The quadrennial presidential inauguration is one of highest profile gigs in music, and many musicians have gotten a huge boost performing for the new president on his first day in office. Here’s a look back at some past galas. 1941 This marked Franklin Roosevelt’s third straight presidential election, so his vowing to uphold the Constitution […]
The “he” being Brian May of Queen. The “rock” being space rocks, or asteroids. Brian May is the lead guitarist of Queen, a position he has held for more than 40 years. But right before the band came together to produce classic songs like “We Will Rock You,” “We Are the Champions,” and “Bohemian Rhapsody,” […]
What do the following otherwise high-minded, and Oscar-winning, movies have in common? Against all odds, a memorable scene involving farts. The Usual Suspects The plot: a bunch of career criminals meet up at a police lineup and plot a heist. During the lineup, they’re all told to read a line by a police officer, but […]
Familiarize yourself with some of the latest and greatest developments in robot technology…before the robots take over. Christmas-Bot Hang Chu is working toward his Ph.D. in robotics at the University of Toronto. He’s especially keen on the relationship between robots and music, as he thinks it speaks volumes on how robots absorb and interpret the […]
What does an athlete do after the Olympics are over? They become movie stars…or at least try. Kurt Thomas… competed in gymnastics, a sport for which the Olympics are the epitome. After winning multiple medals at the World Championships in 1978 and 1979, Thomas was primed for Olympic gold…but didn’t get the chance. The U.S. […]
America has a number of iconic places where some amazing history has happened. What does all that add up to? Ghosts. Here are some spooky stories you may have never heard about American landmarks. The Ghost Ship of the Golden Gate Bridge It gets pretty foggy in San Francisco, particularly around Golden Gate Strait. In […]
There are millions of small business owners in this country, forming the backbone of our economy. And some of them are movie stars and rock stars! Samuel’s Sweet Shop In 1994, a textile worker from New York state’s Hudson Valley named Ira Gutner quit his job in the family business to fulfill a lifelong dream: […]
A lot of this year’s new shows won’t make it to a second season. They should count themselves lucky—these shows were scrapped after they were announced, produced, and promoted by their respective networks. Hieroglyph This big-budget adventure series was supposed to air on Fox sometime during the 2014-15 season, and was seen by the TV […]
For the person who has more money than they know what to do with. Chanel Segway EXPLANATION: If a no-frills Segway isn’t expensive enough (around $5,000), now you can get a super-deluxe Chanel Edition Segway. It’s the same as a regular Segway, but with quilted leather mudflaps and a Chanel handbag mounted on the front. […]
Let’s set the stage for some of the most unlikely theatrical adaptations of things you’d never think you’d see in a theater. Doctor Who Doctor Whois so popular in England, and has been for some time, that it’s not just a TV show. The series has spawned novels, radio plays, movies, and even a few […]
Is there anything more “old timey” than old timey baseball from the early days of baseball? Yes—old timey baseball’s players’ colorful (by which we mean weird, crude, and mean) nicknames. Dummy In the early 20th century, “dumb” was a word that meant “physically unable to speak.” Power hitter William Hoy was left with profound hearing […]
TV game shows are highly regulated and played under very strict sets of rules. Nevertheless, people still find a way to beat the system to beat the game. Here are some people who cheated on game shows. Who Wants to Be a Millionaire Charles Ingram appeared on the British version of Who Wants to Be […]
Crazy fad diets go back a long way. Here’s what some stars of old Hollywood did when they wanted to drop a few pounds. Marilyn Monroe Two raw eggs whipped in warm milk for breakfast, no lunch, and for dinner broiled liver, steak, or lamb, and five carrots. Jean Harlow She occasionally went on “The […]
It used to be that a vital part of a successful TV series was a catchy and memorable theme song. But there are a handful of TV shows that had such great theme songs that they became hits…and far surpassed the popularity of the shows they came from. Here are some TV theme songs that […]
Bathrooms, toilets, and toilet paper should only be used as a force for good. But sometimes people end up using the facilities for more nefarious deeds. It is for these people that Uncle John created the “Stall of Shame.” Ralph Curry of Upper Darby, Pennsylvania Claim to Fame: Putting Mr. Potato in the head True […]
It’s a pretty big day at BRI headquarters: It’s Trivia Day, an internationally recognized fun holiday. On that note, here’s some trivia about, well, trivia! Trivia doesn’t necessarily mean “trivial.” It actually originally meant something more like “common” or “basic.” In ancient Rome, the word triviae meant a road that forked into two or three […]
The phrase “their season ended early” refers to when a sports team gets knocked out of the playoffs. Lasting to the playoffs is way better than these teams did. American Professional Football Association Before it was called the NFL, the major pro football league was the American Professional Football Association, which began play in 1920. […]
Just when you thought “The Holidays” were over…here are a bunch of silly ones. January 8: Argyle Day Argyle is one of the most famous and recognizable patterns in clothing. A kind of plaid, it originates as the signature tartan of the Clan Campbell of Scotland. It’s seen today in all sorts of colors and […]
