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The Week That Was

A recap of the week's most relevant (and irrelevant) events

By Mike Hammer

Half-Century Since Wilt’s Feat of the Century This week marked 50 years since Wilt Chamberlain dropped 100 points on the Knicks. Then there's those 20,000 women he claims to have slept with. Let's face it: Nobody today will ever score like Wilt.

FDA Issues Alerts About Cholesterol Drugs
Health officials put out safety alerts for statins, the cholesterol-reducing medications that are among the most widely prescribed drugs in the world, citing cite risks of memory loss, diabetes and muscle pain. Great, now we have to buy new drugs for memory loss, diabetes and muscle pain.

Jamie Moyer Entering 25th MLB Season The Colorado Rockies pitcher is turning 50 and returning after a year off to have Tommy John surgery. He’s so old that Tommy John could have had Jamie Moyer surgery.

Olive Garden Review Goes Viral Local restaurant viewer Marilyn Hagerty writes an earnest piece in the Grand Forks Herald headlined “Long-Awaited Olive Garden Receives Warm Welcome” and gets a million views before the week is out. When told she went viral, the 85-year-old rushed down to Walgreens to get a flu shot.

New Anti-Aging Formula Revealed! Nora Mae Collins of Westchester, N.Y., came to the United States when she was 17 and turns 107 on St. Patrick’s Day. Her secret: “A shot of rye at 4 in the afternoon.” Cancel our gym membership.

Raquel Welch Heats Up CSI Miami
She’s been a sex symbol since One Million Years B.C. Let’s see how Kim Kardashian holds up.

Critics Hail Bruce Springsteen’s New Album The 62-year-old’s 18th LP, Wrecking Ball, tops the charts, laying waste to youthful competitors. Apparently, these are the Glory Days.

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Polls Favor Rep. Charlie Rangel’s Younger Opponent Has age caught up with the 82-year-old Harlem Democrat with 41 years of service on the Hill? Or could it possibly be his tax-dodging charges and that annoying Congressional censure?

New Eddie Murphy Movie Panned by Critics In a related story… Beverly Hills Cop came out 28 years ago. Just sayin’.

The Godfather Turns 40
Which means we’ve spent four decades memorizing and repeating three hours of mob dialogue. It could have been worse. We could've been running lines from Day of the Dolphin: "Fa...love...Pa!"

Mike Hammer, a writer and former editor for TV Guide, Rolling Stone and Maxim, has been reporting on news and pop culture since Madonna was an emerging artist.

Mike Hammer has covered pop culture for three decades for national publications including Rolling Stone, TV Guide, Maxim, Men's Journal, and has interviewed countless personalities, from Al Gore to Paul McCartney and Evander Holyfield. Sadly, he's lost touch with all of them. Read More
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