TRIVIA BITS …
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
As well as writing, directing, producing, editing and performing in City Lights (1931), Charlie Chaplin composed the score himself.
TRIVIA BITS …
CHARLIE CHAPLIN
As well as writing, directing, producing, editing and performing in City Lights (1931), Charlie Chaplin composed the score himself.
REMINISCING …
RANDOLPH SCOTT
Randolph Scott was an American film actor whose career spanned from 1928 to 1962. As a leading man for all but the first three years of his cinematic career, Scott appeared in a variety of genres, including social dramas, crime dramas, comedies, musicals (albeit in non-singing and non-dancing roles), adventure tales, war films, and even a few horror and fantasy films. However, his most enduring image is that of the tall-in-the-saddle Western hero.
Scott made four films for RKO Radio Pictures during 1935-36. Two of these were in the popular series of musicals starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers: Roberta (1935), also starring Irene Dunne, and Follow the Fleet (1936). In both of these films Scott played Astaire's lunkheaded but likable pal. The other two were among the best in Scott's career: Village Tale (1935), "a touching, still-obscure melodrama about small-town gossip and hypocrisy" directed by John Cromwell, and She (1935), a superb adventure-fantasy adapted from H. Rider Haggard's 1886 novel.
In 1962 Scott made his final film appearance in Ride the High Country, a film now regarded as a classic. It was directed by Sam Peckinpah and co-starred Joel McCrea, an actor who had a screen image similar to Scott's and who also from the mid-1940s on devoted his career almost exclusively to Westerns.
MOVIE NEWS …
“DAMN YANKEES” MUSICAL
Todd Graff ("Bandslam," "Camp") has been selected to direct the film adaptation of 1955 stage musical "Damn Yankees" reports Deadline Hollywood.
The story is a Faustian tale of a baseball fan who makes a pact with the Devil to become a star player who helps his team win the world series. Jake Gyllenhaal will play the fan while Jim Carrey is the Devil.
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel penned the script's first draft which Graff will re-write. Craig Zadan and Neil Meron ("Hairspray") will produce.
TODAY IS ...
9 FEBRUARY
BIRTHDAYS –
1996 – Jimmy Bennett is an American teen actor. His roles include South of Pico, an independent film, and Evan Almighty, appeared as a young James T. Kirk in the 2009 Star Trek movie. He also starred in the 2009 film " Orphan ".
1992 - Avan Jogia is a Canadian teen actor - as Danny Araujo in A Girl Like Me: The Gwen Araujo Story, directed by Oscar nominee Agnieszka Holland. In 2007, he appeared in the Aliens in America as the character "Sam". Appeared as Champ on Gym Teacher: The Movie and Tajid in Spectacular. Jogia also portrays Ben Stark in the TV series Caprica a spin-off of Battlestar Galactica.
1990 - Camille Winbush is an American actress. Her work in television has earned her three Image Awards and a Young Artist Award. She roles on 7th Heaven and Criminal Minds, That's Life, The Norm Show, NYPD Blue and Any Day Now and can be seen playing Lauren Treacy in The Secret Life of the American Teenager.
1985 - Rachel Melvin is an American actress who is best known for her role as Chelsea Brady on the NBC soap opera Days of our Lives.
1985 - David Gallagher is an American film and TV actor best known for the role of Simon Camden on the long running television series 7th Heaven.
1979 - Ziyi Zhang is a Chinese film actress. Zhang rose to fame as the headstrong Jen (Chinese version: Yu Jiao Long) in the phenomenally successful Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, for which she won several awards in the West, such as Chicago Film Critics Association Awards, Toronto Film Critics Association Awards and Independent Spirit Awards.
1976 - Charlie Day is an American television and film actor best known for playing Charlie Kelly on It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
1973 - Colin Egglesfield is an American actor who portrayed chef/surfer guy, Auggie Kirkpatrick on Melrose Place.
1972 - Jason George is an American actor who was cast as lifeguard Michael Bourne on the Daytime soap Sunset Beach
1971 - Sharon Case is an American actress best known for her role as Sharon Newman on The Young and the Restless.
1970 - Glenn McGrath AM nicknamed "Pigeon" is a former Australian cricket player - most highly regarded fast-medium pace bowlers in cricketing history
1965 - Julie Warner is an American actress whose roles include Doc Hollywood, Mr. Saturday Night, and as Chris Farley's 1995 love interest in Tommy Boy.
1963 - Travis Tritt is a Grammy award-winning American country music artist and occasional actor.
1955 - Charles Shaughnessy is an English television, theatre and film actor best known for his roles on American television, as Shane Donovan on the soap opera Days of our Lives and as Maxwell Sheffield on the popular television series The Nanny.
1945 - Mia Farrow is an American actress, singer, and former fashion model who has appeared in more than forty films and won numerous awards, including a Golden Globe award (and seven additional Golden Globe nominations), three BAFTA Film Award nominations, and a win for best actress at the San Sebastian International Film Festival. Farrow is also notable for her extensive humanitarian work as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador.
1944 - Derryn Hinch - Australian media personality
1943 – Pop/soul singer and composer Barbara Lewis is born in South Lyon, Michigan. Her biggest hit was 1963’s No. 3 “Hello Stranger.”
1943 - Joe Pesci is an Italian-American character actor, comedian, singer and musician. Usually known for playing violent Mafia gangsters or short-tempered but lovable funnymen, Pesci has starred in Goodfellas, Casino, Raging Bull, Once Upon a Time in America, My Cousin Vinny, JFK, Home Alone, Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, Lethal Weapon 2, Lethal Weapon 3, and Lethal Weapon 4.
1942 - Carole King is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. As a songwriter, she and songwriting partner and husband Gerry Goffin penned over two dozen chart hits for numerous artists during the 1960s, many of which have since become standards and reaching number one; as a singer and performer, her iconic album Tapestry topped the U.S. album chart for 15 weeks in 1971, and remained on the charts for over six years.
1936 - Clive Swift is a British actor best known for his starring role as Richard Bucket in the British sitcom Keeping Up Appearances.
1922 - Kathryn Grayson is an American actress and operatic soprano singer who trained as an opera singer from the age of twelve. Grayson was contracted to MGM and established a career in films from the early 1940s. Most of her films were musicals in such films as Show Boat (1951) and Kiss Me Kate (1953)
1915 - Lennard Pearce was an English actor who worked mostly in the theatre, but also appeared in a number British television programmes. His most notable TV role was starring as Edward "Grandad" Trotter in the popular sitcom, Only Fools and Horses.
1914 - Gypsy Rose Lee (Rose Hovick) - actress, dancer, stripper: You Can’t Have Everything, The Trouble with Angels, The Stripper, My Lucky Star; subject of Broadway show & film: Gypsy;
1909 - Carmen Miranda ‘Brazilian Bombshell’: singer: Mama Eu Quero, The Lady with the Tutti Frutti Hat; dancer, actress: Copacabana, Springtime in the Rockies, Down Argentine Way; Chiquita Banana
OTHER EVENTS –
2009 - He's Just Not That Into You starring Jennifer Aniston, Ben Affleck, and Drew Barrymore starts screening in Australia. The Baltimore-set movie of interconnecting story arcs deals with the challenges of reading or misreading human behaviour.
2009 - Led Zeppelin singer Robert Plant took home five prizes for his collaboration with bluegrass singer Alison Krauss at this years Grammy Awards held in Los Angeles. The duo won album of the year for Raising Sand and record of the year for ‘Please Read The Letter.’ Coldplay, (who won song of the year for ‘Viva La Vida’) Adele, Duffy, Radiohead and Peter Gabriel were among other UK acts to be honoured. John Mayer won Best solo rock vocal performance for ‘Gravity’, Kings of Leon won Best rock performance by a group with ‘Sex on Fire’, Best rock song went to Bruce Springsteen for ‘Girls In Their Summer Clothes’ and Lil' Wayne won Best rap solo performance and Best rap album?for Tha Carter III.
2006 – Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and Jamie Foxx, Jarhead commences screening in Australia. Based on former Marine Anthony Swofford's best-selling 2003 book about his pre-Desert Storm experiences in Saudi Arabia and about his experiences fighting in Kuwait.
2006 – Beyonce tops the U.S. singles chart for a third week with “Check on It.”
2005 - Winners at this years Brit Awards included The Streets who won Best British male solo artist, Joss Stone won British female solo artist, Best British Album went to Keane for ‘Hopes and Fears’, Franz Ferdinand won Best British Group and Best Rock Act, McFly won Best Pop Act, Scissor Sisters won Best International group and the Best Album award the Brits 25 best song award went to Robbie Williams for ‘Angels’ and Sir Bob Geldof won the Outstanding Contribution To Music award.
2005 – The Who’s Roger Daltrey is made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire at Buckingham Palace. The rock gnome jokes the Queen would “probably fall off her podium if she heard The Who’s songs.”
2003 – Destiny’s Child singer Kelly Rowland went to No.1 on the UK album chart with ‘Simply Deep.’
2002 - XIX Winter Olympics opens in Salt Lake City Utah/Quebec City
2002 - Billboard published the Top 5 selling albums in the world from 2001. Britney Spears 'Britney', 7m, Shaggy 'Hotshot', 7.2m, Destiny's Child 'Survivor', 7.8m, Linkin Park, 'Hybrid' 8.5m & Dido, 'No Angel' 8.6m sales.
2000 - "The Million Dollar Hotel," a film co-written by U2 singer Bono, opens the 50th Berlinale (Berlin Film Festival). The movie stars Mel Gibson and Milla Jovavich.
1998 - Oprah Winfrey announced that Garth Brooks had agreed to donate his earnings from sales from his album "Sevens" for a seven-day period. The money went to "Oprah's Angel Network."
1998 - Brit Award winners included All Saints best single & video with 'Never Never', The Verve, best group & album with 'Urban Hymns', best male artist was Finley Quaye, best female was Shola Ama & Stereophonics won the best newcomers.
1997 - Fox cartoon series "Simpsons" airs 167th episode the longest-running animated series in cartoon history
1997 - 11th American Comedy Award Debbie Reynolds
1995 - Space Shuttle astronauts Bernard A. Harris, Jr. and Michael Foale become the first African American and first Briton, respectively, to perform spacewalks.
1995 – Nostradamus starring Tchéky Karyo, F. Murray Abraham and Amanda Plummer starts screening in Australia. Recounts the life and loves of the physician, astrologer, and famed prognosticator; his encounters with medieval science and the Inquisition; and his early struggles with his visions of the future.
1995 - "Heiress" opens at Cort Theater NYC for 340 performances
1994 - Nelson Mandela became the first black president of South Africa.
1993 – Paul McCartney releases his solo album Off the Ground
1993 - Mick Jagger released a solo album called "Wandering Spirit."
1991 - Lithuania voted for independence from the crumbling Soviet Union.
1991 - C & C Music Factory started a two week run at No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Gonna Make You Sweat', a No.3 hit in the UK.
1990 - "The Bradys" return to TV for 6 episodes on CBS TV
1989 – Maurice starring James Wilby , Hugh Grant and Rupert Graves started screening in Australia. Two male English school chums find themselves falling in love at Cambridge. To regain his place in society, Clive gives up his forbidden love, Maurice and marries.
1987 - Winners at this years Brit awards held in London included Peter Gabriel who won British Male Solo Artist, Kate Bush won British Female Solo Artist, Best British Group went to Five Star, British Album was Dire Straits 'Brothers In Arms', British Breakthrough Act was The Housemartins, International Solo Artist went to Paul Simon, The Bangles won Best International Group, Best British Video went to Peter Gabriel for 'Sledgehammer' and Best British Single was The Pet Shop Boys for 'West End Girls'.
1985 - Madonna started a three-week run at No.1 on the US album chart with 'Like A Virgin', a No.3 hit in the UK.
1985 - Elaine Page and Barbara Dickson were at No.1 on the UK singles chart with 'I Know Him So Well.' The song was taken from the musical Chess, written by Tim Rice and Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson from Abba. It gave Benny and Bjorn their 10th No.1 as writers.
1984 – US Chart Toppers - Karma Chameleon - Culture Club ; Joanna - Kool & The Gang ; Running with the Night - Lionel Richie ; Show Her - Ronnie Milsap
1984 – Starring Merryl Streep, Kurt Russell and Cher, Silkwood commenced screening in Australia. The story of Karen Silkwood, a metallurgy worker at a plutonium processing plant who was purposefully contaminated, psychologically tortured and possibly murdered to prevent her from exposing blatant worker safety violations at the plant.
1984 - "Rink" opens at Martin Beck Theater NYC for 204 performances
1983 - Prince's "Little Red Corvette" was released.
1982 - The Boston suburb of Marlborough, Massachusettes, passes an ordinance barring the use of video games by anyone under age 18 during school class hours or late at night, and bans placement of the games within 1500 feet of public schools.
1982 - George Harrison presented UNICEF with a cheque for $9 million (£5.3 million), ten years after the fundraising concert for Bangladesh.
1979 - 21st Grammy Awards Just the Way You Are, Taste of Honey
1978 - Kate Bush's Wuthering Heights hits UK chart.
1976 – US Chart Toppers - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover - Paul Simon ; Love to Love You Baby - Donna Summer ; You Sexy Thing - Hot Chocolate ; Sometimes - Bill Anderson & Mary Lou Turner
1975 - The variety show Cher, meant to take the place of the old Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour, debuts on CBS with guests Elton John and Bette Midler.
1974 - The Love Unlimited Orchestra went to No.1 on the US singles chart with 'Love's Theme', it made No.10 in the UK.
1974 – ABBA’s “Waterloo” is chosen to represent Sweden in this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.
1972 - In keeping with the rather low-key nature of his new group, Paul McCartney debuts Wings on stage with a surprise appearance at England's Nottingham University. From there, the band sets off on a largely improvised tour of the country, playing unannounced in many places.
1970 - Simon & Garfunkel's album "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and Sly and the Family Stone's single "Thank You" both go gold.
1969 - A young lady named Roslyn Kind made her quiet TV debut this night on The Ed Sullivan Show. Ed said she’s “...America’s teenager who wasn’t protesting or playing a guitar.” She only appeared once. Her sister appeared many times. Roslyn Kind is the sister of Barbra Streisand.
1968 – US Chart Toppers - Green Tambourine - The Lemon Pipers ; Spooky - Classics IV ; Love is Blue - Paul Mauriat ; Skip a Rope - Henson Cargill
1968 - The Planet of the Apes with Charlton Heston premiered.
1967 - The film for the latest Beatles single 'Penny Lane' and 'Strawberry Fields Forever' was shown on BBC-TV's Top Of The Pops. It was the first Beatles single not to make No.1 in the UK since 1963, held off the top by Engelbert Humperdinck's 'Release Me.'
1967 - The Beatles record three takes of Fixing A Hole, a song that will ultimately appear on their Sergeant Pepper album, at Regent Sound Studio in London .
1966 - Liza Minnelli brings her nightclub act to New York City with a show at the Persian Room of the Plaza Hotel.
1964 - GI Joe character created
1964 - At 8 -00 PM EST, CBS' Ed Sullivan Show takes to the airwaves to broadcast the Beatles' first US television appearance. Nearly 73 million Americans -- a record for its time, and still one of the highest ratings ever -- watch as John, Paul, George and Ringo perform "All My Loving," "Till There Was You," "She Loves You," "I Saw Her Standing There," and "I Want to Hold Your Hand" to 703 screaming teenage fans (mostly girls) in the audience.
1963 - Ruby and the Romantics' "Our Day Will Come" enters the pop chart. It hits Number One on both the pop and R&B charts next month, making it the group's biggest hit.
1963 - Paul and Paula started a three-week run at No.1 on the US singles charts with 'Hey Paula', it made No.8 in the UK.
1962 - Neil Sedaka records "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do" (the original version)
1961 - The Beatles appeared at The Cavern Club, Liverpool, for the very first time (as The Beatles), they would go on to make a total of 292 other appearances at the Club.
1960 – US Chart Toppers - Teen Angel - Mark Dinning ; Where or When - Dion & The Belmonts ; Handy Man - Jimmy Jones ; He’ll Have to Go - Jim Reeves
1960 - The first star was placed on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star was for Joanne Woodward.
1959 - Lloyd Price's "Stagger Lee" hits #1
1959 - Coasters's "Charlie Brown" peaks at #2
1958 - Ratings show that ABC's American Bandstand is now America's top-rated daytime television program, with an average of 8,400,000 viewers per day.
1957 - "Young Love" by Sonny James topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
1957 - "Too Much" by Elvis Presley topped the charts and stayed there for 3 weeks.
1957 - "Don't Forbid Me" by Pat Boone topped the charts and stayed there for a week.
1955 - No. 1 Billboard Pop Hit: ``Sincerely,'' The McGuire Sisters.
1953 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the film Water Birds for an Oscar Award in the category Short Subjects, Two Reels.
1953 - "The Adventures of Superman" TV series premieres in syndication
1952 – US Chart Toppers - Slowpoke - Pee Wee King ; Cry - Johnnie Ray ; Anytime - Eddie Fisher ; Give Me More, More, More (Of Your Kisses) - Lefty Frizzell
1951 - Disney's Pluto cartoon Cold Storage is released
1950 - Joseph McCarthy launches his anti-Red campaign when he addresses a Republican Women's Club telling them that members of the Communist Party are working in the State Department.
1944 – US Chart Toppers - My Heart Tells Me - The Glen Gray Orchestra (vocal: Eugenie Baird) ; Shoo, Shoo, Baby - The Andrews Sisters ; No Love, No Nothin’ - Ella Mae Morse ; Pistol Packin’ Mama - Al Dexter
1942 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the film Lend a Paw for an Oscar Award in the category Short Subjects, Cartoons.
1942 - The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences nominates the film Truant Officer Donald for an Oscar Award in the category Short Subjects, Cartoons.
1926 - Teaching theory of evolution forbidden in Atlanta GA schools
1923 - Russia’s passenger airlines Aeroflot established.
1920 - By the terms of the Svalbard Treaty, international diplomacy recognizes Norwegian sovereignty over Arctic archipelago Svalbard, and designates it as demilitarized.
1900 - Dwight F. Davis put up a new tennis trophy to go to the winner in matches against England. The trophy was a silver cup that weighed 36 pounds.
1895 - Volleyball invented by W G Morgan in Massachusetts
1895 - The first college basketball game was played as Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated the Porkers of Hamline College, 9-3.
HOLIDAYS AND OBSERVANCES
Christian Feast Day
Eastern Orthodox Liturgics
Saints