Enough! Enough of these endless headlines about a maybe-pardon for Billy the Kid. Since nobody has explained to my satisfaction why we’re even talking about it in 2010, I’ve done the research. Here are the answers to your eight burning questions about Billy the Kid and the Great Dopey Pardon Scandal of 2010.
Here’s our big list. It starts with feminist Mary Daly on January 3rd, and ends (so far) with JFK advisor Ted Sorensen on October 31st.Who was the most famous person to die in 2010? Tthere’s no real standout there. I give the nod either to Catcher in the Rye author J.D. Salinger, or to Hollywood icon Tony Curtis.
If Marlene Dietrich were still alive, she’d be 109 years old today.
My guess is we’d still be reading about her exploits in Hollywood — suggestive rumors about her “close” relationships with Jesse McCartney and, say, Lady GaGa.
And still making visits to the troops overseas, singing a dubstep version of “Falling in Love Again (Can’t Help It)” (remixed by Kanye and available on iTunes).
Over at HistoryNet.com this month, there’s a terrific piece by author William Secrest titled “The Calamities of Calamity Jane.”
Born Martha Jane Cannary in Missouri around 1852, she became a notorious resident of Deadwood in the Dakotas during the Gold Rush of the 1870s. By the 1880s, the legend of “Calamity Jane” had spread to the east coast in the form of dime novels, newspaper accounts and stage plays.
Kudos and thumbs up to True Grit, the 2010 reboot of the 1969 film that won John Wayne his first Oscar. It’s a great holiday flick.
[ Update, June 2011: Wait, the wedding is off! ]”When I gave Crystal the ring, she burst into tears. This is the happiest Christmas weekend in memory.”
Last December I wrote an encomium to Christmas in Connecticut, the most delightful Christmas movie ever made. Here’s what I had to say about veteran character actor S.Z. Sakall:
Aaron Carter is not dead, according to Aaron Carter. He so tweeted on Christmas Eve:”This is the real Aaron Carter I know there’s a Hoax Going Around, But I’m Here, Alive & Well. At the compound Working on my mind & soul.”Finally: Aaron Carter has something in common with Alexander the Great.
How many ads, promotions and odd themes can you work into one Santa Claus photo?Here we have jolly old St. Nick posing with Richie Rich, the club kid-turned-fashion maven.
Our friends at WENN have sent us a new photo of Justin Bieber, with this mysterious caption: “Justin Bieber and his ‘Swagger Coach,’ Ryan Good, wear moustaches on a recent …..
Who will step in and shut down this insane Broadway production of Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark?
The British actress Jenny Agutter turns 58 today.
In this photo, Candice Swanepoel is…1) Giggling at the absurdity of the modeling business2) Showing off an engagement ring from Leonardo DiCaprio
Don Van Vliet, the painter who became famous in the late 1960s as Captain Beefheart, died yesterday from complications related to multiple sclerosis. He was 69 years old.
Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band’s most famous album is 1969’s Trout Mask Replica, produced by his pal and collaborator Frank Zappa. Captain Beefheart also sings on “Willie the Pimp” from Zappa’s album Hot Rats.
A holiday classic from 2009: five Christmas songs we wish would just go away.
Johnny Depp poses with Angelina Jolie in Berlin at the premiere for the second-biggest movie of the holiday season.
I was in downtown Portland, Oregon today, and I took a couple of photos of this Abraham Lincoln statue that is in what the locals call “the Park blocks.”
The Onion has the story.
TV preacher Oral Roberts died one year ago today.
Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, two of Jeopardy!’s all-time great champs, will compete against an IBM computer named Watson on the show in February.Jennings and Rutter could win a million bucks. If Watson wins, he gets a soothing oil bath.