He was offered the role of Han Solo in the first Star Wars film but turned it down. He also opted out of playing James Bond when the role was offered to him at one point, claiming that he told producers that an English actor should be cast instead.
A lot of songs, particularly country music songs, tell stories. That makes them great fodder for movies. As part of the 1970s fad surrounding truckers and CB radios, a song about a trucking convoy, “Convoy” went to #1 in 1975. Sung by C.W. McCall (the stage name of William Fries), the song was co-written by […]
Strapping on a pair of ice skates typically involves a trip to an indoor rink or a frozen lake. Here are a few notable exceptions.
When rock bands and singers perform, promoters must fulfill a “rider,” or a list of backstage needs and wants. Politicians making appearances or campaign stops have them, too. Between his 2004 presidential bid and 2012 appointment to Secretary of State, John Kerry toured the lecture circuit. Promoters were given a length list of meal preferences […]
During his younger years, Ian Kilmister he loved to play slot machines and would borrow money from friends and family to feed his addiction. He was known to utter things like “lemmy a fiver until Friday,” which is how he earned his nickname.
This year, we resolve to observe more of those ridiculous, made-up “holidays,” such as…TRIVIA DAY!
Hidden tracks can appear at the end of a CD, usually after a long gap of silence, and don’t appear on the track listing. They’re a fun surprise for listeners.
Denby Dale is a village in England that makes a big deal out of pies. Or rather a big deal out of big pies. Pies the size of tables…and bigger. 1788. The village decided to celebrate King George III’s official recovery from his many mental health problems. (Or his officially announced recovery—an episode lasting several […]
Why head to Times Square when you could attend one of these more unique gatherings instead?
At the last Fashion Week in Paris, in addition to the clothes and models, the talk of the town was, as always, Chanel art director and fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld.
Did you favorite TV show recently get cancelled? Hopefully none of them ended up on a list like this.
Everything you never needed to know about the most natural of natural gases. Are you above average? Because the average person farts about 14 times a day. And that’s a healthy amount. That adds up to a total of half a liter of gas expelled every day. If the average person parts 14 times a […]
There are lots of them, and a lot of them created just for TV, to get celebrities in one place and give them awards. Some last, these didn’t. The Flixies (2013) This gave awards to movies and TV shows available on Netflix, the streaming video service. Subscribers could vote in categories such as “Best Guilty […]
If the tiny seats, delays and bad food weren’t bad enough, there’s a chance that you might encounter someone like these guys the next time you set foot on an airplane. Gray Area During a KLM flight from Edinburgh to Amsterdam last September, a Scottish man named James Gray attempted to open one of plane’s […]
Celebrities: They’re all such good friends with each other! Some are so close that they name them their children’s godparents. Jake Gyllenhaal. The actor’s parents are director Stephen Gyllenhall, close friends with Jamie Lee Curtis, Jake’s godmother. Jake Gyllenhall himself is godfather to Michelle Williams’ daughter Matilda. (Matilda’s father is Heath Ledger, Gyllenhaal’s Brokeback Mountain […]
Kenny G is still a famous saxophonist, but he’s arguably more famous for his hair. Kenneth Gorelick grew up in Seattle and became infatuated with the saxophone after watching a musician play one on The Ed Sullivan Show. He started taking lessons when he was 10 years old and later tried out for his high […]
Unlike Santa Claus, who (legend has it) lives at the North Pole, works alongside reindeer and elves and tends to be pretty jolly, the Saint Nicholas who delivers gifts to Austria and a few other European countries employs a much nastier seasonal helper.
The two Santas that deliver gifts to well behaved kids in France are pretty weird. One of them also has a very crazy sidekick.
