That’s Entertainment
Even if you’ve never read J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books or seen the film adaptations, you’ve still probably heard of quidditch, the broomstick-brandishing sport that forms an integral part of her wizarding world. (This article was first published in Who Knew?) Not Just for Wizards In Rowling’s novels, it’s a sport that’s been played […]
Everything old is new again—many TV shows are reboots of old hits, such as Will & Grace, Roseanne, American Idol, and Dynasty. Here’s a look at some attempted reboots of some old hits that never even made it to the idiot box. Murder, She Wrote In 2013, NBC announced that it was reviving Murder, She […]
In the late ‘80s and early ‘90s, the big trend in TV was giving sitcoms to popular stand-up comedians, based on their acts. Some of those shows became big hits—Tim Allen’s Home Improvement, Jerry Seinfeld’s Seinfeld, Roseanne Barr’s Roseanne. But not every one of them could bring down the house. The George Carlin Show Carlin […]
Let’s talk about everybody’s favorite part of Groundhog Day: Groundhog Day, the 1993 Bill Murray movie that takes place on Groundhog Day…a lot of them. Filmmakers originally wanted Tom Hanks for the lead role of Phil, the Pennsylvania weatherman stuck in a time loop until he becomes a decent person. Director Harold Ramis ultimately rejected […]
Movie sequels succeed. Book sequels succeed. TV reboots do just fine. What’s the one thing in pop culture where a continuation of the story has almost never worked: stage musicals. Bring Back Birdie Bye Bye Birdie was a smash on the stage and the screen in the 1960s. A very thinly veiled adaptation of the […]
Kickstarter, GoFundMe, and other online “crowdsourcing” sites have been used to fund everything from inventions to charities to movies. It must be something about the unique way that creators take their pitch directly to “the people” that’s so enticing. But it doesn’t work as a fundraising tool for everybody — sometimes not even famous people […]
Neil Diamond is one of the most popular and successful musicians of all time. Here are some surprisingly awesome facts about the man, who recently announced that he was retiring from touring after 50 years in the music business. Diamond attended New York University on a fencing scholarship. He was part of the squad that […]
Sometimes the only person who can truly tell the story of a person on screen…is that person. Here are some movies based on a true story in which people played themselves. The Big Sick The Big Sick was one of the most critically acclaimed movies of 2017. Married screenwriters Kumail Nanjiani (a standup comedian) and […]
The clown prince of rock n’ roll is known primarily for his gentle, silly parodies of popular songs, most of them about food. But the man behind “Eat It” and “Like a Surgeon” can also get a little nasty. “It’s Still Billy Joel to Me” The hottest thing in rock music in 1980 was New […]
Or at least what’s supposedly going on beneath the surface of popular TV series aimed at children…if these bizarre “fan theories” spread around the internet are to be believed. Winnie the Pooh A.A. Milne’s “Hundred Acre Wood” characters of Winnie the Pooh, Piglet, Tigger, and all the rest are probably more famous for multiple movie […]
Most major companies first find success when one big product breaks through with customers. Then they try to expand their horizons (and profits) with “brand extensions.” Successful examples: Coca-Cola’s Diet Coke, or the Disney movie studio launching Disneyland. Unsuccessful examples: keep reading. Colgate The name “Colgate” probably makes most consumers think of toothpaste, which is […]
The beloved actress turns 96 today. Here are some things you might not have known about everybody’s favorite Golden Girl. “Betty” was a very popular name for girls and women in the mid-20th century, and it’s usually a nickname for “Elizabeth.” Not in the case of Betty White. Her real name is Betty White—her parents […]
Some TV shows are successful because audiences rely on it being the same thing week after week. Other shows keep going back to the drawing board, and revamp until they hit on something that works. Last Call with Carson Daly After the late-night TV shakeups of the last few years, a lot of hosts switched […]
There are only so many notes in the music, which means that every now and then one popular song winds up sounding a lot like another popular song. Here’s a look at a case of copyright infringement that’s currently burning up the charts. One of the bestselling albums of 2017 was Lust for Life, the […]
Even weirder than that one about Rick Moranis teaching at a school for monsters? Or even The Smurfs? Yes! Yo Yogi! (1991) NBC attempted to revive 1950s and ‘60s cartoon character Yogi Bear for a whole new generation. That mean giving the smooth-talking bear a makeover so he looked cool and hip for the 1990s. […]
Imagine you’re one of the lucky few people in this world who writes a book, gets it published, and it goes on to be such a big hit that Hollywood comes calling and turns it into a movie. Double the good luck, right? These authors who hated the film adaptations of their novels didn’t see […]
Actor Jerry Van Dyke, an affable fixture on sitcoms from the ‘60s to the present, passed away this weekend at the age of 86. Here are some of the quirkiest moments from his long career. The Jerry Van Dyke Show Just like his older brother, Dick Van Dyke, Jerry Van Dyke found work on TV […]
Today, Elvis Presley would turn 83 years old. But the King died in 1977, leaving us wondering about all the music he never got a chance to record. Elvis was also an actor, starring in a string of cheesy movie musicals like Change of Habit and The Trouble With Girls. Here are some movies he […]
