Alex Summers articles

Val Kilmer is a lot more complicated than the action star we know from the screen—his life behind the scenes was somehow even more fast-paced. Born into a relatively normal family, his youth was anything but. Because of his bizarre behavior and his shocking affairs, this now-ailing star is a modern-day Casanova. An action film could easily be made from his memoirs. Continue reading to discover his rollercoaster ride of a life.

Burl Ives was one of America's most respected folk musicians, before he was hauled before an anti-Communist inquiry.

Before the lights found them, they were just names buried in credits. The roles were brief, forgettable even. But one day, those forgettable faces became the ones you couldn't forget.

Before the Rat Pack became shorthand for Sinatra, martinis, and Las Vegas swagger, it belonged to Humphrey Bogart. The original circle gathered around Bogart and Lauren Bacall at their Holmby Hills home in Los Angeles. Frank Sinatra was part of that orbit before he became the name most associated with the group.

When brooding folk-rocker James Taylor appeared on The Simpsons, they jokingly referred to him as the “Mild Man of Rock”. Well, when it comes to his personal life, you might wanna grab a glass of milk because it’s burn-your-face-off spicy. In 1980, Taylor and John Lennon were almost Manhattan neighbors. Just the day before Lennon’s demise, Taylor had a spine-chilling encounter with the man who would assassinate his dear friend.

Werner Klemperer made a career of ridiculing the people who forced his family to flee their homeland.

Some actors used a different skill set to break through to success on the big screen.

Penny Marshall already had a successful TV acting career when she set out to become a director.

Within the slew of alternative bands that burst onto the scene in the early 90s, there was something special about Nirvana. In particular, there was something really special about the band's frontman, Kurt Cobain. His piercing blue eyes, gut-wrenching songwriting, and tragic end may be what people remember—but there’s so much more to Cobain’s story than that.