Entertainment »
The Teenage Girl Who Bawled Out John Lennon
In 1967, the Beatles filmed their only made-for-TV movie. It was called “Magical Mystery Tour“. The film itself is an interesting, checkered, odd little movie directed and edited by the Beatles themselves. It was,
Read More »
When the Beatles Met Muhammad Ali
It was February 18, 1964. The Beatles had arrived in America just 11 days earlier and had taken the nation by storm. They already had the number one record on the charts and several
Read More »
The Most Dangerous Profession: The Human Cannonball
Whenever there is a list released of the world’s most dangerous jobs, tree loggers, steelworkers, electrical power-line installers, and fisherman usually are the professions that populate the list. But none of those things are
Read More »
From Dream to 3-D Reality: The Fascinating Origin of Pixar
Before a story about toys, before monsters went corporate, before anyone went searching for Nemo, and before twenty seven Academy Awards, Pixar was a high-end computer hardware company whose clients included the government and
Read More »
The Origin of the Hokey Pokey
Karla asks: Where did the “Hokey Pokey” come from? There’s no one definitive answer to where the Hokey Pokey (or Hokey Cokey) ultimately derives from. Even the modern history of it is somewhat convoluted.
Read More »
The Actress Who Died on Stage While Portraying Her Theatrical Death
Several artists have died on stage while conducting live performances; however, one case is highly unique and probably the most ironic at the same time. The incident involved actress Edith Webster. Webster was a
Read More »
“Little Buddy”- The Life of Bob “Gilligan” Denver
Robert Osbourne David Denver was born in new Rochelle, New York, on January 9, 1935 (that is exactly one day after the birth of Elvis Presley.) Just as his “distinguished-sounding” real name seems a
Read More »
Paul McCartney’s First Steady Girlfriend
Dorothy “Dot” Rhone, a quiet girl from Liverpool, England, was abused by her heavy drinker father. She also had a very emotionally distant mother. She grew up terribly shy, introverted and withdrawn and didn’t
Read More »
John Lennon and The Making of His Last Album
When John Lennon and Yoko Ono stepped into New York’s “The Hit Factory” on August 7, 1980, it was quite the occasion. John was returning to the music-making game after a five year absence.
Read More »
Who Was Sadie Hawkins and Why Does She Have a Dance Named After Her?
Becky asks: Why is there a dance called “Sadie Hawkins”? Was this a real person? Sadie Hawkin’s renown, which evolved into an American folk-holiday in some places, doesn’t really originate from a dance, but
Read More »
Why We “Drop” the Ball on New Year’s Eve
Jeremy asks: Why do we drop the ball on New Year’s eve in Times Square? When Adolph Ochs purchased the floundering New York Times in 1896, he made it his mission to make the
Read More »
The Soviet Superman: Red Son
If you’ve ever sat around thinking, “What if Superman was a communist?” (Who hasn’t, right?) Well, wonder no more. The answer was masterfully provided in Superman: Red Son written by famed comic book writer
Read More »
The Origin of the “Slipping on a Banana Peel” Comedy Gag
Mark asks: Who was the first comedian to do the slippery banana peel routine? There are some things in this world that are just inherently funny; a pie in the face, an unexpected squirting
Read More »
FACT OR FICTION?: A Young Bill Murray Was Arrested for Carrying 10 Pounds of Marijuana
Among those who use recreational drugs, Bill Murray is something of an icon, having played several pot-smoking characters over the years, including the cannabis-loving sea captain Steve Zissou from The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou,
Read More »
The Men Inside of R2-D2 and C-3PO
In 1975, George Lucas was casting for his upcoming sci-fi film The Star Wars (name later changed to simply Star Wars). After a joint casting session with Brian De Palma, who was looking to
Read More »
The Superhero Who Powers Up By Smoking, and Other Bizarre Comic Characters
While there are a million plotlines and hundreds of explanations of how various superheroes got their special powers, there was one superhero in the 1960s who maintained his powers to fight evil by lighting up.
Read More »
The Invention of the Electric Guitar
For as far back as we are able to look into the prehistory of the human race, music has been a crucial part of the life of humans. Some scholars even speculate that human
Read More »
The Origin of the Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda is aptly named, as the series has truly become a legend within the gaming industry. Every new generation of gamers have been given the opportunity to fall in love with
Read More »
