News of the Week: Best Books, Baseball Bobbleheads, and Barbara Stanwyck Meets Fred MacMurray

The Best Books of the 21st Century (So Far – the Century Is Still Young)

Oh no, not another list! I don’t like them anymore either. There are now 1,000 new “best of” or “worst of” lists online every single week and they’ve become meaningless.

But this one is interesting because it’s a list of personal favorite books from various writers, including Stephen King, James Patterson, Megan Abbott, Jonathan Lethem, John Irving, and many others.

Well, the Jerk Store Called, They’re Running Out of You!

Most bobbleheads look nothing like the person they’re supposed to depict. But this Jason Alexander bobblehead is really good! It’s the actor as his George Costanza character on Seinfeld, who worked for the New York Yankees on the show. The first 18,000 fans at a game last week at Yankee Stadium got to take one home.

They ran out of them, but you can find them on eBay, and the prices range from $86 to…$6,000.

You Have to Read This!

A few years ago, I started a new feature in this column where I pick the one big story of the week that’s a must-read, and I don’t think I’ve done it too much since. But here’s one: Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s account of the 1974 kidnapping of her friend’s father. It’s very well-written and rather gripping.

90 Years of the Hays Code

Not familiar with the Hays Code? It was a set of moral guidelines that all movies had to follow between 1934 and 1968. It was enacted after a series of controversial movies and incidents in the 1920s and early ’30s. Wikipedia has a detailed look at the code and TCM has an article on how it affected certain films, directors, and performers.

(Make sure you also read Connor Brownfield’s piece on Chicago’s film censors.)

RIP Shelley Duvall, Doug Sheehan, James Inhofe, Jon Landau, Benji Gregory, Vic Seixas, Joan Benedict, Joe Egan, and Joe Bonsall

Shelley Duvall starred in such movies as The Shining, Nashville, Popeye, 3 Women, Brewster McCloud, Annie Hall, Time Bandits, and Roxanne, and was the creator and narrator of the fairytale anthology series Faerie Tale Theatre. She died yesterday at the age of 75.

Doug Sheehan starred on Knots Landing, the sitcoms Day by Day and Clueless, and played Joe Kelly on General Hospital. He died last month at the age of 75.

James Inhofe was a former Republican senator and congressman from Oklahoma. He was also the former mayor of Tulsa. He died Tuesday at the age of 89.

Jon Landau was the producing partner of James Cameron who brought us Titanic and the Avatar films. He also co-produced such films as Mrs. Doubtfire, Dick Tracy, and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids. He died last week at the age of 63.

Benji Gregory played Brian on the ’80s sitcom ALF. He died last month at the age of 46.

The name Vic Seixas may not be familiar to you, even if you’re a tennis fan, but the Hall of Famer won 15 Grand Slam titles (both singles and doubles), several other titles, and 38 Davis Cup matches. He died last week at the age of 100.

Joan Benedict was a cast member on Candid Camera and The Steve Allen Show and appeared in several other shows and movies and in a one-woman play about Leona Helmsley. She died last month at the age of 96.

Joe Bonsall was a member of the Oak Ridge Boys, known for such songs as “Elvira.” He died Tuesday at the age of 76.

Joe Egan co-wrote and sang backup vocals on the Stealers Wheel song “Stuck in the Middle with You.” He died Saturday at the age of 77.

Uploaded to YouTube by Stealers Wheel – Topic

This Week in History

Double Indemnity Released (July 6, 1944)

If you wanted to introduce film noir to someone who has never seen one before, this is probably the movie you should tell them to watch. Writer Raymond Chandler and director Billy Wilder had to change the ending of the book because of the Hays Code.

Here’s the trailer, and here’s the cameo Chandler made in the film.

James Whistler Born (July 10, 1834)

Yes, you know that painting of his mom – usually called Whistler’s Mother but officially titled Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1 – but he did so much more.

This Week in Saturday Evening Post History: “Sandlot Homerun” by John Falter (July 6, 1957)

This is a neighborhood baseball field in Atchison, Kansas. True story: Falter tried playing baseball when he was a kid but quit when he was hit in the bobblehead by a pitch.

Sunday Is National Macaroni and Cheese Day

Is there anything better than mac and cheese in life? Okay, there are plenty of things that are better, but there aren’t many meals that are so comforting and versatile. You can throw anything in it!

Like the chicken in this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese from All Recipes. Cabot Creamery has a Bacon Mac & Cheese Salad, while The Pioneer Woman has a Cheeseburger Casserole. Or how about a Broccoli Mac and Cheese from Dinner at the Zoo or Ina Garten’s Mac and Cheese, which includes tomatoes?

Next Week’s Holidays and Events

Wimbledon Finals (July 13-14)

The women’s final airs at 9 a.m. ET Saturday on ESPN. The men’s final airs on Sunday at the same time and place.

Republican National Convention (July 15-18)

This time it takes place at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.