Sunday, May 31
Shadow

Tag: Celebrities

Aug202013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Celebrity Smokes: A Gallery of Star-Powered Cigarette Ads

Celebrity Smokes: A Gallery of Star-Powered Cigarette Ads

Featured Posts, Retrotisements
It seems inconceivable now, but until about the mid-1960s it was quite common to see celebrities hawking cigarettes like it was no big deal. In fact, many radio, TV, and movie stars literally owed their livelihood to sponsorship from tobacco companies. Imagine seeing someone like George Clooney or Angelina Jolie smiling widely in cigarette ads exhorting you to pick up a carton of Marlboro. Weird, isn't it? Anyway, here's a gallery of 20 such ads from the 1930s through the early 1960s featuring movie and TV stars, as well as famous athletes, using their star power to get you to buy cigarettes and cigars. Most of these ads are courtesy the Stanford Research into the Impact of Tobacco Advertising site.
Read More
Apr242013 by Chris HolmesNo Comments
Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 32: Marilyn Monroe Goes Fishing, c. 1946

Vintage Photo Wednesday, Vol. 32: Marilyn Monroe Goes Fishing, c. 1946

Vintage Photo Wednesday
I love this set of vintage photos featuring the lovely Marilyn Monroe doing some fly fishing, circa 1946. These three images were shot on color safety by Andre de Dienes (1913-85), and capture Marilyn before she had fully transformed into the blonde bombshell that captivated America in the '50s and '60s. In fact, she had barely transitioned away from her given name of Norma Jeane Mortenson at the time of this photo session. The Marilyn we see here is not a star, but just a really pretty young woman full of life. That's how I like to remember her. (Click for the full-size version of each picture.)
Read More
Dec282012 by Chris Holmes1 Comment
The Best of the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit — 2012

The Best of the Man in the Gray Flannel Suit — 2012

Blogstuff
So, 2012. It sure was twelve months, wasn't it? But before the year slips away into 2013, let's take a moment to reflect on just some of the awesome content I've published in Aught 12, as ranked by the number of visits (which I'm aware don't always equate to quality, but that's another topic). For reference, here's last year's review. And as always, I offer a laurel and hearty handshake to everyone who has stopped by this year -- either on the blog, the Facebook page, or any of the ever-growing venues where I waste my time and yours. This site racked up about half a million visits in 2012, which I'm fairly certain is an all-time high. It's probably all downhill from here. Oh and I'd be remiss if I didn't point out the lovely selection of Featured Posts you see to the right. It ma...
Read More
Oct12007 by Chris Holmes2 Comments
This is CNN

This is CNN

Rants
Seriously? This is what is considered "Breaking News" by CNN? Britney "White Trash with a Record Deal" Spears finally losing custody of her children? Really? Can you not tell how indignant I am by all the question marks I'm using??? Public: "Hey CNN, anything going on with those monks being slaughtered over in Myanmar? Or Burma. Or whatever it's called." CNN: "Fuck them. How many hit songs do they have? Yeah, we thought so."
Read More
May42007 by Chris Holmes2 Comments
A fortune cookie for Paris Hilton

A fortune cookie for Paris Hilton

Funny Stuff
Well I thought I could make it for the entire life of this blog without mentioning...her. But I'm only human, and the news of Paris Hilton being sentenced to 45 days in the pokey is just too sweet to pass up. So go ahead Paris, open that cellophane wrapper and enjoy! Too harsh? Yeah, I didn't think so either.
Read More