Archive for the ‘bruce springsteen’ Tag
I’m not entirely sure why being “first” is so important to so many of us. Everyone wants to be “first” not just in sporting events, but damn near everything. I was the “first” kid in my family to go to college, and it gave my parents something they used to impress their friends. I was also the “first” in the family to drop out of college and join the Army. I sure didn’t get any kudos for that move. Today I decided to research some “firsts” not just from the United States but worldwide. This is also the “first” time I’ve written about “firsts” on this blog. Let me be the “first” to congratulate myself for that.
- Barbra Streisand’s first performance was as a chocolate chip cookie.
- The first song Bruce Springsteen ever learned to play on the guitar was The Rolling Stones, “It’s All Over Now.”
- The first ready to eat breakfast cereal was Shredded Wheat in 1893 (it beat Kellogg’s Corn Flakes by just five years).
- The first scientifically planned slimming diet was devised in 1862 by Dr. Harvey, an ear specialist, for an overweight undertaker. At that time dieting was initially something that only men did, and women didn’t start to do it until they stopped wearing figure-altering corsets.
- The first dry cleaning was done in 1849 by a Monsieur Jolly-Bellin of France, who discovered the process by mistake when he upset a lamp over a newly laundered tablecloth and found that the part that was covered with alcohol from the lamp was cleaner than the rest.
- Peter Sellers was the first male to ever be featured on the cover of Playboy.
- Cuba Gooding Jr’s first job was as a dancer for Lionel Richie at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
- The world’s first traffic island was installed – at his own expense – by Colonel Pierrepoint outside his London club. It’s also ironic that he was later killed crossing over to it.
- Courtney Cox was the first person on U.S. TV ever to use the word period in an ad for Tampax.
- Gustav Mahler composed his first piece of music at the age of four, Sergei Prokofiev composed his first piece of music at age five, and Wolfgang Mozart was just eight when he composed his first symphony.
MAKE A LIST OF YOUR TEN “FIRSTS”
We are deep into the Christmas season now and I’m sure that the great majority of people everywhere are spending and spending and spending. The holidays tend to put a strain on everyone’s purse especially those people with children. I thought I’d like to lighten the mood a little bit and tell you a few facts I happened upon in a book I was reading recently. As you also know I love writing about celebrities and alleged celebrities and all of their quirks and odd behaviors and that’s what I’m going to do today.
For those of us on the not-so-famous list, the following items might seem a bit much. Apparently in Hollywood their personal budgets are a touch higher than ours, and their interests are totally different. I insure my 12-year-old car, my house, my smart phone, and a sizable annual cost to protect all of my computers, tablets, and laptops. Let me now give you a list of some of your favorite celebrities, present and past, and the things they insure, it’s mind-boggling. Here we go . . .
- American country and western singer and actress, Dolly Parton, insured her legendary boobs for $600,000.
- Rolling Stones guitarist, Keith Richards, insured his right index finger for $1.6 million.
- Australian cricket hero, Merv Hughes, insured his mustache for $38,000.
- In 2006, soccer player, David Beckham, insured his entire body for $190 million.
- German supermodel, actress, and singer, Heidi Klum, insured her legs for $2.2 million.
- American actress, Jamie Lee Curtis, insured her legs for $1 million.
- Lord of the Dance, Michael Flatley, insured his legs for $47.5 million.
- American rockstar, Bruce Springsteen, insured his voice for $6 million.
I hope you don’t think this is anything unusual, because it isn’t. The habit of celebrities insuring body parts goes back many years. The numbers were a little smaller “back in the day” but at the time it was still a great deal of money. Here’s some oldies but goodies . . .
- American dancer and film star, Fred Astaire, had his legs insured for $75,000 each.
- British stripper, Frankie Jakeman, insured his penis for $1.6 million.
- 20th Century Fox film star, Betty Grable, insured each of her legs for $1 million. Hence the origin of the phrase, “million-dollar legs”.
- German cabaret artist, singer, and film star, Marlene Dietrich, insured her voice for $1 million.
- American actress, Bette Davis, took out a $28,000 insurance policy against putting on weight.
- American singer and actor, Jimmy Durante, insured his nose for $50,000.
- Hungarian food critic, Egon Ronay, insured his taste buds for $400,000.
- In 1964, the Beatles, were insured for $1 million on their first US tour.
There you have it folks. Be glad you only have to insure your house, car, children, smartphones, computers, and those pesky life insurance policies for you and your spouse. As you can see it could be a lot worse if you’re one of the famous people. I certainly don’t feel sorry for them and I’m pretty sure you don’t either.
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VARIOUS ODD FACTS
- In 1679, Messrs. Green, Barry and Hill were hanged at Tyburn for a murder they committed at Greenberry Hill.
- Melanie Griffith has a tattoo of a pear on her butt.
- And not to be outdone, Anna Kournikova has the tattoo of the sun on her butt.
- Andrew Jackson (1829-37) once killed a man in a duel because he insulted his wife.
- John Quincy Adams (1825-29) used to take a swim in the Potomac River every morning naked.
- Jimi Hendrix lost his virginity at age 12.
- Mark Twain lost his virginity at age 34.
MARK TWAIN WISDOM
- “There are several good protections against temptation, but the surest is cowardice.”
- “Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest.”
- “Education is what you must acquire without any interference from your schooling.”
- “Life would be infinitely happier if we could only be born at the age of 80 and gradually approach 18.”
- “Familiarity breeds contempt . . . and children.”
INSURANCE
- Dolly Parton insured her breasts for $3 million.
- Michael Flatley, Lord of the Dance, insured his legs for $40 million.
- Tina Turner insured her lips for $1 million and her breasts for $750,000.
- Bruce Springsteen insured his voice for $5 million.
- Jennifer Lopez insured her entire body for 1 billion dollars.
FYI: I’M INSURING MY RIGHT HAND FOR $10 BILLION
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