entertainment

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What's in a Nickname? The Origins of All 30 NHL Team Names

Ever wonder what a Canuck is? How about a Blue Jacket? With the NHL season kicking off this week, here's a breakdown of how the league's 30 teams got their names. 1. New York Rangers In 1925, the New York Americans joined the National Hockey League and played their home games at the old Madison Square Garden. Tex Rickard, the boxing promoter and ex-gold prospector who built and owned the arena, decided he wanted his own NHL team, which he was awarded in 1926. Rickard's team was... READ ON

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6 Secrets from the Brady Vault

The Brady Bunch debuted 40 years ago this week. To celebrate, we're re-running Kara's excellent story about the series, which was originally posted last year. Here's the story of how a show started as a typical formulaic sitcom, but grew into a syndicated monster. From the time Greg Brady got high to the reason Cindy Brady started balding, here's a quick rundown of all things Brady you probably didn't know. 1. In Real Life, Jan Gave Marcia the... READ ON

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest: The Musical & 10 Other Improbable Adaptations

A few nights ago, I went to see Insane in the Brain, a stage production that bills itself as a "street dance" interpretation of Ken Kesey's One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. No, really, I did. At first blush, the premise sounds absolutely bizarre and not just because it takes its title from a Cypress Hill song. But the show itself was certainly fascinating: When it was good, it was very good—one patient's OCD tics become a choreography of their own, the scenes of... READ ON

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10 Other SNL F-Bombs

In her debut performance on Saturday Night Live this weekend, comedian Jenny Slate became a member of a surprisingly exclusive club: people who have dropped the infamous "F-Bomb" on the show (here's the clip, which obviously contains strong language). Here's a quick list of 10 other slips of the tongue that have occurred during the show's 35 year, 659 episode run. 1. March 15, 1980: Paul Shaffer, David Letterman's band leader for the last hundred years, was supposed to say... READ ON

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11 Famous Actors and the Big TV Roles They Turned Down

Dana Delany as Carrie Bradshaw? Cosmo Kramer as Monk? Here's a look at 11 actors who passed on some of TV's most popular shows. 1. Bridget Fonda as Ally... READ ON

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5 Things You Didn't Know About Mikhail Prokhorov

It looks like Russian billionaire Mikhail Prokhorov has reached a deal to buy the floundering New Jersey Nets. What's Prokhorov's story, though? We did some digging, and here are five things you probably don't know about the man who could become the NBA's next owner. 1. He Got His Start in the Jeans... READ ON

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60 Springsteen Facts for Bruce's 60th Birthday

I've said before that I love Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band the same way a dog loves its master: unconditionally, and with the sort of enthusiasm that makes gratuitous slobbering forgivable, and today, Mr. Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen "“ The Boss, the patron saint of the working man, the protector of all that is holy and righteous on E Street "“ turns 60. To celebrate Bruce's big day, here are 60 things you need to know about/reasons to love Bruce and the rest of... READ ON

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A Belated Goodbye to Guiding Light

Last Friday marked the end of an era—a very long era—with the final episode of the world's longest running soap opera and continuous story, Guiding Light. The CBS show closed after 72 years and 15,762 episodes, garnering 39 Daytime Emmys for the show itself and 30 more for the actors and actresses. Plus it launched the careers of the likes of Kevin Bacon, Calista Flockhart, Hayden Panettiere and James Earl... READ ON

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11 Things Wal-Mart Has Banned

Retail giant Wal-Mart is the world's largest public company, and whether or not you're a fan of shopping at the House that Sam Walton Built, you've got to admit that the store stocks just about everything. But not quite, though. There are a number of things that Wal-Mart has banned from its stores at some point. Let's take a look at a few of them. 1. Barbie's Pregnant Pal In 2002 Wal-Mart cleared its shelves of Barbie's pregnant friend, Midge. The doll,... READ ON

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The Quick 10: The Former Names of 10 Bands

You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who has never heard of The Beach Boys or Led Zeppelin. The Pendletones and The New Yardbirds? Maybe not so much. Check out 10 bands who are probably thankful they changed their names before they hit the big time. 1. The Beach Boys were once known as "The Pendletones." It was kind of like the Beatles trick of changing the spelling of a word to include a music reference "“ "Pendletons" were a style of shirt popular at the time.... READ ON