In the year that Michael Jordan took flight… 
- The Winter Olympics were held in Alberta, Canada.
- The Supreme Court sided with Larry Flynt in the Hustler vs. Falwell case.
- George H.W. Bush was elected President of the United States.
- The first “World AIDS Day” was held on December 1st.
- The NBA’s youngest MVP, Derrick Rose, was born.
And here’s what else happened in Movies, Music, and Sports…
Movies
Comedy
Beetlejuice, Big, A Fish Called Wanda, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad, The Great Outdoors, Bull Durham, Hairspray, Heathers, Working Girl, Midnight Run, Punchline, Twins, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Earth Girls are Easy, My Stepmother is an Alien, Mystic Pizza, Scrooged, Crocodile Dundee II, Big Top Pee-Wee, She’s Having a Baby, Short Circuit 2, I’m Gonna Git You Sucka, AND…
Coming to America
Action/Thriller
Young Guns, Rambo III, Child’s Play, They Live, Frantic, The Dead Pool, Red Heat, Dead Ringers, The Vanishing, Action Jackson, Off Limits, D.O.A., Tequila Sunrise, Spellbinder, Halloween 4, Shoot to Kill, Shakedown, The Bourne Identity, Friday the 13th VII, Maniac Cop, The Presidio, Bloodsport AND…
Die Hard
Drama
Cocktail, Willow, The Accused, Dangerous Liaisons, Beaches, The Last Temptation of Christ, Evil Angels, The Accidental Tourist, Mississippi Burning, Dead Solid Perfect, Eight Men Out, And God Created Woman, Another Woman, Patty Hearst, Betrayed, Bright Lights Big City, Torch Song Trilogy, Stealing Home, The Moderns, Sweethearts Dance, Cocoon: The Return, A Summer Story, Running on Empty, Bird, Stand and Deliver, Colors, Gorillas in the Mist, AND…
Rain Man
The 61st Academy Awards
Best Actor
- Gene Hackman, Mississippi Burning
- Tom Hanks, Big
- Edward James Olmos, Stand and Deliver
- Max von Sydow, Pelle the Conquerer
- Dustin Hoffman, Rain Man – Winner
It was Dustin Hoffman’s second Oscars win after Kramer vs. Kramer in 1980 out of 7 nominations.
Best Supporting Actor
- Alec Guinness, Little Dorrit
- Martin Landau, Tucker The Man and His Dream
- River Phoenix, Running on Empty
- Dean Stockwell, Married to the Mob
- Kevin Kline, A Fish Called Wanda – Winner
Kline is 1-for-1 at the Oscars
Best Actress
- Glenn Close, Dangerous Liaisons
- Melanie Griffith, Working Girl
- Meryl Streep, A Cry in the Dark
- Sigourney Weaver, Gorillas in the Mist
- Jodie Foster, The Accused – Winner
Of 4 nominations, this was Jodie Fosters first of 2 Oscar wins.
Best Supporting Actress
- Joan Cusack, Working Girl
- Frances McDormand, Mississippi Burning
- Michelle Pfeiffer, Dangerous Liaisons
- Sigourney Weaver, Working Girl
- Geena Davis, The Accidental Tourist – Winner
Geena Davis has won 1 out of 2 nominations, the second for Thelma and Louise.
Best Picture
- The Accidental Tourist
- Dangerous Liaisons
- Mississippi Burning
- Working Girl
- Rain Man – Winner
Rain Man won 4 of the 8 Academy Awards it was nominated for, including Best Director and Best Writing.
Music
Hip Hop Albums
Pop Music
Billboard Year-End Top 25
01. “Faith” – George Michael
02. “Need You Tonight” – INXS
03. “Got My Mind Set On You” – George Harrison
04. “Never Gonna Give You Up” – Rick Astley
05. “Sweet Child o’ Mine” – Guns N’ Roses
06. “So Emotional” – Whitney Houston
07. “Heaven is a Place on Earth” – Belinda Carlisle
08. “Could’ve Been” – Tiffany
09. “Hands to Heaven” – Breathe
10. “Roll with It” – Steve Winwood
11. “One More Try” – George Michael
12. “Wishing Well” – Terrence Trent D’Arby
13. “Anything For You” – Gloria Estefan
14. “The Flame” – Cheap Trick
15. “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car” – Billy Ocean
16. “Seasons Change” – Expose
17. “Is This Love” – Whitesnake
18. “Wild, Wild West” – The Escape Club
19. “Pour Some Sugar On Me” – Def Lepard
20. “I’ll Always Love You” – Taylor Dayne
21. “Man in the Mirror” – Michael Jackson
22. “Shake Your Love” – Debbie Gibson
23. “Simply Irresistible” – Robert Palmer
24. “Hold On To The Nights” – Richard Marx
25. “Hungry Eyes” – Eric Carmen
Sports
Baseball
League Leaders:
Offensive
Average: Wade Boggs (BOS) – .366
Hits: Kirby Pucket (MIN) – 234
Home Runs: Jose Canseco (OAK) – 42
RBI: Jose Canseco (OAK) – 124
OPS: Wade Boggs (BOS) – .965
Stolen Bases: Rickey Henderson (NYY) – 93
Pitching
Wins: Frank Viola (MIN) – 24
ERA: Joe Magrane (STL) – 2.18
Strikeouts: Roger Clemens (BOS) – 291
Complete Games: Danny Jackson (CIN) & Orel Hershiser (LAD) – 15
Shutouts: Orel Hershiser (LAD) & Roger Clemens (BOS) – 8
Saves: Dennis Eckersley (OAK) – 45
MVP
AL – Jose Canseco (OAK)
NL – Kirk Gibson (LAD)
CY Young
AL – Frank Viola (MIN)
NL – Orel Hershiser (LAD)
Rookie of the Year
AL – Walt Weiss (OAK)
NL – Chris Sabo (CIN)
World Series
Los Angeles Dodgers over Oakland Athletics (4-1)
Basketball
NCAA
Final Four:
(1) Oklahoma, (1) Arizona, (2) Duke and (6) Kansas
National Championship
(6) Kansas over (1) Oklahoma 83-79
NBA
League Leaders
Points Per Game: Michael Jordan (CHI) – 35.0
Rebounds Per Game: Michael Cage (LAC) – 13.0
Assists Per Game: John Stockton (UTAH) – 13.8
All-NBA Team
Charles Barkley (PHI)
Larry Bird (BOS)
Magic Johnson (LAL)
Michael Jordan (CHI)
Hakeem Olajuwon (HOU)
MVP – Michael Jordan (CHI)
Rookie of the Year – Mark Jackson (NY)
NBA Finals
Los Angeles Lakers over Detroit Pistons (4-3)
Football
NCAA
Heisman Trophy: Barry Sanders (Oklahoma State)
National Championship
Notre Dame over West Virginia 34-21 in the Fiesta Bowl
NFL
League Leaders
Passing Yards: Dan Marino (MIA) – 4,434
Passing Touchdowns: Jim Everett (LAR) – 31
Passer Rating: Boomer Esiason (CIN) – 97.4
Rush Yards: Eric Dickerson (IND) – 1,659
Rush Touchdowns: Greg Ball (LAR) – 16
Receiving Yards: Henry Ellard (LAR) – 1,414
Receiving Touchdowns: Mark Clayton (MIA) – 14
Receptions: Al Toon (NYJ) – 93
AP MVP: Boomer Esiason
Super Bowl XXIII
San Francisco 49ers over Cincinnati Bengals 20-16
Hockey
League Leaders
Goal: Mario Lemieux (PIT) – 70
Assists: Wayne Gretzky (EDM) – 109
Points: Mario Lemieux (PIT) – 168
Hart Memorial Trophy: Mario Lemieux (PIT)
Stanley Cup
michaelpiff 
7 thoughts on “#TBT Year in Review: 1988”