ONTD Original™: Pop Culture Déjà vu, Part II
Every generation has their own pop culture icons, scandals, iconic relationships, etc. We often try to match our current crop of stars to the ones that have come before them. They always say history repeats itself. Let's take a look at how some of the new(ish) celebrities compare to their pop culture counterparts of the past. *Keep in mind that these are general observations/similarities and do not compare levels of talent, personalities, etc...*
Part one: Here
AMERICA'S SWEETHEART
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
MEG RYAN
MARY PICKFORD
Now, I'm not a fan of Jennifer Lawrence by any means, but you cannot deny that she has claimed the title of America's Sweetheart. She has a personality/persona that appeals to the general public, she was in a huge YA movie franchise/is an Oscar darling, and appears to be relatable with her goofy aw shucks demeanor(falling down twice at award shows). Even a nude photo hacking scandal couldn't bring her down. Her permeation of the media and pop culture reminds me of the 90s when Meg Ryan was in her place. She was a likable actress who starred in everyone's fave RomComs. Her image was squeaky clean (until In the Cut) and midwest housewives just loved her. But of course, the original sweetheart was Canadian actress Mary Pickford. "The girl with the curls" was a hugely popular silent film star in the early 1900s. She played an important role in developing film acting and was also crowned "Queen of the Movies".
COUNTERCULTURE
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
HIPSTERS
PUNKS
BEATNIKS
Do you like things ironically? Are you into bands/books/films before they become popular? Do you think PBR is the ONLY beer in the world? Do you love gentrification? You're probably a Hipster. While the term was 1st used in the 1940s to describe the zoot suiters and Jazz lovers, it has morphed into a full on cultural movement for some in the millennial generation. Typically liberal, white, affluent or middle class, hipsters have taken over cities all over the world. Places that were once considered square are now bustling with art, coffee shops, and yoga studios. Before hipsters graced us with their unique (but not really) style and philosophy...there were punks. Punks are all about anti-establishment, anti-authority, and non-conformity. This subculture arose from the punk rock scene in the mid-late 70s. Ripped clothing, spiked hair, piercings, you name it...all of these things are commonplace in punk culture. While I really wanted to name Hippies as the original, I could not deny the importance of the beat generation in the late 40s-50s. I envision "cool cats" sitting around some bongos, sipping coffee, wearing berets and reading poetry. This movement was made popular by a group of authors (Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs) whose literature included many elements of the Beatnik ideals such as drug experimentation, rejection of materialism, and sexual freedom.
FASHION ICON
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
KATE MIDDLETON
JACKIE O
KATHARINE HEPBURN
Certain celebrities have excellent stylists and others just have great personal style. Kate Middelton very much looks the part of a princess. Clothes that she is photographed in fly off the shelves. She has a very classic style with a modern twist. Speaking of ~royalty, former 1st lady Jackie O was an inspiration in the 70s. She always looked polished in her coats and sunglasses. Her hair was always perfectly coiffed and she had this cool and calm aura about her. This became her signature look and was often imitated but never duplicated. Perhaps the most groundbreaking of the fashion icons was Katharine Hepburn. She totally went against the norm in the 30s & 40s by mostly refusing to wear dresses. She wore the shit out of a nice pair of trousers. She exuded power, confidence, and maturity.
CELEB CHEFS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
BOBBY FLAY
EMERIL LAGASSE
JULIA CHILD
I'm a sucker for the food network channel and an even bigger sucker for Beat Bobby Flay. This former Iron Chef is such a huge name in the cooking industry. His fame has overlapped into popular culture with his numerous TV shows, products, and endorsement deals. Despite his messy personal life, the public seems to still be keen on Flay. Before Flay took the cooking world by storm, there was Emeril Lagasse and his catchphrase "BAM!". This was the 1st time I found myself interested in watching someone cook. He was very theatrical and full of personality. But if we want to mention celeb chefs, we can't do it without giving Julia Child her credit. She was the 1st celeb chef! Her show "The French Chef" was wildly popular and she won audiences over with her charm and wit. Her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking is recognized as an important part of bringing French Cuisine to the American Public.
COMEDIANS: STAND-UP TO SILVER SCREEN
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
KEVIN HART
EDDIE MURPHY
RICHARD PRYOR
Many standup comedians make the transition into acting, but very few turn into full fledged movie stars. Kevin Hart began his career doing stand up, entering comedy competitions and taking small bit roles in films. Over the course of his career, Kevin has starred in his own comedy shows, won leading roles in big budget Hollywood films, and hosted several award shows. Eddie Murphy gained national attention when he was added to the roster of SNL in 1980. He also recorded several comedy albums in the early 80s before he made the jump to feature films. He was in some of the best comedies of the 80s & 90s including Trading Places, The Nutty Professor, and my personal fave Coming to America. Eddie Murphy credited Richard Pryor as one of his inspirations in becoming a comic. Pryor started his career doing much more tame versions of the stand up that he became known for. His 3rd comedy album 1974's, That N****r's Crazy won the Grammy for best comedic recording. Richard co-wrote the film Blazing Saddles with Mel Brooks, starred in a number of films including Car Wash, Brewster's Millions, The Toy, and even had his own show The Richard Pryor Show which was canceled after only 4 episodes.
POWERFUL WOMAN IN ENTERTAINMENT
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
ELLEN DEGENERES
OPRAH WINFREY
LUCILLE BALL
Ellen Degeneres has turned her stand up comedy career into a entertainment juggernaut. She had a wildly successful sitcom Ellen in the mid 90s and has hosted her own talk show The Ellen Degeneres Show (which has won 36 daytime Emmys) since 2003. She is also partly responsible for Justin Bieber's massive career and hands out thousands of dollars to fans/people in need. Ellen also came out as a lesbian on The Oprah Winfrey Show during the height of her fame. Oprah started from humble beginnings and suffered several career setbacks before finally getting national syndication of her name sake talk show. Winfrey co-founded the Oxygen network and Harpo productions. She is considered by some to be the "most influential woman in the world" and the "Queen of Media". Lucille Ball paved the way for both Ellen & Oprah as she was the first woman to be the head of her own production company, Desilu. I Love Lucy was a huge ratings hit, helped pioneer filming methods that are still in use today, and created uproar when Desi and Lucy decided to write her pregnancy into the show.
SPORTS SCANDALS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
DEFLATEGATE
DOPING
CHICAGO BLACK SOX
The Patriots are no stranger to cheating accusations. Tom Brady has been suspended for 4 games at the start of the 2016 NFL season and recently lost a bid in the Supreme Court (LOL why tho?) to have his suspension overturned. The NFL alleges that Brady had knowledge of the under inflated footballs, & then got rid of the evidence by destroying his old cellphone. When the league began it's investigation into the use of under inflated footballs during the Patriots and Colts AFC championship game, the general public was instantly reminded of "Spygate" in 2007 when security officials caught the a Patriot's assistant videotaping the Jets sideline and their defensive signals. When shady athletes aren't tampering with equipment to get the edge on the competition, they are most likely taking performance enhancing drugs. The MLB was rocked by a huge steroid scandal in the mid 00s after the release of Jose Conseco's book Juiced. Many baseball players including Mark Mcgwire, Sammy Sosa, and Alex Rodriguez were summoned to testify in front of congress. Even after that mess, players were still being caught using HGH and many stars records were being challenged. Perhaps the 1st big sports scandal of the 20th century was the 1919 World Series where several Chicago White Sox players were accused of conspiring with gamblers to fix games by intentionally losing for money. They were dubbed the "Chicago Black Sox" and were banned from the MLB for life.
SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS CELEBRITIES
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
JESSE WILLIAMS
BONO
ORSON WELLES
Most celebrities are very liberal on social issues, but very few are outspoken and use their fame/platform as a means to further educate the public on important subjects. Jesse Williams has become a master at conveying his sentiments via social media. He consistently provides commentary on world events, but is most passionate about race/racism in the United States, specifically in regard to the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. Jesse recently received the BET Humanitarian Award in which he gave an excellent acceptance speech touching on social injustice that black people face in the US and is a member of The Advancement Project (a civil rights advocacy group). Bono of the group U2 is best known for is humanitarian work in raising awareness of the plight in Africa and debt relief in Third world nations. He was involved in Bob Geldoff's Band Aid and Live Aid. His efforts have been met with criticism (tax evasion, not doing enough business with local entrepreneurs thus causing Africa to rely on foreign handouts, etc), but he continues his work today. Orson Welles was a big activist in his day starting early in his career. Welles considered himself to be progressive and campaigned heavily for FDR during the 1944 election, spoke out against racism and segregation, and was labeled a communist during the red scare in Hollywood.
BROADWAY HITS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
HAMILTON
RENT
MY FAIR LADY
I'll admit, I'm not a musical theater person. However, I cannot deny the cultural impact that Hamilton has had. The musical's author, Lin-Manuel Miranda, came up with the idea after reading the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton is unique in that it is a period piece whose narrative is told through rap and most of the actors cast are minorities playing historic white people. It was nominated for 16 Tony awards(winning 11), won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the 2016 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater album. Tickets are nearly impossible to get and have fans camping outside just to get a chance to see the production. In the 90s, Rent was a massively popular show that tackled the tough subject of HIV/AIDS. Loosely based on the opera, La Bohème, it has grossed over 280 million and is the 11th longest running production in Broadway History. Rent was turned into a feature film in 2005 and its fans are known as "RENT-heads". My Fair Lady was a huge success when it premiered in 1956. The original cast recording was the #1 album in the country and Rex Harrison starred in the original Broadway & London shows, as well as the feature film. My Fair Lady was dubbed the "perfect musical" and has been subject to 5 separate revivals.
PLAYBOYS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
CHARLIE SHEEN
ERROL FLYNN
Men & women in Hollywood have always played the field. They are often known for their roles as well as their dating life. None do it better than Leonardo Dicaprio. The Victoria Secret Fashion Show roster is basically a list of his exes. He dates them for a couple of months then replaces them with a younger, shinier version and he somehow keeps getting attached to Rihanna. I have yet to hear any negative stories regarding his relationships with these women. He doesn't seem to cheat on any of them, but cuts things off amicably and moves on. In the 90s and 00s, Charlie Sheen had a number of high profile relationships with mainstream (Kelly Preston, Denise Richards) and adult actresses (Heather Hays, Ginger Lynn) . He was also outed as a client of Heidi Fleiss's escort service. Sheen's hard partying and reckless lifestyle soon caught up to him and in 2015 he admitted that he had been diagnosed with HIV roughly 4 years earlier. In the 40s, swashbuckling star Errol Flynn was known for his womanizing and hard drinking. The term "in like Flynn" reportedly was coined to describe the ease at which he seduced many female stars in the industry. His lifestyle soon caught up to him as well and he was accused (and later acquitted) of statutory rape by 2 underage girls in 1942.
HOLLYWOOD TRAGEDIES
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
HEATH LEDGER
RIVER PHOENIX
JAMES DEAN
Everyone remembers where they were when they found out that Heath Ledger had died. It was such a huge shock to his fans and the general public. The biggest movie of his career was about to be released and he had his whole life ahead of him. Unfortunately, he accidentally overdosed on cocktail of prescription drugs. It was especially grim in that paparazzi were waiting outside of his home in NYC and feverishly snapped pictures of his body being wheeled into a nearby van. His untimely passing reminded me of another young Hollywood upstart, River Phoenix, and his accidental overdose death. Similar to Heath, River was an actor on the rise only to have his career/life cut short by drugs. It was especially tragic in that his younger brother Joaquin was there with him when he collapsed and died outside of The Viper Room. James Dean may have not overdosed, but his death was just as sudden and unexpected. Dean was an instant star when he burst onto the scene in the early 50s with his roles in "Giant" and "Rebel without a Cause". He was only 24 years old when he was involved in a fatal car crash on a highway in California.
UGLY/BIZARRE MAKEUP TRENDS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
OVERDONE EYEBROWS
TARANTULA EYES
EXAGGERATED CUPID'S BOW
There is nothing wrong with naturally full eyebrows, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why some people insist on the overdone eyebrow look. While not as extreme as the example above, many people have taken to penciling in their eyebrows to the point that they are almost too close (unibrow) or too perfect (too angular, like rectangles above their eyes). Disney star Zendaya is a very beautiful girl, but often falls victim to the overdone brow. Too much of a good thing could also be seen with "Tarantula Eyes". Heavy mascara application can make the lashes clump together and give the illusion of very few thick lashes. This was all the rage in the 60s with Twiggy. Girls were putting on multiple layers of eye makeup and even faking the look by drawing lines on the skin of their bottom eyelid. Perhaps the weirdest trend to me was the "Cupid's Bow". Many young girls and women were applying their lipstick(with the help of metal lip tracers) to obtain the look of a perfect tiny pucker. It's amazing that 100 years ago we were trying to reduce the size of our lips, but now it is commonplace to overdraw or inject your lips with filler to achieve a fuller look.
BABY NAMES
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
OLD FASHIONED
CUTESY
BIBLICAL
Baby names can lead to a contentious debate. Celebrities often march to the beat of their own drum and come up with names like "Apple" & "Pilot Inspektor". Us common folk can get a little crazy by naming children after our favorite movie and TV characters like "Khaleesi" or come up with ridiculous ways to spell more common names...to the point that they cannot be pronounced properly. However, regular folks *normally* follow more general baby name trends. More recently, I've noticed an uptick in babies that have names like "Cora", "Maude", "Everett", & "Thaddeus". They are very old-fashioned, but still have that uniqueness that a lot of millennial parents are looking for. Before we made the return to classic names, parents were obsessed with naming their children super cutesy names such as "Jayden", "McKenzie", "Ryleigh", "Finley". These names typically have a bunch of Y's and E's added in. Sure these names are great for tiny babies, but they may sound a little weird when they grow up and get old. Imagine Grandma Tynslee for a moment. The Bible was a great inspiration for new parents and still is. "Matthew" "Isaac" "Mary" "Jesus" "Jacob" "Sarah", all of these names have and will always be popular.
FEMALE ACTION STARS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
SOFIA BOUTELLA
ANGELINA JOLIE
PAM GRIER
My fav part about Kingsman:The Secret Service was Giselle, the henchman with the blades for legs. I thought Sofia Boutella did an outstanding job with all of her stunts and straddling the line between being likable, but evil all at the same time. She has since won roles in Star Trek Beyond & the new Mummy reboot. She plays the action character so effortlessly, which reminded me of Angelina Jolie in the mid 00s. Originally known for her more serious roles, Jolie cemented her status as action star when she signed on for the Tomb Raider films. However, I really thought she shined as Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Angelina is very good at switching gears between roles which makes her extremely versatile IMO. None of this would have been possible without the lovely Ms. Pam Grier. In the 70s, she starred in a number of blaxploitation films such as Foxy Brown and Coffy where she was kicking ass and taking names. More recently, she has taken to playing detectives and cops in films like Jawbreaker, but she paid homage to her past with the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown.
PIC SOURCE: 1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.10
11.12.13.14.15.16.17.18.19.20
21.22.23.24.25.26.27.28.29.30
31.32.33.34.35.36.37.38.39.40.41.42.43.
Are you excited for the next crop of pop culture icons?
Part one: Here
AMERICA'S SWEETHEART
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
JENNIFER LAWRENCE
MEG RYAN
MARY PICKFORD
Now, I'm not a fan of Jennifer Lawrence by any means, but you cannot deny that she has claimed the title of America's Sweetheart. She has a personality/persona that appeals to the general public, she was in a huge YA movie franchise/is an Oscar darling, and appears to be relatable with her goofy aw shucks demeanor(falling down twice at award shows). Even a nude photo hacking scandal couldn't bring her down. Her permeation of the media and pop culture reminds me of the 90s when Meg Ryan was in her place. She was a likable actress who starred in everyone's fave RomComs. Her image was squeaky clean (until In the Cut) and midwest housewives just loved her. But of course, the original sweetheart was Canadian actress Mary Pickford. "The girl with the curls" was a hugely popular silent film star in the early 1900s. She played an important role in developing film acting and was also crowned "Queen of the Movies".
COUNTERCULTURE
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
HIPSTERS
PUNKS
BEATNIKS
Do you like things ironically? Are you into bands/books/films before they become popular? Do you think PBR is the ONLY beer in the world? Do you love gentrification? You're probably a Hipster. While the term was 1st used in the 1940s to describe the zoot suiters and Jazz lovers, it has morphed into a full on cultural movement for some in the millennial generation. Typically liberal, white, affluent or middle class, hipsters have taken over cities all over the world. Places that were once considered square are now bustling with art, coffee shops, and yoga studios. Before hipsters graced us with their unique (but not really) style and philosophy...there were punks. Punks are all about anti-establishment, anti-authority, and non-conformity. This subculture arose from the punk rock scene in the mid-late 70s. Ripped clothing, spiked hair, piercings, you name it...all of these things are commonplace in punk culture. While I really wanted to name Hippies as the original, I could not deny the importance of the beat generation in the late 40s-50s. I envision "cool cats" sitting around some bongos, sipping coffee, wearing berets and reading poetry. This movement was made popular by a group of authors (Ginsberg, Kerouac, Burroughs) whose literature included many elements of the Beatnik ideals such as drug experimentation, rejection of materialism, and sexual freedom.
FASHION ICON
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
KATE MIDDLETON
JACKIE O
KATHARINE HEPBURN
Certain celebrities have excellent stylists and others just have great personal style. Kate Middelton very much looks the part of a princess. Clothes that she is photographed in fly off the shelves. She has a very classic style with a modern twist. Speaking of ~royalty, former 1st lady Jackie O was an inspiration in the 70s. She always looked polished in her coats and sunglasses. Her hair was always perfectly coiffed and she had this cool and calm aura about her. This became her signature look and was often imitated but never duplicated. Perhaps the most groundbreaking of the fashion icons was Katharine Hepburn. She totally went against the norm in the 30s & 40s by mostly refusing to wear dresses. She wore the shit out of a nice pair of trousers. She exuded power, confidence, and maturity.
CELEB CHEFS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
BOBBY FLAY
EMERIL LAGASSE
JULIA CHILD
I'm a sucker for the food network channel and an even bigger sucker for Beat Bobby Flay. This former Iron Chef is such a huge name in the cooking industry. His fame has overlapped into popular culture with his numerous TV shows, products, and endorsement deals. Despite his messy personal life, the public seems to still be keen on Flay. Before Flay took the cooking world by storm, there was Emeril Lagasse and his catchphrase "BAM!". This was the 1st time I found myself interested in watching someone cook. He was very theatrical and full of personality. But if we want to mention celeb chefs, we can't do it without giving Julia Child her credit. She was the 1st celeb chef! Her show "The French Chef" was wildly popular and she won audiences over with her charm and wit. Her book Mastering the Art of French Cooking is recognized as an important part of bringing French Cuisine to the American Public.
COMEDIANS: STAND-UP TO SILVER SCREEN
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
KEVIN HART
EDDIE MURPHY
RICHARD PRYOR
Many standup comedians make the transition into acting, but very few turn into full fledged movie stars. Kevin Hart began his career doing stand up, entering comedy competitions and taking small bit roles in films. Over the course of his career, Kevin has starred in his own comedy shows, won leading roles in big budget Hollywood films, and hosted several award shows. Eddie Murphy gained national attention when he was added to the roster of SNL in 1980. He also recorded several comedy albums in the early 80s before he made the jump to feature films. He was in some of the best comedies of the 80s & 90s including Trading Places, The Nutty Professor, and my personal fave Coming to America. Eddie Murphy credited Richard Pryor as one of his inspirations in becoming a comic. Pryor started his career doing much more tame versions of the stand up that he became known for. His 3rd comedy album 1974's, That N****r's Crazy won the Grammy for best comedic recording. Richard co-wrote the film Blazing Saddles with Mel Brooks, starred in a number of films including Car Wash, Brewster's Millions, The Toy, and even had his own show The Richard Pryor Show which was canceled after only 4 episodes.
POWERFUL WOMAN IN ENTERTAINMENT
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
ELLEN DEGENERES
OPRAH WINFREY
LUCILLE BALL
Ellen Degeneres has turned her stand up comedy career into a entertainment juggernaut. She had a wildly successful sitcom Ellen in the mid 90s and has hosted her own talk show The Ellen Degeneres Show (which has won 36 daytime Emmys) since 2003. She is also partly responsible for Justin Bieber's massive career and hands out thousands of dollars to fans/people in need. Ellen also came out as a lesbian on The Oprah Winfrey Show during the height of her fame. Oprah started from humble beginnings and suffered several career setbacks before finally getting national syndication of her name sake talk show. Winfrey co-founded the Oxygen network and Harpo productions. She is considered by some to be the "most influential woman in the world" and the "Queen of Media". Lucille Ball paved the way for both Ellen & Oprah as she was the first woman to be the head of her own production company, Desilu. I Love Lucy was a huge ratings hit, helped pioneer filming methods that are still in use today, and created uproar when Desi and Lucy decided to write her pregnancy into the show.
SPORTS SCANDALS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
DEFLATEGATE
DOPING
CHICAGO BLACK SOX
The Patriots are no stranger to cheating accusations. Tom Brady has been suspended for 4 games at the start of the 2016 NFL season and recently lost a bid in the Supreme Court (LOL why tho?) to have his suspension overturned. The NFL alleges that Brady had knowledge of the under inflated footballs, & then got rid of the evidence by destroying his old cellphone. When the league began it's investigation into the use of under inflated footballs during the Patriots and Colts AFC championship game, the general public was instantly reminded of "Spygate" in 2007 when security officials caught the a Patriot's assistant videotaping the Jets sideline and their defensive signals. When shady athletes aren't tampering with equipment to get the edge on the competition, they are most likely taking performance enhancing drugs. The MLB was rocked by a huge steroid scandal in the mid 00s after the release of Jose Conseco's book Juiced. Many baseball players including Mark Mcgwire, Sammy Sosa, and Alex Rodriguez were summoned to testify in front of congress. Even after that mess, players were still being caught using HGH and many stars records were being challenged. Perhaps the 1st big sports scandal of the 20th century was the 1919 World Series where several Chicago White Sox players were accused of conspiring with gamblers to fix games by intentionally losing for money. They were dubbed the "Chicago Black Sox" and were banned from the MLB for life.
SOCIALLY CONSCIOUS CELEBRITIES
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
JESSE WILLIAMS
BONO
ORSON WELLES
Most celebrities are very liberal on social issues, but very few are outspoken and use their fame/platform as a means to further educate the public on important subjects. Jesse Williams has become a master at conveying his sentiments via social media. He consistently provides commentary on world events, but is most passionate about race/racism in the United States, specifically in regard to the Black Lives Matter movement and police brutality. Jesse recently received the BET Humanitarian Award in which he gave an excellent acceptance speech touching on social injustice that black people face in the US and is a member of The Advancement Project (a civil rights advocacy group). Bono of the group U2 is best known for is humanitarian work in raising awareness of the plight in Africa and debt relief in Third world nations. He was involved in Bob Geldoff's Band Aid and Live Aid. His efforts have been met with criticism (tax evasion, not doing enough business with local entrepreneurs thus causing Africa to rely on foreign handouts, etc), but he continues his work today. Orson Welles was a big activist in his day starting early in his career. Welles considered himself to be progressive and campaigned heavily for FDR during the 1944 election, spoke out against racism and segregation, and was labeled a communist during the red scare in Hollywood.
BROADWAY HITS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
HAMILTON
RENT
MY FAIR LADY
I'll admit, I'm not a musical theater person. However, I cannot deny the cultural impact that Hamilton has had. The musical's author, Lin-Manuel Miranda, came up with the idea after reading the 2004 biography Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton is unique in that it is a period piece whose narrative is told through rap and most of the actors cast are minorities playing historic white people. It was nominated for 16 Tony awards(winning 11), won the 2016 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and the 2016 Grammy award for Best Musical Theater album. Tickets are nearly impossible to get and have fans camping outside just to get a chance to see the production. In the 90s, Rent was a massively popular show that tackled the tough subject of HIV/AIDS. Loosely based on the opera, La Bohème, it has grossed over 280 million and is the 11th longest running production in Broadway History. Rent was turned into a feature film in 2005 and its fans are known as "RENT-heads". My Fair Lady was a huge success when it premiered in 1956. The original cast recording was the #1 album in the country and Rex Harrison starred in the original Broadway & London shows, as well as the feature film. My Fair Lady was dubbed the "perfect musical" and has been subject to 5 separate revivals.
PLAYBOYS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
LEONARDO DICAPRIO
CHARLIE SHEEN
ERROL FLYNN
Men & women in Hollywood have always played the field. They are often known for their roles as well as their dating life. None do it better than Leonardo Dicaprio. The Victoria Secret Fashion Show roster is basically a list of his exes. He dates them for a couple of months then replaces them with a younger, shinier version and he somehow keeps getting attached to Rihanna. I have yet to hear any negative stories regarding his relationships with these women. He doesn't seem to cheat on any of them, but cuts things off amicably and moves on. In the 90s and 00s, Charlie Sheen had a number of high profile relationships with mainstream (Kelly Preston, Denise Richards) and adult actresses (Heather Hays, Ginger Lynn) . He was also outed as a client of Heidi Fleiss's escort service. Sheen's hard partying and reckless lifestyle soon caught up to him and in 2015 he admitted that he had been diagnosed with HIV roughly 4 years earlier. In the 40s, swashbuckling star Errol Flynn was known for his womanizing and hard drinking. The term "in like Flynn" reportedly was coined to describe the ease at which he seduced many female stars in the industry. His lifestyle soon caught up to him as well and he was accused (and later acquitted) of statutory rape by 2 underage girls in 1942.
HOLLYWOOD TRAGEDIES
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
HEATH LEDGER
RIVER PHOENIX
JAMES DEAN
Everyone remembers where they were when they found out that Heath Ledger had died. It was such a huge shock to his fans and the general public. The biggest movie of his career was about to be released and he had his whole life ahead of him. Unfortunately, he accidentally overdosed on cocktail of prescription drugs. It was especially grim in that paparazzi were waiting outside of his home in NYC and feverishly snapped pictures of his body being wheeled into a nearby van. His untimely passing reminded me of another young Hollywood upstart, River Phoenix, and his accidental overdose death. Similar to Heath, River was an actor on the rise only to have his career/life cut short by drugs. It was especially tragic in that his younger brother Joaquin was there with him when he collapsed and died outside of The Viper Room. James Dean may have not overdosed, but his death was just as sudden and unexpected. Dean was an instant star when he burst onto the scene in the early 50s with his roles in "Giant" and "Rebel without a Cause". He was only 24 years old when he was involved in a fatal car crash on a highway in California.
UGLY/BIZARRE MAKEUP TRENDS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
OVERDONE EYEBROWS
TARANTULA EYES
EXAGGERATED CUPID'S BOW
There is nothing wrong with naturally full eyebrows, but I cannot for the life of me figure out why some people insist on the overdone eyebrow look. While not as extreme as the example above, many people have taken to penciling in their eyebrows to the point that they are almost too close (unibrow) or too perfect (too angular, like rectangles above their eyes). Disney star Zendaya is a very beautiful girl, but often falls victim to the overdone brow. Too much of a good thing could also be seen with "Tarantula Eyes". Heavy mascara application can make the lashes clump together and give the illusion of very few thick lashes. This was all the rage in the 60s with Twiggy. Girls were putting on multiple layers of eye makeup and even faking the look by drawing lines on the skin of their bottom eyelid. Perhaps the weirdest trend to me was the "Cupid's Bow". Many young girls and women were applying their lipstick(with the help of metal lip tracers) to obtain the look of a perfect tiny pucker. It's amazing that 100 years ago we were trying to reduce the size of our lips, but now it is commonplace to overdraw or inject your lips with filler to achieve a fuller look.
BABY NAMES
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
OLD FASHIONED
CUTESY
BIBLICAL
Baby names can lead to a contentious debate. Celebrities often march to the beat of their own drum and come up with names like "Apple" & "Pilot Inspektor". Us common folk can get a little crazy by naming children after our favorite movie and TV characters like "Khaleesi" or come up with ridiculous ways to spell more common names...to the point that they cannot be pronounced properly. However, regular folks *normally* follow more general baby name trends. More recently, I've noticed an uptick in babies that have names like "Cora", "Maude", "Everett", & "Thaddeus". They are very old-fashioned, but still have that uniqueness that a lot of millennial parents are looking for. Before we made the return to classic names, parents were obsessed with naming their children super cutesy names such as "Jayden", "McKenzie", "Ryleigh", "Finley". These names typically have a bunch of Y's and E's added in. Sure these names are great for tiny babies, but they may sound a little weird when they grow up and get old. Imagine Grandma Tynslee for a moment. The Bible was a great inspiration for new parents and still is. "Matthew" "Isaac" "Mary" "Jesus" "Jacob" "Sarah", all of these names have and will always be popular.
FEMALE ACTION STARS
NOW
THEN
ORIGINAL
SOFIA BOUTELLA
ANGELINA JOLIE
PAM GRIER
My fav part about Kingsman:The Secret Service was Giselle, the henchman with the blades for legs. I thought Sofia Boutella did an outstanding job with all of her stunts and straddling the line between being likable, but evil all at the same time. She has since won roles in Star Trek Beyond & the new Mummy reboot. She plays the action character so effortlessly, which reminded me of Angelina Jolie in the mid 00s. Originally known for her more serious roles, Jolie cemented her status as action star when she signed on for the Tomb Raider films. However, I really thought she shined as Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Angelina is very good at switching gears between roles which makes her extremely versatile IMO. None of this would have been possible without the lovely Ms. Pam Grier. In the 70s, she starred in a number of blaxploitation films such as Foxy Brown and Coffy where she was kicking ass and taking names. More recently, she has taken to playing detectives and cops in films like Jawbreaker, but she paid homage to her past with the Quentin Tarantino film Jackie Brown.
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Are you excited for the next crop of pop culture icons?