There is surprisingly little coverage today of James Dean on what would have been his 80th birthday. Some exceptions are Flavorwire.com’s crazily ambitious “80 Things You Didn’t Know About James Dean,” and our favorite item courtesy of St. Louis Post-Dispatch film critic Joe Williams.

In a nifty little piece entitled “When Ronnie Met Jimmy,” Williams reveals himself to be a hardcore Dean fan, having visited the actor’s Indiana grave site as well as the California crossroads where the star died. He shares the recently discovered video of The Dark, Dark Hours, a 1954 teleplay that paired Dean with Ronald Reagan (who coincidentally would have turned 100 on Sunday).

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Veracity has left the building. This according to Santa Ana based grading company Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA).

The firm says 2010 was another banner year for autograph forgeries, with roughly half of all received submissions from third-party purchasers turning out to be as real as last week’s Farmer’s Market Elvis sighting. Per PSA, the year’s “Ten Most Dangerous Autographs” of entertainment and historical figures are:

1- Elvis Presley
2- The Beatles
3- John F. Kennedy
4- Marilyn Monroe
5- Michael Jackson
6- Jim Morrison
7- Neil Armstrong
8- Jimi Hendrix
9- James Dean
10- Walt Disney

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Salon’s Table Talk hostess, Mary Beth Williams, wins the Shameless Search-Pandering Post (the SSPP) award for a witless remembrance of the late Heath Ledger. She saw his movies; he lived in her Brooklyn neighborhood. She asks an unanswerable question:

Had the pain that suffused so many of his performances become too real?

Never mind the medical examiners reached no conclusion, and that his family said suicide was out of the question. Readers see him as the James Dean of a new generation.

Australian papers quote all sorts of unnamed friends with seedier stories to tell. Fans pay tribute, as well.

Extras from 10 Things I Hate About You recall working, ie playing hacky sack , with Ledger.

Best Buy in San Diego leaps into the commercial aspects of mourning, as well.