The Death of Jim Morrison
Did Jim Morrison really leave the land of the living in 1971…or did he just slip out of the limelight? Some facts to consider from It’s a Conspiracy! by the National Insecurity Council.
That’s Entertainment
SNL Around the World
Saturday Night Live is drawing some of its biggest ratings of its 40-year-plus history, thanks in part to stars like Kate McKinnon, and Alec Baldwin’s impression of President Donald Trump. But SNL isn’t just an American phenomenon—the show’s format has been exported to other countries. In 2014, SNL came to French-speaking Canada in the form […]
It Came from the Comics!
Not-so-funny stories about words and phrases that originated on the funny pages. Goon The word probably derives from gony, a slang term used by English sailors as a blanket term for large, goofy-looking seabirds like the pelican and albatross. It found its way into regular English in the late 19th century to describe individuals who […]
Donald Duck Trivia
Some amusing facts about the world’s angriest cartoon duck. First Appearance Donald’s first appearance was in the 1934 Disney short “The Wise Little Hens.” A take on the old children’s story “The Little Red Hen,” Donald and his friend, the now-forgotten Peter Pig, get too lazy while working on a farm and wind up with […]
The Star Wars Sequel That Never Got Made
Today is Star Wars Day. Why? Because it’s May the 4th…and May the 4th be with you. Get it? With the original trilogy, three prequels, a new trilogy of sequels, and an increasing number of standalone, offshoot films, the Star Wars movie universe is huge. But the first planned sequel was never produced. Here’s the […]
4 Weird Facts About James Lipton
Perhaps you know James Lipton as the pretentious, ultra-serious host of Inside the Actors Studio. (Or Will Ferrell’s impression of him on Saturday Night Live.) The bearded dean of the acting craft has lived a very colorful life, and here are some other ways he contributed to pop culture. Radio Actor Lipton is 90 years […]
The Weirdest Game Shows of All Time
It’s common knowledge that Japan has some of the weirdest game shows in the world…but these are all from the good ol’ U.S. of A. Repo Games (2011) It’s the spontaneous, surprise game show fun of Cash Cab…meets the exploitation of those affected by economic hardship. Repo Games was hosted by two repossession agents—or “repo […]
This Video Game is Cursed!
Video games have been a part of the culture now for more than 30 years. That means they’re old and established enough to have their own spooky myths and horror stories. Berzerk The story: In the 1980 arcade video game Berzerk, players traveled through a maze and had to use a laser to kill […]
This Movie is Brought to You by McDonald’s
Product placement is when a character in a movie or on a TV show conspicuously picks up a name-brand product, or walks past a giant poster bearing the name of a company. It’s a form of advertising, and corporations pay big bucks to movie productions to have their wares prominently featured. Usually just a character […]
Freddie Mercury, Cat Fancier
You know him as the lead singer of Queen, one of the greatest voices in rock history. But did you know that Freddie Mercury loved his cats almost as much as he loves music? Mercury got his first two cats in the early 1970s. His girlfriend at the time, Mary Austin, brought home two felines […]
Touchdown! Music!
You can tell what NFL stadium you’re in by what song they play when the home team scores a touchdown. New York Giants When the New York Giants score, the P.A. pumps out “New York Groove,” the 1978 solo hit by Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley. Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles home stadium play two songs. […]
5 Inclusive Muppets
For nearly 40 years, Sesame Street has helped kids learn about the world around them, and themselves. To that end, the series has routinely introduced Muppet characters that reflected the big, diverse world out there. Aristotle Sporadically throughout the 1980s, Sesame Street’s resident worrywart Telly hung out with a friend named Aristotle. He was blind, […]
How Coolio Became Coolio
Except for Kanye West and Will Smith, most rappers don’t perform under their real names. They use nicknames or handles instead, which reflect their personalities. Here are how some of the biggest MCs of all time came up their stage names. Waka Flocka Flame. As a kid, he used to watch the cartoon Muppet Babies […]
Rock Stars Who Nearly Died on Stage
It’s supposed to be easy: You get up on that stage, sing some songs, and soak up the adulation. But out of the thousands of rock concerts ever staged, a few have taken a turn for the worst. Patti Smith Patti Smith and her band were serving as the opening act for Bob Seger on […]
Bob Marley, One-Hit Wonder
Name some musicians, and you immediately think “one-hit wonder,” like Dexy’s Midnight Runners or Toni Basil. Some other artists are downright household names, but the stats don’t lie: Despite being enormously successful, they only ever had one hit single. Don Ho One of the most famous musicians to ever come out of Hawaii (if not […]
They're No Superman
Not just anybody can play the Man of Steel. In fact, only a handful of actors have done it. But lots more came close, like these folks. Bruce Jenner The biggest new star of 1976 wasn’t an actor, but an athlete. Before identifying as Caitlyn Jenner, Bruce Jenner won the decathlon at the 1976 Summer […]
3 Classical Music Myths
Sometimes we like to get a little highbrow here at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute. Salieri vs. Mozart Ironically, Salieri became famous because of the movie about how he wasn’t famous. For the 1984 film Amadeus, F. Murray Abraham won an Academy Award for playing the Mozart contemporary who was overshadowed by Mozart, a musical genius […]
This is a Working Title for This Blog Entry
Filmmakers are good at making films. Sometimes they aren’t so good at coming up with names for those films, so somebody in marketing has to come up with a better one. Here are some early, working titles of major movies. Annie Hall: Woody Allen tried several different titles, including A Rollercoaster Named Desire, It Had […]
