It’s hard to quantify how much actor/producer/director Michael Douglas has meant to popular culture. He’s been a fixture in films for nearly 40 years. He had a run through the eighties and early nineties that almost defined the pulse of the times: The War of the Roses, Wall Street, Falling Down, Fatal Attraction, Basic Instinct, Traffic. These are films that not only entertained millions of people, but also provided some of the most talked about issues of the day.

Douglas was such a lively, energetic, and charismatic force onscreen that it’s difficult to imagine him dying of old age, let alone a degenerative disease like cancer. Yet, sadly, that is the fight he has before him now. Diagnosed just three weeks ago with throat cancer at the base of his tongue, Douglas has continued to promote his new movie, Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps with his typical good humor and class.

Douglas showed up on David Letterman last night to talk about the movie, (more…)

Poor Keanu Reeves. Everyone’s favorite immortal being seems depressed and downhearted all the time, particularly when he’s out and about within view of the paparazzi. Probably all the pressure of being The One, I’d guess.

Over the last week or so, people have taken those sad pictures of Keanu and transformed them into transcendent comedic gems that are sure to brighten his day. You can see some of their works at Uproxx. Turn that frown upside down, Neo! It’ll be alright! Have a look at my attempt and have a hearty chuckle, my friend: (more…)

Twenty nine years ago today, music television was born in the form of MTV. Of course, music television died a decade later, replaced by a zombie version of it also known as MTV that only plays shitty reality shows.

But we celebrate that naive and exciting moment when pop culture took a radical left turn into bad fashion, weird electronic sounds, and experimental video forms. Here is how it all began:

Prophetic, eh?

Those first few years of MTV were exciting. (more…)

You know this picture is right. I wonder if Jim has any talent smeared on his hand when he pulls it out of her puppet hole. I doubt it.

Ask any St. Louisan and they’ll tell you – Whitey Herzog was the best manager /general manager is Cardinal history. Yeah, yeah, yeah … Tony LaRussa has won more games, but he’s also lost more games, too. LaRussa isn’t fit to hold Whitey’s beer mug.

Justice prevailed yesterday when the White Rat entered the Hall of Fame, following some of the players who helped him get there like Ozzie Smith, George Brett, and Bruce Sutter. I loved Herzog. He is a good ol’ boy in the Midwest tradition, and he made it. CONGRATS, Whitey!