Blast from the Past: Sexy Teeth and Fresh Breath in the 70s !

Often for my Blast from the Past, I know I've repurposed and rerun old columns because of either a) running out of time or b) losing interest! This is one of those weeks where I'm reusing an old idea, but I'm not even going to look at my previous columns, I'm just going to see what I can find, using YouTube and my own memory as a guide.

I got the idea this week from the fact that I'm going in for my last insured dental visit for a while. The Other Half and I are embarking on a risky new chapter of our lives, where we will not have this type of coverage until we secure new jobs in a new town. So, obviously, it's a bit on my mind. But for some reason, I discovered that the topic of oral care is somehow extra sexy in the seventies. Take a look.

1. Ultra Brite Toothpaste (1978) - In a previous piece, I remember running a Farrah Fawcett Ultra Brite commercial. Here's one with her fellow Charlie's Angels "sister," Cheryl Ladd.
2. Close-Up Toothpaste (1979) - Ultra Brite wasn't the only toothpaste to play up sexuality. Close-Up did that almost exclusively. Here they are with Tom Selleck.
 

3. Crest Toothpate (1970s) - How about a little mustachioed Bill Cosby in your mouth? *blurrgh*
4. Pearl Drops Tooth Polish (1975) - Back to sexy (if you don't find the Cos sexy), with a woman who is a little to thrilled with her polished teeth. Sorry for the video quality, but there are other 70s commercials in the clip.
 

5. Macleans Toothpaste (1971) - Wow, they were sure horny for clean teeth in the 70s! Here, Cybill Shepherd is much less than subtle about getting it on with a guy who insults her.
6. Scope Mouthwash (1976) - Better rinse before getting that morning smooch!
 

7. Signal Mouthwash (1978) - Apparently Signal Mouthwash makes cheesy come-ons more sexy.
8. Freshen Up Bubblegum (1978) - A gum so sexy, it squirts in your mouth. . . And yes, that's Sorrell Brooke, Boss Hogg from The Dukes of Hazzard.
 

And that will about do it for me for the week. Though I just can't get out of here without the Farrah one. It's too classic. Here it is, happy Monday!
 

Fall TV Season: Charlie's Angels Looks. . .Bad

The original and true Charlie's Angels

I'm a big fan of cheesy 70s TV shows, especially the ABC "jiggle" era, since it was the beginning of my pop-culture awareness. I was 10 in 1976, which is about the time I started buying 45 records, and cluing in to Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, ABBA, and Charlie's Angels. There is something special about the era, and the products of that era that can't be recaptured for people who weren't there (though the brilliant-but-cancelled Swingtown came close).

Charlie's Angels, the original TV show, wasn't by today's standards a great show. There was a looseness and a languidness about 70s TV dramas. Today's dramas probably have two to three times as much script as they had in those days. And you can't say the acting was terrific (though Kate Jackson was a pro), but it was serviceable, and better than it had any right to be. What the original Charlie's Angels had was an intangible but obivous magic. It captured lightning in a bottle, with a cast that clicked spectacularly, and an energy that is undeniable. When Farrah Fawcett left the show (after one short season) in a tragic contract dispute, they captured the lightning again, amazingly enough, with the casting of Cheryl Ladd as Fawcett's character's sister. It should have failed. The writers didn't even try to be clever with that one, but Ladd fit right in as if nothing ever happened.  Jackson still crackled with her "smart one" routine, and Jacklyn Smith's "streetwise" character got fleshed out more. It was all going great.

The later, fake Charlie's Angels

But when Jackson left, the show became a shadow of its former self. Neither Shelley Hack nor Tanya Roberts clicked at all, and the show sputtered out after five years. After that, there were abortive attempts at a TV reboot, and then two feature films featuring Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu and Cameron Diaz. The movies were successful commercially, but not critically. That in itself isn't any different from the TV show, which never got critical respect.  But the movies had little to do with the series beyond the setup, and an attempt at continuity with the original (Smith appeared in part two). I never really understood how there could be three Bosleys (David Doyle, Bill Murray and  Bernie Mac) in that continuity, but whatever.

The biggest problem was, the movie Charlie's Angels made the girls into superheroes, sort of a trio of kick ass James Bonds. In fact, the movies seemed to be a blend of 007 and The Matrix. The 70s series was just a group of very pretty women who used to be cops, who were now private investigators. They weren't gifted karate pros, or supernaturally spritely waif-fu experts. I'd hoped, when I heard that the show was being rebooted, that they'd take it back to its roots, but spruce it up with modern storytelling. Looks like they went the movie route. Pity. It looks like it's going to suck. It looks like it will follow Bionic Woman, Knight Rider and V into the remake abyss.

Blast from the Past: Classic Commercials of the 70s

I wasn't happy with my previous post. Not enough to entertain you as we enter a new week. So, how about this?






1. Calgon - Ancient Chinese secret, huh?
2. Pringles "New Fangled" Potato Chips - Did you forget they came in a paper sleeve? Now, they just let them crumble in the package.
3. Slinky - Every kid had one. Every kid got tired of them in about 10 minutes. Every kid eventually tangled them up.
4. Gnip Gnop - Somebody was stoned when they came up with the name.
5. Count Chocula and Frankenberry Cereal - Gayest. Cartoon characters. Ever. Ok, yeah, there was Snagglepuss.
6. Coca-Cola - "I'd like to teach the world to sing, in perfect harmony. . ." Dirty hippies!
7. Burger King - I couldn't find the "Hold the pickle, hold the lettuce. . ." one, but this'll do nicely.
8. Ultra Brite - The late, lovely Farrah Fawcett in one of her earliest TV spots.

Frivolity Break: Charlie's Angels Returning to TV?

Image from source, Variety

Revivals of TV shows are a really mixed bag. But I get excited for new treatments of old favorites every time. Occasionally you get a Star Trek: The Next Generation, which improves upon and expands the franchise. Other times, you get a complete reboot like V, which takes a similar storyline and updates it to great effect (though the long-term success of this one isn't yet known). Most often, you get a boring reboot, like The Bionic Woman or a craptastic sequel like Knight Rider.

Charlie's Angels could go any of those routes. The original--a crime show with three gorgeous female detectives--is light and fluffy, but had a special something that gives me nostalgic, heart-warming happy thoughts. It also had an established habit of replacing "Angels" almost yearly (starting with Farrah Fawcett-Majors abruptly quitting when she got famous). So a new cast totally makes sense, and could be presented as though this is a continuation.

The two movies went that route, but cheated by turning the concept into a wild, action-packed hyper reality, with stunts right out of James Bond movies. Sure, John Forsythe was still doing Charlie's voice, and Jaclyn Smith finally turned up. But the movie Angels bore little similarity to the original three (or even the next three). They'd be better off, both budget wise and storytelling wise to go back to something like the original concept. They'd of course have to update the wardrobe and cars (no Ford Pintos!). They'd need much more intricate plots (which were along the lines of Scooby Doo Mysteries) and pacing (meandering as they did in the 70s).

The key to doing it right is not just hiring three hot chicks. They need a second dose of lightning in a bottle here. The original cast, Fawcett, Smith and Kate Jackson, had amazing chemistry in addition to being pretty. Jackson's Sabrina was brainy, Smith's Kelly was street-smart, Fawcett's Jill was athletic and charming. They had a nice mixture of mystery, humor and of course a dash of sexiness. But for all the "jiggle TV" reputation they garnered, the show also had an air of innocence about it. I'm not sure how easy it would be to recapture that.

The original show managed to integrate Cheryl Ladd in as Kris, Jill's sister, without losing that chemistry. But by the time Shelley Hack and Tanya Roberts came around, something was gone (I'm suspecting that Kate Jackson was the glue that held this show together).

[Excerpt]

ABC closing in on 'Charlie's Angels'

ABC is close to giving a pilot order to a modern version of the classic 1970s TV actioner "Charlie’s Angels."

Josh Friedman, who recently adapted the "Terminator" franchise for his Fox series "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles," is onboard to write and exec produce the new "Angels. . ."

Read more at: Variety

Independence Day Weekend: Feeling Old!

Images of Freedom Train and Bicentennial logo from Wikipedia

One of the news stations announced that it was the 233rd birthday of the United States yesterday, and a quick check of the math confirms this to be true. And for people in my age bracket (a few years north of 40), this quickly leads to the realization that it has been thirty-three years since the Bicentennial. Yikes.

In 1976, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were still alive and relevant. The sexual revolution was in full swing (as related in last summer's documentary drama series, Swingtown). And the Bicentennial was huge. There were more flags, bunting and patriotic themed merchandise in evidence than would exist until immediately after 9/11. They even redesigned the quarter, half-dollar and silver dollar to commemorate the event. Everything was America this, and Spirit of '76 that.

One of the biggest events (at least to my then 10-year-old self) was the Freedom Train, an actual train that went from town to town as a travelling museum. It was something of a mini-Smithsonian, or educational Disney exhibit, taking you through the history (mostly high points) of the United States. It's too bad there wasn't a 2-1/3 century blowout this year. I doubt the country has ever been as united in their patriotism without a cataclysmic event to jolt us into it.

But still. . .thirty-three years ago? Yikes.

Mini DVD Review: Charlie's Angels The Movies

Image from source, Wikipedia

The past few weeks, having depleted my Joss Whedon DVDs (Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel) I have been watching season one of Charlie's Angels. I was inspired to buy the box set by Farrah Fawcett's Farrah's Story documentary. Since that time, Farrah has regrettably become an actual angel, and I've enjoyed (very much) watching her in her prime.

Charlie's Angels was criticised in its day for being "jiggle TV." The Moral Majority® crusaders heaped much abuse upon what is now seen as fairly tame. The show promised much more than it delivered when it comes to titillation. What it did provide is a nice little enjoyable 70s detective show, which while completely unbelievable, was also very entertaining. And the three stars, Fawcett, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, managed to make the show something more than the sum of its parts. Shortly after buying the box set, I found the movie versions, both at steep discounts. So, I bought them.

When they made the movies based on the series, they missed the mark entirely. OK, maybe not entirely. Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore and Cameron Diaz did have something of the same chemistry and camaraderie as the original three. But the feel of the show, the very premise, was discarded. John Forsythe was still there, amazingly still able to pull the gravitas at his very advanced age, to be believable as their never-seen boss. There were two Bosleys, Bill Murray--apparently the same character as the late David Doyle--and Bernie Mac, as Murray's adoptive brother.

But the movie version was vastly different in concept. In McG's Charlie's Angels, the girls were like elite special forces operatives, akin to James Bond or Tom Cruise's character in Mission Impossible. Gone were the ordinary human women who would alternatively kick butt and become damsels in distress. The movie Angels were able to defy the laws of physics, while fighting crime on an international and almost supernatural scale.

There isn't a thing in the movie versions of Charlie's Angels that can be believed as "real world." Your suspension of disbelief must be put on absolute ignore. That said, both Charlie's Angels and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle are still a hoot. The girls have such enthusiasm, and are so entertaining, that I can't outright condemn their efforts. And major kudos to scoring a cameo by Smith, in character as original angel Kelly Garrett. The show and the movies may have very little in common, but the acknowledgement of what came before was appreciated.

And a little trivia: as unlikely as it might seem, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle was the very first Blu-ray disc issued. And Smith was the only TV angel to appear in every episode of the series, not to mention one out of two of the movies.

My ratings:

Charlie's Angels Season One: Highly Recommended (if you like 70s TV)

Charlie's Angels the movie: Recommended

Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle: If you liked part one, Recommended. If not, no.

Rememberences of Farrah Fawcett

Image from NY Daily News

Since Farrah's Story aired on NBC a few weeks ago, I've expected to get the news of Farrah Fawcett's death. It was made clear that she was terminal, and by the end of the documentary, she wasn't even lucid. So, her death--while no less sad--was not a surprise. More surprising, of course, was the out of the blue death of Michael Jackson on the very same day.

Which is sad all by itself, but doubly so for Farrah. As the celebrity reporter on MSNBC said, they were working on a Farrah Fawcett retrospective when they got the Jackson news. After that, Fawcett is now a footnote. And she deserved more than that.

I had Farrah's iconic poster on my wall as a 'tween, as all little boys (even us gay ones) did in 1976. I struggled to stay up late to watch Charlie's Angels, even though bedtime that year was 10:00 pm. I managed to catch up during the summer, and was excited that the show moved to 9:00 pm the next season. But where was Farrah? She'd left the show! My sadness was short-lived, due to the brilliant casting of Cheryl Ladd.

But Farrah still held my attention. I watched Logan's Run (still a favorite) and Saturn 3. The weeks when she was contracturally bound to appear in guest shots on Charlie's Angels, I was front and center. Years later, I'd be interested enough in her to check out movies like The Burning Bed, and Extremities, which I'd have been almost certain to skip otherwise.

When Farrah's Story aired, I was given a new perspective on Farrah, who had--lets face it--been rather strange in her last decade or so. She appeared dizzy (or drugged) on The Late Show with David Letterman and the William Shatner roast. So to see her so spirited, courageous and real may have been one of the best things to come out of an otherwise depressing program.

So, RIP, Farrah Fawcett. You are one of many pieces of my childhood, but one of the only ones I will always be able to picture--in that red bathing suit, with the dazzling smile--in perfect clarity, as you looked then. You may not get the same coverage as Michael Jackson, but you had quite an impact, just the same.

My Take on the Death of Michael Jackson

Image from GroupieBlog

Some celebrity deaths you anticipate. Ed McMahon, for example, was elderly and had been quite ill for some time. Farrah Fawcett, who also died today, had been terminally ill with cancer, so was also not a surprise. But, Michael Jackson? We're used to bizarre behavior, and out-of-left-field news items, but death at age 50? It's hard to digest.

In the hours since, I have been surprised some more. I heard a snippet of The Mark Levin Show on the radio (something I do not advise), and heard a rather dismissive air of the story. Later, I heard the local Las Vegas conservative talk radio show, The Casey Hendrickson Show with Heather Kydd. This was far worse. The show airs on KXNT, the local sponsor of the Sean Hannity "Freedom" Concerts. Kydd was something of a fan, and was uncharacteristically reserved. Hendrickson was not. He was unbelievably crass, expressing "happiness" that Jackson had died. This dovetailed with a few of the posts you might read on right-wing web site FreeRepublic, though tailered for radio.

The source of this nastiness is of course the allegations of pedophilia that will loom over any discussion of Jackson. It is worth noting that Jackson was acquitted of those charges. "Paid off" or not, no accuser ever proved his case. Having known a little of the background of the story, from the inside as it were, I personally don't believe the stories had merit. Regardless, expressing elation at someone's death--especially given the freshness of the news--is beyond crass.

The reaction of the rest of the news media frankly surprised me as well. I've mostly watched MSNBC, where Keith Olbermann has been handling the anchoring duties. It has been wall-to-wall Jackson, without commercials. I flipped to CNN and FOX "News," and found them covering it as well. If nothing else, it is a testament to Jackson's celebrity that more than a decade after having any fresh music, that it would garner such coverage.

I'll close by saying that I enjoyed--and will continue to enjoy--Michael Jackson's music. I'll concede that he was likely a troubled soul, and that he took "eccentric" to a whole 'nother level. If there is any truth to the more salacious allegations, I would of course find that awful. But since no truth has ever been proved, I will not judge him for it. And if it wasn't true? What a horrible thing that it hung over the last decades of his life. RIP, Michael.

Farrah Fawcett Has Died at 62

Image from source, MSNBC

At work, no time to write. Very sad. More later.

More at MSNBC: Farrah Fawcett succumbs to cancer at 62

Blast from the Past: Tim Curry I Do the Rock

While writing about Charlie's Angels, earlier, I remembered a fantastic song by Tim Curry, star of The Rocky Horror Picture Show. In his song "I Do the Rock," he mentions the stars of the show, and it has always been one of my favorite songs. They used to play this at the theater before The Rocky Horror Picture Show. So here you go. . .



Lyrics:

Edith Sitwell giving readings
14 Moscow Road
Osbert's giving champagne parties
Sachie's got a cold
Gertrude's hanging pictures
Alice making tea
Me, I do the only thing that still makes sense to me
I Do the RockI Do the Rock Rock
John and Yoko farming beef
Raising protein quota
Sometimes they make love and art
Inside the Coda
Rodney's feeling sexy
Mick is really frightfully bold
Me, I do the only thing that stops me growing old
I Do the RockI Do the Rock RockI Do the Rock Rock Rock
It's stimulating
Solzhenitzin feels exposed
Built a barbed-wire prison
Nietzsche's six feet under
But his babies' still got rhythm
Einstein's celebrating ten decades
But I'm afraid philosophy is just too much responsibility for me
I Do the RockI Do the Rock
Baby Ruth and Dizzy Dean
Best and Colin Cowdrey
Little Mo, Virginia Wade
Pistol Pete and O.J.
I've always liked Di Maggio
And Rockne's pretty Knute you know
I could never whack a ball with such velocity
I Do the RockI Do the RockI Do the Rock
It's stimulatingI'm a keen student
Liz and Dick and Britt and Liza
Jaclyn, Kate and Farrah
Meg and Roddy, John Travolta
Governor Brown and Linda
Interview and People Magazine
Miss Rona and the Queen
It must be really frightful to attract publicity
I Do the Rock
Myself
Carter, Begin and Sadat
Brezhnev, Teng and Castro
Everyday negotiate us closer to disastro
Idi Amin and the ShahAnd Al Fatah is quite Bizarre
I could never get the hang of ideology
I Do the RockI Do the RockI Do the Rock
Sunshine

Weekend Frivolity: Jaclyn, Kate and Farrah

Image from BittenAndBound

I'm enjoying my second weekend of Charlie's Angels season one. And I'm struck by the fact that all of the original angels have had cancer scares. It seems profoundly unfair, and statistically unlikely that all of them had to deal with that. Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson both had breast cancer (years ago), and seem to have come through it. Farrah Fawcett (Majors) has had worse luck, as the NBC documentary has shown us all. I'll continue to hope for a miracle for her, as she seems to be a very nice and sweet person. Not that anyone deserves a horrible disease, mind you.

The first season DVDs are far more enjoyable than you'd think. Sure, it's a silly 70s crime series, with all of the "TV tropes" cliches. But the girls had an undeniable chemistry. And the show is more than the sum of its parts. Aside from the fun "hey, I know them!" celebrity sightings (like Kim Basinger, Richard Mulligan, Tom Selleck and more), we find a group of actors who can rise above their material. Farrah can be coy and fun. Jaclyn exudes a knowing quality. Kate seems smart and perky no matter what she's doing. And even David Doyle as Bosley comes across as a very competent overseer to the girls. As dumb as the show is on the surface, there's a lot going on here. Only John Forsythe's Charlie seems irredeemable. The girls' comments to him seem like gentle-hearted pity.

Farrah Fawcett only got her proper credit as an actress after The Burning Bed, and Extremities. But all of the original Angels rose above their material. For all of the hair flipping and contrivances, they all come off as natural and realistic. I can only hope that the other angels (Shelley Hack, Cheryl Ladd and Tanya Roberts) have had better luck, health-wise.

Lazy Saturday: More Angel and Charlie's Angels

First image from WaggingTales
Second image from OdeonDirect

As you can see, my weekend blogging is once again at an ebb. I'm quickly approaching my 2-year anniversary as a blogger, and it is fair to say that at times--especially weekends--I just want to get out from behind my computer screen a little.

So today, I embarked on a quest across the Las Vegas valley. After watching Real Time with Bill Maher on the DVR (a little more contentious this week, with two conservatives on the panel), I headed out across the valley with a goal in mind. I've just finished watching season one of Angel, the spin-off of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and I wanted season two. I got the first set at Best Buy over on Rainbow Blvd., and figured that would be the best place to go.

Unfortunately, what was $17 a couple of weeks ago is $34.99 now. Bummer. So I tried Sam's Club next door. Nope. But I remembered that Costco had them for sale not long ago, and decided what the hey, I'm out this far, might as well run up to Charleston Blvd. and get it there. No dice. But looky there, another Best Buy in the same shopping center! But all they had was the complete box set for $124.99. And I already own season 1.

This Best Buy did have an interesting item, Charlie's Angels season 1. Last night, I watched Farrah's Story, the heart-rending documentary about Farrah Fawcett's tragic battle with anal cancer, and had already considered buying the set. And here it was, on sale, in a cute little tin lunchbox. But it was broken, and there was only one. Back in the car!

I decided to go back to the Rainbow Best Buy, buy the (overpriced) Angel, season two, and also to seek out Charlie's Angels season one. Well, I got Angel, but the little lunchbox was nowhere to be seen. I still had one more option, ironically the closest one to my house, Fry's Electronics at Town Square.

Fry's is one of those stores I can spend an afternoon in, sometimes walking out with either nothing, or with far more than I intended to buy. They have a very nice selection of movies and other DVDs, but the prices can fall just about anywhere from cheap to expensive. But, surprise! Angel, any season you want, is $29.95. And they have tons of them, so they don't look as if they'll run out. While they didn't have the lunchbox, they did have the first season of Charlie's Angels, at $19.95, so I bought it.

I hadn't known that Charlie's Angels debuted as an ABC-TV Movie of the Week, but was pleased to see it included in the set. The cast was the same, with a different office workplace, and an extra character (the recently out-of-the-closet David Ogden Stiers). I watched that and the first official episode, and found them. . .interesting. The crackling chemistry between Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and (my favorite) Kate Jackson was still there. David Boyle was great as Bosley, and John Forsythe was suave (and creepy with all the bimbos) as Charlie.

CA suffers from "70s action show syndrome" though, a peculiar malady that also infects Starsky & Hutch, CHiPs, Wonder Woman and countless other shows of the era. The pacing is odd, the plotting thin, and the character actors just a little too recognizable. Of course the clothing is terrible too, though not so much on the leads. And one comment has to be made about the men's wardrobe on 70s shows like this. I remember that pants were cut tightly back then, but I had no idea that you could almost tell the male characters' religion, if you catch my drift. Charlie's Angels was dubbed T&A or "Jiggle TV" for the lack of bras, but it wasn't just the ladies who were showing off body parts!

It was still a great deal of nostalgic fun, watching the first couple of episodes. Farrah is particularly gorgeous, with the other two ladies only slightly lower on the beauty scale. The trio seemed to really get along, and no matter how preposterous the plots might be, you never lose interest because you care about the characters. My review: Recommended

As for Angel, I only watched the first episode from the second season, but liked it a lot. David Boreanaz was very funny doing demon karaoke. I've got to wonder if he really sings that badly, or if he had to ham it up. Anyway, that's my Saturday, outside of other minor chores like grocery shopping. Hope everybody else had a productive day. For me, I might just knuckle down and get some blogging done.

Then again, I might not!

Movies I Can't Wait to See: Logan's Run

Image from source, Wikipedia

There was a very interesting breed of movie back in the 1970s. While the studios were pumping money into quality productions like Star Wars, Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, they were also cranking out sci-fi on the cheap. Saturn 3, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Battle Beyond the Stars and Flash Gordon (1980) all come to mind.

And so does Logan's Run. But for some reason Logan's Run holds a soft spot in my heart. I think it was the fact that it was a dystopian future story like 1984 or Brave New World. I don't know why, I just dig those sorts of stories. The film starred Farah Fawcett (-Majors), then at the peak of her fame, Michael York and Jenny Agutter. The premise is a future where people live in paradise under domed cities. But paradise is limited. These domed cities lie in a wasteland of man's ruins. To keep the population in check, you must voluntarily submit to euthanasia.

Those who flip out, and decide not to off themselves are hunted down by "runners." When Logan--himself a runner--decides to run, the movie's action begins. The story still holds up well 30 years on, but the cheapie special effects doom it to be a period piece.

Fortunately, the film is being remade as a major motion picture, currently slated for 2010. While I'm sure I'll be there opening weekend, I'm hoping they don't screw it up. Yeah, I'm jaded. Of course, the remake has had a tumultuous genesis, and may never come to pass. Jaded or not, I'm crossing my fingers.

[Excerpt]

Known so far:

Distributor: Warner Brothers

Release Date: 2008+ [IMDB.com says 2010]

Production Company: Silver Pictures

Producer: Joel Silver

Director: Joseph Kosinski

Screenwriter: Tim Sexton (based on the novel "Logan's Run" by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson )

Original Music: Not yet announced

Cinematography: Not yet announced

From: Logan's Run Remake News and Updates

Anthony Pellicano Trial to Begin

Well, he's not a guy to kiss and tell, but he's been seen with Farrah.

Photo from source, Reuters

Finally, we have a "celebrity" story that has a little meat on its bones. Usually, we have thin stories about thin celebutards with even thinner talents. This one though, you can sink your teeth into.

I have to ask though, what did Anthony Pellicano do that was so bad? I mean, warrantless wiretapping, intimidation by fear. . .aren't those things perfectly legal these days? Maybe he can get retroactive immunity or something.

[Excerpt]

Hollywood braces as Pellicano trial opens

Pellicano was the go-to guy when the rich and powerful -- including top industry executives and A-list clients -- needed to dig up dirt on an opponent. As prosecutors and law enforcement started sniffing around, it looked like the case against him would end up being a case against Hollywood.

So far, that hasn't happened. Instead, only a handful of those connected to Hollywood have been prosecuted because of their ties to Pellicano -- former Hollywood Records president Robert Pfeifer and "Die Hard" director John McTiernan. Both pleaded guilty to lying to federal investigators about their knowledge of Pellicano's wiretapping abilities but have yet to serve time in federal prison. McTiernan is currently appealing his guilty plea. . .

Read more at: Reuters

Classic Commercials #7: Before They Were Famous

Boy, it's been a long time since I've done one of these! Weekends, and Sundays in particular are difficult days for blogging. The news gets sparse or stale, and many of the usual sources just quit on Saturdays and Sundays. And since I had such a light posting day yesterday, I wanted to make sure to have some new content today. I've managed, but it wasn't easy.

Anyway, what was missing was something fun. My post about the death of the Polaroid Land Camera inspired me to post another classic commercials post. This time, I'm focusing on those old commercials, with famous people before they were famous. Take a look.

#1 - Heinz Ketchup - Here's Friends and Joey star, Matt LeBlanc looking very 80s cool.

#2 - Head & Shoulders - Farrah Fawcett and Penny Marshall sharing a bathroom.

#3 - Burger King - Unbelievably cute and precocious, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Sarah Michelle Gellar slays McDonald's.

#4 - Fabrege Shampoo - Heather Locklear may have been on Dynasty by the time this commercial came out, but was far from a household name. The commercial, however, will forever be part of pop-culture history.