Happy 55th Birthday, Mr. Bean!
Another few decades and he’ll be a has-bean. (Nyuk!)Rowan “Mr. Bean” Atkinson turns 55 today.
Biographies
Anhedonia, Here I Come!
“Annie Hall,” the Oscar-winning 1977 film by Woody Allen, was originally titled “Anhedonia.” So says Jon Carroll (and so agrees the New York Times, in this great little time capsule interview.) Anhedonia is “a psychological state where nothing gives a person pleasure.”
Jayson Williams in Trouble Again
NBA veteran and former New Jersey Nets player Jayson Williams is making the news again, this time for crashing his car under suspicious circumstances.According to this story from TMZ, Jayson Williams was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, after crashing his car in Manhattan in the wee hours of the morning.
John F. Kennedy on Twitter
The John F. Kennedy Library has begun following John F. Kennedy’s 1960 presidential campaign on Twitter.You can get updates (quotes, mostly) from here (or sign up to follow the tweets). Spoiler: Kennedy won that election, beating out Richard Nixon. Barely.
Brian Eno Interview
Yes, it’s a couple of months old, but this interview from Pitchfork is still a great treat for fans of Brian Eno, music producer (U2, Talking Heads, Coldplay) and rock star (“Baby’s On Fire” and Music for Airports).
Happy Birthday, King Camp Gillette!
Today is the 145th anniversary of King Camp Gillette‘s birth. Born in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, King Gillette was a traveling salesman who came up with the disposable shaving razor. …..
Are Event Planners Plotting a Coup?
Event planners are suddenly everywhere these days. What are they up to?
White House Had Third, Less-Attention-Hoggy Gate Crasher
Turns out that while Tareq and Michaele Salahi were busy crashing the White House state dinner in November, another more discreet gate crasher was also making his move. (No, not Buzz Aldrin.)
Isaac Newton Was and Wasn’t Born on Christmas Day
Sir Isaac Newton is the Schrodinger’s Cat of birthday boys: He both was and wasn’t born on Christmas Day. And he both was and wasn’t born in 1642.How is, Mr. Man? How can be? Let’s talk it out.
Mary Daly, Feminist Philosopher, Is Dead at 81
Mary Daly, the feminist philosopher and teacher who tangled with Boston College (and others) over the last five decades, has died at age 81.