Mental Floss

MOVIES

Jean Smart stars in Hacks.

Ever since she played the sweet but sharp-tongued Charlene Frazier on 'Designing Women,' Jean Smart’s fans have been waiting for the rest of the world to realize just how terrific she is.

April Snellings


M. Night Shyamalan.

Acclaimed director M. Night Shyamalan once perpetuated a massive hoax on an unsuspecting audience. (And no, it wasn't Mark Wahlberg playing a science teacher in 'The Happening.')

Jake Rossen


Did your favorite Bob make the cut?

You may know Bob to be a rather unremarkable name, but these individuals—and one haircut—have done some amazing things.

Jake Rossen












Yes, DC Comics takes its name from the Detective Comics book title. But it's a lot more complicated than that.

The history of DC Comics is filled with creator strife, corporate mergers, and award-winning works. Find out more about the iconic comic publisher.

Olivia Popp
Jackie Collins at her home in Beverly Hills, California in 1995.

Before there was 'Sex and the City' or 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' Jackie Collins was delivering unapologetically raunchy tales of glamour and seduction with a treasure trove of erotic novels.

Kristy Puchko






Lisa Loeb in 1994.

You may not remember some of these songs from the films for which they were recorded; you may have forgotten about some of these songs (or movies) entirely. But each one captures a very specific moment in the life cycle of the films, the artists, the deca

Todd Gilchrist


Brothers Russell and Ron Mael in Edgar Wright’s The Sparks Brothers (2021).

Over the past 50 years, brothers Ron and Russell Mael—a.k.a. musical duo Sparks—have been on the forefront of popular music trends, from glam rock to power pop to electronic music to new wave and beyond. Now they're the subject of Edgar Wright's first doc

Chelsea Spear