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Beneath Margaret Thatcher’s steely and polarizing public persona was a grocer’s daughter with a high voice and a sharp tongue, a woman who held onto a childhood love of poetry and science throughout her life.
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“If only we could have him review everything, forever. The scope and depth of Roger Ebert’s influence in the field of film criticism cannot be overstated …
Over his lifetime, Ebert wrote more than 10,000 reviews, delivering raves and pans alike in his warm, inimitable writing style. Whether you agreed or disagreed with his take on a particular movie, his reviews were always fair, and were often such a joy to read that he would half-convince you you’d been wrong all along.
He was eager to speak with the many young critics he inspired, and was quick to use his talents and fame to help others. When I was just beginning my career as a film and television critic, Ebert found and tweeted out several of my articles — a professional compliment that has never since been equaled, and that I suspect never will.”
—Our entertainment editor, Scott Meslow, wrote an incredibly touching piece remembering Roger Ebert, who died today at the age of 70. We highly recommend you read the whole damn thing.
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Twenty-seven years ago today, on January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded during its 10th flight mission (STS-51-L), just 73 seconds after liftoff. The mission was originally scheduled to begin on January 22, 1986, but it had to be rescheduled several times before the Challenger finally departed from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 28. After the failure of an O-ring seal on one of the shuttle’s Solid Rocket Boosters, the vessel burst into flames and exploded. The tragic events were captured during a live broadcast, and all seven crew members lost their lives.
Today in history: Looking back at the 1986 Challenger Shuttle disaster
Photo: NASA
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Remembering Beastie Boys’ Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch: A video tribute
Along with his bandmates, Yauch was “responsible for rap’s first big move from the New York streets to the manicured lawns of American suburbs,” says Christopher R. Weingarten at SPIN. His death at such a young age hits especially hard, says Kyle Buchanan at New York, as Yauch “managed to pack that short lifetime with so many indelible accomplishments”: Grammy Awards, a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, and more. Among Yauch and the Boys’ most celebrated contributions are their innovative, ground-breaking music videos, several of which Yauch directed himself under the pseudonym Nathaniel Hornblower.
As fans and the music industry mourn Yauch’s death, here’s a look back at some of the Beastie Boys’ most iconic music videos
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Cartoon of the day. Steve Jobs greets his oldest fans.
Gary Markstein, copyright 2011 Creators Syndicate
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Pictures of the wreckage of the crashed Chinook CH-47 helicopter in Tangi Valley, Wardak province, Afghanistan. In one, Afghan children are seen nearby. In the last, a close-up of burnt first-aid instructions found at the crash site. Taken by Mohammad Nasir/AP. The names of the thirty Americans who were killed were released today by the Pentagon. Via.
