Lou Gehrig Died Today in 1941
Today marks the anniversary of the death of baseball great Lou Gehrig. New York’s “Iron Horse” died at the age of 37, of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis — ALS, which for years was known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease.
Biographies
W. Tweets!
Former U.S. president George W. Bush seems to have a new Twitter account.
I can imagine him saying to Laura after dinner, “Think ahm gonna go on down ‘n’ do some tweeterin’ — er whatever they call it.”
The most recent entry reads: “Since leaving office, President has remained active. He has visited 20 states and 8 countries.”
Francis Ford Coppola on ‘Apocalypse Now’
With the passing of Dennis Hopper came several news stories that reviewed his career and its standout moments. I was never much interested in Rebel Without A Cause or Easy Rider, but as a teenager I was blown away by Apocalypse Now, so I tend to think of that movie when I think of Dennis Hopper.Even though I’m sure I’ve quoted him more often from Speed. “Way to go, Jack, way to go!” and “That’s MY money, that’s money due ME!” and “the whim of a madman!” And so on.
Welcome to the United States, Mr. and Mrs. Native American
Today is the anniversary of the Indian Citizenship Act, enacted by the United States Congress in 1924. The act granted citizenship to every Native American born in the U.S.
Of course, as this piece from the Library of Congress points out, that didn’t mean it granted Native Americans the right to vote. That was still for the states to decide: “Until 1957, some states barred Native Americans from voting.”
Yes, that’s 1957.
Rodney Dangerfield, 1981
Here’s a clip from a 1981 Tonight Show appearance by stand-up comedian Rodney Dangerfield. It was part of this list of best comedians, from Guyism.com.
Interview with Bret Easton Ellis
DETAILS magazine has a brief Q&A with “bad boy” author Bret Easton Ellis (still famous for his first novel, the ’80s pop hit Less Than Zero).
Ellis has a new novel out called Imperial Bedrooms, and now he’s out and about promoting it, saying semi-outrageous things to irritate feminists and the sensitive left, who are still a little frosty over his book American Psycho.
Al and Tipper Gore Separate
The big news today from Politico.com is this story about the separation of former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper.
They’ve been married for 40 years.
Well, that’s sad. So is this:
Jean-Luc Godard’s New Movie
French filmmaker Jean-Luc Godard had a film at Cannes this year. The 79 year-old legend of avant-garde cinema — at least in the 1950s and ’60s — screened Film Socialisme, a statement of some kind about something-or-other, shot with digital cameras and, if you believe the reviews, without plot or characters.
And One Odd Dennis Hopper Clip
Here’s Dennis Hopper being “interviewed” on the red carpet by Jiminy Glick (Martin Short).It’s funny and strange.
They always die in threes…
At least, that’s what people seem to think, and this week, the adage held true with the passing of actor Gary Coleman, actor Dennis Hopper, and speaker-to-children Art Linkletter.Rest in peace, fellas.