21 Helen Kane Loses Betty Boop
Cartoon character Betty Boop began as a clear visual and vocal copy of singer and actress Helen Kane, who was known as the “Boop Boop a Doop girl.” Kane responded by suing over theft of her image, arguing that the character had lifted her persona. In court, however, evidence showed that Kane herself had copied parts of her act from a Harlem jazz singer named Baby Esther. That revelation undercut her claim and helped sink the lawsuit.
22 Angela Lansbury One-Take Disney Ballad
In 1991, Angela Lansbury, who voiced Mrs. Potts in Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, recorded “Tale as Old as Time” in a single take after first thinking her aging singing voice was not right for the song. She had been unsure about singing it at all and initially resisted the idea. When she finally stepped up to the microphone, she performed the entire track straight through on that first attempt. That one take became the final version used in the film.
23 Greta Garbo Fantasizes Killing Hitler
Actress Greta Garbo told her friends that she wanted to meet Adolf Hitler after he sent her a fan letter. She said she would go to the meeting with a gun hidden in her purse. Garbo told them her plan was to use that opportunity to kill him.
24 Vicky McClure Ejected From Tram
In Nottingham, UK, the city honored locally born actress Vicky McClure by naming a tram after her. On its maiden trip, McClure rode the tram that carried her name but did not carry a ticket because she had been offered a free ride. Inspectors treated her like any other passenger and found her traveling without proof of payment. They ejected her for fare evasion.
25 Patricia Arquette Nicolas Cage Quest
Nicolas Cage proposed to Patricia Arquette on the day they met, and she jokingly responded by handing him a list of impossible tasks to win her, including getting J. D. Salinger’s autograph. Cage surprised her by actually tracking down many of the items on the list, which spooked her and led her to avoid him for a while. Years later, they met again and reconnected. They eventually went on to marry.
26 Eartha Kitt Confronts White House
In January 1968, singer and actress Eartha Kitt, known as the original voice behind “Santa Baby” and later as Yzma in The Emperor’s New Groove, attended a White House luncheon hosted by First Lady Lady Bird Johnson. When the discussion turned to youth and crime, Kitt bluntly told her, “You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed. No wonder the kids rebel and take pot.” Her criticism of the Vietnam War sparked a public and political backlash in the United States. According to later reports, she was effectively blacklisted in her home country, and the CIA compiled a dossier on her, forcing her to work mainly in Europe and abroad for several years.
27 Marilyn Monroe Unpaid Playboy Centerfold
In 1953, Hugh Hefner paid a Chicago calendar company $500 for nude images of Marilyn Monroe that she had posed for years earlier. He used those photos to launch the first edition of Playboy, putting Monroe on the cover and centerfold without involving her in the project. Monroe never actually posed for Playboy itself and had no say in how the images appeared in the magazine. She also never received direct payment from Playboy for the use of those photographs.
Latest FactRepublic Video:
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
28 Mercedes McCambridge Tortures Exorcist Voice
During the recording sessions for The Exorcist, actress Mercedes McCambridge was hired to dub the demon’s voice. To make her performance sound brutally harsh, she swallowed raw eggs, chain-smoked, and drank whiskey before and during the sessions. She had the crew bind her to a chair while she recorded so she could physically convey the demon’s torment. McCambridge later requested no on-screen credit for the film.
29 Charlize Theron Survives Father Shooting
Charlize Theron has said that as a teenager in South Africa, her abusive, alcoholic father came home drunk one night and fired a gun through the door of the room she and her mother were holding shut for protection. As he sprayed bullets into the door toward them, none of the shots hit either Charlize or her mother. Her mother then shot him dead, acting in self-defense.
30 Ming-Na Wen Inspires Mulan
In Disney’s Mulan (1998), the title character touches her hair a lot because the animators based the gesture on voice actress Ming-Na Wen, who often did the same thing while recording. The team noticed Wen repeatedly playing with her hair in the booth and decided to turn that into a character trait.
RE: Fact #27 (Marilyn Monroe Unpaid Playboy Centerfold) – Then he ends up buried beside her,like, that’s just cruel. When I saw this fact, it hit me right away that being buried next to her is even more despicable and makes Hugh the king of douchebags.
He’s never even met her, that’s how I see it. Totally creepy.
I heard that too. We were all told they were friends, but in my view the whole Playboys image is a lie. They had plenty of groundbreaking interviews and articles about race, gender, politics, etc., yet their background was incredibly seedy.
RE: Fact #23 (Greta Garbo Fantasizes Killing Hitler) – It would have been way cooler if she’d done that.
RE: Fact #25 (Patricia Arquette Nicolas Cage Quest) – Yeah, but let’s be fair,Nic Cage has basically dated everyone.
You’re saying there’s still a chance?
Sure thing,only if you’re an Asian woman. That dude stopped using streak breakers, and his last three wives are all Asian women.
I did a quick check and found out he was married to his fourth wife, Erika Koike, for just four days before filing for an annulment. He’s got one heck of a life
RE: Fact #24 (Vicky McClure Ejected From Tram) – Talk your way out of it. “Tickets please.” “Oh, I didn’t think I had to pay, they were naming this tram after me lol.” Classic move. If I had a penny for that… Just get off the tram, Vicky, you freeloading bitch.
She even had a plaque featuring herself. Maybe you could give that one a call?
RE: Fact #24 (Vicky McClure Ejected From Tram) – Alright, cameras are off, the stunt’s done, so just pony up that cash, b*tch.
RE: Fact #12 (Alyssa Milano Publicly Supports Ryan) – Wait, 53? Holy moly, that means I’m… oh man, this is depressing.
Yup, definitely showing our age. She was my very first big celebrity crush. I totally had her poster up on my wall, it stayed there longer than I’m willing to confess.
Didn’t catch any of her shows growing up, so no crush there. My crush was Christina Ricci. Watched The Addams Family and Casper back to back, and that was it, I was totally in love.
She wasn’t really my type, but even in my generation, we still remember her from Charmed. My eyes, though, as a tiny kid, were always on Holly Marie Combs.
Mine was Sarah Michelle Gellar.
RE: Fact #20 (Anne Hathaway Accidental Stock Spike) – The sample size is too small to really back up any claim about a correlation. The author only lists five dates when the stock rose.
RE: Fact #42 (Natalie Portman Polyglot Lab Researcher) – Portman has said she’s been interested in foreign languages since she was a kid and that she studied French, Japanese, German, and Arabic. She doesn’t actually speak them fluently,she only speaks Hebrew and English. That can be misleading.
I think she used to live in France, so she’s probably fluent in French.
Having lived in France myself, I can tell you that if you’re as rich and famous as she is, you could totally get by without speaking fluent French. I’m not trying to knock Portman,she’s at least bilingual,but there’s no proof she actually speaks the language. The only interview I found that was in French had her basically not saying anything in it. Contrast that with Viggo Mortensen, who does his interviews in seven different languages. By the way, she did star in a French film called “Paris, je t’aime,” and even though the movie is in French, she still delivers her lines in English.
RE: Fact #40 (Angela Lansbury Escapes Manson Circle) – Sure thing,let’s just say the title could use better wording.
I’m sure you need a big typo in the title to make it onto the front page,those little mistakes pull people in like moths to a flame.
RE: Fact #2 (Kate Winslet Bathroom Oscar Speeches) – I really hope they have the decency to wash up!
RE: Fact #33 (Tina Fey Medieval Pinball Princesses) – I spotted Paul Giamatti in a 30 Rock episode where he plays an irate editor bragging to Liz Lemon, “How many guys out there have a fully loaded Toyota Tercel? Or a real pinball machine?” Since I own two pinball machines, that line pops into my head whenever I talk about pinball with someone outside the league.
Donnnnaaa sparrroooonk! What an amazing episode. That scene where Liz “breaks up” with him right in front of Donna was pure gold.
Have you ever been to a fantasy hockey camp?
RE: Fact #32 (Carrie Fisher Jokes About Leia) – Just so you know, that’s part of her comedy routine. Maybe it’s based on truth,who knows,but as Debbie Reynolds’ daughter I’m pretty sure she didn’t have to sleep with anyone to land that low‑profile role back then. Still, it’s definitely a joke she tells in situations where people won’t take it literally. [She uses the joke in a roast of George Lucas] If you’ve never seen it and are a Star Wars fan, her comedy stage show is definitely worth a watch. It’s full of that kind of self‑deprecating humor about her drug abuse and sex life.
She says in her book that Harrison Ford was the second guy she’d ever slept with,after a college boyfriend,so yeah, it’s just a joke.
Also, her audition was actually pretty solid, especially considering how rough the other actors’ auditions were.
RE: Fact #14 (Tippi Hedren Creates Nail Empire) – She’s basically the Genghis Khan when it comes to nail care.
I wonder how many that “many descendants” actually are. Most Vietnamese Americans I know in the nail business do pass it down a few generations if they own the shop, but otherwise it’s usually a quick‑start, decent‑pay gig that helps new Vietnamese immigrants get settled, with the usual (but pretty accurate) idea that their kids can later head to college and do something else.
Many Vietnamese students say they get overworked and taken advantage of at nail salons, often run by a family member. The usual tip in the community is to avoid living with that relative if you can afford your own place.
I have no clue how you linked that, but yeah.
Dude’s an ancestor of a good chunk of East Asia.
RE: Fact #43 (Kate Winslet Regrets Titanic Nude) – Me: “Ms Winslet, can I get this autographed?” Her reply? Just that classic East‑Town glare.
RE: Fact #24 (Vicky McClure Ejected From Tram) – Her brother Troy is a huge star too. You might know him from flicks like “Honey, They’re at It Again” and “The Guy Whose First Name Was His Last.”
I walked away from the fact, then the joke landed for me, and I went back to give it an upvote.
Yeah, I totally recall him from “Man vs. Nature: The Road to Victory”.
“Dial M for Murderessness” and “The President’s neck is missing”
RE: Fact #8 (Miriam Margolyes First TV F-Bomb) – Anyone who’s seen her with Graham Norton won’t be surprised by this at all.
RE: Fact #18 (Ariana Grande Born Into Privilege) – Yeah, and Bloomberg’s daughter is a ‘professional equestrian’ whatever the fu*k that even means. If you’re just going to defend billionaires and folks who prey on others.
Oh my goodness, I remember watching that documentary! They interviewed her and a bunch of other children from trust funds.
It just means her dad has so much cash that his grown-up kid can spend all her time on a super pricey hobby.
RE: Fact #39 (Demi Lovato Lies Sobriety Documentary) – I think Demi Lovato’s pretty much a total mess. It’s hard to keep riding that addiction just for more attention, honestly.
RE: Fact #44 (Jamie Lee Curtis JCPenney Wardrobe) – Nice pick. JC Penney was the bomb back in ’78.
RE: Fact #32 (Carrie Fisher Jokes About Leia) – When she was nineteen, I felt she was a bit too old for a Hollywood orgy. It was probably just a producer’s party.
RE: Fact #37 (Lisa Kudrow Plays Two Buffays) – It wasn’t so much that the producers jumped at a chance to put them in the same universe; it was more about the two shows airing on the same network, back‑to‑back on the same weekday. Eventually Friends’ writers had to explain why “Phoebe” also appeared as “Ursula” on Mad About You, and that’s how Ursula ended up on Friends. Source: online interview with Lisa Kudrow.
Do people really think all the shows on the same network live in one big universe? The Ursula/Phoebe storyline was the first time I started wondering if a non‑spinoff could actually tie into another show. Oh, and I guess the first real hint was the finale of Newhart,though that was just a gag, not a true shared universe.
Not really, but there’s the whole Tommy Westphall thing. There was a full series called St. Elsewhere that turned out at the end to be all happening inside a kid’s imagination. So the idea is every actor or character from St. Elsewhere,and any later shows those actors join,are actually part of Tommy’s mind too. Newsradio and 30 Rock even drop little nods to this in their finales.
It reminds me of that episode where Joey’s girlfriend thought TV was real.
I don’t remember her being played by Brooke Shields,wait a second. Oh yeah, you’re right, it’s definitely Brooke Shields.
My little brother used to think cartoons were real and that they actually lived in Disney World. He was around twelve then. We used to tease him about it back then,now I kinda wish it were true.
RE: Fact #37 (Lisa Kudrow Plays Two Buffays) – I’ve always found it odd how they keep raving about Die Hard and then suddenly Bruce Willis shows up in later seasons. Makes me wonder who actually played John McClane in that universe, right?
It’s kinda like “The Last Action Hero” where Arnold Schwarzenegger walks into a video store and sees a huge poster of “Terminator,” but played by Sylvester Stallone. I bet Arnie was John McClane in that friends‑world mashup.
RE: Fact #11 (Judi Dench Plants Memorial Forest) – Seriously, if I kick the bucket, I’d way rather my family plant a tree for me instead of blowing a ton of cash on some boring old burial. Just cremate me and then pop me in the ground to help that tree grow.
My plan is to have my ashes put inside a sword. Then my oldest child has to keep that sword displayed, and pass it down to their oldest. If they ever need to protect themselves in an emergency, they could actually use me to fight off an intruder.
RE: Fact #19 (Margaret Hamilton Gentle Witch Teacher) – Yeah, she was one of the only people on The Wizard of Oz set who was genuinely nice to Judy Garland.
It’s awesome how Ms. Hamilton kept her kind heart and humility, even though she was deep in that brutal, shady show business world. She totally didn’t view Judy Garland as just some product or an easy target, the way so many of those studio execs did. Instead, she saw a 16-year-old kid who was clearly overwhelmed and just needed some support and a friendly face.
Oh, and not to mention, a lot of the little people on set were apparently rampant perverts who kept bothering the women in the cast and crew. But they let them stick around because, well, A) it was the 1930s, and B) actors who are little aren’t exactly common, so they couldn’t just kick them all out, right?
Back in the 70s, she was doing a play over in Century City. She actually came into the bookstore where I worked and asked me if I could order, like, 15 copies of a small book called ‘Prayers from Noah’s Ark’ for everyone else in the cast. Seriously, she was such a sweet person.
Meanwhile, the other main actors pretty much thought they were better than her.
RE: Fact #45 (Kristen Stewart $500,000 Hurricane Meeting) – Celebrities can make insane money off random royalties in the Middle East. A friend of mine was a tour manager for a huge artist, and he told me he made way more cash doing private shows for insanely rich people than regular concerts. He said he once did a birthday party in the Middle East for $10 million to play two songs and hang out for 30 minutes afterward. And he’d do gigs like that three or four times a year.
I reckon musicians really cash in on advertising. I watched that Spencer Cornelia video and it turns out the artist usually doesn’t get paid up front or something like that.
I can’t even be mad at people for exploiting this. I know they’re ridiculously wealthy, but it still feels like a complete waste.
RE: Fact #6 (Julie Andrews Thanks Jack Warner) – Just a little spoonful of ‘fu*k you,’ right?
Wanted to add something here. It actually happened during the Golden Globes. You don’t need a video, you can just look it up.
RE: Fact #33 (Tina Fey Medieval Pinball Princesses) – That’s a fantastic table. I got lucky enough to snag it in The Pinball Arcade before they dropped the Williams license. If you’re into that same vibe and wit, check out Attack from Mars too.
RE: Fact #43 (Kate Winslet Regrets Titanic Nude) – Who on earth thinks it’s okay to ask someone to sign a nude pic?
RE: Fact #19 (Margaret Hamilton Gentle Witch Teacher) – It’s totally like that with Miss Trunchbull from Matilda. Pam Ferris, the actress, is actually a super sweet person.
Oh sure, it’s easy to say that from the safety of factrepublic, but I’m willing to bet you won’t be rocking any long pigtails if you ever actually met her!
Haha, good point there! By the way, it’s pretty cool to see how they pulled off that pigtail scene.
That’s just so heartwarming to hear. I actually read Mara Wilson’s autobiography a bit back, and she mentioned that Pam was a super nice woman who was really proud of her rescue cats. It must be good for your spirit to portray characters who are so comically terrible. Maybe it helps keep your mind balanced or something like that.
RE: Fact #26 (Eartha Kitt Confronts White House) – I can almost picture that line making Lady Bird grab her pearls and shout while she slides back to the couch, ready to faint.
Lady Bird was way more dramatic than people think. She sent someone over to tell Eartha, “Um, Miss Kitt, what you said really upset and embarrassed the First Lady.” Eartha replied, “Good. She should be embarrassed. She’s the First Lady and she can do something if she doesn’t like it.” Not exactly word for word, but that’s the gist. Don’t try to take on Eartha Kitt; you won’t win. There’s also that famous photo of President Johnson standing way too close, staring down at her, trying to intimidate her. She just looks back and says, “I see you. You don’t scare me.”
It was called “the Johnson treatment.” He was six‑four and famous for that approach. Johnson really wanted to end the war and tried hard to do it. He’d agonize over it day and night, barely sleeping in his last year as president because he stayed up all hours watching every new bit of news. He died four years after leaving the White House, and even though he wasn’t exactly a health guru, the stress from the war was a big factor.
RE: Fact #44 (Jamie Lee Curtis JCPenney Wardrobe) – $200 back in 1978 is almost $1,000 today,so that’s a pretty good amount for a kid living in suburban Illinois.
Yeah, but keep in mind that the character would have gathered clothes over time, not all at once like that; I could easily picture a teenager having a full wardrobe worth about a thousand dollars in total.
Sure thing,so, how many different looks did she rock throughout the film?
RE: Fact #35 (Mila Kunis Still Scoops Ice-Cream) – Nice way to keep a kid grounded and friendly.
Everyone’s got to face retail service jobs eventually,those gigs really shape you more than a life sentence at Camp Green Lake.
From the way she looked, I’m sure she’d have sold loads of ice cream anyway; being famous must’ve been pretty tough to handle. Most stars don’t start out as unreachable, but endless interruptions make it hard for a regular person to keep normal,at least that’s my guess.
RE: Fact #29 (Charlize Theron Survives Father Shooting) – I get it now,why she was such a hit on Monster.
RE: Fact #42 (Natalie Portman Polyglot Lab Researcher) – Talks or just knows a little? That’s four separate language families. I’ve been noticing “talks” pop up all over lately,some people are seriously impressive, some are downright legendary.
My great‑uncle was born in a part of Yugoslavia that turned into Italy around the time they left it for the US after WWI, and he spoke fluent Slovenian, English, German, Italian, and one more language I can’t recall right now. He also picked up bits of two other languages. It happens,some people just learn languages easily and quickly, even when they’re from different families.
Your great uncle sounds awesome! The fact does make a point though about different language families. If you know English, stuff like French or Spanish are so related that some words are almost the same. This is different than knowing Hindi, Quechua, Inuit, and Polish; European languages tend to be fairly similar.
If you look at the sources, she clearly doesn’t speak all those languages. For instance, it seems she only took a single high‑school level class in Japanese back in 1997.
RE: Fact #39 (Demi Lovato Lies Sobriety Documentary) – I’m starting to wonder what percentage of former Disney child actors actually develop problems in adulthood.
I think the whole thing has to do with Disney’s past problems with staff who’ve been caught doing terrible things. I’m all for people getting a second chance, but it feels like this story just keeps circling back. For example, Victor Salva is a registered sex offender and that director of the Disney film about a troubled teen. Then there are reports of theme‑park employees being arrested over child porn, an actor from “Andi Mack” fired after planning to meet a 13‑year‑old, and even a former ex‑priest who got a job at Disney World thanks to church help. There was also that big case in Florida where undercover police busted several resort staff accused of sexual predation. And then you’ve got the former Walt Disney vice president getting six years in prison, while his LinkedIn profile doesn’t mention Disney at all. It’s just weird how these incidents keep resurfacing.
It’s just this whole “toddler‑to‑trainwreck” vibe.
RE: Fact #31 (Betty White Finally Forest Ranger) – 1922 feels like ages ago. A few months after she was born, the Lincoln Memorial got dedicated, the Ottoman Empire collapsed, and baby boys Kurt Vonnegut and Stan Lee were born.
It’s wild what people from older generations have lived through. My great‑grandma died a few years ago at over 100. We used to ask her about history and she’d suddenly say, “I remember when that big boat sank.” The only thing she couldn’t recall was women’s suffrage.
When my grandma was a kid she’d remember adults chatting about the newspaper,two bike mechanics building a flying machine. Everyone thought it was probably a scam, and even if it were real, nobody would take it seriously. When she turned 19 she worked in a factory spray‑painting WWI planes. She told us all that while we were watching the first moon landing on TV.
RE: Fact #11 (Judi Dench Plants Memorial Forest) –
Haha, that’s pretty funny.
That’s funny, but it also feels a little sad at the same time.
Yeah, it’s definitely sad, but it’s really beautiful how she’s taking all that sorrow and turning it into something good. I hope I can be like her when I’m older.
RE: Fact #21 (Helen Kane Loses Betty Boop) – Did Baby Esther ever get any payback after they stole her act?
No. Baby Esther was only about ten when the trial happened. She didn’t even show up – everyone thought she was in Paris. After that, she went on a world tour, blew up in Europe for a bit, then headed to South America where she had huge success too. When she returned to the US she worked with Cab Calloway for a spell, but then people started saying she’d died. By then she was already outgrowing her little‑girl image and just vanished.
So by ten, Baby Esther had this signature act that was so big Helen Kane ripped it off, and then she took that idea and made her own act that blew up,so big the Betty Boop creators stole from her too? And there’s a lawsuit in all of that before Esther even turned eleven? All pre‑mass media? That’s a crazy rapid-fire sequence!
RE: Fact #41 (Julia Roberts Hired By $20) – She actually earned $10 million for that role, if you’re curious.
He’s proving yet again how clueless Clooney really is. I’d have taken the deal for just $7 million.
I would’ve taken care of it just for that $20.
RE: Fact #22 (Angela Lansbury One-Take Disney Ballad) – She totally knocked that out of the park,one take, and it’s just fantastic.
RE: Fact #16 (Jessica Chastain Receives Williams Scholarship) – This woman came into my restaurant one day when I was working by myself. After her group paid, she walked up to me and handed me her card, asking to cover everyone’s meal in the whole place, plus a 20% tip for me! She just said to tell people, “happy sunday,” if they asked who or why. She was such a lovely person and even more striking in real life. I just told the guests that a kind stranger had paid for everyone’s meals. I didn’t say who it was because she asked me to keep it a secret!
Man, I just love hearing stuff like that. It’s truly heartwarming.
RE: Fact #33 (Tina Fey Medieval Pinball Princesses) – It’s one of the most fun pinball machines ever made. If you get a chance to play it, you totally should!
I’ve never really felt like getting a pinball machine, but if I had the chance, this is the one I’d go out of my way to find.
RE: Fact #21 (Helen Kane Loses Betty Boop) – I’m just a dude playing a dude who’s posing as another dude.
We were supposed to be a unit, right? Suck. My. UNIT. That’s honestly one of the best lines in the whole movie.
Honestly, that line is one of the absolute best in the film,probably one of the best in any movie ever.
I laughed out loud when someone said, “Man, I don’t break character until the DVD commentary.”
Yeah, at least I’m not just sitting here cleaning a fake gun. I’m just a little kid, fiddling with myself when I get nervous.
RE: Fact #17 (Winona Ryder Champions Kate Bush) – Who actually got them to use The Cramps’ version of Goo Goo Muck for Wednesday?
They figure Kate Bush earned around 2.7 million dollars just in the first couple of weeks after season 4 came out.
RE: Fact #22 (Angela Lansbury One-Take Disney Ballad) – She nailed a fantastic live performance even at ninety years old.
I’m 33 and just had my birthday. I still remember watching Beauty and the Beast when I was little. The life I’ve lived since then has softened me so much that listening to an old woman sing about love breaks me apart, especially because the first time I heard that same song from her was as a kid.
RE: Fact #10 (Marilyn Monroe Exposes Hollywood Wolves) – Yeah, those ‘nice guys’ types? They really haven’t changed all that much in seven decades.
RE: Fact #14 (Tippi Hedren Creates Nail Empire) – I’d even say around eighty percent of nail techs everywhere are Vietnamese.
RE: Fact #38 (Ariana Grande Seven Rings Royalties) – The folks who own the IP are getting the right pay for using their stuff,exactly how it’s meant to go.
RE: Fact #27 (Marilyn Monroe Unpaid Playboy Centerfold) – Seriously, that’s such a disgusting, misogynistic pervert.
I’m not sure why people think he looks so good.
He’s got the usual mix of strengths and flaws, just like anyone else. Take for example Playboy,back when most places were still against it, they actually published an article that was supportive of gay people.
RE: Fact #5 (Laura Dern Nineteen Ice-Cream Takes) – Come on, she’s also Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd’s kid. Those two are huge stars. I’d say that’s probably a bigger sign she’d act than how much ice cream she could eat.
Her mom, Diane Ladd, is actually in that movie too! The headline makes it sound like she was just found by chance, but she was literally right there on set with her mother, haha. I totally love Laura Dern, by the way, and I’m not supporting any talk about nepotism. But yeah, the title of that fact is kinda dumb.
It reminds me of this one time I visited my dad at work, and they had a whole box of sugar cubes sitting next to the coffee machine. I swear I ate about twenty of them in just thirty minutes.
When it comes to the film world, you can bet nepotism is usually what’s going on.
It’s not just movies, it’s really the whole entertainment business. Seriously, whenever I look into an actor or some big-name singer, I’m never shocked to find out who their family is.
RE: Fact #18 (Ariana Grande Born Into Privilege) – Welcome to the music world. Look, I get it, people keep saying “Welcome to any industry.” You can stop bringing that up now. I spent years trying to make it happen in music, so this is definitely something I’ve lived through. It’s a really unpredictable journey. I had some of the best moments of my life there. But it also involves exhausting tours, sh*tty people, and a way of living that, even though it’s totally a personal choice, can really wear you down when combined with everything else. I’m not complaining at all; I wouldn’t change any of it. But a lot of those “welcome to any industry” folks probably haven’t hauled heavy gear to perform for an empty room at 2 AM on a Wednesday, only to not get paid, then wake up at 7 to go to their regular 9-to-5 job. Again, I’m not complaining, but this conversation is about music, not every other business out there. Please support your local musicians who you enjoy. They’re working incredibly hard for what most people don’t realize will probably have very little reward in the ways they hope for. Actually, just support any art you enjoy in general. I’m certainly not saying this is only true for the music industry; it’s just the one I personally have experience to talk about.
That’s why even now, Eminem’s journey is the only one that truly motivates me. The guy honestly didn’t know anyone in the business and truly started with nothing.
I really like Eminem’s story, but he’s definitely not the only person with that kind of background. You should find plenty of artists who inspire you if that’s the case.
Honestly, so many rappers grew up in really tough situations, and that’s actually pretty inspiring. Like, A$AP Rocky had to sell crack because his dad was in prison and his brother got murdered, and he bounced between homeless shelters until he joined the A$AP Rap Group. Jay-Z was a drug dealer too; he quit after he shot his brother and used rap to completely turn his life around. Many rappers from California were essentially raised by their gang members. There are a handful who had normal upbringings, but a lot of the guys in the rap scene had really sh*tty childhoods.
I know folks aren’t fans of his, but Bieber was similar. His mom was a single parent and extremely poor. He put videos on YouTube and people discovered him. I used to really dislike the guy, but it was a true grassroots story. ‘Hate’ is pretty strong, and you all were right to point that out! I know his background, and his past sh*tty actions growing up totally make sense. He’s really become much more humble. For a long time, I’d say I hated him, but now I feel sympathy. Still not into his music, though.
RE: Fact #9 (Ariana Grande Tattoo Grill Mishap) – Ran into an Australian guy in Kyoto once, and he had ‘chicken and cashew nuts’ tattooed on his chest, all in Japanese characters. I asked him about it, and he told me his mum had a Japanese tattoo too. She’d always tell people it meant that, whenever they asked. So he got his as a private joke, saying it helps him avoid getting too worked up over everything.
What a sweet idea! Definitely took a turn I wasn’t expecting, lol.
Okay, here’s a different take: his mom actually has no tattoos. And he totally asked the tattoo artist for ‘Strong as Nuts,’ but this is what ended up on him instead.
I’ve always thought it would be funny to get a Japanese tattoo that just says, ‘Huh? I don’t speak Japanese.’
How about a tattoo in Japanese that actually says, ‘My apologies, I don’t speak Chinese’?
Even better, get it done in a regional dialect! Like, if you got something in Kansai Japanese that meant, ‘Totally don’t get Japanese at all,’ it’d be super specific and even funnier.
I’ve never met an Australian who was really serious about anything.
The people come from the well-known land down south, where women seem to glow and men are out there plundering.
We seriously don’t have much of an option. It’s way too hot down here, mate, to give too much of a fu*k.
If you ever find an Aussie acting super serious, they’re probably actually from Britain.
RE: Fact #1 (Carrie Fisher Cow-Tongue Justice) – Coming from a really famous family in Hollywood, she was a true A-lister herself. She actually leveraged that big name recognition to back up a friend, another woman. Talk about being incredibly tough and cool.
RE: Fact #22 (Angela Lansbury One-Take Disney Ballad) –
She did it in just one take after all those events happened in the evening!! Amazing!
She drops her one‑take gem into the extra buzz from her travel adventure. “I think it was the excitement of it all, that ‘do it now!’ feeling!” Shouldn’t that be “attributes”?
RE: Fact #7 (Betty White Refuses Racist Boycott) – Here’s something interesting: even though Betty White was the oldest ‘Golden Girl’, she ended up outliving all her castmates. There is one episodewhere the girls are discussing nursing homes and how they will all stick together so no one ends up at a terrible one. There’s one particularly poignant scene where they agree to always stay together and Rosesays “What happens when there’s only one of us left?” and everyone is quiet. Every time I see that part, it really gets to me, like I get chills. Knowing she truly would be the last one standing is sad. It makes me feel a bit down until Sophia cracks a joke, saying ‘Don’t worry! I can take care of myself!’ The Golden Girls show is just so good. Betty White was just amazing.
I actually saw this same episode today! I nearly started tearing up and just whispered, ‘But you’re the last one here.’
Well, at least she’s nowhere near needing a nursing home. I bet her life is way more enjoyable than what most of us have.
Betty White’s been around so long, she had a sitcom about *being old* back in the 80s… that was over 30 fu*kin years back!
RE: Fact #16 (Jessica Chastain Receives Williams Scholarship) – Robin Williams also funds a really significant scholarship at College of Marin, which is the community college in Northern California he attended first, specifically for students in the drama department.
It’s actually the largest scholarship they have.
Something tells me that the scholarship amounts aren’t keeping up with how much college fees are increasing.
I actually went there! Community colleges really give people another shot at their academic journey. I never even hit a 2.0 GPA in high school. Didn’t bother with the SATs either. Finally, I got my sh*t together and was able to make a fresh start at COM. I put in the hard work, transferred to UCLA, and then went to a top-tier law school after that. Basically, I’m kind of like Jeff from Community, but with a real degree.
I had a high GPA and really good SAT scores, but I opted for community college because it was so much more affordable than a four-year university. I transferred and eventually graduated from a four-year school, and honestly, no one can tell the difference. It literally meant graduating with half the debt. I don’t understand why more people don’t do that.
Nice work! It’s fantastic you managed to turn things around! You should be really proud of yourself!
RE: Fact #10 (Marilyn Monroe Exposes Hollywood Wolves) – That part about her seeming to accept it as ‘an occupational hazard’? Yeah, that’s pretty much what every woman deals with. You just understand that, as a woman, you’re gonna have to put up with inappropriate advances and comments from men. Not all men, obviously, but enough to make it super tiresome and sometimes even frightening. The more education and skills you have, the less you generally have to tolerate this. Still, some professions mean you either deal with it and try to navigate it, or you risk really hurting your career.
Yeah, sometimes it goes to such an extreme. I was an exotic dancer, and you just have to come to terms with knowing you’re going to be physically and sexually assaulted, degraded, emotionally and mentally abused, manipulated, humiliated, you name it. Just completely treated like a doll for people to unleash their worst side on. It really shouldn’t be that way. Being in sex work doesn’t make any of that okay. We still deserve respect.
Considering the sheer size of the population and your average workplace, even if only 1% of men were like that, you’d still more than likely find at least one creepy mother fu*ker at every job you ever work. And trust me, it’s not just 1% of men.
Hey, thanks for sharing that. It was a super interesting read and totally brought back memories of a coworker I had once. When I told him I was being mistreated by someone higher up in the company, he actually said, “think about who is more valuable to the company, you or him.” This higher-up was pretty awful to many of his subordinates. Most couldn’t just leave, since they were older, part of a minority group, had little education, and had been there for 20 years. There was nowhere they could go that would pay them as well, even if they could find another job. I, on the other hand, had options. So, I found a new job, and before I left, I had a talk with the HR director about this man. When I explained what I’d been subjected to, she questioned me about why no one else who worked for him had complained. I replied, “Because they’re under-educated Black women who probably couldn’t get a job paying as well elsewhere.” At that moment, I could see a light bulb go off in her head. Sadly, even though I knew she believed me, nothing was done about this man. He stayed with that company until he retired. I just don’t think you can have a ‘missing stair’ problem without having enablers who benefit by keeping the status quo, whether it’s for their job security or the idea that more value is gained than lost.
RE: Fact #13 (Halle Berry Secret AOL Chats) – It’s the same with me; nobody believes it when I say I’m Halle Berry.
Yeah, it’s cool; nobody online ever buys that I’m Napoleon either.
No, no, I’m definitely not Spartacus! I’M HALLE BERRY!
RE: Fact #2 (Kate Winslet Bathroom Oscar Speeches) – I heard a rumor she’s even got a huge wooden board just chilling in her swimming area.
RE: Fact #7 (Betty White Refuses Racist Boycott) – Here are a few cool things about Betty White. She’s actually got the record for the most years on television as *any* performer, male or female. Can you believe she’s older than sliced bread? She was born in 1922, and that famous bread didn’t even exist until 1928. Also, she’s older than Mickey Mouse. Back in 2010, the Forest Service actually made her an honorary forest ranger. She’d mentioned before that when she was a kid, she really wanted to be one, but women weren’t allowed back then. By the time she got the honor, over a third of the Forest Service staff were women. To give you a clearer picture of her long life. 1922 was way back then. Just months after her birth, the Lincoln Memorial was dedicated, the Ottoman Empire completely collapsed, and bouncing baby boys Kurt Vonnegut and Stan Lee entered the world.
It must be super strange, right? Being born when they tell you ‘no forest ranger for you’ just because you’re a woman, and then reaching 92 years old when people would scratch their heads if you said ‘women can’t be forest rangers’.
Hmm, it does sound a bit odd when you phrase it like that, as if they were totally separate events. I honestly think it’d be incredible to experience all that, to literally witness society evolve and grow over so many years.
RE: Fact #26 (Eartha Kitt Confronts White House) – Just learned that Eartha Kitt, the original singer of “Santa Baby,” actually did the voice for Izma in “The Emperor’s New Grove”, what a fun fact!
Don’t forget about “Ernest Scared Stupid.” It’s a stupid but great film, and the actress was amazing.
She was actually Madame Zeroni in “Holes” too.
I had no idea she sang “Santa Baby” or was in the Emperor’s New Groove because she’s literally Catwoman! She replaced Julie Newmar for season three of the original Batman show. This fact should be deleted and turned into something like “Catwoman, Eartha Kitt, blah blah” because she’s absolutely Catwoman. Rant over, sorry…
RE: Fact #1 (Carrie Fisher Cow-Tongue Justice) – Something I really loved about Carrie Fisher was how she named her dog Gary Fisher.
RE: Fact #28 (Mercedes McCambridge Tortures Exorcist Voice) – At first she said she didn’t want any credit,she thought it would steal focus from Blair’s performance. But then she got upset when her name was missing at the premiere. She fought Friedkin and Warner Bros., and with help from the Screen Actors Guild, she finally got her credit for the voice work. I don’t blame her; that’s some serious dedication.
She first said she didn’t want any credit for the movie, and then she started whining that she wasn’t credited,what’s up with that?
Every time they head out for dinner, he just repeats that line.
RE: Fact #43 (Kate Winslet Regrets Titanic Nude) – Asking someone to sign a nude photo of themselves feels kinda odd, but maybe that’s just how I see it.
RE: Fact #36 (Amy Schumer Original 2018 Barbie) – Just imagine how awful it would’ve been if Amy Schumer was in the mix.
Terrible? It could’ve been the best. Imagine a movie with all the greatest comedians writing every joke, yet nobody gets credit.
RE: Fact #30 (Ming-Na Wen Inspires Mulan) – Whenever an animation is made, the animators will listen to the voice‑recording sessions and grab bits of the performer’s delivery.
RE: Fact #28 (Mercedes McCambridge Tortures Exorcist Voice) – They say if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life. That’s a bit trickier when the thing you’re passionate about is smoking and sipping whiskey, but it can still be done.
How about you just become an airline pilot, okay?
RE: Fact #8 (Miriam Margolyes First TV F-Bomb) – Wow, she’s really something else! I completely forgot she was on ‘Call the Midwife,’ and had no idea she lives in Australia with her partner. Heard from QI that she was actually the first to drop the f-bomb on the BBC.
Seriously, her actual name sounds way more like a Harry Potter character than her character’s name does.
Crazy to think she’s been in huge movies like ‘Harry Potter,’ acted on Broadway, and even worked with directors like Martin Scorsese, but her beginnings were… With her distinctive voice, Margolyes first gained recognition for her work as a voice artist. In the 1970s she recorded a soft-porn audio called Sexy Sonia: Leaves from my Schoolgirl Notebook. She performed most of the supporting female characters in the dubbed Japanese action TV series Monkey. She also worked with the theatre company Gay Sweatshop and provided voiceovers in the Japanese TV series The Water Margin. I guess everyone has to begin somewhere, right?
RE: Fact #34 (Marilyn Monroe Teenage Survival Marriage) – My great‑grandma did the same thing back in the 1930s. Her mom died giving birth when she was nine, and then that baby passed away three months later. When she turned 14 her dad got hit on the head at work and started having seizures and blackouts. He eventually checked himself into a mental institution after he went violent and nearly killed someone during a blackout. With nowhere else to turn, she married a man in his twenties when she was just fifteen and had my grandma when she was sixteen. Even though that situation sounds awful, her husband,my great‑grandfather,was apparently a really nice guy and she ended up having a decent life with him. She lived into her 90s too.
RE: Fact #15 (Elizabeth Taylor Consoles Marilyn Monroe) – The fact itself was interesting, but come on, all those ads for ‘5 warning signs that your dog is crying for help’? I definitely did not sign up for that. My point is, I really don’t want to see sad, sick dogs everywhere when I’m trying to read about something completely different. It wasn’t just ‘ads’ that were the problem, it was specifically that one ad plastered all over the page.
I don’t even own a dog, but now I’m seriously worried that dogs everywhere are crying for help.
<blockquote><p>I don’t even have a dog “that you know of”</p></blockquote>
RE: Fact #34 (Marilyn Monroe Teenage Survival Marriage) – I read a fun fact that Marilyn Monroe and Queen Elizabeth were actually born just two months apart.
Just like how people think of MLK and Anne Frank as living in different eras, even though they were actually born the same year.
RE: Fact #8 (Miriam Margolyes First TV F-Bomb) – Miriam Margolyes is amazing, seriously. If you know ‘Discworld,’ she’s pretty much Nanny Ogg come to life. She obviously loves living life to the fullest and isn’t afraid to be totally honest. That’s the kind of cool, older lady I want to become.
Totally agree with that! I really hope she sings the hedgehog song someday!
RE: Fact #23 (Greta Garbo Fantasizes Killing Hitler) – That’s exactly why she’s spot on over here in Sweden.
RE: Fact #37 (Lisa Kudrow Plays Two Buffays) – Kramer’s actually renting his place from Paul Reiser over on “Mad About You”, so Seinfeld lives in that same universe too. Yet George was watching “Mad About You” with Susan,huh?
RE: Fact #4 (Carrie Fisher Uncredited Script Doctor) – I recall her saying she started doing script doctoring. That’s because her cocaine habit had become super expensive. Seriously, what a wild explanation to turn into an expert in another field.
RE: Fact #5 (Laura Dern Nineteen Ice-Cream Takes) – Oh, is that really all it takes to be an actor? Just hand over the Haagen-Dazs, and I’ll Meryl Streep the sh*t right out of it, no problem.
Nope, what you really need to be an actor is to have parents like Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd. I bet Scorsese was fully aware of who her folks were.
Yep, that’s exactly right. The ice cream story is kinda sweet, but let’s be real, Laura was already part of ‘the club’ way before anyone really knew her name. That doesn’t mean she’s not talented, though; she’s still a fantastic actress.
RE: Fact #42 (Natalie Portman Polyglot Lab Researcher) – I’m not convinced she actually speaks Japanese. The only thing I found was a clip where she tried to say greetings in Japanese but had a thick accent. She did mention knowing “chotto dake,” which translates to “a little.”
I don’t think so. But Marty Friedman,yeah, that guitarist from Megadeth,he totally gets it.
RE: Fact #11 (Judi Dench Plants Memorial Forest) –
That’s such a lovely saying, it’s really inspiring. I’d love to actually begin doing this myself. Also, something interesting: they planted 36 oak trees at Princess Diana’s family home, Althorp, to honor each year of her life.
RE: Fact #39 (Demi Lovato Lies Sobriety Documentary) – Maybe not super popular, but this woman is a total trainwreck. She just publicly denounced a yogurt spot for giving out vegan and sugar‑free options.
RE: Fact #10 (Marilyn Monroe Exposes Hollywood Wolves) – What’s really messed up about that article is its lighthearted tone, like it’s all just a game and no big deal, and it’s on women to “play fair.” Apart from that off-duty police officer who tried to break in through the window, none of these men really suffered any consequences. Yet, Marilyn Monroe herself, just for openly discussing how she rejected such guys, ended up with a reputation for sleeping her way to the top.
Marilyn’s whole life was pretty much just a string of sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment. She actually got married at 16, mostly to get out of the foster care system because she was repeatedly sexually abused by different families there. Her life was tragic in almost every sense, but what she’s mostly remembered for is just being the “blonde bombshell.”
RE: Fact #25 (Patricia Arquette Nicolas Cage Quest) – Basically, Patricia Arquette is like a character straight out of Greco‑Roman myth,just kidding!
If you were to ask someone to marry you right then, you’d definitely come off as nuts,that’s a big red flag.
I never realized that was something everyone already knew.
I reckon she really oughted to’ve asked for a slice of the moon.
Sure thing – she could’ve just asked for the Declaration of Independence. He’s already got plenty of experience.
RE: Fact #32 (Carrie Fisher Jokes About Leia) – Honestly, I think she really shined when she was in the suburbs.
RE: Fact #15 (Elizabeth Taylor Consoles Marilyn Monroe) – That’s actually some pretty smart advice. If you deny something, they’ll often just assume you’re lying anyway. But confirming it could really mess you up. So it’s better to just leave the media guessing!
RE: Fact #6 (Julie Andrews Thanks Jack Warner) – Looks like her Mary Poppins umbrella wasn’t the only source of shade.
She handed him a spoonful of tea.
And she did it in the most delightful way, too.