DAILY DIRT: Mickey Dolenz went to high school with Tom Selleck … OK, so that beats my claim to fame

September 13, 2024 | By Steve Eighinger, Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Friday, Sept. 13, 2024

The Hoff and Pee Wee Herrman were also old school mates … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,058 of The Daily Dirt

1. Did you go to high school or college with anyone famous?

I think my biggest claim to fame was attending high school with a buddy who wound up owning the biggest used car lot in my hometown. Great guy, great businessman, but as far as “famous,” I think he probably fell a little short of that title.

Which brings me to today’s topic of famous school friends. I would wager you probably were unaware of the following connections:

Mickey Dolenz of the Monkees went to high school with future leading man Tom Selleck of “Blue Bloods” and “Magnum P.I.” fame.
Super Bowl-winning coach Jimmy Johnson attended high school with the late Janis Joplin.
Danny DeVito went to drama school with Michael Douglas. They must have been good students, judging by their successful acting careers.
The actor Christopher “Superman” Reeve attended Julliard with future comic great Robin Williams.
Actors Sean Penn, Charlie Sheen and Robert Downey Jr. all attended high school together.
Future actors David Hasselhoff and Paul “Pee Wee Herman” Reubens attended art school together. Never, ever hassle The Hoff. Never.
Comedian Rick Moranis went to elementary school with musician Geddy Lee of Rush. They were Canadian, eh?
Singers Carole King and Paul Simon attended college together.
Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, went to elementary school with the late Matthew Perry of “Friends”.
Actress Kelly Preston attended high school with a guy named Barack Obama.
Musicians Lenny Kravitz and Slash went to high school with actor Nicolas Cage.
Brandon “Superman” Routh attended high school with Jason “Aquaman” Momoa. Seems appropriate.
Future comedian Kevin James went to high school with future pro wrestler Mick Foley.
And for all you oldtimers reading, Bette Davis and Lucille Ball attended high school together.

2. Did you know (Part 121)

That Mountain Dew contains orange juice, even though it tastes like a lemon/lime soda.
That jam is made with fruit (hence, the chunkiness) and jelly with fruit juice (hence, the non-chunkiness).
That Thomas Jefferson introduced macaroni and cheese to American palates.
That the cream in Twinkies is not cream at all, but mostly vegetable shortening.
That sheep brains are a culinary delicacy in Turkey and China.
That the new World Baseball Rankings look like this: 1. Japan, 2. Mexico, 3. Chinese Taepei, 4. United States, 5. Venezuela, 6. South Korea, 7. The Netherlands, 8. Cuba, 9. Panama and 10. Dominican Republic. Rankings are based primarily on international tournaments.
Enough Nutella is sold/eaten each year to cover the Great Wall of China — eight times.

3. This week’s celebrity birthdays include:

Former NFL quarterback Dan Marino, who turns 63 on Sunday.
Prince Harry (the husband of Meghan Markle), who will be 40, also on Sunday
Actor Mickey Rourke celebrates No. 72 on Monday.
Actor-musician Nick Jonas of the Jonas Brothers band turns 32, also on Monday.
Illusionist David Copperfield will be 68 on — you guessed it — Monday.

Steve Thought O’ The Day — Have you looked at the calendar today? It’s Friday the 13th!