That’s Entertainment
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 […]
Titanic was released to theaters on December 19, 1997. It went on to become the highest-grossing film of all time…which nobody saw coming. Titanic was originally set for release in July 1997, but as the date approached, Paramount Pictures pushed it back to Christmas 1997. The movie, which cost $200 million to make, was very […]
Do you have any of these items stashed away in your garage or attic? If so, you could be in for a big pay day. A 1977 “early bird” store display As you may already know, Kenner wasn’t prepared for the popularity of A New Hope and had to resort to sending customers cardboard […]
Musicians have to pay the bills, too, and before rock stardom arrives, many have made a quick buck writing TV or radio commercial jingles. Barry Manilow The soft rock superstar got his start backing up Bette Midler in the 1970s, but before that, he wrote dozens of commercial jingles that have gotten stuck in your […]
It’s well known that collectible toys are worth more when they’re still in the package. In 1977, the package was all some Star Wars toy seekers could get. In the mid-’70s, Mego Toys was the a big player in action figure—essentially dolls marketed to boys modeled after characters from movies and TV. Big sellers for […]
Star Wars fans all around the world are eagerly awaiting the theatrical release of The Force Awakens. Here’s how various movie theaters and media outlets have helped keep them distracted until it opens on December 18th. Starbnb Airbnb allows users to rent out private homes instead of hotel rooms. Starbnb is a Star Wars-themed parody […]
The Grammy for Best New Artist is famously “cursed.” It isn’t—for every Milli Vanilli, there’s a Beatles or Adele. But whatever became of these more obscure winners of the prize? Peter Nero (1962) While most winners of the award have been pop and rock singers, Nero was a pianist, pops conductor, and orchestral composer. While […]
In much of the Western world, Santa “brings” presents to children on Christmas. What about Jewish kids? No such fanciful legend—parents give gifts during Hanukkah. Enough was enough, thought the writers of Saturday Night Live in the ‘80s. Hanukkah Harry first appeared on SNL in 1989. In one of the episode’s sketches, Santa Claus (Phil […]
This Christmas tradition is only about a decade old. In 2004, inspiration struck for Carol Aebersold and her daughter, Chanda Bell. For years, their family had enjoyed a Christmas tradition that involved placing a toy elf named Frisbee on a shelf to keep an eye on their kids during the holidays. Kids were told the […]
That spooky instrument you hear in old horror and sci-fi movies? That’s a theremin, one of the strangest musical instruments ever created. The sound is familiar, even if the name isn’t. The warbling melody in the Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations,” the electronic keening that underscores 1950s sci-fi movies—it’s a tone somewhere between a slide whistle […]
Today is the 35th anniversary of the assassination of John Lennon. But instead of dwelling on that tragedy, let’s take a look at Lennon’s wife and partner, conceptual artist Yoko Ono. In 1966, Ono mounted a show in the Indica Gallery in London. John Lennon opted to attend, and he got to get in early—VIPs […]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens is released in cinemas later this week. Here’s how a few fans are celebrating the film (and the Christmas season too). The TIE Fighter Light Display Maxwell DeLorm of Munnsville, New York, decided to decorate his house with something other than jolly Santas this year. Instead, he and his friends […]
One of the Disney company’s most popular movies is Frozen. But was the company’s founder and namesake also frozen after he died? On what would have been Walt Disney’s 114th birthday, we put some ice on the story. Contrary to the urban legend, Walt Disney was not cryogenically frozen. First of all, the technology to […]
Leonardo DiCaprio will play this fearless frontiersman in the upcoming film The Revenant. Here’s how his adventures back in the 19th century helped turn him into a legend. It’s difficult to separate fact from fiction when it comes to his many adventures. In 1806, 26-year-old Glass was reportedly kidnapped by the crew of pirate captain […]
One of music’s biggest mysteries has finally been revealed. Carly Simon was one of the 1970s’ biggest pop stars. Her memoir Boys in the Trees just released, and to tease and promote it, she told People the answer to the one question they’ve been asking her for years that she’s never quite answered: the identity of […]
Many Americans bought their first record, cassette, or CD at a Tower Records. Uncle John’s dutiful blogger here bought a Monkees album at a Tower in Portland, Oregon, for example. The chain’s impact on the American music industry was huge. And now it’s gone. When Russell Solomon founded Tower in 1960, he was in his […]
Some say that Batman is the world’s greatest detective but this Victorian star of stage and screen (and plenty of books too) gives the Dark Knight a run for his money. Holmes was created by English author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle who once studied to become an eye doctor. While in medical school at the […]
