F4WOnline Podcast Archive

Tag: DragonKingDark

  • DragonKing Dark: The Jackie Coogan Law

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    Karl Stern
    in

    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…

  • DragonKing Dark: The Little Rascals/Our Gang curse

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    Karl Stern
    in

    I continue our series of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history by taking a look at the supposed curse of The Little Rascals/Our Gang group of actors.  Did many of them meet an untimely demise? We will discuss. One thing is certain, however: Carl “Alfalfa” Switzer’s story does not end well.  On this…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of INXS’ Michael Hutchence

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    Karl Stern
    in

    My ongoing look at the 100 darkest moments in pop culture continues. Michael Hutchence of INXS was found dead in his hotel room in 1997 and you may think you know the reason why. But did you know that most of what you think you know about his death is probably wrong and taken out…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of George Michael

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    Karl Stern
    in

    We continue our series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history by taking a look at the death of one of the greatest vocalist of the 1980s-2000s, George Michael.  Starting his career with the duo Wham!, Michael rose to even greater success as a solo pop star during the late 1980s into…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of Prince

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    Karl Stern
    in

    I continue the DragonKingDark look at 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history with the death of pop music legend, Prince.  He died just over six years ago of a fentanyl overdose. Since then, fentanyl has been a scourge in American society, responsible for numerous overdose deaths. He was one of the most…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of Naomi Judd

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    Karl Stern
    in

    We continue our series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history by looking at the recent death of country music star Naomi Judd.  Judd was 76 years old and all of The Judds’ hit songs were behind them, so in terms of affecting pop culture, one might argue that this one doesn’t…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of John Denver

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    Karl Stern
    in

    In my continuing series on the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history, I look back at the 1997 death of folk and country music star John Denver who was killed in an experimental aircraft crash at the age of 53. While Denver’s career as a hit maker was probably over, he was still a…

  • DragonKing Dark: Warner Bros. destroys DC Comics

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    Karl Stern
    in

    I continue my series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history and this week, I look at the destruction wrought by Warner Bros. against the iconic characters of DC Comics. Characters who have been around since the 1930s have been rendered generationally irrelevant by a terrible connected universe of movies, bad castings,…

  • DragonKing Dark: Badfinger

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    Karl Stern
    in

    We continue our series of the 100 darkest moments in pop culture history with a band that started off with a string of hit songs, signed to The Beatles’ record label, with songs written by The Beatles with many people believing they might BE the new Beatles.  But a rash of “whatever could go wrong…

  • DragonKing Dark: Honey Boo Boo

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    Karl Stern
    in

    We continue our series of 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history and this week, I am your father who is very disappointed in you. No, this week nobody died. No tragedy has befallen a cast member (aside from a few arrests) but I discuss the general state of a show which was…

  • DragonKing Dark: The OJ Simpson case & trial

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    Karl Stern
    in

    Where were you when JFK was assassinated or when Elvis died or when a man landed on the moon? How about when the OJ Simpson verdict came down? The NFL football star and actor was accused of murdering two people, including his ex-wife. This case has been discussed a million times (or more), but here…

  • DragonKing Dark: The coverage of the JonBenet Ramsey murder

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    Karl Stern
    in

    Continuing our look at 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history, I continue to examine the rise in popularity of true crime documentary/TV channels/podcasts. On this DragonKing Dark, I look back at the murder of six-year-old JonBenet Ramsey. We aren’t going to dive into the details of the crime beyond the basics because…

  • DragonKing Dark: Adam Walsh & the birth of true crime content, pt. 1

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    Karl Stern
    in

    Continuing our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history, we begin a three-episode run of tragic events that gave rise to the true-crime genre of documentaries, podcasts, and TV channels.  The murder of Adam Walsh was a tragedy beyond comprehension. Yet, born out of that horrible event many incredibly good things came including the Center…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of WCW

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    Karl Stern
    in

    Continuing our 100 darkest moments in pop culture history, I return to the world of sports entertainment (pro wrestling) to find out how one company became the most profitable and successful wrestling company in the world and then sank over half of genre with it.  The death of WCW is an amazing account of how…

  • DragonKing Dark: Milli Vanilli hoax

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    Karl Stern
    in

    We continue our look at 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history by looking at the late 1980s pop music act Milli Vanilli, who were busted as lip synching imposters after a hugely successful album and even a Grammy win. But, were Milli Vanilli the bad guys or victims? Don’t most live acts…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of NHL player Bill Masterton

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    Karl Stern
    in

    The NHL is a fast, high-impact, and sometimes violent sport. But you may be surprised to learn that only one hockey player has ever died as a direct result of the game.  In 1968, Bill Masterton became the only NHL player to date to die as the result of injuries suffered during a game. His…

  • DragonKing Dark: The murder of SNL star Phil Hartman

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    Karl Stern
    in

    Another tragedy from the cast of Saturday Night Live is our stop this week on the DragonKing Dark 100 darkest moments in pop culture history series.  This week, we take a look at the domestic violence murder of comedian Phil Hartman. Hartman was a popular SNL cast member, voice actor, and comedian who was killed…

  • DragonKing Dark: The Mitchell Report

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    Karl Stern
    in

    100 darkest moments in pop culture history continues with another black eye for Major League Baseball – the Mitchell Report. This 2007 report was officially titled The Report to the Commissioner of Baseball of an Independent Investigation into the Illegal Use of Steroids and Other Performance Enhancing Substances by Players in Major League Baseball. It’s…

  • DragonKing Dark: What happened to Glenn Miller?

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    Karl Stern
    in

    If you know any big band swing music, then it is probably by Glenn Miller and his orchestra. Some of the most recognizable instrumental hits were arranged and recorded by the biggest pop star of the early 1940s, Glenn Miller. He was every bit as big of a star as Elvis or The Beatles in…

  • DragonKing Dark: The death of actor & comedian Robin Williams

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    Karl Stern
    in

    My series looking at 100 of the darkest moments in pop culture history continues with the death of actor and comedian Robin Williams. A comedic genius who first came to national attention on the Happy Days spinoff series Mork and Mindy, Williams followed this up with a stellar career both as a comedic and dramatic…