Why are so many sports movies set in Michigan? Uncle John’s not sure, but he likes them. PAPER LION (1968) Could writer George Plimpton hack it as a football player with the Detroit Lions? He tried it once, for a story he was writing. This film is based on his experience at the Lions’ training […]
Marshall died this week at age 81. As one of the most prolific and successful TV producers and creators of all time, his presence looms large in television history. Garry Loves Chachi In 1982, Marshall’s show Happy Days spun off Erin Moran and Scott Baio’s newlywed characters into a new sitcom, Joanie Loves Chachi. Ever […]
24-hour cartoon networks and streaming video pretty much killed the Saturday morning cartoon. But for all of the classics like The Smurfs and Scooby-Doo to watch while you ate your sugar cereal, there are dozens more that came and went pretty quick…with good reason. Chip and Pepper’s Cartoon Madness (1991) In the early ’90s, twin […]
After The Simpsons hit it big, the other networks tried to get their own primetime cartoon. But while Fox has had long term success with The Simpsons, King of the Hill, and Family Guy, not too many others cartoons have lasted too long with adult viewers. Father of the Pride (2004) This NBC series was […]
What do the 2002 sci-fi movie A.I.: Artificial Intelligence and a new miniseries about Napoleon have in common? Both are upcoming Stanley Kubrick projects…although the legendary director died in 1999. A.I.: Artificial Intelligence In the 1970s, Kubrick started work on a film version of Brian Aldiss’s short story “Super-Toys Last All Summer Long.” It’s an […]
Warning: These stories are morbid…but fascinating. By looking at their final meals, we catch an eerie glimpse into the everyday lives of these larger-than-life figures…whose worlds were about to end. ELVIS PRESLEY The King stayed up most of the night of August 15, 1977. He was restless. Between midnight and 6:00 a.m., he went to […]
More fun in-jokes and cameos from the silver screen. CHARLIE’S ANGELS (2000) I Spy…E.T.’s living room Where to Find It: Wearing nothing but a plastic blow-up swimming-pool toy, Dylan (Drew Barrymore) bursts into a house where two boys are playing a video game. It’s the same house in Tujunga, California, that was used for E.T. […]
Baseball movies? Football movies? Seen ’em. But have you seen these films, based on sports that are a little outside the mainstream…or don’t exist at all? Rollerball (1975) Sport: Rollerball, a combination of roller derby, basketball, and rioting, in which two teams skate (some players ride motorcycles) around a banked track and score points by […]
Before the days of instant interaction via the Internet and social media, the way to tell a celebrity you liked their work was to write them a fan letter. In return, you might get a signed headshot and a form letter. Here are some celebrities, from then and now, with creative responses to fans. Steve […]
Star Wars: The Force Awakens has hit home video after a box office run of $934.89 million, making it the highest grossing movie of all time. Here’s just how much money that is. If The Force Awakens were a country, it would have the 174th largest GDP on Earth, just behind Guinea-Bissau and ahead of […]
Here are some of the strangest game shows ever to air on American television. ACROSS THE BOARD (1959) Concept: Two contestants competed to see who could finish a crossword puzzle first. (Have you ever watched somebody else fill out a crossword puzzle? It’s pretty boring.) LUCKY PARTNERS (1958) Host Carl Cordell read part of the […]
Before the days of instant interaction via the Internet and social media, the way to tell a celebrity you liked their work was to write them a fan letter. In return, you might get a signed headshot and a form letter. Here are some celebrities, from then and now, with creative responses to fans. Steve […]
The comedy-only channel debuted 25 years ago this month. Since then it’s launched lots of iconic shows, including The Daily Show, South Park, and Inside Amy Schumer. Here are some short-lived Comedy Central shows that are…not so widely remembered. Comics Only (1990) This talk show hosted by stand-up comedian Paul Provenza only looked like a […]
Music is a big part of the movies…except when the song gets cut out entirely. Producers of the 1965 James Bond movie Thunderball couldn’t make up their minds on a title song. After rejecting “Mr. Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang” by Shirley Bassey (who had done “Goldfinger” for Goldfinger), they asked Dionne Warwick to re-record it. […]
The hottest thing on TV right now, or at least Netflix: Fuller House, the sequel series to the 1987-1995 family sitcom Full House. It’s not the first time that characters from a beloved show have returned to screens years later.
More examples of the unusual places pop-culture architects get their ideas. The One Ring. An ancient Roman gold ring was discovered on a farm in rural England in 1785. A stone tablet found at another site 140 years later curses a thief named Senicianus for stealing the ring from its owner, Silvianus. “Among those who […]
35 years ago, MTV launched and played its very first video, “Video Killed the Radio Star” by the Buggles. Here is a list of the next 19 videos they played.
Doctor Who has on Oscar. Playwright George Bernard Shaw got one well after he died. Here are a few more unlikely Oscar recipients. Kira Roessler In the 1980s, Kira Roessler played bass in the influential punk rock band Black Flag, best known for the song “TV Party” as well as its lead singer, actor Henry […]
