The Extent of Trivial Ties

It doesn't take much searching, when looking up something very interesting, to uncover a plethora of trivial links between persons, groups of people, bands, movies, TV shows, etc. It sort of plays into the rule of five degrees of separation where one person is linked to anyone else in the world by five other persons.

This is what I found when looking up something this morning. Let me take you along with me down my chain of trivial ties.

Patsy Jude Kensit (the first link in the trivial ties chain) is a British actress and singer who, in 1974, had her first movie role in The Great Gatsby starring Mia Farrow. In 1983 at age 14, she became the lead singer of Eighth Wonder, a band successful mostly in Japan and Europe. In 1987, the Pet Shop Boys helped produce a song for Eighth Wonder called "I'm Not Scared," which became a top 10 single in almost every European country.

Patsy Kensit is most famous, however, for her three celebrity marriages. Her most recent marriage, which ended in 2000, was to Liam Gallagher, lead singer for Oasis, with whom she had her second son, Lennon. Her first son, James, was from her second marriage, with Jim Kerr, lead singer for the band Simple Minds.

Her first marriage (a key link in my trivial ties) was in 1988 to Dan Donovan, keyboard (or perhaps keytar) player for the band Big Audio Dynamite (B.A.D. for short).

B.A.D. was formed in 1984 by Mick Jones, formerly of punk-pioneer band The Clash. B.A.D. released their first album "This is Big Audio Dynamite" a year later. Their single, "E=MC²" was in huge rotation in dance clubs at the time (Jake must have danced to that song many times), and was highly credited as the first rock hit to use high-tech sampling techniques. B.A.D. also opened for U2's 1987 World Tour (so Amanda-Jayne might know of them as well).

Dan Donovan's father (another key link in my trivial ties) is Terence Donovan (1936 - 1996), a celebrated fashion photographer and film director. He is perhaps most remembered for his fashion photography of the 1960s, which he shot for various fashion magazines, including Harper's Bazaar and Vogue. Among other films, including some 3,000 commercials and the 1973 movie Yellow Dog, Terence Donovan is also remembered for directing the music video for Robert Palmer's "Addicted to Love."

Terence Donovan committed suicide after suffering from depression, a result of taking steroids he had been taking as treatment for a skin condition. He was married twice, and had a child with each wife, one of course being Dan Donovan. His second child (the last key link in my trivial ties) was named Daisy.

Daisy Donovan studied at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art and is a graduate of Edinburgh University. She became widely known presenting The Eleven O'Clock Show (1998-2000). She's also had television roles in My Family on BBC (2000) as "Brigitte", and Poirot: Death on the Nile on UK television (2004) as "Cornelia Robson." She also hosted the shows Daisy, Daisy (2001), and Does Doug Know? (2002).

Today, Daisy is well-known for her role in the hit hybrid reality/comedy series Daisy Does America, produced by Courtney Cox- and David Arquette. The show debuted on December 6, and America is looking forward to counting the laughs that Daisy Donovan can bring home. She's definitely brought me some of the best laughs I've ever had.

Daisy Donovan has the same father as Dan Donovan, but they have different mothers, which makes them half-siblings. Now since Dan Donovan was married to Patsy Kensit, that would make Patsy Daisy's ex-half-sister-in-law. And that, my fellow chain of trivial ties venturers, connects the last link of the chain to the first. Now, with a tid-bit of gold-plating, you can wear that chain around your neck.

That's what they call JAO FABULOUS!!