When this daily column first launched on Oct. 30, 2004, it was part of our newspaper's latest new look and redesign. The idea for the column, and even the name, came from one of my previous editors, Theresa Badovich.

The column was inspired by a special two-month span daily "beauty pageant" entertainment column I had previously written for The Times in the spring of 2001 and 2002 when Donald Trump brought his "Miss USA" pageant and telecast to Gary. Theresa recognized the promise of adding such a feature as a standing daily fixture to The Times. Though I wanted to call the column "Around & About," Theresa, who was also heading our redesign team, liked the tag "offBeat," better, because she believed it symbolized that I was writing about special entertaining items which would not normally be part of my usual features department beat.

And so, the Off Beat column (we dropped the lowercase "o" and separated the words last year), was born and became a fixture of what was called the daily fastTimes page, which anchored the last page of our front new section, and featured condensed versions of all of the day's top stories, along with my column right next to the weather map, lottery numbers and the Soduko puzzle.

Eventually, as the newspaper changed, the fastTimes page faded away. But I'm glad that this column remained.

And 1,712 Off Beat columns later, it still remains a fixture right above the television listings in each day's print edition, as well as showcased on the front of our online edition at nwi.com.

As for that very first Halloween weekend column on Oct. 30, 2004, this was the lead paragraph introducing it to readers:

Good morning

Welcome to something out of the ordinary. This new column will grace this space seven days a week to give you the latest scoops on celebrities and notables near and far. It's intended to whet your appetite each day with fun tidbits to share for watercooler talk.

That first column also featured coverage of the Star Plaza Theatre's 25th anniversary VIP party and five other assorted column items which included the following bolded names: blues legend Koko Taylor, singer Patti LaBelle, entertainment businessman Bill Wellman, the late, great Liberace, late night legend Johnny Carson, The Times' music critic Tom Lounges, WLJE radio jock Mike Summers, Monkees singer Davy Jones, ESPN 1000 sports radio jock Carmen DeFalco, actresses Marion Ross and Tracy Nelson and singer Helen Reddy.

During last five years, and through two presidential elections, I'm proud to say this column has never missed a day. And during my travels, it's been datelined, written and filed from everywhere, including Walt Disney World in Orlando and Disneyland in Hollywood to the Pillsbury Bake-Off hosted in Dallas, to Columbus, Ohio in addition to Tampa, Miami, San Francisco, New York, Las Vegas, Jamaica, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Thank you to all of the readers who make this space a part of your daily reading routine.

Today, I hope you enjoy a selection of some the most memorable, and at times even infamous moments, of this daily column, shared with a smile of gratitude from myself and courtesy of my Features Editor Karin Saltanovitz and our Features Design Editor Kacy Sesser.

A Sunday Salute

Even though when this column was first introduced in 2004, it was billed as a "daily column anchored seven days a week" on our fastTimes page, it actually only ran six days a week (due to the layout configuration and the placement of ads) for more than a year before it was finally added to the Sunday edition of The Times 20 months later on July 2, 2006. It became the cover rail column of our arts and entertainment section replacing TV talk show host Michael Essany's column when he had to resign during his run for a seat on the Valparaiso City Council.

Not always happy

This column has received some famous feedback during the past five years. And not all of it has been complimentary.

Actor Emilio Estevez became upset with a 2005 column I wrote about his new film "Bobby" about the assassination of Robert Kennedy.

"When you print this sort of vitriol, whether it's your own or the opinion of others -- everyone is degraded, not simply the intended target. When you give credence to bluster and swagger because it sells, we all suffer. In the final analysis, I'm just a guy making a film for which I have passion and conviction. This passion has been shared by all who join me in this endeavor. From Sir Anthony Hopkins and Ms. Demi Moore all the way to the transportation department. The whole truth and nothing but the truth -- there's an idea!" - Peace, Emilio Estevez

Singer Nancy Sinatra became enraged at a one-line sentence in a 2005 column that referred to Jessica Simpson's remake of Sinatra's classic "These Boots Are Made for Walking" single, where I described the tune as "a remake of Nancy Sinatra's one-hit wonder song."

"You have a lot of guts to print something like the item below. For the record and your information, I have had 22 chart hits -- a lot more than most female singers -- and certainly many more than one. Please get your facts straight before you write about me in the future. Why don't you visit my Web site and read my bio. It might enlighten you to my 40-year career," e-mailed Nancy.

And never make a gun-toting pioneer type mad:

Actor Fess Parker, best known for playing "Daniel Boone" and "Davy Crockett," wasn't pleased when I mentioned in a 2005 column about the humorous likelihood of hearing gunshots from him because of the media storm surrounding his property because it's next door to Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch, just as MJ's court case was attracting press from around the word.

"Thank you for mentioning me and the town of Los OIivos in the March 5th edition of The Times. However, your piece is a misrepresentation, insofar as I have not complained about the proceedings involving Mr. Jackson. In fact, the Fess Parker Wine Country Inn & Spa, which is a 4-Diamond property I own located here in Los Olivos, has benefited by the fact that some of the people involved in the proceedings have chosen to stay with us. Sincerely, Fess Parker"

And not to be catty, but a 2006 column about Garfield, that fat orange cat featured on the comics page of The Times, mentioned in passing that both the reviews and box office returns were lousy for the first feature film installment after it premiered in 2004. The column included the words "stink" and "litter box" and "reviews" and "box office" all in the same sentence, leading to this e-mail from cartoonist Jim Davis: "Hello, Phil. Thanks for your column on Garfield's 'A Tail of Two Kitties,' but there are two things I would like to mention. 1) Box office returns did not stink for the first movie. 'Garfield: The Movie,' since it took in over $198 million worldwide. 2) 'A Tail of Two Kitties' comes out June 16. That is a change from the June 23 date, which was previously published in press materials. Hope you'll see the movie and review it again!"

Nicely put

"It always better to not respond to anything critically in print or on broadcast. It always draws more attention when you take a slap at someone. And no one wants to read about how great you are," - - Actress Lauren Bacall, when interviewed for a 2005 Off Beat column.

Gone, not forgotten

One of the most popular features associated with this daily column is our Today's Celebrity Birthdays list of notables adding a year. Readers always gush about how much they enjoy seeing who's turning another year older. Sadly, during the past five years, we've lost some of my favorite entertainment columnists. In fact, this column premiered just one year after my columnist mentor friend Irv "Kup" Kupcinet of The Chicago Sun-Times died in November 2003 at age 91. During the past five years, we also lost Art Buchwald (2007), who for years wrote his "Paris After Dark" for Variety, and just in September we lost Army Archerd, who wrote his "Just for Variety" column for Daily Variety for more than 50 years. And last January, we said good-bye to columnist James Brady, whose standing feature in the back of each Sunday's Parade magazine featured a celebrity spotlight interview. He was also the man who first began the New York Post's popular Page Six gossip section when he worked for publisher Rupert Murdoch in the 1970s.

Biggest, best coverage

Of all the subjects I've written about in this column, the most expansive and ongoing coverage ranking at the top is the filming of Universal Pictures' "Public Enemies" starring Christian Bale with Johnny Depp as John Dillinger and actress Marion Cotillard as his moll Billie Frechette. With scenes shot in our own Crown Point and the Indiana Dunes, in addition to Chicago and Wisconsin, readers couldn't get enough coverage to satisfy curiosity. Since I had a small role in the film as a reporter interviewing Depp, aka Dillinger, (and wearing gossip great Walter Winchell's real fedora for the scene), I wasn't allowed to write about my experiences on the set at the time. But I made up for any lost time earlier this year when the film arrived in theaters and I attended the Chicago premiere. My bet is on Academy Award winner Cotillard to get an Oscar nod, which I told her while sharing time at the movie's red carpet premiere party in June.

Some great scoops

I've managed a few scoops in this column during the past five years, which led to items and stories being sent to the wire services.

The first came in February 2007, announcing the death of Angelina Jolie's actress mother Marcheline Bertrand, 56, who died in Los Angeles after battling cancer. Bertrand hailed from the old neighborhoods around Riverdale and Dolton, Ill., and the border of Chicago, where she graduated from St. Mary of the Assumption Catholic School in 1964. After graduation, Bertrand left the region to live in Los Angeles to pursue her acting dream studying under the famed Lee Strasberg and playing minor television roles, like working with Raymond Burr in a 1971 episode of "Ironside" before starring in a few feature films in the 1980s. It was also in 1971 that she met and married actor Jon Voight and had her two children, actor James Haven in 1973 and Angelina in 1975. Bertrand and Voight divorced in 1978.

And in May 2007, just as my second "From the Farm" cookbook was released, written with actor/singer Jim Nabors, I was to do a joint book signing event with the "Gomer Pyle" star while attending the Indianapolis 500 Race. Just a day before he was to arrive back in the Hoosier state, he contacted me explaining he would have to miss the weekend's 91st Annual Indianapolis 500 Race due to his doctor's orders. During the years, Nabors, who lives in Hawaii, has missed a mere handful of appearances at the Indy 500 to sing his trademark tune backed up by the Purdue Marching Band. The last time he had to cancel was in 1993, after illness required a liver transplant.

When I contacted the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for comment, even they didn't know yet!

A holiday tradition

Readers always enjoy when I publish my annual Holiday Celebrity Card. I've been doing these custom cards for 14 years, alternating each year between a female and male celebrity. (Only other rule is never to use any dead celebs.) Who's the female star for year 15? Readers will have to wait until next month. Meanwhile, here are some of the great holiday greetings and famous faces from recent years.

2003 - Martha Stewart: Inscription: As Martha would say, being home for the holidays "It's a good thing."

2004 - Dick Cark: Inscription: Have a Rockin' New Year!

2005 - Carol Channing: A Carol for your holidays.

2006 - Sylvester Stallone: Enjoy a little "punch" for your holidays.

2007 - Oprah Winfrey: "O" come all ye Faithful

2008 - Jay Leno: "Jay" to the World!

Added Thank You

To Times Executive Editor Bill Nangle all of my assigning editors who have edited this column during the past five years, including Bill Bero, Robert Blaszkiewicz, Crista Zivanovic, Karin Saltanovitz, Kerry Erickson, Christine Bryant and Heather Cygan. And a special thank you to my parents, Chester and Peggy, who have given me more than a few good ideas to write about over the years.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

Actress Ann Rutherford (Scarlett's little sister in "Gone with the Wind") is 92. Singer Earl "Speedo" Carroll of The Cadillacs and The Coasters is 72. Singer Jay Black (Jay and the Americans) and politician Pat Buchanan are 71. Actress Stefanie Powers is 67. Keyboardist Keith Emerson of Emerson, Lake and Palmer is 65. Singer J.D. Souther is 64. Disco singer Maxine Nightingale ("Right Back Where We Started From") and actress Kate Linder ("Young and the Restless") are 57. Drummer Carter Beauford of the Dave Matthews Band is 52. Singer k.d. lang is 48. Bassist Bobby Dall of Poison is 46. Actress Lauren Velez ("Dexter") is 45. Actor David Schwimmer ("Friends") is 43. Singer Alvin Chea of Take 6 is 42. Bassist Fieldy of Korn is 40. Singer-guitarist John Hampson of Nine Days is 38. Rappers Nelly and Prodigy of Mobb Deep are 35. Guitarist Chris Walla of Death Cab For Cutie is 34. Actor Danny Cooksey (Sam on "Diff'rent Strokes") is 34.