Solo, a Star Wars prequel about the early days of Han Solo—played in the original films by Harrison Ford—is currently filling up multiplexes. Here are some things you might not have known about the galaxy’s most charismatic space smuggler. The space pirate ship In early drafts of the movie that became Star Wars: A New […]
Avengers: Infinity War is filling up movie theaters around the country, irresistible to audiences for how it assembles literally dozens of well-known superheroes from Marvel’s “Avengers” team, including Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Dr. Strange…but definitely not these characters from old Avengers comic books. Big Bertha Ashley Crawford is another member of the Great Lakes […]
Movie stars are movie stars because millions of people want to go see their movies…well, almost all of their movies. Here are some stars and their movie that flopped the hardest. Sandra Bullock In 1994, Sandra Bullock became a star thanks to her role in the action classic Speed. The sequel, Speed 2: Cruise Control, […]
This week in 1987, The Simpsons debuted in the form of a series of shorts on the young Fox network’s The Tracey Ullman Show. Following a 1989 Christmas special, The Simpsons is still running. Here are some facts about the series on this, its 31st birthday. Disrespect for authority figures A big part of Bart […]
We’ve got Mother’s Day in May, Father’s Day in June, Grandparents Day in September, and we’ve got this holiday to celebrate brothers and sisters…Siblings DAY! Here are some famous people you might not have known share the same parents. Imagine the pride if one of your children won an Oscar. Then imagine if two of […]
The early ‘90s gave rise to one of the strangest family feuds of all time: The Bush family—as in President George H.W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush—and the Simpsons…as in the fictional one from TV’s The Simpsons. This dispute had some near-Hatfields and McCoys levels of tension. “The dumbest thing I had ever seen.” […]
There are only a few TV producers and TV show creators whose names are as famous as TV stars—people like Norman Lear, Garry Marshall, Shonda Rimes, and Steven Bochco, who died this month at age 74. Steven Bochco was a TV innovator who developed and produced classic, groundbreaking shows like the gritty and harrowing police […]
This doesn’t take away from their talent or cast doubt on if they deserve fame, but it’s certainly interesting that some celebrities got off to a good start early on—they were already wealthy before they became famous. Taylor Swift Taylor Swift is the most successful pop star on the planet right now—to the tune of […]
Twenty-five years ago this week, one of the most remarkable works of art in the Western canon emerged, shedding light on the big questions of life, and the very nature of existence itself. We’re talking, of course, about Beavis and Butt-head, which aired its first episode on MTV on March 8, 1993. Huh-huh, huh-huh. Based […]
You’re a true TV buff if you can remember these short-lived offshoots of popular TV shows. The humorous X-Files spinoff Amidst the spooky aliens and supernatural investigations, three characters (ironically) called “the Lone Gunmen” provided comic relief throughout the run of The X-Files. They appeared from time to time to point out to agents Mulder […]
Ever wanted to be “privy” to what goes on behind closed doors at the Bathroom Readers’ Institute? Well, here’s a story about how we printed one of our biggest ever goofs. It wasn’t an error when it started. When we make a Bathroom Reader, we research our work very carefully to ensure that it’s true. If, […]
If Uncle John were ever nominated for an Oscar, you can be sure he’d be seated in that auditorium on the night of the ceremony to hit the stage in case they called his name. Then there are these actors—they couldn’t make it, and then they won. Here’s why. Michael Caine Michael Caine won Best […]
When the star of a hugely popular, long-running TV show leaves, it’s a little hard to get used to their replacement, but what else can producers do? Eventually, fans warm to, say Kelly Ripa instead of Katie Lee Gifford, or Kirstie Alley instead of Shelley Long. But then here are some TV star replacements that […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
