With Captain Jack Sparrow entertaining cinema audiences in Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, I thought I’d take a trip to east London on the trail of another pirate – this one of the supernatural variety. The waterfront neighbourhood of Wapping, to the east of the City of London, has changed enormously over the last few centuries. Once, this...
Kim Kardashian’s Nuptials Will Be Bigger Than The Royal Wedding
Just days after Kim Kardashian received a 20.5-carat engagement ring from her NBA star boyfriend, Kris Humphries, the wedding chatter has begun in a big way. A royally big way, in fact, as Kim has not minced words about wanting her nuptials to contend with William and Kate’s royal wedding which, incidentally, I sat up until 4am to watch with...
Hands Off Queen Elizabeth!
The Americans are coming! What will they do to Queen Elizabeth this time? When the Obamas met The Queen at Buckingham Palace in 2009, the historically significant aspects of the encounter were lost. Instead of focusing on the differences between the new President and the old one (the new one being young, African-American, and conspicuously intelligent), the press went bananas...
Celebrity Causes: Elisa Donovan for Web Wise Kids
For years I have been talking to teenagers about personal health issues driven by peer pressure, self-esteem, and bullying. Web Wise Kids, an organization that focuses on educating kids about online safety, provides another opportunity for me to help encourage kids in a positive way. Web Wise Kids (WWK) is a national non-profit organization, dedicated to promoting a culture of...
Greg Graffin PhD and Smart Rock Stars
Is there a doctor in the house? Bad Religion’s Greg Graffin, who earned his PhD in zoology in 2007 from Cornell University, is eschewing the road during the week to teach evolution at his old alma mater this fall, in what is the first of three courses he’s helping to develop for the Ivy League school. For the past few...
The Headless Boleyns Prepping for Annual Appearances
Heads up, folks! If she keeps to her supernatural schedule then now’s a great time to look out for Britain’s most famous phantom. When Anne Boleyn (or Bullen) married King Henry VIII she wasn’t his first wife. That dubious privilege had fallen to Catherine of Aragon, who had previously been married to Henry’s brother Arthur (he had died in 1502)....
Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie Inspired by Cinderella’s Ugly Step-sisters?
How bizarre is life? Just yesterday I was chatting with our lovely PR person Bronagh about Princess Beatrice’s hat/fascinator being auctioned off for charity, and she remarked how much Beatrice and Eugenie reminded her of Cinderella’s step-sisters. In the Disney version of Cinderella, the step-sisters were named Anastasia and Drizella, and described by Wiki as: “plain and socially awkward…and bitterly...
This Day in Music, May 12: Burt Bacharach, Neil Young
1928 – Burt Bacharach Born on this day in 1928, one of the most accomplished popular composers of the 20th century, American songwriter, pianist and arranger Burt Bacharach. In the ’60s and ’70s, he was a dominant figure in pop music, responsible for a remarkable 52 Top 40 songs. To-date, Bacharach has written 70 Top 40 hits in the...
This Day In Music, May 5: Tammy Wynette and Elvis Presley
1942 Happy birthday today to Tammy Wynette who was born Virginia Wynette Pugh, in Tremont, Mississippi on this day in 1942. Known as the First Lady of Country Music, Wynette sold over 30 million records worldwide, was married five times, and once filed for bankruptcy. Many of her hits dealt with classic themes of loneliness, divorce, and the difficulties of...
Dispelling the Royal Wedding Myrtle Myth
Time to correct a myth about royal weddings. Yes, British royal brides do carry a sprig of myrtle in their bouquets. No, the myrtle does not come from Queen Victoria’s wedding bouquet. You know we’re all in mad royal wedding mode when we’re even talking about sprigs of myrtle and their provenance. But let’s set this straight now so you...