Senator Barack Obama held a press conference today in Jordan after his visits to Iraq and Afghanistan. The Washington Post has the transcript.(Elsewhere, Haaretz columnist Bradley Burston offers Obama ten MIdeast traps to avoid.)
The date is set for Jay Leno’s forced retirement from The Tonight Show. His last day will be May 29th, 2009, and he’ll be replaced three days later by Conan O’Brien.
The Times of London offers up a list of eBay’s “10 most bizarre bits of political memorabilia.” Included are six snippets of graying hair from Lyndon Johnson (“comes with a notarized affidavit from the family of Steve Martini, White House barber”) and the coffee-stained to-do list of Jacqueline Kennedy.The stain is artfully described as being “perhaps from Mrs. Kennedy herself.”
Wow: Frances Bean Cobain, the daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, is 15 and posing for Harper’s Bazaar.The fashion magazine also has a rather breathless story.
Cheerful Hollywood parents give their kids inventive names like Knox and Sunday Rose. What about our gloomier celebs? A half-dozen ideas:Felicity AnginaEnnui BlueCreosoteMonday MorningMaginot LineBupkesAny other suggestions, commenters?
The Associated Press reports that “blissful newlywed” Greg Norman shot a surprising 70 on day one of the British Open, cheered on by his wife, Chris Evert.Wait, what? Chris Evert and Greg Norman are married?Apparently so. They married last month in the Bahamas. Both split recently from their previous spouses — Laura Andrassy for him, skiier Andy Mill for her.
South African leader Nelson Mandela is 90 years old today.
Not that it has much to do with biography (though we do have a profile of the corporate namesake), but we found it rather fascinating that Starbucks has released a complete list of the 600 stores it plans to close.We salute their transparency.
Weird tale of the day: The Joker, leering arch-enemy of Batman, is based on an actor from the movie Casablanca. No, not Ingrid Bergman.
Billy Joel is playing the last two concerts in New York’s Shea Stadium. It’s being torn down in a few months. Joel gets rave reviews in today’s Newsday and New York Times.
The Boston Globe offers up a photo essay of actors who had films released after their deaths.Including Bruce Lee (Enter the Dragon), Chris Farley (Beverly Hills Ninja) and, of course, Heath Ledger (Batman).
Happy birthday to sultry actress Barbara Stanwyck and popcorn maven Orville Redenbacher.This is a photo of either Stanwyck or Redenbacher. Both were born on June 16th of 1907.
“In addition to the humiliation he felt over his speaking voice, Salmon Chase was tormented by his own name. He fervently wished to change its ‘awkward, fishy’ sound to something more elegant. ‘How wd. this name do (Spencer de Cheyce or Spencer Payne Cheyce),’ he inquired of [his friend Charles] Cleveland. ‘Perhaps you will laugh at this but I assure you I have suffered no little inconvenience.'”The touching words of ambitious young Salmon P.
It’s not the most crucial issue of the day, we know, but: Have news reports garbled the weights of the Jolie twins, Knox and Vivienne? It looks like it from here.
“At 23, she exuded a blend of innocence and sensuality, but she was not a party girl. At heart, Chandra was a bit of a nerd.”The Washington Post has launched a major 12-part investigation of the 2001 murder of intern Chandra Levy.
Happy 90th birthday to three-time Academy Award winner Ingmar Bergman! He was born in 1918 and died just about this time last year.
[An update on the twins’ weights: 10 Grams of Baby Fat]The BBC, People, and Agence France-Presse all report that Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt are the proud parents of a new boy and girl.
“The American leader, who has been condemned throughout his presidency for failing to tackle climate change, ended a private meeting with the words: ‘Goodbye from the world’s biggest polluter.’
Q: What’s it like to be called ‘The King’?A: I don’t know. I ain’t never been nothing else.The Kansas City Star interviews Richard Petty on the 50th anniversary of his first NASCAR race.
This wonderful clip has been making the rounds lately: Joe Cocker at Woodstock, with helpful subtitles.Thanks to Mark Evanier for the link.