“Kiss Me, Stupid”, New Year’s Eve, New York City, 1965

A prominently featured marquee in this photograph advertises the romantic comedy Kiss Me, Stupid, in which a piano teacher hires a woman to play the part of his wife when a lascivious performer comes to visit.

(Photo by Joel Meyerowitz)

The title of this photograph indicates that Meyerowitz captured this scene on New Year’s Eve. With this knowledge, a viewer may begin to imagine that a theater employee put those words on the marquee that day in the spirit of the holiday.

The quotation marks around the phrase seem to imply an unseen, omnipresent speaker, hinting at the romantic notion this couple might have had that the words were meant for them, inspiring them to follow direction with a kiss.

"Kiss Me, Stupid" poster

Kiss Me, Stupid is a 1964 American sex comedy film produced and directed by Billy Wilder and starring Dean Martin, Kim Novak, and Ray Walston.

The screenplay by Wilder and I.A.L. Diamond is based on the play L’ora della fantasia (The Dazzling Hour) by Anna Bonacci, which had inspired Wife For a Night (Moglie per una notte, 1952), an Italian film starring Gina Lollobrigida. The comic song lyrics were written by Ira Gershwin, using some of George Gershwin’s unpublished melodies.

Pictures of the First Laptop Computer

Released in 1981 by the Osborne Computer Corporation, the Osborne 1 is considered to be the first true portable computer - it closes-up for protection, and has a carrying handle. It even has an optional battery pack, so it doesn't have to plugged into the 110VAC outlet for power.

While quite revolutionary, the Osborne does have its limitations. For example, the screen is only 5" (diagonal) in size, and can't display more than 52 characters per line of text. To compensate, you can actually scroll the screen display back and forth with the cursor keys to show lines of text up to 128 characters wide.

The Osborne was designed with transportation in mind - it had to be rugged and able to survive being moved about. That's one reason that the screen is so small - a larger and heavier screen would be more susceptable to damage.

The two pockets beneath the floppy drives work great for floppy disk storage, although the Osborne modem also fits perfectly in the the left pocket and plugs into the front-mounted "modem" port.

Designed as a true portable computer system - it can be considered airline carry-on luggage, and it will fit under the passenger seat of any commercial airliner.

Old Photos of Japan From the 19th Century

These are old shots of Japan taken mostly in 1886.

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Pictures of Marilyn Monroe in Korea in February, 1954

Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio were on their honeymoon in Tokyo, Japan in February of 1954 when Marilyn received an invitation from General John E. Hull’s Far East command to entertain the U.S. troops stationed in war torn Korea. After a little thought and discussion with her husband she said yes. It should be said though that Joe objected to her going to Korea at that time as he feared for her safety. The armistice had just been signed in July of 1953 and she was going to do some of her shows very close to the front lines which was still a very dangerous place at that time, but she said it was ”the least she could do.”

Her whirlwind tour consisted of ten shows in four days in sub-zero temperatures. Wearing nothing but a skin tight, low cut, plum colored sequined gown, she wowed the troops with her singing, dancing, and banter. Everywhere she went she was greeted with warmth and appreciation. One Army Corps of Engineers officer said of Marilyn, “Of all the performers who came to us in Korea-and there were a half a dozen or so-she was the best...

It was bitter cold, but she was in no hurry to leave. Marilyn was a great entertainer. She made thousands of GI’s feel like she really cared.” Marilyn performed with a band made up of eleven servicemen called Anything Goes. Her pianist, Albert Guastafeste was taken aback by how down to earth and modest she was. He was quoted as saying,”Someone ought to go up to her and tell her she is Marilyn Monroe. She doesn’t seem to realize it. When you make a goof she tells you she’s sorry. When she goofs, she apologizes to me!”

During her tour she also visited hospitals in Japan where wounded servicemen lay, stopping to talk, shaking hands, signing autographs, posing with all that asked for pictures. Even though she was totally exhausted from the tour and caught a mild case of pneumonia, she later told her friend Amy Greene that the Korea tour was one of the highlights of her entire career.

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The 10 Gayest Album Covers of All Time

Maybe “suggestive” would have been a better word. Now before you all grumble about your favorite Menudo album not making the cut, understand that this list is amendable. Which covers do you think should have made the lineup?

10. “Hot Streets” (Chicago, 1978)

I wonder what the guy on right was thinking…”I gotta get the f#*k out of this picture, quick.”


9. “Lovesexy” (Prince, 1988)

If this was anyone other than Prince, it would have locked up a spot in the top 3…but it is Prince.


8. “Push Push” (Herbie Mann, 1971)

What can be more gay than a sweaty, naked jazz flautist? A sweaty, naked jazz flautist naming his album “Push Push”. At least it has bonus tracks.


7. “Live It Up” (Crosby, Stills, & Nash, 1990)

WTF?


6. “Return To Pooh Corner” (Kenny Loggins, 1994)

In Kenny’s defense, this was an album for children. The unicorn put it over the edge. It sold a half-million copies, so what the hell do I know.

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Vintage Photos of “Graf Zeppelin” LZ127 From the 1930s

The “Graf Zeppelin” LZ127 was the most traveled airship in history. It flew over 1 million miles including the first circumnavigation of the globe via airship. From 1931 to 1937 it operated scheduled service between Germany and Brazil.

Landing in Friedrichshafen 22/08/1935

Many people were needed to hold down the D-LZ127

Graf Zeppelin in Helsinki, Finland

These Are The Worst Album Covers Ever Created?

Not all album covers are created equal. Some album covers are so incredible that they can’t now be explained by the people who originally conceived of them. These are the worst album covers you’ll ever see.

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