Friday, March 3, 2006

Spotlight
The original Blonde Bombshell, Jean Harlow was born on this date in 1911. In her short career, she starred in nearly 20 films alongside such big-name actors as Clark Gable, Spencer Tracy and William Powell. She became known for her comic turn in films like Bombshell and Dinner at Eight. Harlow died when she was 26, of acute uremic poisoning. Her last film, Saratoga, was completed by a stand-in; it became Harlow's biggest hit.

Quote
"When you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas." – Jean Harlow

Word of the day
potboiler: a quickly-produced work, usually costing little and of low quality; Harlow made a number of potboilers before finally being cast in higher quality films. (© )

Today's News

• $10 bill: to debut in color (story)
• acupuncture: rivals standard drugs in migraine treatment (story)
• Condoleezza Rice: goes public with her fitness regimen (story)

Today's History

• Florida: the Sunshine State became No. 27 (1845)
• "The Star Spangled Banner": became the official national anthem of the US (1931)
• Sky Tower: the largest free-standing structure in the Southern Hemisphere opened in Auckland (1997)

Today's Birthdays

• Alexander Graham Bell: inventor of the telephone (1847-1922)
• Jackie Joyner-Kersee: Olympic gold medalist in track and field (44)
• Jessica Biel: actor, 7th Heaven (24)