What Would I Do Without The Washington Post's Informative Local Coverage?

Currently the Post's most viewed article!

Businesspeople With Briefcases Balancing On Wires Or Ropes

Another hacky cliché to add to your collection. All images Getty Images except for the last three. Tip of the hat, obv, to Edith Zimmerman.

Oh, right, and by the way, I stumbled across this cliché because I was impressed by this guy Simon Tisdall's take on the Obama Administration's reaction to things 'n' stuff in Egypt. Doesn't it just seem so right?

Random Nancy Panel

Book Shelf: 16 Magazine Vol. 11 #12, May 1970, Part Three

We conclude our fun/depressing trip through 1970 teenobilia with Jack Wild's brother, above left, who had a career as a teen idol similar to his sibling's, but less intense and volatile. Above right, because obviously this magazine hasn't featured nearly enough answers to your questions about Dark Shadows, Jonathan Frid answers your questions about Dark Shadows! As dated as this magazine seems, you have to admit that there's something familiar about a teen-friendly vampire melodrama. 

One thing I'll say about Gloria Stavers is that she wasn't afraid to cast a wide net. She would feature just about anything, because why not? If the girls didn't respond, it was on to the next thing. Case in point, below right, the twins from Hee Haw. Hott. Their hair helmets would remain unchanged for decades:

Below, more movie gossip, mostly about bombs and flops, including Antonioni's Zabriskie Point. It's also fun to see Clint and Ronnie Howard before their roles became reversed:

Below left, first they were known as Everyday Hudson, then Hudson, then the Hudson Brothers, then Hudson again, and then The Hudsons. Got that? Bill Hudson ended up marrying Goldie Hawn (seen on the previous spread) and spawning Kate Hudson. He later traded down for Cindy Williams. Brett Hudson went on to be a hacky TV producer. Mark went on to write and produce awful songs for people like Ringo Starr, Aerosmith and Harry Nilsson. Below right, local Ohio TV show host awkwardly interviews obviously stoned musicians. Also check out young Kenny Rogers and his terrible bubblegum group:

Below, an historic event, the debut of David Cassidy, still only a TV show bit player. Within a year, he would dominate all teen mags worldwide. Interestingly, no mention is made of his famous father and stepmother:

Below, hired guns from fake folk group the Grass Roots. Warren Entner ended up managing Rage Against the Machine and Faith No More:

Gloria answers your questions! First of all, no, Bobby Sherman is NOT dating that girl he would end up marrying within a year. There is talk about the Cowsills getting a TV show, and this is, of course, what would end up being the Cowsill-less Partridge Family. I also love all the fake letters which are transparent plugs for other 16 publications ("Gloria, I hear you have a new booklet out. IS IT TRUE?"):

Below, "coming next issue" (no surprises in store, from the looks of it) and back issues, all of which I desire to own:

And finally, are you girl enough for the Dark Shadows kid? Probably not, but it doesn't hurt to try:

And that's that fab ish! Coming soon: we jump ahead two years to the "All David Cassidy, all the time" era.

Part one is here, and part two is here.

Sophisticated Political Satire

Over Here, Michele. Michele? Hellooooooo, Michele?

Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., stands during the "Hot Dish Off," cooking contest in the office of Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2011. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

This is absolutely 100% my favorite new Michele Bachmann photo EVER.

UPDATE – As a special treat, a high-res (not retouched in any way!) closeup: 

Book Shelf: 16 Magazine Vol. 11 #12, May 1970, Part Two

 Click any page to engorge.

See part one here. (UPDATE: part three is here.) 16's superfab May ish continues, above, with... wait, who and who? Oh, right, Dark Shadows.Lots of Dark Shadows exploitation in this issue. David Selby went on to be a busy, successful character actor, probably best remembered as the star of Falcon Crest. He was recently in The Social Network and Mad Men. Christopher Pennock has also done steady if undistinguished TV work.

Below, not so happy endings for the Cowsills. Barry, below right, died gruesomely in Hurricane Katrina. John, below left, is a touring musician for oldies groups:

The poor Cowsills. They had a pretty good run and then were cruelly eclipsed by a Cowsills ripoff, the Partridge Family, all because they didn't want to pretend that Shirley Jones was their mother. Below left, Bob is a software salesman and trainer today. Paul, below right, is a construction worker:

More Dark Shadows stuff. Some DS fan is going to be thrilled to one day stumble upon this:

The "LO down," gossip 'n' such. This is a fairly dull page with one exception, the "introducing the Jackson Five" item:

20-year-old Kurt Russell! Fresh off the triumph of The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes! On the left is Jon Provost, Lassie's best friend, and his career was just about over. He predicts correctly that if Kurt were ever to direct a movie, it would be a Western (Russell co-directed Tombstone):

This issue of 16 is full of early mentions of stars who would end up dominating their pages within a year. The Osmonds seem to be pretty new below:

The Brady Bunch was less than a year old when the below was published. The Brady Kids would be featured endlessly in issues to come:

Stay tuned for more Dark Shadows, more Bobby Sherman, more grooviness in the third and final part to come!