From Motley to midterms: Tommy Lee goes to college

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Rewind to 14–20 August 2005 — the week where rockstars went back to school, storms turned Toronto into Waterworld and Kansas decided BTK’s future was forever in prison.

🪓 BTK gets the book thrown at him.  Dennis Rader, the church-going, cub scout–leading *serial killer next door*, is sentenced to 175 years without parole. His floppy disk blunder remains the ultimate self-own in true crime history.

🌪 Toronto goes full disaster movie.  A monster supercell drops F2 tornadoes and over 100 mm of rain in an hour, turning roads into rivers and leaving the Don Valley Parkway looking like the set of The Day After Tomorrow.

💻 iBook? More like iBrawl.  In Richmond, Virginia, thousands descend on a $50 used laptop sale — with pushing, shoving and at least one chair-as-weapon incident. Someone even wet themselves to keep their spot. Peak 2005 chaos.

🐎 Madonna’s paparazzi throwdown.  A chill countryside ride ends with Madge breaking ribs, a collarbone and her hand after her horse is spooked by lurking photographers. Guy Ritchie allegedly raged harder than a *Snatch* character.

💊 Eminem checks into rehab.  The Rap God hits pause on touring to battle a growing Ambien addiction. Fans get “When I’m Gone” and, eventually, Recovery, but the 2005 moment was pure tabloid fuel.

📺 Tommy Lee goes to college.  Mötley Crüe’s drummer swaps arenas for Nebraska lecture halls in a semi-scripted reality trip that’s equal parts frat party, fish-out-of-water and midlife crisis tourism.

📺 Big Brother’s Logan twist.  Two brothers, one identity a million-dollar prize… and a rulebook so strict it fined one housemate $60k. Also, Hotdogs happened and Australia’s TV landscape was never the same.

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