Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Jack Nicholson destroyed the fake door in The Shining
Kubrick's breakaway prop was too flimsy for Nicholson, a former volunteer fire marshal, who chopped through it too quickly. They switched to a solid wood door…
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Disney once threatened daycares over Mickey murals
In 1989, Disney threatened legal action against three Florida daycares over hand-painted Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck murals. Universal responded by painting…
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Mark Wahlberg's third nipple became a movie-editing decision
A contemporary report about Rock Star said the extra nipple was digitally removed because the filmmakers considered it distracting. It had been visible in…
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Elvis could get a writing credit without writing the song
Songwriter Otis Blackwell described sharing credit as part of getting songs recorded by Presley. The arrangement joined creative work to commercial leverage:…
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Liam Neeson expected Taken to disappear into DVD land
He recalled liking the action work and the prospect of three months filming in Paris, while expecting the movie might simply earn back its money. Instead it…
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The hitmakers who never reached number one
Creedence Clearwater Revival holds the record for the most No. 2 singles on the Billboard Hot 100 without a No. 1 hit; The Archies and the Beatles were among…
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Blizzard Entertainment actually provided dedicated, private servers to the creators of South Park just so they could accurately film the in-game footage for their legendary World of Warcraft episode.
Blizzard Entertainment actually provided dedicated, private servers to the creators of South Park just so they could accurately film the in-game footage for…
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Sean Bean was so profoundly terrified of flying in helicopters that he chose to hike up a freezing New Zealand mountain every single day in his full Boromir costume to film his scenes for the Fellowship of the Ring.
Sean Bean was so profoundly terrified of flying in helicopters that he chose to hike up a freezing New Zealand mountain every single day in his full Boromir…
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Cast members on the hit sitcom The Office were provided with fully functional computers with actual internet access to make their background acting look more authentic.
Cast members on the hit sitcom The Office were provided with fully functional computers with actual internet access to make their background acting look more…
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Harry Potter was rejected by twelve publishers
Bloomsbury eventually accepted the manuscript after the chairman’s eight-year-old daughter asked to read the next chapter. Before that, twelve publishers had…
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The camping fight that inspired Fight Club
When Palahniuk returned to work with a smashed face, none of his coworkers asked what had happened. He took their silence as a sign that polite society…
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MTV opened with a song announcing radio's death.
MTV opened with a song announcing radio's death. At the network's August 1981 launch, The Buggles' Video Killed the Radio Star supplied the first music video.…
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Survivor rewards surviving the vote, not just surviving the island.
Survivor rewards surviving the vote, not just surviving the island. The format first reached television in Sweden as Expedition Robinson in 1997, before the…
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Fight Club's coffee-shop destruction had a branding limit.
Fight Club's coffee-shop destruction had a branding limit. Starbucks did not approve a scene destroying one of its cafés with a huge metal ball. The film used…
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Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy along with a massive 15% stake in the box office profits, but he turned it down simply because he didn't understand the script.
Sean Connery was offered the role of Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings trilogy along with a massive 15% stake in the box office profits, but he turned it down…
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Marketing executives for the 1999 indie horror film The Blair Witch Project ran such a convincing promotional campaign using fake police reports and missing persons posters that…
Marketing executives for the 1999 indie horror film The Blair Witch Project ran such a convincing promotional campaign using fake police reports and missing…
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The Friends cast turned six salary negotiations into one.
The Friends cast turned six salary negotiations into one. Before season three in 1996, the actors agreed to bargain together and receive equal pay. Their…
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Disney animators famously based the physical appearance, theatrical mannerisms, and dramatic facial expressions of the sea witch Ursula from the 1989 animated classic The Little…
Disney animators famously based the physical appearance, theatrical mannerisms, and dramatic facial expressions of the sea witch Ursula from the 1989 animated…
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Robert Downey Jr and director Jon Favreau had to heavily improvise the dialogue for the first Iron Man movie in 2008 because they began filming without a completed script.
Robert Downey Jr and director Jon Favreau had to heavily improvise the dialogue for the first Iron Man movie in 2008 because they began filming without a…
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James Cameron actually drew the famous charcoal sketch of Kate Winslet's character Rose wearing nothing but the Heart of the Ocean necklace in his 1997 blockbuster Titanic.
James Cameron actually drew the famous charcoal sketch of Kate Winslet's character Rose wearing nothing but the Heart of the Ocean necklace in his 1997…
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Ryan Reynolds paid Deadpool's writers himself
Fox wouldn’t pay writers Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick to be on set during filming, so Ryan Reynolds covered their salaries himself.
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Daniel Craig was born six years after James Bond reached cinemas
Dr. No premiered in 1962; Craig was born in 1968. When he took over the role in Casino Royale in 2006, he became the first actor in the official film series…
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Return of the Jedi never says 'Ewok'
The little inhabitants of Endor are central to the film, but their species name is not spoken in its dialogue. Audiences learned it through credits,…
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Fast & Furious sometimes filmed stunts before writing the story
With release dates set years ahead, crews sometimes shoot major stunts before the story is written. Screenwriters then build a plot around the footage.
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