A Cool Portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver

“Rare Halo Display,” this portrait of Eunice Kennedy Shriver by David Lenz, was commissioned by the National Portrait Gallery and unveiled in May of this year.The artist’s son is a Special Olympics participant. Groovy backstory here.

The X-Files / Hulk Connection

Gillian Anderson and Eric Bana were both born on this day in 1968.Not close together. Anderson was born in Chicago, Bana in Melbourne, Australia.

Rocky’s Beef: The Greatest Action Figure Prop Ever?

A few days ago we examined GI Joe action figures.Now we discover that that the movie Rocky *also* has action figures, created in 2006 by JAKKS Pacific, Inc. You get Rocky, Apollo Creed, Burgess Meredith’s plucky trainer guy… and this classic piece:

A Peace Sign from Ringo Starr

Until we added photos to our Ringo Starr profile, we didn’t know that a flash of the “peace” sign was his personal trademark. Examples (two-handed) here, (at a flower show) here, and (with Yoko!) here.

John Hughes is Dead at Age 59

For a period of time, Hughes was so dominant — certainly in the U.S. where he always played best — that it’s hard to believe that he only directed eight films. He wrote 30 others — the “Home Alones,” most notably — that were produced, 16 of them in the ’80s, 13 in the ’90s, and contributed characters or ideas to a handful of others.John Hughes died Thursday of a heart attack during a walk in Manhattan, where he was visiting family.

Susan Boyle Fashion Photos

Yes, Susan Boyle got all gussied up for her photo shoot with Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

Super Freak +5

Rick James died five years ago today.Here he is in June 2004, two months before his death, rocking crushed velvet alongside Cincinnati’s own Bootsy Collins. (Photo supplied by WENN.)

Squeaky Fromme to be Released From Jail

It was just this past May that would-be presidential assassin Sara Jane Moore gave an interview about her 1975 attempt to kill President Gerald Ford.Now Lynette “Squeaky” Fromme, the other woman in jail for attempting to kill Ford, is set to be released this month, after 34 years in prison. CNN has the story here.

Putin on Holiday

The U.K. Guardian has some terrific video of Russian leader Vladimir Putin on holiday. See how macho he looks here.