April 14: One for the Brat Pack and Buffy

April 14 — Cake and candles for the Brat Pack and a Buffy …

Anthony Michael Hall (1968) turns 53 today. We first saw him as the original Rusty in “National Lampoon’s Vacation” (1983), but he hit it big as the Brat Pack came together in “Sixteen Candles” (1984), “The Breakfast Club,” and “Weird Science” (both 1985).

Sarah Michelle Gellar (1977), 44, first caught our attention as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” (1997–2003), but she’s been a thrill in “I Know What You Did Last Summer” and “Scream 2” (both 1997), in “Cruel Intentions” (1999), “The Grudge” (2004), and more.

Anderson Silva (1975) is kind of a different cat. But the lanky Brazilian nicknamed “Spider” is a hell of a mixed-martial artist. He fought through an impoverished upbringing in Sao Paulo to eventually become the UFC’s middleweight (185 lb.) champion and set the record for longest title reign, at 2,457 days.

Greg Maddux (1966), 55, was famous for offsetting power for accuracy during his Hall of Fame pitching career (1986–2008), much of it with the Braves, where he won a ring. His 355 wins, 3,371 strikeouts, eight all-star bids, and four Cy Youngs propelled him to the Hall of Fame in 2014.

Rob McElhenny (1977), 44, created “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” (2005-present) with Glenn Howerton and Charlie Day, adding Kaitlin Olson later, who he’d eventually marry. During the show, in which we’re pretty sure none of them are actually “acting,” McElhenney put on 60 pounds to put a comedic twist on his character. But in dropping it all after the season and transforming himself into a physical specimen, he kept a pretty good perspective on his journey: “Look, it’s not that hard. All you need to do is lift weights six days a week, stop drinking alcohol, don’t eat anything after 7 p.m, don’t eat any carbs or sugar at all, in fact just don’t eat anything you like, get the personal trainer from Magic Mike, sleep nine hours a night, run 3 miles a day, and have a studio pay for the whole thing over a six- to seven-month span. I don’t know why everyone’s not doing this. It’s a super realistic lifestyle and an appropriate body image to compare oneself to.”

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“Say Anything” opened OTD in 1989, inspiring a generation of love-lorn teenage boys to stand outside the bedroom windows of their heartthrobs holding up a boombox and playing “In Your Eyes.”