Happy 35th Death Day, Walter Brennan!
Died on this day in 1974.The late Mr. Brennan is still the forgotten Oscar champ — and still tied with Jack Nicholson for the all-time male lead.
The Who2 Blog
300 Years of Dictionary-Writing Studliness
Happy 300th birthday, Samuel Johnson.
Cowboys Stadium: Disney Smackdown!
Here’s one thing that can be said for the new Cowboys Stadium, where the Dallas Cowboys will play their first home game of the regular season on Sunday against the Giants: it’s not Mickey Mouse architecture.
Mary Travers Dies at Age 72
The great Mary Travers of the folk group Peter, Paul & Mary has died.The cause was side effects from chemotherapy for leukemia, a disease she had battled since 2004. She rallied after a bone marrow transplant in 2006, but faded this year.
Millions and Millions Served
Leonard Rhomberg, age 68, has been working at the same McDonald’s near St. Louis for 50 years.Patrick Hillmeyer and Tom Hillmeyer, the owners… presented him with a cake. They also gave him a Cardinals jersey with his name on it, a card from employees, and several gift cards.And, one hopes, an honorary PhD from Hamburger U.Let’s do the math.
Speech-Less
This rather long excerpt from Matt Latimer, a former speechwriter for President George W. Bush is a fascinating look behind the scenes at the White House during last year’s economic crisis.There are plenty of funny parts, too, even though it reveals confusion at the top that’s not really all that funny. The excerpt is from Latimer’s new book, Speech-Less: Tales of a White House Survivor.
Discovered Hemingway Photos
Here are some previously unpublished photos from LIFE magazine of Ernest Hemingway.
Patrick Swayze Dead at 57
Actor Patrick Swayze has died after a long fight with pancreatic cancer.Photos from his career here.
Nutty Moonman Drama at the VMAs
Kanye West got nutty at last night’s MTV Music Video Awards. Taylor Swift was accepting her “Moonman” award for best female music video when Kanye grabbed the mic to deliver …..
Hudson in Manhattan, 1609
Explorer Henry Hudson and his Dutch ship Halve Maen (Half Moon) stopped in Manhattan on this day in 1609.Four hundred years ago, on a day of “faire and very hot” weather, they anchored and spent the night in what is now the Hudson River.A replica of Half Moon has been sailing around New York in celebration. You can see photos of it here.
Dinner with Sarah Palin?
As a benefit for the charity Ride2Recovery.com, former vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin is auctioning off an evening at dinner.Here’s a link to the EBay ad. Don’t forget to read the fine print before bidding — a background check is mandatory if you win, for example. Also, Sarah won’t spend more than four hours with you. And if she doesn’t like the idea of dining with you, too bad, the deal’s off.
Ford Pardons Nixon, 1974
Today is the 35th anniversary of the full and absolute pardon of President Richard M. Nixon by his vice president and successor Gerald Ford.
Oliver Stone’s South of the Border
Here’s the (lengthy) trailer for the new documentary film by Oliver Stone. It’s called South of the Border, and it features interviews with South American leaders, including Hugo Chavez of Venezuela and Lula da Silva of Brazil.It looks like the U.S.A. takes it on the chin in this movie.
Michael Jackson Buried At Last
At Forest Lawn in Glendale, just over the hills from Hollywood.
“I Was In Hitler’s Suicide Bunker”
I watched as they wrapped Hitler up. His legs were sticking out as they carried him past me. Someone shouted to me: ‘Hurry upstairs, they’re burning the boss!’ I decided not to go because I had noticed that Mueller from the Gestapo was there – and he was never usually around. I said to my comrade Hentschel, the mechanic: ‘Maybe we will be killed for being the last witnesses.’The BBC interviews Rochus Misch, the last survivor of Hitler’s bunker.
Levi Johnston Was Born on May 3rd, 1990
In honor of the first anniversary of the 2008 Republican Convention, we’ve profiled Levi Johnston. He was just an unknown Alaska teen before he was hustled into the spotlight at the convention, courtesy of his role as the father of Sarah Palin’s unborn grandchild.
Sex and the Monkey Suit
Sarah Jessica Parker on the set of the Sex and the City sequel in Manhattan yesterday.The man behind her is unidentified. Why are they making him wear those clothes?
Short Review: Inglourious Basterds
Yesterday I saw Quentin Tarantino’s new movie, Inglourious Basterds.I like Tarantino, but I don’t love Tarantino. Pop in Pulp Fiction and I’ll watch it any time. Pop in Reservoir Dogs and I’ll watch most of it, if not all of it. For Jackie Brown I’ll stay to see Pam Grier and Robert De Niro. Probably.
Kim Clijsters is Back!
Injured and exhausted at age 23, she retired in 2007. Had a baby in 2008. And returned in 2009. Kim Clijsters is back at the U.S. Open, godblessher. She won her first-round match in 58 minutes yesterday.