James Bond Dies in the New James Bond Movie
And then he stays dead and the movie ends and that’s the surprise finale to the movie franchise, right?
Monthly Archive: July 2012
Nelson Mandela’s Names: Just How Many Does He Have?
We’ve updated our 2007 study of Nelson Mandela’s many names to include the clan name Madiba.
Remember the Good Old Days of Pigeon-Shooting at the Olympics?
21 dead pigeons — still the Olympic record!
Mike Lupica on Dick Cheney: “Bully, Phony, Self-Important”
The NY Daily News columnist has a few choice words for the former vice-president.
Alex Morgan Biography — New!
The 23-year-old U.S. Olympic soccer star was also a star in Sports Illustrated earlier this year.
Just a Nice Photo: The Queen and the Torch
The monarch looks on as the torch is passed.
Sherlock Holmes and His Dippy Hat
A new exhibition of Sherlock Holmes memorabilia got me thinking about that goofy hat of his.
#RomneyShambles
Twitter users are having a ball with Mitt Romney’s trip to London.
Rare Stanley Kubrick Audio Interview
Writer Jeremy Bernstein interviewed Stanley Kubrick in 1965 and 1966, and Kubrick recorded it on tape. Listen.
Chad Everett, ‘Medical Center’ Star, Dead at Age 76
The longtime TV star has died after a battle with lung cancer.
Sherman Hemsley’s Death Foretold: Deadly Metaphors in the ‘Jeffersons’ Theme Song
“Movin’ on up” is just the start.
Bruce Springsteen at 62
The New Yorker has a terrific profile of Bruce Springsteen, “We Are Alive” by David Remnick.
The Dark Knight Rises: A Minority Report
“A whole lot of gabbing goes on” — our review of the new Batman movie.
Amerlia Earhart Google Doodle for Her 115th Birthday
The famous flyer was born 115 years ago in Kansas… and disappeared 40 years later in the South Pacific.
Free at Last! Ichiro Suzuki is Now a Yankee
After 12 mostly losing seasons in Seattle, the superstar gets a crack at winning. How do you say “Bronx Bombers” in Japanese?
A Sally Ride Biography in Photos
An daring life, seen in nine good photos.
Wow: Sally Ride is Dead
The first American woman in space was only 61 years old.
Chief Joseph’s Super-Expensive Poncho
At this week’s Coeur d’Alene Art Auction in Reno, Nevada, a “war shirt” that once belonged to Chief Joseph was one of the top-dollar items.
Here’s Ralph Fiennes in a Crazy Beard
The Oscar-nominated actor has turned into a hippie Shakespearian.
The Joe Paterno Statue Has Been Removed
Per order of the new president of Penn State, Rodney Erickson.
Did Neil Amstrong Say ‘One Small Step for A Man’?
The final word from the audio experts: no ‘A.’
The Seven Horses of Highly Effective People
With a nod in honor to the late Stephen Covey, we present a gallery of famous horses and their famous riders.
Former Art Forger Now Expert at Fooling Himself
“I’m convinced that if these artists were alive today, they would thank me,” he says.
Name This Chest From 1992
We mean “whose chest is this?” — not “I think I’ll dub that chest ‘President Mitt Romney’.”
Caster Semenya Biography — With Photos!
Declared officially female in 2010, she’ll run for South Africa in the London Olympic games.
Black Sitcom Theme Songs
Some hardworking fan has compiled Native Tongues — “A Cultural History of Black Sitcom Theme Songs.”
James Cagney’s Birthday
Hollywood star Jimmy Cagney was born 17 July 1899. Yes, that’s right — born in 1899.
Hobbits Were Real!
Homo floresiensis was 3’6″ tall and lived 800 million years ago in Middle Earth Indonesia.
Country Star Kitty Wells is Dead
She was the first woman to have a top hit in country music. Now Kitty Wells has died in Nashville at the age of 92.
Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’ is the UK Favourite
According to a new poll, the UK’s top pop song of the last 60 years is “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
Oscar Pistorius Biography: New!
The double-amputee sprinter has qualified for the 2012 Olympics in London.
Philip K. Dick Books You’ve Never Heard Of: A Photo Gallery
A photo gallery of books by Philip K. Dick, most of which most people aren’t familiar with. In other words, books that aren’t Blade Runner.
Peter O’Toole Is Done With Acting Forever
The celebrated Lawrence of Arabia star says it’s time “to chuck in the sponge.”
Here is Slash Getting a Star on the Walk of Fame
It happened in Hollywood. Click through for a shot of Mrs. Slash and the kiddies.
Is Gabriel García Márquez Demented?
Colombian writer Gabriel García Márquez is suffering from advanced dementia, says his brother. But the director of the Márquez Foundation says, naw…Gabo’s just old and has a bad memory.
Cindy Sheehan Can Retire in Ten Years
The anti-war activist turns 55 today.
Natalie Wood Drowning: Cause Now ‘Undetermined’
31 years after the actress died while yachting off Catalina Island, the cause of her death is still in dispute.
Ernest Borgnine, From ‘Eternity’ to Here (Revisited)
Ernest Borgnine has died at age 95. We revisit a favorite blog post from 2011, when (just in time, it turns out) he won a special lifetime award from the Screen Actor’s Guild.
Ernest Borgnine Dies at 95
Oscar-winning actor Ernest Borgnine has died. He was 95 years old.
Brad Pitt’s Famous Family
That Pitt family! First Brad’s brother makes the news with a funny video, then his mom makes the news with a letter to the editor.
25 People Who Played Vampires
Can you imagine Tom Cruise sucking the life out of someone? He’s one of 25 people in our gallery who’ve played vampires on the big (or little) screen.
Boston Common: Summer
Lunchtime at the Frog Pond, with fountains and balloons.
Watch Some Guys Play Marbles
Shake off those post-Fourth of July blues by watching people play competitive marbles.
The Higgs Boson Flow Chart
Ask yourself: are you confusing it with candy?
How Alec Baldwin Picks Up Women
The magic words are, “I must know you.”
A Biography of Peter Higgs, the Higgs Boson Guy
Finding the Higgs boson is the biggest news in physics in a quarter century, they say. Who is this Higgs guy? Find out in our biography.
John Hancock Was Even Bolder Than You Thought
John Hancock didn’t just sign his name large: he signed it weeks before everyone else.
Nora Ephron Biography and Photos
Read about the three Oscar nominations, three marriages and much more in our new biography of the writer and director.
Independence Day Babies are a Strange Blend
From Calvin Coolidge to The Situation, the odd bedfellows of July 4th.
Andy Griffith Has Already Been Buried
Always private, the famous actor was laid to rest before word of his death even spread.
Notes on Andy Griffith and Mount Airy
Television veteran Andy Griffith has died at the age of 86. See what the obituaries say and see some photos.
Anderson Cooper: “The Fact Is, I’m Gay”
Blogger Andrew Sullivan gets an unexpected (but not too startling) scoop.
Modern Furniture is Screwing Up Years of Firefighting Theory
The FDNY is burning down 20 rowhouses in a massive test as it rethinks modern firefighting techniques.
Children of the Rich and Famous, Euro Edition
Bruce Springsteen’s daughter and Richard Branson’s son horse around during Euro Summer 2012.
Behind the Health Care Ruling: Why John Roberts Switched
The Chief Justice’s decision to leave the law intact didn’t sit well with the court’s right-wing justices.
The Teen Journalist Who Inspired an Olympic Swimmer… and Vice-Versa
A class writing project leads to a moment of truth for a 13-year-old girl and the Olympic hopeful she interviews.