British actor Michael Caine, born Maurice Micklewhite, has legally changed his name to the show business moniker he adopted in 1954. Why? The rise in airport security checks prompted by terror attacks.
"An airport security guard would say, 'Hi, Michael Caine,' and suddenly I'd give him a passport with a different name on it," Caine told the Guardian in an interview last week. "I could stand there for an hour. So I changed my name."
Caine, 83, began his acting career on the Sussex stage as Michael Scott. He had to leave that name behind after moving to London, where another Michael Scott was an actor. During a harried call to his agent, he said he looked outside the telephone booth and saw a poster for the Humphrey Bogart naval drama "The Caine Mutiny," the Guardian reported.
Star power in Philly
Democrats have the home team advantage when it comes to attracting celebrities to their causes. After a GOP convention where the star power was decidedly low-wattage, Hollywood is turning out in force for Hillary Clinton at the Democratic National Convention this week. Expect pop singer Demi Lovato, actress Lena Dunham, actor Tony Goldwyn, former NBA Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, former NBA player and gay rights activist Jason Collins and actresses America Ferrara, Eva Longoria and Debra Messing. The convention starts Monday in Philadelphia.
Prince George turns 3
Prince William thinks his son got too many presents on his birthday. William declined Sunday to say what gifts Prince George received when he turned 3 on Friday. He was asked during a visit to see Britain's America's Cup ships at the crew's home base in Portsmouth before observing the competition. "I am not telling, he got too many things, he's far too spoiled," William said. He was joined by his wife, Kate, on the visit. The couple have released photos of George to mark his birthday.
Hemingway, indeed: A North Carolina man has won the "Papa" Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. Dave Hemingway — a 65-year-old from Macon, N.C., who is no relation to the famed literary figure — won the contest Saturday night at Sloppy Joe's Bar. It is the highlight event of the annual Hemingway Days festival, which honors the author's literary legacy. Hemingway won the contest in his seventh attempt. The contest attracted 122 entrants. Sloppy Joe's Bar was a frequent hangout of Hemingway's during his Key West residency in the 1930s. Celebrity cook Paula Deen's husband, Michael Groover of Savannah, Ga., finished in the top five.
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