SNL Premiere: Alec Baldwin Plays Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett likes John Garfield, tomcats, and Charleston Chews. Sing it!
The Who2 Blog
Chevy Chase Turned Down the Lead Roles in Star Wars, Titanic, Jaws, The Godfather, Magnum P.I, Ben-Hur, Lawrence of Arabia and Casablanca
And he turned down Dumbledore in Harry Potter. Or so it seems from this new list. He’s like the Kevin Bacon of turned-down movie roles.
Wangari Maathai, Nobel-Winning Planter of Trees, Dead at Age 71
Three billion trees, millions of fiery words, and one Nobel Peace Prize later, Wangari Maathai has died in Kenya.
The Joe Namath Diet: Coffee and a Chaw
Good old Joe Namath: always great for a juicy quote.
Throwing Einstein on the Bonfire?
Neutrinos have been measured going faster than the speed of light. (Maybe.) Does that mean sweet old Uncle Albert Einstein was wrong about everything?
Birthday Twins: Bruce Springsteen and ‘Left Behind’ Author Jerry B. Jenkins
They were born on the same day in 1949, then both got things started in 1973. And both are looking pretty good for 62.
What Would Be a Better Title for Cameron Crowe’s New Movie?
Cameron Crowe’s next movie features lions, zebras, porcupines, otters, and a heaping pile of feel-good. How heaping? Let’s watch the trailer.
Who Was the Horta on ‘Star Trek’?
Remember the Horta, from the Star Trek episode titled “Devil in the Dark”? I grew up watching Star Trek in black and white, so I’m always stunned to see it in color. It was news to me that the Horta was anything other than black with grey spots. In fact, it’s brown and orange, which makes it look like a shag rug or a wet piece of pepperoni pizza. And it turns out there’s a Hungarian underneath it, giving it life.
Kyle MacLachlan from ‘Portlandia’
Here’s a photo of actor Kyle MacLachlan on the set of the TV comedy Portlandia, the creation of SNL’s Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein (formerly of the rock band Sleater-Kinney).
Roy Acuff Has a Great Speckled Birthday
Country music star Roy Acuff was born on this day in 1903. Let’s puzzle over the confounding lyrics to his big hit, “The Great Speckled Bird.”
Selyna Bogino Juggles Five Basketballs in a Rather Amazing Way
Acrobat Selyna Bogino has a special way with basketballs. And apparently, a lot of practice time on her hands.
Vincent Price and a Black Cat
From the blog Thought Patterns, a photo of Peter Lorre and Vincent Price. The photo is part of a collection, “Audition for a Black Cat,” photos of people in line waiting to audition their cat for a part in a movie.
‘I Want to Enjoy This Battle Against Him’
Is Rafael Nadal the most gracious, yet still proud, loser in the history of professional sports? We say yes.
Jackie Kennedy on Indira Gandhi: ‘A Real Prune’
Charles DeGaulle was “that egomaniac,” Martin Luther King “a phony,” and Indira Gandhi “a real prune — bitter, kind of pushy, horrible woman.” So says Jackie Kennedy in a fascinating seven-part interview from 1964, to be released this Wednesday for the first time.
The Greatest Obituary Generation
The Greatest Generation are getting into their 90s now, and it just won’t be the same without their obituaries in the British papers.So while you can, meet Air Commodore ‘Dim’ Strong, the pilot who “enjoyed an all-night party with his Luftwaffe captors before being sent to Stalag Luft III.”
Broadway Shocker: Fired After Only 9832 Shows
George Lee Andrews is being let go by The Phantom of the Opera a mere 23 years after he joined the Broadway cast. After 9832 shows he is back out on the street.Let’s look at the embarrassing details.
Hard Hats and Hisahito: This Week in Biographies
It’s not clear who to thank for Labor Day, but we give it a shot. Also: a Japanese prince turns 5, a Pretenders princess turns 60, and it’s quite clear who’s responsible for the only presidential baby ever born in the White House.Read it all >>
Here’s a Super-Short Story from a Mad, or at Least Quirky, Hungarian
Itching to read a good brisk funny 829-word 74-year-old Eastern European short story? We have just the tale for you. Plus a bonus connection to Kevin Bacon!
Leisure Dives for Labor Day
Have you leisure-dived yet? If not, why not?
Happy 83rd Birthday, James Coburn
Happy birthday to rugged actor James Coburn, who turns 83 today. Or would have: he died of a heart attack in 2002. (I thought he was still with us until I looked it up.)Others who died that same year: baseball great Ted Williams, busybody great Ann Landers, and beloved royal The Queen Mum.