How did 'Kurt Douglas' do at the Oscars?

BY PAM LOBLEY

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

NOW THAT’S FUNNY

I know, I know his name is KIRK Douglas. I know this because I am of a certain age, and I grew up watching old movies, and reading Hollywood lore. When you love Hollywood, you love the lore.

A new generation was exposed to Mr. Douglas last night, including my sons, who were wondering who he was, and also wondering, as many were, why he was chosen as a presenter. I don’t know why he was chosen, but he certainly seemed to be enjoying himself.

As we watched the old and partially impaired Mr. Douglas, I explained to the kids that once upon a time he was a virile and feisty movie star, a heartthrob even, who was always ripping his shirt off in movies. The kids were skeptical, but intrigued. And I guess they’re not alone, because the Number Two search on Google today was for KURT Douglas.

Ouch. No matter how big a movie star you are, at some point no one will know your name anymore.

Kirk’s original, given name, was Issur Danielovich. He later went by the name Issy Demsky, until he eventually changed it officially to Kirk Douglas when he became an actor. I told you I loved the lore.

Kurt Douglas, however, is an engineer, a dancer, or an event planner, depending upon which Linked In profile you look at.

The Kurt/Kirk issue is just one more sign that time is marching on. The Oscars know this, and they tried hard to straddle the gap between the young internet set and the classic viewer, i.e., those of us who love the lore. There was some forced merriment involving tweets and apps for the young set, and then some nuggets like Kurt, er, Kirk Douglas and a technically evoked Bob Hope. Bob Hope is still funnier than any app.

If you don’t believe Kirk was once a young buck, go rent “Spartacus”, a Stanley Kubrick epic. You won’t be disappointed. Kirk also blogs on My Space (http://www.myspace.com/kirkdouglas ). Talk about straddling the age gap!

So farewell, Kurt — hello Kirk. I just have one more question. What the heck is the correct spelling of Qaddafi?

Pam Lobley writes the “Now That’s Funny” column. Sign up for her mailing list at www.pamlobley.com.