Jesse Singer articles

2025 was one of those years that felt like a steady stream of bad news—icon after icon, voice after voice, presence after presence. Some were legends who’d been around forever. Others were gone far too soon. Either way, the cultural void they left behind was impossible to ignore.

Some couples just can’t resist the pull—no matter how messy things get. Hollywood is full of stars who marched down the aisle twice (or even more) with the same person, convinced the sequel would outshine the original. Spoiler alert: it never did.

Boston’s 1976 debut wasn’t just huge—it was more than huge. Bad pun aside, the album really was a monster hit. But monster hits attract monsters of a different kind—label executives, deadlines, and expectations that don’t leave much room for perfectionism.

Fleetwood Mac didn’t start as a pop band. It started with Peter Green—a blues guitarist who terrified Eric Clapton. He built the band, led it, and shaped everything it was meant to be. Then he disappeared. What followed wasn’t reinvention—it was a quiet collapse into schizophrenia that erased one of rock’s most gifted minds.

For years, the popular story was simple: Hervé Villechaize wanted to be paid the same as Ricardo Montalbán, the star of Fantasy Island, and the studio showed him the door. It’s a neat, dramatic explanation—but it skips over a much uglier reality that people were uncomfortable talking about at the time.

Some shows don’t slowly reveal they’re bad—they announce it immediately, loudly, and without hesitation. These pilots waved every possible red flag, and networks somehow took that as encouragement. One episode was already too many. An entire season felt like a dare no one should’ve accepted.

Some great directors struggle their entire careers trying to get films made. While others somehow keep getting chance and chance despite delivering poor to mediocre results. But just like how a broken clock is right twice a day—these lesser directors have managed to make something really good once (or even twice) along the way.

Baby boomers had limited channels and unlimited commitment. If a show came on at 8 p.m., you were on the couch at 7:59. Some of these shows felt edgy. A few even felt important. Others were just there—every single week. These are the shows boomers swore by…and now swear they barely remember watching.

Scotty Beckett joined Our Gang in the 1930s, instantly becoming a fan favorite with his sharp delivery and bright smile. He stole scenes without ever trying. Everyone assumed a kid that charismatic was headed for a long, golden career—but childhood fame rarely works out that way. And sadly, Beckett was no exception.