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.
The Who2 Blog
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.
Gary Coleman Dies
Hours after the news that actor Gary Coleman had been put on life support, comes the news that he was taken off life support today and is dead at the age of 42.
You can read the account at Radar Online.
Gary Coleman is Unconscious
Diminutive TV star Gary Coleman has slipped into a coma and has been put on life support in a Utah hospital, according to this story from E! Online.
Coleman slipped in his home and hit his head the other day, and yesterday he took a bad turn, slipping into unconsciousness.
Happy Birthday, Jim Thorpe
Today is the anniversary of Jim Thorpe’s birth, in 1888. Thorpe was voted “The Greatest Athlete of the Century” in 1950 by the Associated Press for his decades of excellence in baseball, lacrosse and football. Thorpe was a gold medalist in the 1912 Olympics, in the decathlon and pentathlon, but because he’d played semi-pro baseball in 1909 he lost his amateur status and they took his medals away (this was in the old days, when the Olympics was for amateur athletes).
His medals were returned to his family in 1983.
‘Sex and the City 2’: Bonus Slams!
Two more for the heap.The Washington Post:”An enervated, crass and gruesomely caricatured trip to nowhere.”The New York Post:
50 Cent: Get Thin or Die Tryin’
Rapper 50 Cent has dropped from 214 to 160 pounds — a whopping 25% of his weight — according to the ThisIs50 blog. He lost the pounds to play the role of a cancer-stricken football player in the upcoming movie Things Fall Apart, says the blog, which also says that Fitty is now back touring (and eating).
Pac-Man Destroys World Economy
4.8 million hours wasted last week.
The Anniversary of the Human Fly
In my time zone I still have 70 minutes to celebrate the anniversary of George Willig’s climb up the South Tower of the World Trade Center buildings, on a Thursday morning in 1977.It took him three and a half hours, and when he got to the top he was arrested. But he had time to sign his name up there, as you can see here.And I found some TV footage of the event:
Which ‘Sex and the City 2’ Slam is the Nastiest?
Sex and the City 2 may be a train wreck, but at least the reviews are good for a chuckle.New York:The film is an epic eyesore. It’s as if they set out to make a movie that said, “You’re right! We are hideous!”Boston Herald:
Amityville Horror House For Sale
The house made famous by the 1977 book-n-movie The Amityville Horror is up for sale. The asking price is reported to be $1.5 million. It’s a big, beautiful home.
The murders in that house of the DeFeo family were said to be the cause of the “Amityville Ghosts” that haunted the home’s next residents, George and Kathy Lutz.
What A Day It Was!
May 25th: a day that will live in non-infamy!