When you think of The Beach Boys, you think of good times, and probably enjoying a beer and maybe a joint by the Pacific Ocean with some friends for hours and hours. The upbeat lyrics and music of The Beach Boys made them one of the most famous and popular musical groups in history, and…
Author: Jeff Kelly
A lot of filmmakers have their signature calling cards, or gags they like to throw in here and there whenever possible that no one else will ever possibly pick up on. It’s like having an in-joke with yourself. For George Lucas, it was using the title of his early film THX 1138 pop up randomly in…
Steven Spielberg was, for the longest time, one of the most famous successful people who never graduated from college. He had initially dropped out in 1968 to pursue a career in film. Unlike most wannabe student filmmakers, he actually wound up finding success almost immediately. He made a short film called “Amblin” which may sound…
Occasionally, you’ll hear a story about how DNA tests show that two bitter political rivals are actually 9th cousins, six times removed. More impressive than that, however, is how so many random people can claim relation to a famous actor like Richard Gere. Who knows, maybe you’re one of them, and he will lend you money. You are family, after all.
If you’re a fan of the television show 30 Rock, you may be familiar with the term EGOT. The term was central to a long running plot in which the Tracy Jordan character strives to win an Emmy, a Grammy, an Oscar, and a Tony, an elusive grand slam of entertainment. What you may not…
In the movies, a case of mistaken identity is oftentimes wacky and whimsical. In real life however, it’s usually far less so. In fact, in many cases it’s downright tragic. Here are ten examples of what really happens when we think one person is somebody completely different.
Well, we’re two episodes into the run of 13 for the CBS series “Under the Dome” which last week proved to be a bit of a ratings monster, opening with the highest rating of any network show in the last six years. The pilot certainly showed promise of an intriguing show to fill the sci-fi…
Hello there, we’re back for week two of the new ABC reality murder-mystery show “Whodunnit?” The show, just as a refresher, puts a group of assorted people from various backgrounds, including a couple of journalists, a former detective, a private eye, and so forth, into a house and a series of ghastly murders unfold. Eventually…
“Under the Dome” is a CBS summer “event” series that will be airing a limited run over the next 13 weeks. It’s based on an extremely long novel by Stephen King which, while I won’t get into spoilers, follows the familiar pattern of King novels that start strong, get dark and twisted, and throw a…
From TopTenz: Welcome to the first installment of (Un)Popular Culture with Jeff Kelly. Jeff will be contributing his thoughts on all things relating to pop culture on TopTenz. We are excited to offer this look into Jeff’s slightly off-kilter world. If you think the premise of the new reality show “Whodunnit?” sounds familiar, there’s probably…
The concept of computer hacking is often viewed as scary or seemingly impossible to most people. It’s also generally considered annoying to anyone who remembers the obnoxious girl in Jurassic Park who claimed to be a hacker despite sucking out loud in generally every aspect. Anyway, there are some people to whom hacking comes with…
Religion, as you might guess, is a pretty hot-button topic around the world, and it has been throughout history. Of all the things you can talk about, very few are likely to generate the kinds of heated debates that a discussion of religion will. Of course, it’s even harder to take a religion seriously when…
As a society, we are overly obsessed with celebrities. We look up to them, we admire them, and we wish we could be just like them. Of course some people take “fanatic” to a whole new level, with their fandom becoming an obsession. Sometimes when that happens, it leads to some truly twisted and bizarre…
It’s difficult to break into any form of show business, and comedy is no different. Before rocketing to superstardom, most comics have to figure out another way to pay the bills. Here are 10 famous comedians with some pre-fame day jobs that you probably wouldn’t expect. 10. Bob Newhart Was An Accountant Bob Newhart is…
Television is littered with great characters who you know right away you want to cheer for or root against from the moment you see them. Typically, these are the protagonists and antagonists as designed by the creators of these shows, but every once in awhile the audience will, for whatever reason, latch onto a fringe…
When you think about spies, you think about people who can blend into any situation like a chameleon, and can go unnoticed while collecting invaluable information. What you probably don’t think of is a celebrity, considering a famous face is not exactly going to drop into the background. At the same time, it kind of…
It seems like every time you turn on the television you see an ad for some new, big-budget film that costs hundreds of millions of dollars to make and which, in all likelihood, will be absolutely horrendous. We’re looking at you, Battleship. It seems amazing that so much money can be poured into a product…
Despite the current financial issues plaguing pretty much the entire world lately, there are still people in the world who have more money than they know what to do with. Some of them use this money to buy ridiculous things for absurdly high prices, which is pretty much the opposite of “fiscal responsibility.” Still, if…
As a general rule, movie adaptations of books are at worst horrible, and at best somewhere hovering above mediocre. It’s difficult to shoehorn a book’s numerous plot points, and beloved characters, into 90-120 minutes of running time. Heck, just look at the complaints about the inconsequential details left out of the various Harry Potter books.…
Originality in Hollywood is, for all intents and purposes, dead. There’s no getting around it. After all, there are only so many types of stories that can be told. That’s why you see so many sequels and reboots, and even some movies released at the same time, featuring eerily similar plotlines. Who can forget the…
It’s easy for a team to put together seven or eight wins in a row, or for a basketball player to make 15 straight free throws, or a baseball player to collect a hit in 10 straight games. Those aren’t memorable achievements, and certainly nothing for the history books. But in the world of athletics,…
It’s no secret that Hollywood loves Shakespeare. The Bard was one of the most prolific writers of all-time, and his works are transcendent pieces that have always, and will continue to, stand the test of time. From Hamlet to Romeo and Juliet to A Midsummer Night’s Dream, his influence is still present in all facets…
We don’t necessarily go to the movies to cry, but it tends to happen. Well, unless you’re a manly man, in which case you likely only cry at a movie when a football star dies, or Jason Statham wrecks a beautiful car. But the fact is that there are a lot of depressing movies in…
Who doesn’t love a good movie trailer? One of movie-goers’ most favorite cinema experiences is seeing what new films will be featured in the coming attractions. Of course, sometimes we watch one movie and think about how great it would be to combine it with another, but know it could never happen. That doesn’t mean…