Author Archives: robin

Before They Were Stars: Muhammad Ali Boxing as a Teenager

You’ve no doubt heard that the legendary Muhammad Ali recently passed away at the age of 74. And you probably already know that his real name was Cassius Clay before he joined the Nation of Islam and decided to become … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: 10-Year Robert Downey Jr. in “Moment to Moment”

Later today, we will posting our latest Shouts From the Back Row podcast episode about the career of Robert Downey Jr.. In case of you’ve ever been curious about his father, Robert Downey Jr., he was a director who liked to … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars (2-for-1 Special): Adam Sandler and Jeremy Piven on “Dog Police”

In 1990, there seemed to be a very bizarre and inexplicable trend involving the production of failed pilots for television shows featuring dogs as police officers. That year, we got Poochinski (which I wrote about on Cracked.com years ago), an … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: Brittany Murphy in a Beverly Hills 90210 Dolls Commercial

For those of you who don’t remember the early nineties, you might not know just how insanely popular Beverly Hills 90210 was for a time period. This commercial will probably drive that point home, as it advertises an entire line … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: Zac Efron on “Room Raiders”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtOTVhDmjOQ Room Raiders was an MTV dating reality series in which three contestants would sit inside a van while their potential date inspected each of their bedrooms and decided which contestant they wanted to go out with based on the … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: Dabney Coleman in a Rambler Commercial

If you want the surreal sight of a young Dabney Coleman without his trademark moustache, here he is in a 1962 commercial alongside actress Jean Hale, who was his real-life wife at the time. They are both advertising Rambler, an … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: Sara Ramirez in “Spider-Man”

Later today, we will be releasing this week’s Shouts From the Back Row podcast, where we will be discussing the Spider-Man films. If you go back and watch the first two Sam Raimi movies, you will find a large number … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: Paul Newman in “The Silver Chalice”

The Silver Chalice is a 1954 historical epic which would be completely forgettable if it didn’t happen to feature the screen debut of an aspiring young actor named Paul Newman. But the film is also notable for how much Newman … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: Imogen Poots in “V for Vendetta”

You might remember the flashback montage sequence in the middle of V for Vendetta which chronicles the story of a young woman named Valerie who is imprisoned and tortured because she is a lesbian. We briefly catch glimpses of Valerie … Continue reading

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Before They Were Stars: David Letterman Auditions for “Airplane!”

David Letterman auditioned for the role of Ted Striker in Airplane!? Surely, you can’t be serious! I am serious and don’t call me Shirley! While it’s common for talk show hosts to surprise their guests by showing clips of their … Continue reading

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