That’s Entertainment
Celebrities who didn’t appear on Dancing with the Stars. Cindy McCain Shortly after John McCain lost the 2008 presidential election, DWTS producers signed up his wife, Cindy McCain. John nixed the idea. Vincent Pastore The Sopranos co-star Vincent Pastore, who once appeared on the weight-loss reality show Celebrity Fit Club, had to drop out during […]
Sometimes a musician will create lightning in a bottle and write and record a song that storms the charts. Other times, it takes a little time—or a lot of time—for that song to become a hit. “A Little Less Conversation” Take 1: In 1967, singer-songwriter Mac Davis and his writing partner, Billy Strange (a session […]
A few more violent, racist, and otherwise inappropriate items with one strange thing in common: Kids are supposed to play with them. Black Bandit The LEGO company has distanced itself from what Muslim groups have dubbed the “terrorist LEGO.” Sold by an unlicensed LEGO enthusiast from Seattle named Will Chapman, Black Bandit is a head-scarf-wearing, […]
The music-and-comedy variety show was a television mainstay until the 1980s. Why did the format die out? Probably because of shows like these. Joey and Dad After Sonny and Cher got divorced, Allan Blye, producer of The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, attempted to create another variety show duo: sultry singer-dancer Joey Heatherton…and her father, […]
It’s always interesting to find out where the architects of pop culture get their ideas. Some of these may surprise you. Biff Tannen The jerk played by Tom Wilson in the 1985 film Back to the Future was named after studio executive Ned Tannen, who once acted like a jerk to director Robert Zemeckis and […]
The slang or vernacular of any subculture develops slowly and naturally over time. Not so with the words and phrases associated with the 1990s “grunge” music scene. BACKGROUND In the early 1990s, the biggest thing in rock music was grunge, a mixture of punk rock and dreary guitar riffs that shot bands like Nirvana and […]
Why 1987? That’s when the Bathroom Reader was born. Rad! Billboard’s top 5 singles of the year: “Walk like an Egyptian” (The Bangles) “Alone” (Heart) “Shake You Down” (Gregory Abbott) “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” (Whitney Houston) “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Us Now” (Starship) Notable one-hit wonders: Cars bassist Benjamin Orr, “Stay the Night” Bruce […]
Most TV game shows are made in Hollywood, so it makes sense that aspiring actors—a.k.a. Hollywood waitresses and dishwashers—would show up on game shows to get some face time on TV (and maybe win some cash). JOHN RITTER Appeared as a contestant on: The Dating Game Story: In 1967 Ritter was a 19-year-old freshman drama […]
More fascinating secrets behind where the architects of pop culture get their ideas. Some of these may surprise you. Annie Wilkes The psychotic nurse in Stephen King’s Misery (played by Kathy Bates in the 1990 movie) was based on pediatric nurse Genene Jones, imprisoned for overdosing kids and then reviving them so she would be […]
These stars jumped ship at maybe not the best time. The stories of why Dan Stevens, Wayne Rogers, and Mischa Barton left their hit shows.
Over a 30-year music career, Prince has has won seven Grammy Awards, a Golden Globe, and an Academy Award. He’s sold 100 million albums, starred in three movies, and written dozens of songs for other artists. But he’s also known for his eccentricity. For example…
Here are some fun things to listen for next time you see these films. JURASSIC PARK (1993) We Hear: The T-rex roaring and huffing as it chases a Jeep Actual Sound: The vocalizations of a whale, lion, alligator, elephant, and koala THE MATRIX (1999) We Hear: The “Matrix Code” scrolling rapidly across the screen Actual […]
This page isn’t a rerun—these facts are about shows from the 1970s. The Partridge Family Despite being a fictional band with songs performed almost entirely by studio musicians, the Partridge Family was nominated for Best New Artist at the 1971 Grammy Awards. (They lost to the Carpenters.) All in the Family Today, many shows carry […]
Stuff you didn’t know about the stuff on your TiVo. The Office In 2009 producers planned to spin off Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) to his own show. Following the same “mockumentary” format, the show was set to be about Bernard’s home life with his wife. Why didn’t it happen? Because Modern Family happened, and it […]
Lots of acts go solo, but for every George Michael (of Wham!) success, there’s an Andrew Ridgeley (of Wham!) flop. But here are some singers who did so well that they left their formerly well-known bands in the dustbin of history.
Mapmakers pioneered the idea of “copyright traps”—inserting fake cities or landmarks and then seeing if they show up in rivals’ work to see if they’ve been ripped off. The idea exists throughout the world of “intellectual property,” even music. Joel Whitburn is the music world’s top chart historian. Using the charts published by Billboard Magazine, […]
We recently told you about some arguably inappropriate cartoon remakes of R-rated movies, but here are some that make a little more sense: Saturday morning version of kid-friendly sitcoms. Gilligan’s Planet (1982-83) Gilligan’s Island was not a big hit when it originally aired from 1964-1967, but became a smash when it was endlessly repeated in […]
One way to inject new life into the Bard’s timeless plays: put some big stars in them!
