team to return with her to her original team.  If she can’t break through, she joins the calling team.  Teams take turns calling back and forth until only one person is left on one team.
4. Ghosts in the Graveyard. Players choose a home base – a tree, a playset, or a mailbox. One player is It. He closes his eyes and begins to count slowly, “One o’clock.  Two o’clock.  Three o’clock….” all the way to midnight, while all the kids are finding a hiding spot. When the It player yells midnight, the other players try to run for home base before It catches them.
5. Four Square. You start with a very large square, divided into four smaller, equal-sized squares. One person is in each square and one square is the “server.” The server bounces a playground ball in their square and hits it to another player. If a player misses the ball, catches the ball, bounces it out of bounds, etc., that player is out and another player moves in. There are all sorts of fun rules with this one too, from bus-stop bounces to cherry bombs!

So there you have it… the 5 Best Backyard Games You Forgot About! Which one will your kids love???

Have you heard???

Hanson has released a brand-new version of their 90s hit MMMBop! Hanson teamed up with the group Busted for an all-star version of their breakthrough hit. Busted is celebrating their 20th anniversary with a new greatest hits album of re-recorded classics featuring an extended line-up of guests.

Give the new version a listen… what do you think???

The world is mourning the death of the Queen of Rock and Roll. Tina Turner passed away peacefully at her home in Switzerland at age 83 after battling a long illness. Turner had battled a number of health issues since 2013. She wrote about them in her 2018 memoir, “Tina Turner: My Love Story.” She had a stroke, intestinal cancer, kidney failure, and also battled vertigo. But by her own accounts, Turner fought through the illnesses as she has other trials in her life – with strength, dignity, and gratitude.

In 2017, her second husband Erwin Bach donated one of his kidneys to her, saving her life. She wrote in her memoir, “I know that my medical adventure is far from over. But I’m still here — we’re still here, closer than we ever imagined. I can look back and understand why my karma was the way it was. Good came out of bad. Joy came out of pain. And I have never been so completely happy as I am today.”

In 2018, she made one of her last public appearances at the premiere of the London musical based on her life, Tina, which details her 50-year singing career.

She wrote in the show’s program, “I’ve been blessed with a wonderful career, and after more than 50 years of performing I don’t need a musical, I don’t need another show. But I get so many cards and letters — I still can’t believe how people feel about me on stage and the legacy they say I left. People tell me I gave them hope. It meant so much to people I feel I have to pass it on, and I hope this show serves what the people need, as a reminder of my work.”

In 2013, when Turner was 73, she spoke to her friend Oprah Winfrey of being curious about death.

“Even when it’s time to go and leave to another planet, I’m excited about that, because I’m curious to know what it’s about. Nobody can tell you because nobody has come back. I’m not excited to die, but I don’t regret it when it’s time for me. I’ve done what I came here to do. Now is pleasure. I’ve got great friends. I have a great man in my life now. I have a great husband and I’m happy,” she said.

A woman whose voice brought hope to so many others has passed away today: Tina Turner died at age 83 after a long illness in her home near Zurich, Switzerland.

Turner’s health suffered in recent years after she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer in 2016 and had a kidney transplant in 2017. Her spokesperson said there are plans underway for a private funeral ceremony for close friends and family. 

Turner’s music career spanned 60 years with songs like “Proud Mary,” “The Best,” and “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” earning her the title Queen of Rock and Roll. Turner won eight Grammy Awards and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

Turner revealed her turbulent relationship with her ex-husband Ike Turner in her autobiography, “I, Tina.” That was later turned into the 1993 film “What’s Love Got To Do With It,” starring Angela Bassett, who earned an Oscar nomination for her performance. 

Most recently, Tina: The Tina Turner Musical opened on Broadway in 2019 and has been touring North America since 2022. The musical features Turner’s music and depicts her life from her humble beginnings in Tennessee.

Tributes are already pouring in on Twitter. Singer Bryan Adams wrote “Thank you for being the inspiration to millions of people around the world for speaking your truth and giving us the gift of your voice.” 

The band Garbage tweeted: “My darling Tina Turner. I’ve been loving you so long. So much to thank you for. Love you eternally.”

Oprah commented on her friend: “She was a role model not only for me but for the world. She encouraged a part of me I didn’t know existed.”

Mick Jagger tweeted: “I’m so saddened by the passing of my wonderful friend Tina Turner. She was truly an enormously talented performer and singer. She was inspiring, warm, funny and generous. She helped me so much when I was young and I will never forget her.”

Turner married her second husband, the music executive Erwin Bach, in 2013, and has been living with him in Switzerland since 1994.

Keep listening to Throwback Nation Radio for more information, and a special one hour tribute later this evening.

Prom is a big deal, the pinnacle event of the high school experience. These days, it includes the perfect “promposal” shared on social media, the perfect dress (with a guarantee that no one else will be wearing it), and the perfect playlist carefully curated from TikTok! But let’s face it, nothing can beat the total awesomeness of the 80s and 90s so that’s why we’re throwing it back for our Prom Songs Weekend and taking a little trip down memory lane!

80s Prom Experience

The cute boy you’ve been eyeing finally walked up to you at your locker after Biology and asked if you’d go to prom with him! You were so excited you passed your friend a note during American History but the teacher found it and read it aloud to the class. You were like, so embarrassed! 

You got home and immediately dove into the pages of your new Seventeen magazine to find the perfect dress by Jessica McClintock. Your mom took you to the mall and you tried on a few dresses, finally finding the right one in a shimmering shade of jewel tone green. It had big sleeves, a billowing skirt, and a bow in the back. You marched right down to Payless Shoe Source to pick out a pair of pumps and purse to get them dyed to match! When you got home, your mom looked up your date in the phone book so she could call his mom to let him know to get a green cummerbund to match.

When prom finally rolled around, you teased your hair as high as it would go and used 2 cans of Aqua-Net to get it to stay. You and your date went to the local steak restaurant for dinner and drove to the dance in his dad’s Pontiac Firebird! You slow-danced to Journey’s “Faithfully” under stars covered in aluminum foil and later declared it was the best night of your entire life! 

90s Prom Experience

Your best friend just told you that her boyfriend’s friend wants to ask you to prom. He’s pretty cute because he just got a haircut and frosted tips, so you told your friend to tell his boyfriend that if the friend asks you, you’ll say yes. Your parents’ phone rings later that night and it’s him! You ask him to call back on your teen line and he does. It’s a date! 

As luck would have it, your Sassy magazine had just arrived with a huge feature on prom dress trends. At the mall that weekend, you picked out a black-and-white short dress that was off-the-shoulder and found the perfect rhinestone necklace at Claire’s Boutique! You phoned your date to let him know that he could get a black vest to go with his tuxedo so you could coordinate. 

When prom rolled around, your mom took you to the local salon and you showed the stylist a picture of the curly updo you wanted. You had butterfly clips to go along with it, of course. When your date arrived, you tried not to stab him in the chest when you pinned his boutonniere to his tuxedo jacket. You went to the cool new hibachi restaurant in the next town over for dinner in his Toyota Supra. You danced to “On Bended Knee” by Boyz II Men in your high school gym, decked out in a fire and ice theme… and called the night totally epic! 

Hope you enjoyed the trip back in time… now remember YOUR prom by listening to Prom Songs Weekend this Friday and Saturday! 

A favorite throwback dance track is new again, thanks to a modern remix!

You probably remember the 1993 song “What Is Love” by Haddaway. The song climbed the charts and was even featured in a Saturday Night Live skit starring Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell and, later, the movie “A Night at the Roxbury!”

Now, 30 years later, the song has been reimagined and remixed into “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” by David Guetta, Anne-Marie, and Coi Leray. “Baby Don’t Hurt Me” is Guetta’s follow-up to 2022’s colossal #1 hit “I’m Good (Blue)” with Bebe Rexha. Anne-Marie is a British pop icon and Coi Leray is a rising American rapper and singer. 

Take a look at the two music videos to hear and see how the song has been updated for 2023!

Pop icon and Throwback Nation favorite Janet Jackson is 57 today! 

The “Rhythm Nation” singer is performing again for the first time in about four years on her Together Again Tour. She’ll have a couple days off for her birthday but will pick back up Thursday in Pennsylvania. 

Jackson’s attracting some serious star power to her tour stops. She was hanging out backstage with Tom Cruise over the weekend, and even snapped a photo to share on Instagram! She’s also posed for pictures with Angela Bassett, Ciara, Katie Holmes, and Questlove! 

Throwback Nation fans, be listening for your favorite Janet Jackson songs every hour on the hour today! 

While Katy Perry, Lionel Richie and Take That had the big lights shining on them on last weekend’s coronation concert, they weren’t the only ones to get us on our feet.

One of our faves – the ever under-rated Steve Winwood – brought us all to a “Higher Love” with his performance too.

It’s been covered by Whitney Houston and Kygo, and Steve’s original continues to shine on through the years with a message of positivity.

And at 75 years old, Steve BROUGHT it.  You be the judge – and enjoy!

He spent 32 years collecting sets, props, and costumes from the TV shows he grew up watching. Now, James Comisar is putting all 1,000 pieces on the auction block! The Comisar Collection includes all kinds of things from your favorite throwback shows, including the sets of “Cheers,” “All in the Family,” and “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson!”

The Comisar Collection is mind-blowing – he has somehow managed to get items from every TV show you can think of, from “Gunsmoke” to “Pee-Wee’s Playhouse” to “Baywatch” to “Breaking Bad!” Comisar said he’s loved collecting every single item, but the time has come to release them to fans and other collectors for them to enjoy. 

We browsed the Collection and here are a few things that caught our eye! 

• The bar from “Cheers.” You can own a piece of the show “where everybody knows your name!” It even has star Kirstie Alley’s name carved in it! 

• The set from “All in the Family” features the original carpet, knicknacks, and even the tattered chair that Archie Bunker sat in! 

• “The Late Night with David Letterman” set. It includes the desk, guest chairs, and the backdrop of mini skyscrapers in the NYC skyline! 

• “The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson” set. When Carson retired after 30 years of the Tonight Show, he wanted Comisar to have his desk, couch, chairs, everything! 

• A red swimsuit worn by Pamela Anderson on “Baywatch.”

• The S.S. Minnow life preserver from “Gilligan’s Island.” 

• Yellow gloves, scale, and beakers from “Breaking Bad.” 

• The pink costume worn by Barbara Eden on “I Dream of Jeannie.”

• The jukebox from the Peach Pit on “Beverly Hills, 90210.”

• Eastland School sweaters worn by the cast of “The Facts of Life.” 

• Hit Me card game from “The Price Is Right.”

• A suit worn by Tony Soprano on “The Sopranos.”

• The signature “AB” Center Stage logo sign from “American Bandstand”…

And so much more! 

The auction goes live June 2nd in Dallas, Texas. You can learn more and see the items up for bids at the Heritage Auctions site.  

Bono, the lead singer of the rock band U2, is 63 today! So, in honor of the “Beautiful Day that is May 10th, here’s not just “One,” but 10 “Real Things” you may or may not know about your favorite Irish rocker!

1. Bono’s real name is Paul David Hewson and he was born in Dublin Ireland, in 1960.
2. He was nicknamed Bonavox as a teenager. It was the name of a hearing aid store in Dublin! He didn’t like it at first, but later learned Bono Vox was Latin for “good voice,” so he stuck with it!
3. Bono met his wife Ali Hewson in school when they were 12 years old! They married in 1982 and have four children: Jordan, 33, Eve, 31, Elijah, 23, and John, 21.
4. Bono told Oprah that despite his globe-trotting tour schedule, he is never away from his wife and kids for more than three weeks!
5. He started the band that would become U2 while in high school in 1977 with his friends, David Evans “the Edge,” Larry Mullen, Jr., and Adam Clayton.
6. Bono has glaucoma, a condition which causes sensitivity to light. That’s why he wears his signature tinted wraparound glasses.
7. He apparently likes to sketch Atlantic covers, so the magazine hired him! He illustrated the Atlantic’s June cover for a story about Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
8. Bono is actively involved in improving human rights around the globe. He is actively involved in campaigns to fight extreme poverty and preventable diseases, such as AIDS.
9. Bono’s memoir, “Surrender: 40 Songs, One Story” came out in October 2022. Each chapter is named for a U2 song. U2 also released a new album to coincide with the memoir called “Songs of Surrender.”
10. Bono and U2 are reportedly going to release even more new music soon! The Edge said the band has “a lot of great material in the pipeline” so stay tuned!