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.
Biographies
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.
Cowboys & Aliens: What Went Wrong?
One terrific trailer, several famous Hollywood geniuses, and $163 million in wasted budget later, one of the most-anticipated movies of summer 2011 is a baffling dud.
Pat Summitt Has Alzheimer’s Disease
“There’s not going to be any pity party, and I’ll make sure of that.”Pat Summitt, the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history, has been diagnosed with early-onset dementia — specifically, Alzheimer’s Disease.
Gaddafi On the Skids
The rebels are in Tripoli, and Libyan state television has gone off the air. After 42 years of total power, it’s looking bad for Muammar Gaddafi.
Flashback: Yao Ming for Apple
The great and lovable Yao Ming retired from the NBA last month. He never won a championship, but he did join Verne “Mini-Me” Troyer for this charming Apple Powerbook ad in 2003. Like Yao in the lane, it had a wonderfully soft touch.
Cary Grant Preferred Double Vents, If You Know What We Mean
A wonderfully obsessive analysis of Cary Grant’s gray Kilgour suit from North By Northwest:”Ventless is unusual for an expensive single breasted jacket these days, yet have been familiar on double breasted suits since the ‘column’ look of the thirties. Grant apparently preferred double vents as he liked to put his hands in his pockets whilst acting.