JeffAlbertson, commonly known as Comic Book Guy (CBG), is a recurring fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons. He is voiced by Hank Azaria and first appeared in the second-season episode "Three Men and a Comic Book", which originally aired on May 9, 1991. Comic Book Guy is the proprietor of a comic book store, The Android's Dungeon & Baseball Card Shop. He is based on "every comic book store guy in America" and represents a stereotypical middle-aged comic-book collector. He is well known for his distinctive accent, disagreeable personality and his catchphrase, "Worst [-] ever!"
Priscilla Ann Presley is an American businesswoman and actress. She is the ex-wife of American singer Elvis Presley, as well as the cofounder and former chairperson of Elvis Presley Enterprises (EPE), the company that turned Graceland into one of the top tourist attractions in the United States. In her acting career, Presley costarred with Leslie Nielsen in the Naked Gun film trilogy and played Jenna Wade on the long-running television series Dallas.
Stuart Smalley is a fictional character created and performed by comedian and satirist Al Franken. The character originated on the television show Saturday Night Live, in a mock self-help show called "Daily Affirmations With Stuart Smalley." It first aired on the show's February 9, 1991 episode hosted by Kevin Bacon. Stuart is Franken's middle name. Franken has stated that his "going to Al-Anon meetings inspired [the character] Stuart [Smalley]".
Erica Kane is a fictional character from the American ABC Daytime soap opera All My Children. The character was portrayed by actress Susan Lucci from her debut on January 16, 1970, until the last broadcast television episode on September 23, 2011. Lucci was expected to guest star on Prospect Park's continuation of All My Children in 2013, but the appearance never came to fruition due to the show's second cancellation.
Dan Rhodes is an English writer known for the novel Timoleon Vieta Come Home (2003), a subversion of the popular Lassie Come Home movie. He is also the author of Anthropology (2000), a collection of 101 stories, each consisting of exactly 101 words. In 2010 he was awarded the E. M. Forster Award.
"Alicia's Diary" is a short story written by Victorian novelist Thomas Hardy in 1887. It is the diary of a girl named Alicia that is a tragic romance. The story was reprinted in the 1913 collection A Changed Man and Other Tales.
Day Leclaire is an American author of more than forty romance novels.
Carla Sue Kelly is an American writer in the Regency romance genre. She is the author of over forty books and short stories. Her books are what romance readers call "keepers," i.e. books they keep in their private collections, and accordingly they can be hard to find. Renowned for what she calls "dukeless" regencies, her stories often revolve around ordinary people solving their own problems. While many Regency romances feature soldiers returned from the Napoleonic Wars, several of Kelly's books include soldiers and sailors actively involved in the Peninsular campaign and in the naval blockade that prevented France from invading England, bringing this war to life in an unforgettable way. However, her regencies only reflect a part of her writing interests. She also has a strong interest in the American West, which is reflected in her earliest published works and in her non-fiction. Since 2011, Kelly, who has a Mormon background, has written four historical romance novels that focus on the lives of young Mormon women: Borrowed Light, Enduring Light, My Loving Vigil Keeping, and Safe Passage.
Beth Brennan is a fictional character from the Australian television soap opera Neighbours, played by Natalie Imbruglia. She made her debut screen appearance in the episode broadcast on 6 January 1992. Beth is characterised as a nice person who lets people take advantage of her kind personality. Beth works as a builder's apprentice in the construction industry and this meant she was supposed to have a "tough" persona. Writers never developed these traits and Imbruglia felt that they had let the character down. Instead, Imbruglia described Beth as "too nice" and just "goes all ga ga and cries." In her backstory, Beth is a product of a broken home and was sexually abused by her mother's boyfriend. The character was also portrayed as a virgin, which played an important part in forming her early stories. Beth's main relationship was her long-standing partnership with Brad Willis. Beth jilted him on their wedding day when she discovers Brad has been having an affair with Lauren Carpenter. Imbruglia believed the story was unrealistic but provided good drama.
Karen Rose Smith is an American author born in Pennsylvania. Her first romance was published in 1992; her 97th novel, a mystery, will be published in 2017. It is the sixth in her eight book Caprice De Luca Home Staging mystery series. Her Daisy's Tea Garden mystery series will begin in 2018. She has written for Meteor/Kismet, Kensington, Silhouette and Harlequin. She has also indie-published novels and short story collections in e-book format. Twice a winner of New Jersey's Golden Leaf Award in Short Contemporary Romance, she has also been honored with CRA's Award Of Excellence for short contemporary, as well as the Golden Quill for Traditional Romance. Her romances have made the USA TODAY list and Amazon's romance bestseller list. Her mystery, Staged To Death, climbed to #1 on Amazon's cozy mystery bestseller list. Married, she spends her days writing, gardening, cooking and keeping her four rescued cats company.
Reese Williams and Bianca Montgomery are fictional characters and a lesbian couple from the ABC daytime drama All My Children. Reese was portrayed by Tamara Braun, and Bianca was portrayed by Eden Riegel. On Internet message boards, the pairing is commonly referred to by the portmanteaus "Rianca" and "Breese". The couple debuted in October 2008 and is groundbreaking for featuring the first same-sex marriage proposal, as well as the first legal same-sex wedding and marriage, on an American soap opera. In addition, the pairing's family is the first onscreen family made up of same-sex parents in the history of American daytime television.
Anthropology: And a Hundred Other Stories is a book by British author Dan Rhodes published in 2000 by Fourth Estate. It has since been republished by Canongate who have made it available as an ebook. It consists of 101 tales; each of 101 words, all about girlfriends and has been published in seven languages. It was written between October 1997 and November 1998 whilst the author was fruit picking on a farm. It has been compared to Roland Barthes' A Lover's Discourse.
Romance with a Double Bass is a 1974 British short comedy film directed by Robert Young and starring John Cleese and Connie Booth. It was adapted by Young, Cleese and Booth (uncredited) from a screenplay by Bill Owen based on the short story of the same name by Anton Chekhov.
The Commitment: Love, Sex, Marriage, and My Family is a non-fiction book by Dan Savage. It was first published by Dutton in 2005. The book delves into the author's experiences with his partner Terry Miller and their adopted son as they decide whether or not to get married. Throughout the course of the book, Savage incorporates an analysis of the debate over same-sex marriage within society.
The Destiny of Nathalie 'X' is the second short story collection by William Boyd, published in 1995, some fourteen years after his first collection, On the Yankee Station.
Maggie Shipstead is an American novelist, short story author, essayist, and travel writer. She is the author of Seating Arrangements (2012) Astonish Me (2014), Great Circle (2021), and the short story collection You Have a Friend in 10A (2022).
Fun With the Bridal Party was a 1908 French silent comedy film directed by Georges Méliès.
When the Professor Got Stuck in the Snow is a novel by British author Dan Rhodes, a "rural farce" about a visit to an obscure English village by a fictional Richard Dawkins.
"Archie, Marry Me" is a song by Canadian indie pop band Alvvays. It was released on April 6, 2013, as the lead single from the band's eponymous debut album (2014). "Archie, Marry Me" examines modern romance and traditional marriage, and touches on themes of commitment and financial stability. It was written by vocalist and guitarist Molly Rankin with guitarist Alec O'Hanley as a critique of the standard societal expectation that one is to marry upon entering adulthood.
