The mothers of Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent both shared the same first name, a fact that was used as a cringe-worthy "let's stop fighting and make friends" plot twist in the awful Batman Vs. Superman movie.
Cats with cameras - always guaranteed to increase my page views.
Welcome to this week's Saturday Snapshots, where you get the fun of working out the identity of the ten hitmaking popular musical artistes below, then figuring out what their songs have in common.
"National Treasure" Bernard Cribbins left us earlier this week, aged 93. He deserves a place in the Celebrity Jukebox Hall of Fame.
From Jackanory to The Wombles, Bernard Cribbins was the voice of my childhood. Over the years, I've watched him save the world alongside Doctor Who, stand up to Basil Fawlty, and work with everyone from Alfred Hitchcock to Mark 'n' Lard. And let's not forget his contributions to the world of popular music, most notably this...
...which was obviously a favourite of Mick Jones & co.
Now, admittedly, both those tracks are probably referencing the Deeply Dippy guys... but without Bernard, they wouldn't have been there to reference, would they?
But what of an actually lyrical mention? I had to dig that hole in the ground pretty deep, but I did eventually find one... and it's really quite lovely. A fitting tribute for a truly special celebrity.
Just a normal day
I hadn't made any plans
I was enjoying a walk in the sunshine when I saw a lovely old man
Who just happened to be Bernard Cribbins
And he beamed at me so wide
Then he gave me an ice cream that was sweeter than his smile
And it also contained the unspoken knowledge of the ancient ones
Following Tuesday's post, which suggested that given the current state of the world, it was high time for hypersonic missiles... or as Bruce Cockburn put it (thanks, Lynchie)...
If I had a rocket launcher, I'd make somebody pay
...I figured we needed a little positivity to redress the karmic balance.
So here is S.E. Rogie with his Recipe for Truth and Lasting Happiness. I'd like to think that whoever wins the Tory leadership race will listen to this and dedicate themselves to its message. But really, what are the chances? We all know politicians are created in a mad scientist's lab without an empathy chip. Still, it's nice to dream.
Another of George's challenges today. "What about Joan Fontaine (or her equally famous sister)?"
Well, Joan I had an answer for immediately. Olivia, on the other hand, took some digging.
First, a little background.
By all accounts, Joan Fontaine and Olivia de Havilland hated each other. Olivia was only 15 months older than Joan, but their feud started in childhood and only ended when they were both dead. Joan died in 2013, aged 96, but Olivia had the last laugh, reaching the grand age of 104 before dying in 2020. It's amazing they both lasted that long, since Joan allegedly fantasised of killing her sister when she was 9, and later broke Olivia's collarbone in a scrap. When they were both nominated for the Best Actress Oscar in 1942 and Joan won, she was convinced her sister would finish her off.
Who wins the musical tribute contest though?
Well, I did find a contemporary musical artiste called De Havilland, though I can't find out anything about them, including whether they took their name from Olivia or not.
But it's neither of these that make Joan the winner. Oh no... it's this little beauty, from another of George's favourites, The Boss. Admittedly, it's from his debut album, before he developed his own lyrical voice and was more into aping Mr. Dylan, but still. We love it anyway.
Boris is gone. Only not really. He needs to stick around long enough to sign his chat show deal.
Meantime, a bunch of rich, lying scumbags are fighting over who gets the pleasure of screwing up Britain even more. Apparently there's only two of them left now.
I vote Judge Death.
Alternatively, I might go with Sam Fender's suggestion...
All the silver tongued suits and cartoons that rule my world
Are saying it is a high time for hypersonic missiles
When the bombs drop, darlin', can you say that you've lived your life?
Oh, this is a high time for hypersonic missiles
They all do the same, only their names change honey
You can join their club if you're born in to money
Number 13 in this series might seem unlucky, unless we go with someone who resolutely refuses to be a number, because he is a free man!
Despite a movie career that includes Ice Station Zebra, Braveheart and Scanners (the one with the exploding heads, kids) Patrick McGoohan will always be better remembered for his TV roles, first as Danger Man, and then as The Prisoner. Despite the fact that the former ran for 86 episodes and the latter only 17, it's Number 6 who became an icon, not John Drake from Danger Man (although some people believe they're one and the same, and that The Prisoner was a continuation of the earlier show... although McGoohan himself has poured cold water on this idea). Let's not go any deeper into all that, otherwise we could be here all day.
The influence of The Prisoner was fell across all genres of popular music, from heavy metal...
Today is the last day of term in the new job I started back in November. It's no understatement to say this job saved my life, or at least my sanity, and for the first time in years I'm actually looking forward to going back to work after the summer. As mentioned earlier in the week, I also get a full 6 week holiday, which I've never had before, so... I'm going to try to be a bit more positive. There are some things in life you can't fix, and you just have to learn to live with them, but I fixed the job problem, and that was huge. Happy happy, joy joy, as a sadly-departed old friend of mine used to say.
The Steve Miller Band's Midnight Train is pure feel-good rock n roll. It's late-stage Miller, from the early 90s, yet it could easily fit in a set list with their prime era classics such as Rock 'n' Me, Jungle Love or Jet Airliner. (I don't include The Joker in that list, not because I don't love it, but because it's unique, and not an obvious match for the rest of his back catalogue.) Sam loves it too, it's probably his favourite song at the moment.
