No matter how embarrassing the pop culture of a certain decade was, if it’s the era you grew up in, you are proud. I started writing this article as a top 10 list of the things I missed from the 1990′s. I shortly realized, I absolutely loved the 90′s and I miss way more than 10 things. Yes, the clothes were not the best, but I’m sure even our current fashion will be mocked in years to come. Allow me to pridefully address my favorite memories of growing up in the 90′s.

There’s no doubt about it that a majority of Gleeks believe creator and writer Ryan Murphy, receives personal enjoyment out of separating fan favorite couples. When viewers said goodbye to members of the original New Directions, they were unable to fill the void with the new additions. Things changed during the two-part celebration, as we welcomed back original cast members and took a trip down memory lane as they remixed favorite routines.

It’s a tale as old as time – don’t all kids grow up with stars in their eyes and dreams of one day being on TV? Breaking into showbiz is tough. It ain’t easy dealing with competition, rejection, and crazy mom and dad-agers while the rest of your peer group is still on the playground, but it’s all worth it for the lucky few who manage to land on the Disney Channel – the place that has given many a child star their big break, a golden ticket to fame, and a few solid years of employment. But eventually there comes a time when a child star must break out of their mouse-house image – usually with the help of drugs, nude picture scandals, or by skanking up, stripping down and singing a song about getting “dirrty.”

In case you haven’t heard the huge news, Justin Bieber confused the whole Internet a few weeks ago when he said he was retiring. He told Power 106 in a radio interview that his next album would be his last album and then declared his retirement from the music industry via Twitter, stating: “My beloved Beliebers, I’m retiring.” According to Justin, “Being a Belieber is a lifestyle.” Pretty sure that lifestyle is a classy one, including urinating into a mop bucket at a restaurant before saying “F*ck Bill Clinton” while spraying a liquid at a picture of the former president’s face. (He tweeted to apologize). Now, this could all just be a ploy to get publicity for the release of his epic movie, “Believe,” or his new compilation album, “Journals.” But, for all of the shenanigans, I’ll admit, I’ll rock out to a Bieber song when it comes on the radio. And I might or might not have made a Justin Bieber “Boyfriend” parody. So, as a tribute to Justin, we here at THEPOPFIX want to celebrate his legacy and all of his glory by counting down the most awkward Bieber moments in this POP 5.

Britney Spears occupies a weird, unique space in the pop spectrum. She’s been compared to past greats like Madonna and Kylie Minogue, but she lacks the latter’s self-aware creativity and mentioning her in the same breath as the former is, frankly, insulting. A common complaint with Spears is that she doesn’t write her own songs, which, the argument goes, somehow equates to a lack of talent, but the same can be said of Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra… the list goes on. She isn’t blessed with the preternaturally skilled vocals of a Mariah Carey or a Tina Turner, but her music has never been about her voice so much as her personality. And her personality is just what has carried her this far, when contemporaries like Mandy Moore and Christina Aguilera are becoming Starbucks whores and public laughingstocks, respectively. Spears is the ultimate pop chameleon, transforming from sly school girl with enough sexual innuendo to inspire thousands of illegal fantasies to a robotic dance-floor dominatrix, confident enough to overcome tabloid dramas that have ruined lesser stars. In many ways, Spears needed that separation from her past self to become the four-on-the-floor mistress she is on Femme Fatale. Calling Britney a pop singer is doing the term a disservice; she is much more of a pop bellwether, subject to the whims of the Top 40 crowd and more than happy to adapt to environments that have cruelly undone lesser icons. There’s a reason Aguilera’s last album sold barely north of 110,000 copies and Spears’ single “Hold It Against Me” has the most aggressive beat on mainstream radio today. Spears shows a willingness to reinvent herself that belies her fragile personal life and, most importantly, keeps her on the cutting edge of pop music.

Oh how the mighty have fallen. Despite Ashton Kutcher’s successful effort in surpassing CNN’s number of Twitter followers last year, and going on to become the #1 most followed Tweep on Twitter, someone has now taken away his crown. Move over @aplusk, @britneyspears is now the supreme ruler of the Twitterverse with 5,067,677 followers at last count.

For those of you who weren’t able to snag three-day Coachella passes this weekend still have a chance to do so for the mere price of $269 (!!!), and Saturday and Sunday solo tickets are still available . . . for now. Of course, if you’re not willing to shell out hundreds of dollars for overpriced water, 100-degree+ heat, and a ridiculous array of talented bands, Los Angeles proper still has the concert hook-up, courtesy of THE POP FIX.

Avenged Sevenfold – NOKIA Theatre @ LA LIVE 04/16/09
DOORS OPEN @ 8:00PM …

Britney Spears kicked off her much anticipated “Circus” tour Tuesday night in New Orleans; a tour that was supposed to be her come back, a collection of songs and show to prove to us that, once again, Spears is serious about her career. But despite internet buzz and leaked Youtube videos of rehearsals, reviews for the first show were mixed, and less than stellar. A review in People Magazine said, “Don’t call it a comeback quite yet. Britney Spears still isn’t all the way there.”