Tag: dark 100
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DragonKing Dark: The scandals of WWE’s Vince McMahon
On this week’s DragonKing Dark, my run through the 100 darkest moments in pop culture series concludes with a trio of scandals involving WWE head honcho Vince K. McMahon. I look at the alleged assault of Rita Chatterton, the 1990s steroids trial, and last summer’s exposed hush money scandal which temporarily saw him removed from…
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DragonKing Dark: The strange story of Fishbone
Fishbone quickly became one of the most influential and inventive bands in all of popular music during the 1980s. However, the bizarre story of band member Kendall Jones threatened to derail this eclectic group. Not only did he allegedly join a cult but another band member, determined to save him from himself, launched a plot…
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DragonKing Dark: The trials of Slick Rick
Have you ever seen a show with fellas on the mic with one minute rhymes that don’t come out right? Well, pioneering rapper Slick Rick had a lot of things that didn’t come out right. The biggest of which was the U.S. government who hated him and sought him out at every turn. The story…
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DragonKing Dark: The mysterious death of Thomas Ince
Thomas Ince was the father of the Western movie genre. During his career in the pioneer days of filmmaking, he produced around 800 movies and also was the first person to build their own movie studio. So how did he end up on my ongoing list of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture…
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DragonKing Dark: The tragic death of Chadwick Boseman
Continuing my 100 darkest moments in pop culture history on DragonKing Dark, we look at the shocking and tragic death of actor Chadwick Boseman. He rose to worldwide prominence as Black Panther in the Marvel cinematic universe movies, including his own critically acclaimed solo film. The world was shocked when, unknown to virtually everyone, he…
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DragonKing Dark: The night Mike Tyson bit Evander Holyfield’s ear
This week’s show focuses on an infamous sports moment. My 100 darkest moments in pop culture history series continues on DragonKing Dark. In 1997, one of the most bizarre moments in boxing, sports and pop culture took place when during the second Mike Tyson vs. Evander Holyfield fight, Tyson viciously bit the ear of Holyfield…
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DragonKing Dark: The Mel Gibson rants
Karl Stern continues with the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history. Look, ok: Mel Gibson is a very good, and famous, actor. I like numerous Gibson movies: Mad Max, Lethal Weapon, Braveheart, Passion of the Christ, and on and on it goes. But there have been enough maniacal outbursts for anyone to wonder what exactly…
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DragonKing Dark: The death of Whitney Houston
Karl Stern’s run through the 100 darkest pop culture moments continues. Whitney Houston was one of the most recognized and successful voices in any era of music with chart topping hit after chart topping hit. However, a toxic relationship and a reality show with hip hop artist Bobby Brown brought attention to darker problems lurking…
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DragonKing Dark: The crimes of Jared Fogle
Karl Stern’s Dark 100 series continues. Note: Listener discretion advised You probably didn’t expect the face of evil to look like a geek eating a footlong did you? Yet, here he is: Jared Fogle. Why this goof became pop culture famous is beyond me, I mean, sure, literally for eating sandwiches and losing weight, but…
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DragonKing Dark: The Robert Blake murder trial
The Dark 100 continues. Actor Robert Blake was best known for his role in the 1970s TV crime drama Baretta. His star faded and in 2002, he became pop culture famous yet again but for an undesired reason — he was accused and arrested for shooting his wife to death in the parking lot of…
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DragonKing Dark: The Lance Armstrong scandal
Karl Stern’s run through dark moments in pop culture history continues. Lance Armstrong is far and away the most famous cyclist that has ever lived, dominating the Tour de France and many other world class cycling events. He was pop culture famous in the United States and beyond. However, that much domination, especially in sports,…
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DragonKing Dark: The dark side of World Class Championship Wrestling
Karl Stern looks at the dark days of WCCW. My 100 darkest moments in pop culture history rolls on as this week, we return to the world of professional wrestling with, arguably, the first place many people think of when it comes to a lot of young deaths in wrestling: the Dallas, Texas-based World Class…
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DragonKing Dark: The Michael Richards/Kramer comedy club scandal
Karl Stern’s 100 darkest moments in pop culture history series rolls on. On this week’s DragonKing Dark, my series on the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history continues with a very popular individual in pop culture. Michael Richards played the quirky character Cosmo Kramer on the megahit TV sitcom Seinfeld. Kramer was a fan…
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DragonKing Dark: The Payne Stewart plane crash
Karl Stern’s path down the darkest 100 moments in pop culture continues. In 1999, television viewers tuned into the story about an out of control jet plane flying across the country from Florida toward Canada. The unresponsive plane was tailed by military jets across the country, failing to make contact with any ground control. Military pilots…
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DragonKing Dark: The 2000 Paralympic Games basketball cheating scandal
Inarguably, one of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history took place at the 2000 Paralympic Games where, brace yourself, Spain competed in basketball with players representing themselves as intellectually disabled who weren’t. Yes, you read that right. They also won the gold medal and outed themselves once it hit the newspapers. The International Paralympic Committee…
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DragonKing Dark: The 2000 Paralympic Games basketball cheating scandal
Karl Stern’s run through the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history continues. Inarguably, one of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history took place at the 2000 Paralympic Games where, brace yourself, Spain competed in basketball with players representing themselves as intellectually disabled who weren’t. Yes, you read that right. They also won the gold…
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DragonKing Dark: The 1972 Olympics
My 100 darkest moments in pop culture history series on DragonKing Dark continues as I examine the terrorist assault and murder of eleven Israeli athletes during the 1972 Olympic games in Munich, Germany. Germany, wanting to put the stain of the past behind them, had strongly pushed the “smiling Olympics” and despite warnings, failed to…
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DragonKing Dark: The Lindbergh baby kidnapping & murder
On March 1, 1932, one of most sensational crimes ever to grip America occurred: the Lindbergh baby kidnapping and murder. The son of famous aviator Charles Lindbergh, aged 20 months, disappeared from his crib and was, apparently, held for ransom, which was paid. However, just over two months later, the child’s body was discovered in…
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DragonKing Dark: The Fatty Arbuckle scandal
Who was Fatty Arbuckle? Besides having a hilarious name, he was the center of the first big Hollywood scandal. Yes, the sad tale of Arbuckle is a cautionary tale for the movie industry still to this very day. He was a silent movie era star until his career was destroyed by an allegation that he…
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DragonKing Dark: The Jackie Coogan Law
You know your life has taken a bad turn if the government has to name a law after you. That’s exactly what it was for child actor Jackie Coogan, who, after gaining huge success in various Charlie Chaplin films, went on to even greater notoriety as Uncle Fester from The Addams Family. So, what is…