Category Archives: Popular Culture

From celebrity watch to quirky things in the news, we have something to say about it here at the Families.com Popular Culture Blog.

Randy Travis- Losing It

You know, a lot of country singers lived their lives like country songs. Hank Williams died in a car on the way to a gig in Virginia at the young age of 29. George Jones’ wife once took his car keys because he was drunk. However, she didn’t take the lawn mower keys and Jones drove it 8 miles to get his hooch. Some might say you write best about that which you know and if that’s true, country great Randy Travis must have a really big hit brewing up inside of him. Travis has been in the headlines a … Continue reading →

Prince Harry Adds to a Long Line of Royal Scandals – Part 1

The scenario has probably played itself out a thousand times before…a young handsome guy visits Las Vegas with some friends, they hang out at the hotel bar, meet some gals and head back to their suite for a game of naked billiards. No big deal, right? Well, it is if naked photos or taken and you have the Queen of England to answer to. Prince Harry, let’s just call him the Rowdy Royal, seems to have a pretty easy life. Oh sure, he did his thing in Afghanistan, but he doesn’t really have all the stress that William has because … Continue reading →

Phyllis Diller Dead at 95

The world lost a truly iconic comedian yesterday. Phyllis Diller died peacefully in her sleep at her home in Los Angeles yesterday at the age of 95. (This file is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0) Diller was a pioneer for women comedians. She set the way for all of today’s female comedians, even Joan Rivers, who Diller called her protege. Rivers paid homage to Diller yesterday saying that Diller was the first to compete with male comedians and taught her something important – to be “very simple.” Much of Diller’s comedy centered on home life – something many … Continue reading →

Is Macaulay Culkin Dying?

Is child star Macaulay Culkin dying? Well, if you believe the National Enquirer, he just may be. Culkin is best known as the cute child star from the Home Alone movie series. From an acting family, Culkin somewhat fell prey to things that happen to a lot of child stars. He started acting at age four and reached his peak at age 10 when he starred as Kevin McCallister in Home Alone. He appeared in the second movie in that series in 1992. He even hosted “Saturday Night Live” at the age of 11. But, by the mid-‘90s, his career … Continue reading →

Aniston Gets Engaged and Pitt Gets Married?

Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston divorced nearly seven years ago and yet their names are still often tied together in the tabloids. This seems especially true lately. If you believe what you read, Brad and fiancée Angelina Jolie are always trying to rain on Aniston’s parade as far as the headlines go. Pitt and Jolie announced their engagement in April after seven years and six children together. At the time, I think the tabloids were accusing Pitt and Jolie of ruining Aniston’s possible wedding plans by upstaging her. Now, it may be Aniston that upstaging Pitt and Jolie. Rumors were … Continue reading →

Recent Celebrity Splits

I learned of two celebrity splits today – well, one celebrity split and one pseudo-celebrity split. The pseudo-celebrity split was a reality couple – “The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” couple Adrienne Maloof and Paul Nassif has called it quits. It was actually Nassif that filed for legal separation today. He told TMZ, “The welfare of our children is my primary focus as Adrienne and I work through this difficult time.” He added, “I want the best for her and our children and I hope that everyone can respect our privacy away from the cameras.” The couple has three sons … Continue reading →

A Vampire Tragedy

I have several friends that have gotten all wrapped up in the “Twilight” series of books and movies. Team Edward and Team Jacob comments are thrown around on Facebook and many lament the end of the series with the upcoming The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, which comes out on November 16th. Now it seems as if the saga may not be the only thing ending. For what seems like years, the stars of the movie, Kristen Stewart and Rob Pattinson, have denied being in a relationship, despite the love between their on screen personas. Well, let me … Continue reading →

That Crazy Jackson Family

If you thought Michael Jackson was the oddball of the Jackson family, you may be reconsidering that after this week’s Jackson family drama. First, it was reported that Katherine Jackson, guardian of Michael’s children, Prince, Paris, and Blanket, was missing last Saturday night by her nephew. The reason he filed the report was that the children said they had not heard from their grandmother. Jermaine said Katherine was in Arizona resting, but Paris insisted on Twitter that Katherine was missing and she hadn’t spoken to her in a week. Jermaine said his mother was resting per doctor’s orders, that she … Continue reading →

Sherman Hemsley Dies

Forgive the pun, but today, actor Sherman Hemsley moved on up, to a deluxe apartment in the sky. Now, if you don’t get the pun in that sentence, then you probably never watched “The Jeffersons.” Hemsley played the lead, George Jefferson, on that show, one of the most beloved comedies of the late ‘70s/early ‘80s. He died at age 74 of what is being reported as natural causes. (This work is in the public domain in that it was published in the United States between 1923 and 1977 and without a copyright notice.) Before he had his own show, Hemsley … Continue reading →

Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas to Split?

Actors Melanie Griffith and Antonio Banderas met while working on the film Too Much in 1995. It may have been love at first sight, but at the time, both were married to other people. Griffith married actor Don Johnson at the young age of 19 after the two had been dating for five years. Let me do the math for you – she was 14 when she started dating 22-year-old Johnson. That marriage only lasted six months and in September 1981, Griffith married actor Steven Bauer. That reportedly drug-fueled marriage lasted two year and in 1989, Griffith and Johnson gave … Continue reading →