Awkward Photos With People in Animal Suits
Our series continues. From late 2008: Paris Hilton and Bongo the Monkey.
Monthly Archive: July 2009
A Stroll in the Garden
Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip shelter from the rain as they arrive at the Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace last Tuesday.What a great shot. A day in the life.
“Here’s to Your Mother”
Professor Henry Louis Gates Jr., Sergeant James Crowley, and President Barack Obama clink beer glasses at the start of their meeting in the White House rose garden on 30 July 2009.
Bing Crosby: As Popular As Quintuplet Diapers
How popular was crooner Bing Crosby in his day?
That Uberdontic Amy Adams Smile
Amy Adams‘s special gift is that she can smile like this and still look just swell. Adams was arriving at Monday night’s LA premiere of Julie and Julia. Her co-star …..
Happy 85th Birthday, Black Dahlia
Elizabeth Short, the ill-fated “Black Dahlia,” would have been 85 today. She was only 22 when she died in January of 1947 — the same month that Al Capone passed out.
A Salute from Private Babe Ruth (Really!)
Given the normal image of Babe Ruth as a hard-drinking, skirt-chasing home run machine — and given that he played major league baseball from ages 19 through 40 — this …..
Happy 80th Birthday, Jackie Kennedy
First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis would have turned 80 years old today. She was born on 28 July 1929, and was only 64 when she died in May of 1994. (By comparision, actress Dakota Fanning was born in 1994.)We’ve just added new photos of Mrs. Kennedy for the birthday — including this swell 1963 shot with the family dogs.
Awkward Photos With People in Animal Suits
Reese Witherspoon at the London premiere of Monsters vs. Aliens in March of this year. More Witherspoon photos here.(Credit: Zibi / WENN)
“Why Do You Hate Budweiser?”
Analyzing the beer selection for this week’s Obama-Crowley-Gates drinking session.
“A Good Advancement for the State”
“I feel great,” she said. “It was a smooth transition of power as it should be, and a good advancement for the state.”Sarah Palin, on her Sunday resignation as governor of Alaska.
Book Review: ‘Duchess of Death’
2 billion copies sold worldwide.Affairs, betrayal, and heartbreak.Novels translated into 105 languages.A bizarre 11-day disappearance in 1926 that has never been explained.So reads the breathless back cover of Duchess of Death, the nifty new biography of Agatha Christie by Richard Hack.
Touché, Lobster!
I have entered the New Yorker’s cartoon caption contest almost weekly virtually since it began, and have never even been a finalist. Mark Twain advised: “Write without pay until somebody offers to pay you.
Meryl Streep Is Married to a Guy Named Donald J. Gummer?
Yes. Yes, she is.I am reminded, and it’s a stretch, of Judy Garland, whose real name was Frances E. Gumm. (Supposedly George Jessel suggested the name change.)Well, Mr. Gummer looks like a good egg. Dude is a sculptor.(Image from the 2004 Academy Awards courtesy of WENN.)
Attack of the 5’10” Woman
“Kourtney is 5’0″ and Kimberly is 5’2″, and I’m 5’10”. So, when I stand next to them everybody thinks I’m like 6’5″. They think I’m this big girl. When people meet me that’s the first thing they say, ‘Oh, you’re skinny. You’re just normal.” They meet Kourtney and Kim and they’re like, ‘You guys are midgets.'”
Transcript of President Obama’s Press Conference
So let me be clear: This isn’t about me. I have great health insurance, and so does every member of Congress.President Barack Obama, talking about health care reform on Wednesday night. Full transcript here.
Yo quiero paraÃso perrito!
Gidget, the Taco Bell chihuahua, has died.
Mary Ellen Mark Photos
This slide show from Vanity Fair is fun — photos by Mary Ellen Mark from behind the scenes of famous movie people. The photos include shots of stars like Jack Nicholson, Katharine Hepburn and (young) Sean Penn.
Chewbacca!
We recently profiled Peter Mayhew, the actor who appeared in the original Star Wars movies as the Wookiee good guy, Chewbacca. Yes, we should have profiled him years ago.This photo of some of the original cast members out of costume has been making the rounds lately, so we thought we’d share it along with Mayhew’s profile:
Rupert Grint, Good Sport
Here’s a delightful bit of fan appreciation from Japan, with Harry Potter star Rupert Grint (Ron Weasley in the movies) indulging a young interviewer:
Beastie Boy MCA’s Bad News
Adam Yauch, aka MCA of the Beastie Boys announces on their YouTube channel that he has a form of cancer:
July 20th, 1969
Wonderful panorama here.
The ‘Viscount of Vapidness’
Hee!For those who aren’t in the know, Seacrest is much more than just a fey TV personality with no discernible talent. But as famed TV critic Tom Shales wrote in a great piece called “Ryan Seacrest Inc”, Ryan is trying to mimic Rupert Murdoch.
T Minus Zero: Liftoff
I never get tired of photos of Saturn V rockets at liftoff. Something primal there.It took 15 seconds for the Apollo 11 rocket just to clear the tower — that’s how much weight was being lifted. Astounding.
Dave Chappelle’s Secret Show
In the wee hours of this morning, comedian Dave Chappelle gave a surprise show in the middle of downtown Portland, Oregon. Despite no advance press, “thousands” showed up to see him in Pioneer Courthouse Square for a free show. The region’s newspaper, The Oregonian, has a nice bit of coverage here.
T Minus 1 Day and Counting: The Pad Führer
I admit… [that] I got stuck every time we had VIPs and all that jazz, and some of them, the dumbest guys you ever will meet.I mean, like Gephardt, Senator Gephardt. One time he came up on the Atlas pad, and, you know, the typical press corps all around, and well, he comes up and he says, “My good man, where are the engines on this thing?” Now, you’ve got to understand, he’s the number-two man on the Space Committee, okay?I said, “Senator, they are way down there, below.””Oh, you mean it goes up like this?”
Elliot Page Photos
We got ’em, courtesy of photo researcher Iris Hehn and WENN.Plus! New photos of: actress Mila Kunis, skateboarder Tony Hawk, perpetual oddity David Lynch, and astrology-lovin’ former First Lady Nancy Reagan.
T Minus 2 Days and Counting: Steak and Eggs
The crew of Apollo 11 share the traditional launch day breakfast of steak and eggs on 16 July 1969. From left: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin, and Director of Flight Crew Operations Donald “Deke” Slayton.
“That’s One of the Worst Opening Pitches I’ve Ever Seen”
President Obama will throw out the first pitch at tonight’s All Star Game.ESPN has a video of worst first pitches, but why not go straight to the all-time classic from Mark Mallory, mayor of my own city of Cincinnati, on Opening Day 2007:
Madoff Gets 20 Years Off for Good Behavior
Did we say he’d be out in 2159? Make that 2139:Confessed swindler Bernard Madoff was in a medium security prison in Atlanta after being moved from his New York jail cell, U.S. official prisons bureau records showed on Tuesday…
T Minus 3 Days and Counting: Basic Transportation
17 June 1969: the Apollo 11 astronauts arrive in Florida for the final time from their training center in Houston. After this they were headlong to the launch.It always startles me that these guys flew themselves out from Houston.
Paul Newman = The Green Lantern?
So we found out earlier that The Joker was based on the guy who played Major Strasser in Casablanca. Weird, but OK, fine.But c’mon: now we’re supposed to believe that the Green Lantern was based on… Paul Newman?
The Weird World of Golf Wear
Tiger Woods has his shirts laid out for him — a year in advance.Nike had its first meetings about Woods’s 2009 British Open wardrobe 17 months ago.
Wapakoneta Celebrates With World’s Largest Moon Pie
One giant snack for mankind.The Chattanooga Bakery in Tennessee will haul the world’s largest Moon Pie up I-75 to go on display at the Chamber of Commerce. The Moon Pie will be taken out Sunday to the museum, where it will be devoured by Wapakoneta — all 55 pounds and 45,000 calories of it.
T Minus 4 Days and Counting
Once a hot-rodder, always a hot-rodder. Buzz Aldrin in Florida in 1969… …and Buzz Aldrin in Los Angeles in 2009. (That’s his wife, Lois.)Photos courtesy of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Eternal Moonwalk
Even if you’ve had enough of the Michael Jackson story, we recommend the totally awesome tribute Eternal Moonwalk. Really.
T Minus 5 Days and Counting: The Ghosts of Apollo 1
The crew of Apollo 11 poses in the command module “Columbia” during an egress test on 10 June 1969. From left: Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, Buzz Aldrin.From a distance of 40 years it’s pretty easy to see the Apollo 11 astronauts as loosey-goosey test pilots and thrillseekers. PR photos like this one help.
Pantheon of Unflattering Photos: Joe Jackson
Joe Jackson, father of Michael Jackson, at a memorial service today in Gary, Indiana.(Photo credit: WENN)
John Calvin Was Not Named John Calvin
Happy 500th birthday to you, John Calvin.Except that your real name is Jean Cauvin.
Least Surprising Story of the Day
Michael Jackson had multiple plastic surgeries, says doctor.
T Minus 7 Days and Counting
Aldrin was inspired by geology, because it “opened my eyes to the immensity of time.” Collins was not: “I hate geology — maybe that’s why they won’t let me get out on the Moon.”
Brosnan, Bewhiskered
We missed the French Connection phase of Pierce Brosnan’s facial life, but it’s so jolly we’re posting the photo now anyway.
Where’s Michael?
Turns out he is at Forest Lawn — at least, temporarily:
T Minus 8 Days and Counting
Continuing our countdown to the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11.I love these formal portraits of the Apollo 11 astronauts. For one thing, their suits are just so white. Armstrong and Collins are subdued or even bemused. Buzz Aldrin, ever the enthusiast, flat-out grins.
Robert McNamara, Peacemaker?
Mr. McNamara saw his central role as preventing nuclear war. During his tenure as secretary of defense, there were conflicts that could have escalated into nuclear war — the confrontation over Berlin, the Cuban missile crisis. All of this must be seen against the backdrop of the prevailing ideas of the time, the domino theory and the cold war.
Another Oscar Mayer Dies
The third Oscar Mayer to run the family meat business has died — as did his father and grandfather before him.It seems suspicious.This Oscar Mayer was the one who presided over the “I wish I was an Oscar Mayer weiner” ad campaigns. Perhaps he was finished off by headlines like this one.Good luck, Mr. Mayer, wherever you are.
Usher Sings at Michael Jackson’s Memorial
More photos from the Michael Jackson memorial service here.
Forest Lawn: Michael Jackson’s Final Resting Place?
(TV trucks outside Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills on 7 July 2009.)A family funeral for pop star Michael Jackson took place at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Hollywood Hills today, and Jackson reportedly (may) be buried there after his funeral today.
Jackie and Bobby’s ‘Doomed’ Love
The New York Post reports a few juicy details from an upcoming biography by C. David Heymann called Bobby and Jackie: A Love Story. The book says Jackie Kennedy had a four-year love affair with her brother-in-law, Robert Kennedy.Heymann has written about Jackie and Bobby before, in 1989’s A Woman Named Jackie: An Intimate Biography of Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy Onassis and in 1998’s R.F.K.: A Candid Biography of Robert F. Kennedy.
Mary Freaking Poppins
Smart work from the Australian sample artist Pogo.
T Minus 10 Days and Counting
Here’s how it looks when you train for a moon walk. Just you, the phony gray lunar surface, and 15 kid brainiacs with skinny black ties.
T Minus 11 Days and Counting
Counting down to the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission.I can’t get enough of these early photos of crewcut Neil Armstrong.This shot is from 1964. Armstrong was 34 years old, and he had been an astronaut since 1962. His first mission, aboard Gemini VIII, was still two years away. Three years after that he’d be on the moon.
Federer Wins Wimbledon in 7 Sets
5-7, 7-6, 7-6, 3-6, 16-14.Those were the scores from Roger Federer’s big win over Andy Roddick in the men’s finals at Wimbledon today.To put it in perspective, the 30 games in that final set are the equivalent of playing three full sets of 6-4, 4-6 and 6-4. (Or five sets of 6-0… but why go overboard?) Federer now stands alone as the man with the most Grand Slam singles titles ever: 15. Pete Sampras, once the champeen, now is second with 14 Slam titles.
T Minus 12 Days and Counting
This is a good shot for the 4th of July: camping, cold drinks, parties.The party in this photo is actually for the launch of Apollo 11. One million people, give or take, showed up at Cape Canaveral to watch the launch in 1969.
Palin Quits: the Transcript
Here’s the transcript of the surprise announcement from Sarah Palin today: she’s quitting as of July 26th.
T Minus 13 Days and Counting
Counting down to the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing. Lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin during training for aircraft ejection at Perrin AFB in May, 1968.
Meet Cookie Crum
Here’s the fascinating story of Cookie Crum, a 77 year-old lady from southern Oregon who was recently inducted into the Sturgis Motorcycle Hall of Fame.Cookie, now retired, was once known as “Queen of the Hell Drivers,” back when she was an 18 year-old stunt rider on the carnival circuit. It’s a good tale.
Medgar Evers Born Today in 1925
Today would have been the 84th birthday of Civil Rights organizer Medgar Evers, had he not been murdered in 1963.Evers was a black World War II veteran and a college graduate who sold insurance throughout rural Mississippi. He made headlines in 1954 when he tried to get into the University of Mississippi Law School at a time when segregation was strictly enforced. And he was shot in the back outside his home for his very public work for the legal rights of African Americans.
T Minus 14 Days and Counting
July 16th, 1969: launch day for Apollo 11, the ship that put the first men on the moon.Who2 will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11 for the next three weeks, right through splashdown on 24 July. We’ll have a photo a day, mostly from the marvelous NASA history archives, along with assorted notes and commentary.
Kevin Jonas is Engaged to a Woman from New Jersey
“She said yes, yes, yes, like 500 times super fast in a row.”He was the first to reach 21, and he’ll be the first to lose his purity ring.
“You Want to Have Him On the Site in Neverland”
“You want to have him on the site in Neverland. That’s where Elvis is at Graceland.””On the site.” Hah!The MJ story has moved along to tasteful speculation on whether Neverland can become the next big-money Graceland.
So Long, Karl Malden
Malden said he got his celebrated bulbous nose when he broke it a couple of times playing basketball or football, joking that he was “the only actor in Hollywood whose nose qualifies him for handicapped parking.”Actor Karl Malden has died at age 97.
MJ in a Crystal Coffin?
It could be the biggest SoCal processional since OJ and Al Cowlings.
Photo Mystery of the Day
Can you name this popular singer in disguise?Hint: It’s not one of the Jonas Brothers.Answer here.