Something to celebrate
William Shakespeare once posed the question: “What’s in a name?”
“That we call a rose, By any other name would smell as sweet,” he finished.
But imagine listening to “Bad Romance” by Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady Gaga) or “Blinding Lights” by Abel Makkonen Tesfaye (The Weeknd).
How about watching “Gentleman Prefer Blondes,” starring Norma Jeane Mortenson (Marilyn Monroe) or “The Fast and The Furious” with Mark Sinclair (Vin Diesel)?
A performer’s name by no means equals their level of talent, but it certainly seems odd to learn that many of the famous amongst us choose to go by something other than their given name.
In honor of National Name Yourself Day (April 9), here are a few who took on a new name before they made it big:
Portia de Rossi – Amanda Lee Rogers
John Legend – John Roger Stephens
Olivia Wilde – Olivia Cockburn
Miley Cyrus – Destiny Hope Cyrus
Jamie Foxx – Eric Marlon Bishop
Bruno Mars – Peter Gene Hernandez
Demi Moore – Demetria Gene Guynes
Other occasions to mark this week include:
April 8: National Zoo Lovers Day, Draw a Picture of a Bird Day, National Empanada Day
April 9: National Name Yourself Day, National Unicorn Day, National Chicken Little Day
April 10: Encourage a Young Writer Day, National Siblings Day, National Farm Animals Day
April 11: National Eight Track Tape Day, National Barber Shop Quartet Day, National Pet Day
April 12: National Colorado Day, National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day, Drop Everything and Read Day
April 13: National Scrabble Day, National Make Lunch Count Day, International Be Kind To Lawyers Day
April 14: National Dolphin Day, National Ex-Spouse Day, National Gardening Day