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Man…or Superman?

Last week, Hollywood news outlets reported that Henry Cavill might be done playing Superman on the big screen, as he’s been doing since 2013 in films like Man of Steel, Justice League, and Batman vs. Superman. It remains to be seen who will next wear the cape…and who will have almost become the Man of […]

Acting on a Political Impulse

Sex and the City star Cynthia Nixon lost her bid to become the next governor of New York, losing in a primary to incumbent Andrew Cuomo. She’s certainly not the first well-known actor to ever run for office. Shirley Temple Her heyday was the 1930s, but Shirley Temple arguably remains the most famous (and beloved) […]

Holy Weirdness, Batman!

September 15 was Batman Day, so we thought we’d take a look at some of the more bizarre and head-shaking moments in the long comic and cinematic history of The Caped Crusader, a.k.a. The Dark Knight, a.k.a. The World’s Greatest Detective, a.k.a. (spoiler alert) Bruce Wayne. What a bear! In a 1977 Batman comic book, […]

Race Cars

Reuse Your Empty Toilet Paper Rolls

What do you do with all your empty toilet paper rolls? Instead of putting them into the recycling bin, turn them into fun craft creations with The Toilet Roll Activity Book. With step-by-step instructions and full-color illustrations for more than two dozen projects suitable for all ages, this book will help you turn those plain cardboard […]

It’s “Time” for Some Word Origins

They’re terms we all use every day—so we thought we’d look into why people talk about the “time” and why they look it up on “clocks” and watches.” Time Proto-Indo-European is the common ancestral language of most European languages, and it had a word dimon, which meant “to divide.” Dimon to a form of time […]

These Silly Golf Gadgets Are Up to Par

Is there a golfer in your life? Then you know that the one things golfers love more than golf are silly golf gadgets and weird golf stuff. (Oh, and ugly plaid pants. Golfers, love those, too.) Potty Putter We don’t want to encourage doing anything to pass the time in the bathroom other that reading […]

It’s Easy to Win an Award (If You Know How)

It’s almost “awards season,” when every branch of the entertainment history holds lavish, televised parties to give one another trophies to recognize greatness. While Grammys, Emmys, and Oscars are voted on by a winner’s peers, there are some ways to game the system…just like these people did. Who is Al Walser? The 2013 Grammy Nominations […]

Burt Reynolds

‘Star Wars’ – Starring Burt Reynolds as Han Solo

No, that didn’t really happen. The All-American king of ‘70s cinema and guys with mustaches, Burt Reynolds, passed away this week at the age of 82. He starred in plenty of classic movies, including Deliverance, The Longest Yard, and, of course, Smokey and the Bandit. But as much as Hollywood would have liked him to, […]

Movies That Spoiled Themselves

Don’t you hate it when you don’t get around to seeing the hot new Hollywood movie for a couple of weeks…and then a friend lets slip how it ends? It’s very aggravating. It’s perplexing then that some movies gave away their endings before they were even released. ROCKY IV Rocky IV is yet another Sylvester […]

How is non-alcoholic beer brewed?

There are a lot of reasons to drink non-alcoholic beer—mostly because regular beer has alcohol in it, and lots of people don’t want to drink alcohol for personal, health, or religious reasons. Here’s how they make the beer without the booze. It starts out the same. Breweries start making non-alcoholic beer in exactly the same […]

TV of the 1930s?

The history of TV shows doesn’t start with the 1950s—that’s just when most Americans got their first TV set. Over in England, and in small and experimental broadcasts in the U.S, television was on in the air in the 1930s. Here are some of the first (and oddest) TV shows ever, long before I Love […]

The Shining: The Opera

Hey, just because he makes books for the throne room doesn’t mean Uncle John can’t also have a highbrow side. For instance, he loves dressing up in his fanciest leopard-print tuxedo and taking Mrs. Uncle John out for a night at the opera…even if it’s one of these really weird operas. A Brief History of […]

We “Double Dare” You to Read This

Just over 30 years after its debut on Nickelodeon, Double Dare has returned to TV. It was a dream for a generation of kids to win cash and prizes with the show’s messy “physical challenges” and sloppy “obstacle course.” Here’s a look into the old-school TV phenomenon. Show origins Seeing toy companies make millions of off […]

How Are Pop Rocks Made

How They Make That Candy That Pops (and Rocks!)

Best known by the brand name “Pop Rocks,” popping candy fizzle and sizzle on the tongue thanks to a little science. Here’s how the candy wizards make them. Step #1: First of all, apart from its minor explosive capabilities, popping candy rocks are merely just little pebble versions of a fruit-flavored hard candy—they’re pebble-sized versions […]

Ask Uncle John Anything: The Juice is Loose!

Uncle John knows pretty much everything—and if he doesn’t, he puts one of his many associates on the case. So go ahead, in the comments below the article, ask away.  Why does the combination of orange juice and toothpaste taste so notoriously terrible? It doesn’t seem like those two substances would ever cross paths—toothpaste hangs […]

The Oddest Mascots in Advertising History

For every friendly and chatty Ronald McDonald, there’s a creepy, stoned-faced Burger King, or for every innocuous Maytag repairman, there’s a Kool-Aid Man who comes smashing through the wall. Here are some more ill-advised company mascots. Cadbury Creme Eggs Cadbury Creme Eggs have occasionally served as the spokes objects for, well, Cadbury Creme Eggs. The […]

Mysterious Things About the Beatles…Answered

The Fab Four will probably always be the most popular rock n’ roll band of all time. And yet, more than 50 years after the rise of John, Paul, George, and Ringo, there are still some lingering questions about the band and tis songs. Did Yoko Ono really break up the Beatles? It has to […]

Oscars 2017 Trivia

Categories That Were Never Added to the Academy Awards

What non-existent Oscar category do you think should exist? Newly installed Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences president John Bailey announced that there will be some changes to AMPAS’s biggest event: the Academy Awards, a.k.a. the Oscars. The new ideas seem to be about improving the Oscars broadcast. For one, a few minor technical […]

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