Culture & entertainment
Discover facts about culture & entertainment. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Culture & entertainment
Prince made his debut album a one-man performance.
Prince made his debut album a one-man performance. For You, released in 1978 when he was 19, credits Prince with producing, arranging, composing, and…
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Eminem chose the rough take.
Eminem chose the rough take. He recalled recording each Lose Yourself verse in one take during lunch, then keeping those vocals. A recording assembled from…
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HBO executives were terrified that audiences would immediately cancel their subscriptions after the first season episode where Tony Soprano brutally strangles a mob informant while taking his daughter on a college tour.
HBO executives were terrified that audiences would immediately cancel their subscriptions after the first season episode where Tony Soprano brutally strangles…
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The Red Wedding borrowed from Scottish history.
The Red Wedding borrowed from Scottish history. George R. R. Martin named the Black Dinner and the Glencoe massacre as inspirations for his fictional…
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Paul McCartney woke up with the melody for Yesterday fully formed in his head and originally used the placeholder lyrics 'Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I love your legs' to remember the tune.
Paul McCartney woke up with the melody for Yesterday fully formed in his head and originally used the placeholder lyrics 'Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I…
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Stairway to Heaven's opening notes became a courtroom battle.
Stairway to Heaven's opening notes became a courtroom battle. The estate of Spirit guitarist Randy Wolfe argued that Led Zeppelin had copied from Taurus. The…
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Hitchcock made arriving on time part of Psycho's suspense.
Hitchcock made arriving on time part of Psycho's suspense. The 1960 release told cinemas not to admit viewers once the film had started, an unusual demand…
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A movie role helped soften Michael Scott.
A movie role helped soften Michael Scott. The Office writer Mike Schur said Steve Carell's performance in The 40-Year-Old Virgin prompted Greg Daniels to…
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Billie Jean helped change who appeared on MTV.
Billie Jean helped change who appeared on MTV. Michael Jackson's 1983 video became a major presence on a channel then strongly associated with rock. Record…
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Nirvana's Unplugged stage was designed to resemble a funeral.
Nirvana's Unplugged stage was designed to resemble a funeral. Producer Alex Coletti recalled Cobain asking for lilies, black candles, and a chandelier, then…
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Queen's magnum opus Bohemian Rhapsody was universally panned by record executives who insisted that a six-minute operatic rock song about murder would never be played on mainstream radio.
Queen's magnum opus Bohemian Rhapsody was universally panned by record executives who insisted that a six-minute operatic rock song about murder would never…
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Tommy Wiseau spent six million dollars of his own mysterious fortune to produce, direct, and star in the 2003 film The Room, inadvertently creating what is widely considered the Citizen Kane of terrible movies.
Tommy Wiseau spent six million dollars of his own mysterious fortune to produce, direct, and star in the 2003 film The Room, inadvertently creating what is…
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Sean Astin stepped on a massive shard of glass while filming the Fellowship of the Ring scene where Samwise Gamgee runs into a river after Frodo, completely piercing his prosthetic hobbit foot.
Sean Astin stepped on a massive shard of glass while filming the Fellowship of the Ring scene where Samwise Gamgee runs into a river after Frodo, completely…
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Buzz Lightyear was once called Lunar Larry.
Buzz Lightyear was once called Lunar Larry. Early development names for Toy Story's space ranger included Lunar Larry before the character acquired the name…
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Danny DeVito's Penguin makeup was kept secret even from his family.
Danny DeVito's Penguin makeup was kept secret even from his family. The Batman Returns production restricted descriptions of his transformation outside the…
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Producers of the American version of The Office originally wanted to use the upbeat track Mr.
Producers of the American version of The Office originally wanted to use the upbeat track Mr. Blue Sky by Electric Light Orchestra as the theme song, but…
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Jurassic Park made a T.
Jurassic Park made a T. rex footstep with a guitar string. For the ripples in the cup, the effects team transmitted a plucked string's vibration through the…
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Ryan Gosling was famously offered a highly lucrative spot in the wildly successful nineties boy band the Backstreet Boys long before he ever became an Academy Award-nominated prestige actor.
Ryan Gosling was famously offered a highly lucrative spot in the wildly successful nineties boy band the Backstreet Boys long before he ever became an Academy…
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Clerks originally ended by killing Dante.
Clerks originally ended by killing Dante. Kevin Smith filmed a robbery that abruptly turned the convenience-store comedy into a tragedy. After advice from…
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Casino Royale crashed an Aston Martin into a world record.
Casino Royale crashed an Aston Martin into a world record. Stunt driver Adam Kirley's car rolled seven times during the crash scene, setting a Guinness record…
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Marilyn Manson's stage name joins glamour to murder.
Marilyn Manson's stage name joins glamour to murder. Brian Warner combined Marilyn Monroe's first name with Charles Manson's surname. The name puts an adored…
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Superman's creators sold their early rights for $130.
Superman's creators sold their early rights for $130. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster's 1938 deal transferred rights to the character alongside payment for the…
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Production on the 1973 horror masterpiece The Exorcist was delayed when a mysterious electrical fire burned almost the entire set of the MacNeil house to the ground, leaving only…
Production on the 1973 horror masterpiece The Exorcist was delayed when a mysterious electrical fire burned almost the entire set of the MacNeil house to the…
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Matt Damon famously turned down the lead role in James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi phenomenon Avatar, walking away from a contract that offered him ten percent of the film's backend box office profits.
Matt Damon famously turned down the lead role in James Cameron's 2009 sci-fi phenomenon Avatar, walking away from a contract that offered him ten percent of…
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