TeenNick Blog

Chris Kelly, a member of the '90s rap duo Kris Kross, has passed away. At Nickelodeon, he'll always be remembered for "The Rugrats Rap," so we're posting it today in tribute.

If you grew up watching Nickelodeon, there's probably a special place in your heart for Ren & Stimpy, Rugrats, and random buckets of slime. You're not alone. A bunch of professional artists feel the same way.

The current exhibit at iam8bit, an art gallery in Los Angeles, features pieces inspired by classic Nickelodeon shows (like the stuff we show on The '90s Are All That).

Here's a peek:

I love Nickelodeon and art, so I visited iam8bit last week to check out "It's the ShizNick!" They've got two big rooms full of Nick-themed art, and the back room includes human-sized lockers where you can pose for pictures -- perfect for anyone who felt jealous of the kids from You Can't Do That on Television. Poking your head out of a locker to crack a joke is just as much fun as you imagined.

If you're in LA, check out iam8bit this week to see It's the Shiznick. (The exhibit closes May 5th.) If you can't make it in person, view the art on the iam8bit website!

Taylor Swift's song "22" climbed into the #1 spot on the TeenNick Top 10 list this week. (Will she stay there? It depends how you VOTE.) Here's the full countdown from Friday, 4/26/13:

1. Taylor Swift "22"
2. Pitbull feat. Christina Aguilera "Feel This Moment"
3. Rihanna feat. Mikky Ekko "Stay"
4. Cher Lloyd"With Ur Love"
5. Big Time Rush"Like Nobody's Around"
6. Bruno Mars"When I Was Your Man"
7. Justin Timberlake"Mirrors"
8. Austin Mahone feat. Flo Rida "Say You're Just A Friend"
9. Ariana Grande feat. Mac Miller"The Way"
10. Little Mix"Wings"

Here's a peek at this week's show, including a visit from Ariana Grande!

The most important part of the TeenNick Top 10 is the voting, so VOTE for your favorite videos now. Want to see your tweet on TV? Tweet us about WHY you love your favorite videos, using the hashtag #TeenNickTop10.)

This week's Facebook poll asks you to help us choose the best Degrassi episode about a first date. Vote now, and we'll put the winning episode online Friday!

Our Twitter followers chose this week's topic and nominated their favorite episodes. Your voting options include these tumultuous first dates:

Holly J and Declan

Eli and Clare

Cam and Maya

As I'm writing this, Emma and Sean's first date (from way back in season one) is leading by a few votes. I'm surprised that Manny and Craig's first date isn't getting much support. I loved the way "Take My Breath Away" showed the same date from two different perspectives. Vote for your favorite first date now, and come back on Friday to watch the full episode featuring the winning date!

Want to help us choose the episodes listed in future polls? Follow @TeenNick and @degrassinsider on Twitter.

Here's an in-your-face fact: About 2,000 teen girls in the United States get pregnant every day. That means nearly 3 in 10 girls will become pregnant at least once by the age of 20. Eye opening, right?

Degrassi fans know the show has always dealt with real issues in a frank and thoughtful manner. There's a cause and effect for all life choices, and the choices made around sex can change lives forever. In honor of National Day, tune in to TeenNick today starting at 4PM ET for a block of Degrassi episodes that show how different characters handle the consequences of sex.

Sex can have serious consequences, whether you get pregnant or not. For Jenna and K.C., the repercussions included an unplanned pregnancy and the mental anguish of deciding whether or not to choose adoption. Watch "Extraordinary Machine" to see how they both struggled with that choice.

For Alli and Dave, the consequences were stressful in a different way. In "Say It Ain't So," when Alli was offered a chance to enroll early at M.I.T., she didn't know if she was ready to leave Degrassi (and Dave) behind. That decision became a thousand times harder after she and Dave had unprotected sex, and Alli realized she might be pregnant.

Let's Talk about Safe Sex.
Think you'd make smarter choices about sex than Jenna, K.C., Alli, and Dave did? Test your sex smarts with this quiz at StayTeen.org. Answer questions about how you'd react in different situations, and the quiz rates your decision-making abilities.

Stay Informed.
For more information about preventing teen pregnancy -- so you and your friends can enjoy your teen years as much as possible -- check out StayTeen.org and follow @StayTeen on Twitter.

Tonight, at 9:00 and 9:30 pm et, we're airing two never-before-seen episodes of Bucket and Skinner: "Epic Showdown" and "Epic Seal." In the meantime, check out these epic gifs:

I could stare at that gif of Bucket in a seal costume all day. Maybe I will... but only until 9pm et / 6pm pt, because I do NOT want to miss these new episodes.

Free Willy is on TeenNick tonight at 9pm et / 6pm pt! If you've never seen it, it's an amazing story about a boy who doesn't fit in anywhere until he becomes best friends with a whale.

The promos call it a "whale-mance," which makes me giggle, but the movie itself makes me cry. It's a story about how far people will go to protect their friends, even if those friends aren't human. (I would do ANYTHING to keep my dog safe, so I can definitely relate.)

If you like friendship and/or whales, free up a little time tonight around 9pm et / 6pm pt, and watch Free Willy on TeenNick!

The winner of this week's Fan Favorite Friday poll is the oh-so-awkward Mercy Street from way back in season four! Watch the full episode online.

If you've never seen Mercy Street, here's what you need to know going into it: Rick was abusive to his girlfriend, Terri, and put her in a coma. In this episode, he returns to Degrassi, and a lot of people (including Emma and Paige) don't want him there. The famed awkwardness of this episode takes place in the subplot, which is about J.T. trying to impress Manny. A few highlights:

"Look, it's a stack of dimes!" - Toby

"Guys, check it out. I have a solution to J.T.'s little problem!" - Danny

"Um... your lips are kinda sweaty." - Manny

"Uh, I can explain!" - J.T.

That is just at taste of the over-the-top awkwardness contained in Mercy Street. After rewatching it just now, I'm fascinated by the friendship between J.T., Toby, and Danny. Danny was the one to pull J.T.'s pants down, embarrassing him in front of his girlfriend, but Danny was also the one who used a fake id to buy the penis pump as a gift for J.T. What do you think -- is that a true depiction of what guy friendships are like? You embarrass the heck out of each other, but you also help each other through rough times?

Next week, we'll post a new poll, so watch Mercy Street now!

Last week, Big Time Rush were #6 on the countdown with "Like Nobody's Around," and this week, Nick Cannon visits them in the studio.

You might remember this promo from 2010 where BTR had a little fun in Nick Cannon's office before he arrived. A few highlight gifs:

What's going to happen when they meet again? Find out on the next TeenNick Top 10, Friday at 10pm et / 7pm pt, only on TeenNick.

If you want "Like Nobody's Around" to stay on the Top 10 list this week, VOTE for it, and as always, feel free to tweet us about your favorite videos with the hashtag #TeenNickTop10. Your tweet might show up on TV!

Vote in this week's Facebook poll and help us choose the all-time awkward-est episode of Degrassi. We'll put the winning episode online Friday.

There are lots of good ones to choose from, including:

SO MUCH AWKWARDNESS, all in one blog post!! Got a favorite awkward moment? Vote for it, and come back Friday to watch the winning episode!