Once upon a time, MTV actually played music videos — and a crop of music video stars was born. But where are they now? From a comic book companion to a bumbling bee girl, here’s an update on some of the most memorable music video icons of all time.
A-ha’s “Take On Me” Girl
She was pulled into a comic book in A-ha’s 1985 “Take On Me” video-and our world was never the same. In the iconic pencil-sketch animated vid, the wide-eyed star– played by actress Bunty Bailey — had a comic-book romance (and a real life one!) with A-ha lead singer Morten Harket, who whisked her away to his alternate universe. According to her MySpace profile, these days Bunty Bailey lives in London and works as a dance teacher, actress and model. A photo on her talent agency’s website shows what she looks like today.
Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher” Waldo
Where’s Waldo? Still jamming to “Hot for Teacher,” apparently. If the rumors are true (and we hope they are!), Van Halen’s iconic nerd, made famous in the controversial 1984 video for the song “Hot For Teacher,” is all grown up and reprising his role in a new version of the classic VH song. You can check out instrumentalist/songwriter Keith Kessinger as a grown up Waldo here.
Warrant’s “Cherry Pie” Girl
The recipe for Warrant’s 1990 “Cherry Pie” video was three parts sex and one part singing. But the video’s vixen, model Bobbie Brown, nabbed a rock star hubby by the time the shoot ended. Brown’s marriage to Warrant front man Jani Lane fizzled in 1993 and, sadly, he died in 2011– but she rocks on in a new reality TV series, “Ex-Wives Rock.”
Cyndi Lauper’s “Dad”
He played Cyndi Lauper’s dad in her “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” and “Time After Time” videos, but in real life Captain Lou Albano was her mentor and friend. The former pro wrestler and manager was famous for his quirky, runner-banded beard-and his team-up with the equally quirky Lauper boosted both of their careers in the early 1980s. Albano died in 2009 at the age of 76.
Blind Melon’s “Bee Girl”
In 1993, alternative rock band Blind Melon’s breakthrough single featured a little girl dressed in a bee costume-and the rest is history. The band’s “No Rain” video starred 10-year old Heather DeLoach, who donned big glasses and that telltale bumblebee costume as she did a bumbling tap dance. An adult DeLoach has called her stint as Blind Melon’s Bee Girl “a blessing.” In 2008, DeLoach told The New York Post, “I thought I would never live this down, but this is the best thing that happened to me. At 80 years old, people are still going to be wondering what I’m doing… It’s opened so many doors with acting and my personal life.”The Cal State Fullerton grad aspires to stay in the entertainment biz. “Ideally, I want to own my own production company,” DeLoach said.”I am interested in anything in the entertainment industry – if I had my pick, I would do movies.”
ZZ Top “Eliminator” Girls
Back in the mid-1980s, Jeana Tomasina Keough, Kymberly Herrin and Daniele Arnaud were known as the ZZ Top “Eliminator” Girls. The trio played fairy godmothers in ZZ Top’s classic “Legs” video, where they transformed a mousy salesgirl into a leggy knockout, then later starred in videos for the songs “Sharp Dressed Man,” “Gimme All Your Lovin'” and “Sleeping Bag”– until they drove off in their 1933 Ford Coupe into music video Never Never Land. While the “Eliminator” girls are no longer joined at the the hip, in recent years at least one of them has resurfaced on TV. Jeana Keough-now a real estate agent– starred as the resident pot stirrer in Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Orange County.
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