The WIRE: Week In REview, #3

After a month-plus hiatus due to my hectic schedule procrastination, the WIRE (my weekly recap of pop culture news) has returned! Here are some of the items that caught my eye:

Note to Rip Torn: This ain't Bonnie & Clyde &%$@*$#!

On January 29th, actor Rip Torn (The Larry Sanders Show, 30 Rock, etc.) was arrested after breaking into a closed Litchfield Bancorp branch office in Salisbury, CT (the city where he maintains a residence). Torn was charged with carrying a firearm without a permit, carrying a firearm while intoxicated, first-degree burglary, first-degree criminal trespassing and third-degree criminal mischief.

Agnetha, Björn, Benny and Anni-Frid Get Their Own Theme Park

ABBAWORLD, a new museum/theme park, opened in London last Wednesday. The exhibition tells the band's story in 25 rooms spread over 30,000 square feet. Visitors can see recreations of the studio where the Swedish quartet recorded, the seaside cabin near Stockholm where Benny and Björn composed their hits, glass cases containing the band's stage costumes and much more. There are plans to send the exhibition on tour after its London run — currently scheduled through March — and create new versions of it in Australia and New York by the end of the year.

Actor James Mitchell Dies At the Age of 89

James Mitchell, best known for his long-running portrayal of scheming tycoon Palmer Cortlandt (born Pete Cooney) on the ABC soap All My Children, died on January 22nd from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease complicated by pneumonia. Mitchell originated the role of Palmer in 1979 and received seven Daytime Emmy nominations (all in the Best Lead Actor in a Drama Series category) for his work on the show. Although he ceased being a major character on AMC in 2002, Mitchell did show up sporadically as Palmer in the ensuing years. His final appearance on AMC was on January 5th, 2010 for the series' 40th anniversary. Mitchell is survived by his longtime partner, the Oscar award-winning costume designer Albert Wolsky.

What some may not know is that in addition to his acting, Mitchell was an accomplished dancer and worked extensively with the legendary Agnes de Mille. Below is a clip from the 1955 movie musical Oklahoma! in which Mitchell appeared as "dream Curly". He shows up at the 2:52 mark.

The Hippest Trip In America Is Coming To DVD!

According to the website TV Shows On DVD, Time-Life will be releasing the iconic music series Soul Train to DVD within the next month. Although there aren't many details available (number of discs, price, content, etc.), Time-Life normally does a good job so as host Don Cornelius would say, the DVD set should be a "stone cold gas honey!"

To get you in the groove, here is the Soul Train line dance to Earth, Wind and Fire's 1974 hit Mighty, Mighty: