Farmers Insurance is well known for its TV commercials that feature widely acclaimed actor J.K. Simmons. He appears as a kindly insurance company executive who wants people to have better insurance for less money.…
On Monday, Jan. 16 this year, we celebrate the birthday of the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr – arguably the most important and influential, and certainly the most famous, American civil rights leader…
We all have our personal demons, and celebrities are no different. For many of them, bad behavior results in getting arrested. (Here’s a list of celebrities who are currently in – or have been…
Gun sales spiked sharply over the course of COVID-19 pandemic. From 2016 through 2019, firearm background checks, widely used as an approximation for gun sales trends, were fairly flat, between 25 million and 29…
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., whose birthday we celebrate this Monday, Jan. 16, is one of the most famous, influential, and respected American leaders of the 20th century. King is known for his…
Speeches addressing civil rights issues are among the most famous and inspiring in American history. From Martin Luther King Jr.’s immortal “I have a dream” speech to President Barack Obama’s historic inaugural address as…
Actors are actors, and directors are directors. In Hollywood, this is almost always the case. The only notable example of a living actor who has also made his mark as a director is Clint…
We document the legacies of important historical figures in many ways, chief among them being public statues and monuments. Like all other works of art, statues can tell us a lot about the values…
Based on the standards of the Recording Industry Association of America, an artist needs to sell 500,000 copies of a single for it to go Gold. For a single to reach Platinum – a…
If there is one source of endless fun and wonder when we are kids but endless grief and frustration when we are adults, it is snow. Sledding, snow angels, and pristine white blankets give…
Historical figures always make for compelling drama. How they shaped history, as well as their colorful, sometimes flawed personalities fascinate audiences. It’s not surprising actors love the challenge of playing these icons. Whether on…
Cinema’s greatest assassins are cool, aloof, cunning, ruthless, stealthy, vengeful, and sometimes confused about their true identity. Some are lone wolves for hire, others are in the employ of criminal organizations or governments that…
Respiratory illnesses that brought people to their health care providers rose to a near-record at the end of November last year – higher than most recent flu seasons, and especially high for that time…
According to the business news site Marketplace, as of Dec. 5, only 66 movies had gone into general release in America in 2022, down more than a third from 2019 – and many of…
The Defense Budget is the largest discretionary item of the Federal Budget, totaling approximately $750 billion in 2021. A large portion of the defense budget goes to the private sector, including defense contractors. Several…
