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Simon Cowell Polished Jack Nicholson’s Axe on The Shining
Before Simon Cowell became famous for crushing dreams on talent shows, he was literally polishing movie props for a living. He got a job as a runner on Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining at Elstree Studios in London. He reportedly worked on various film productions during his time there. The man who would go on to judge millions of hopeful performers was once at the very bottom of the entertainment industry food chain.
It’s almost poetic when you think about it. Cowell spent his early days working behind the scenes on one of cinema’s most terrifying moments. Perhaps all that time around movie magic taught him how to craft his own brand of dramatic suspense on television.
The irony is delicious. While Nicholson was delivering one of the most iconic performances in horror history, a future entertainment mogul was quietly making sure his prop axe gleamed perfectly for the cameras.
James Lipton Was a Professional Pimp in 1950s Paris
The Inside the Actor’s Studio host didn’t start off that way. He actually managed a bunch of sex workers in Paris in the early ’50s. Yes, that’s right, James Lipton was a pimp. He made a decent living at it, too. This revelation came straight from Lipton himself, who explained the context behind his unusual early career choice.
He explained to Parade that after World War II, it was a different time and that pimps in France did not exploit sex workers, but acted more as their agents. “I was going through my rites of passage, no question about it,” he said. The refined gentleman we knew from television had quite the colorful past in post-war Europe.
From managing Parisian nightlife to hosting sophisticated conversations with Hollywood’s finest actors, Lipton’s journey represents one of the most dramatic career pivots in entertainment history. His deep understanding of human nature, perhaps honed during those Paris days, certainly served him well in his later interviews.
Tom Hanks Owns 250 Vintage Typewriters and Uses One Daily
Tom Hanks doesn’t just enjoy vintage typewriters, he’s an ardent collector. He has an extensive collection of typewriters in various makes and styles, and is known to use them regularly. He loves typewriters so much that he wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about all the cool sounds that typewriters make and he once gave a typewriter to a fan, which is a thousand times cooler than a signed photo.
He even wrote a book of short stories that featured a typewriter in each one. “The tactile pleasure of typing old school is incomparable to what you get from a de rigueur laptop,” he wrote in the New York Times, explaining his passion for the machines. This isn’t just a hobby for America’s sweetheart. It’s a genuine obsession that has shaped his creative process for decades.
Think about it. While most of Hollywood embraces the latest technology, Hanks finds inspiration in machines that were cutting-edge when his grandparents were young. His dedication to using these typewriters daily shows a commitment to craft that goes far beyond what cameras capture.
Vangelis Created Iconic Film Scores Despite Being Unable to Read Music
Vangelis is the famous composer behind the scores for Chariots of Fire and the original Blade Runner, but did you know he cannot read a single line of music? He’s not the only musical genius who is musically illiterate: Pavarotti and Jimi Hendrix couldn’t read music either. This fact challenges everything we assume about professional musicianship and classical training.
The man who gave us some of cinema’s most haunting and beautiful soundtracks composed entirely by ear and intuition. His Academy Award-winning score for Chariots of Fire became one of the most recognizable pieces of film music ever created, all without a single written note guiding his process.
This proves that raw musical talent and emotional understanding can sometimes transcend formal education. Vangelis turned his inability to read music into a strength, creating sounds that came purely from his soul rather than from textbook knowledge.
Benedict Cumberbatch Was Once Kidnapped in South Africa
He and his friends where on their way back to the set of To the Ends of the Earth when a tire blew out. Then, six armed men seemingly came out of nowhere asking them for their money and weed. They tied them up, and threw Benedict in the trunk of their car. This terrifying incident happened during Cumberbatch’s early acting career, long before he became a household name.
The future Sherlock Holmes found himself in a real-life thriller that was far more dangerous than any script he’d ever read. Being stuffed into a car trunk by armed kidnappers isn’t exactly typical preparation for playing a consulting detective, yet somehow Cumberbatch emerged from this experience and continued pursuing his craft.
What makes this story even more remarkable is how casually he’s discussed it in interviews. For most people, being kidnapped would be a life-altering trauma. For Cumberbatch, it seems to have been just another wild chapter in his journey to stardom.
Jackie Chan Once Cracked His Skull and Nearly Died on Set
The stunt required him to jump through a tree, but the branches broke. In an effort to save himself, Jackie grabbed other branches, but those broke too. He ended up falling to the ground and cracking his skull, his whole body went numb, and blood was coming out of his ear. Then, he was rushed into surgery. This incident showcases the genuine danger behind Chan’s death-defying stunts.
Most action stars use stunt doubles for the really dangerous stuff. Jackie Chan, however, built his entire career on doing his own stunts, no matter how risky they became. This particular accident left him with a permanent hole in his head that you can actually see if you know where to look.
The fact that he recovered from such a severe head injury and continued performing his own stunts speaks to an almost superhuman dedication to his craft. Most people would hang up their boots after nearly dying on set. Chan saw it as just another occupational hazard.
Celine Dion Bought a Two Million Dollar Humidifier
Pop diva Celine Dion insisted on getting one that cost $2 million. That’s a $1,999,980 markup. Sure, she made the investment while in Las Vegas – during a three-year residency – and she definitely needed to protect her vocal cords from the dry desert air. But there’s no reason a device that puts moisture in the air should cost more than a Manhattan condo.
When you’re one of the most powerful voices in music history, apparently no expense is too great to protect your instrument. While most singers might pick up a basic humidifier from the local pharmacy, Dion went straight for the luxury version that costs more than most people’s houses.
This purchase perfectly encapsulates the wild excess that comes with superstar status. It’s not just about having money. It’s about being so committed to perfection that spending millions on humidity becomes a reasonable business decision.
Ashton Kutcher Landed in the Hospital Twice Copying Steve Jobs’ Diet
Steve Jobs was known to be a “fruitarian” and lived on a mainly fruit diet, which Ashton tried to replicate. His wife Mila Kunis explained, “He was so dumb. He…only ate grapes at one point…we ended up in the hospital twice. With pancreatitis! It was really dumb!” This happened while Kutcher was preparing to play Jobs in the biographical film about the Apple founder.
Method acting can be dangerous, but most actors stop short of actually endangering their health. Kutcher, however, took his dedication to character research to an extreme that landed him in the emergency room. Twice. His commitment to authenticity nearly killed him before filming even began.
The irony is that Jobs himself eventually died from pancreatic cancer, making Kutcher’s fruit-induced pancreatitis even more unsettling. Sometimes getting too deep into character can literally become a matter of life and death.
Paris Hilton Built a 325,000 Dollar Mansion for Her Dogs
Socialite Paris Hilton thinks her dog should sleep in luxury, so in 2009, she spent $325,000 for a two-story, 300-square feet villa. It’s got a black crystal chandelier, designer furniture, and a balcony. Yes, a balcony. For when they want to do their all-barking version of the Evita song “Don’t Cry For Me Argentina.”
Most people struggle to afford decent housing for themselves, but Hilton decided her dogs needed architectural luxury that most humans will never experience. The mansion includes air conditioning, heating, and interior design that would make many actual homes look shabby by comparison.
This isn’t just pet love taken to an extreme. It’s a perfect example of how wealth can create its own reality where spending hundreds of thousands on dog real estate seems perfectly reasonable. The dogs probably don’t appreciate the chandelier, but they certainly live better than most people.
Katy Perry Collects Other Celebrities’ Hair in Her Purse
One of the first times she went to the Grammys, she got to share a dressing room with Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift and she asked them for a lock of their hair from each one of them, which is totally creepy, but awesome. She put little bows on them individually and put them in her purse. And that was her little secret, and she’s a freak!
When it comes to having weird hobbies, Katy Perry might take the prize. The singer revealed that she likes to collect fellow celebrities’ hair. Specifically, Perry has said that she has locks from Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift. This confession came straight from Perry herself, who seems oddly proud of her unusual collection.
Most people collect stamps or coins. Perry collects DNA samples from fellow pop stars, apparently. The fact that she actually asked for their hair and they agreed makes this story even stranger. Imagine being at the Grammy Awards and casually asking Taylor Swift for a hair sample to keep in your purse forever.
What do you think about it? Tell us in the comments.
Christian Wiedeck, all the way from Germany, loves music festivals, especially in the USA. His articles bring the excitement of these events to readers worldwide.
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