An "Unbroken" Centennial and more...
Thursday, January 26, 2017 at 9:06AM 
Jack O'Connell in Unbroken (2014)On this day in history as it (mostly) relates to showbiz...
1837 Michigan becomes a State. For a long time it was a beauty but recently hit its all time nadir when the GOP controlled government began poisoning the children in Flint. Somehow Michiganders did not vote them out of office. The earth is doomed
1880 WW II's General MacArthur is born in Little Rock. He'll later be played in the movies and on TV by stars as esteemed and beloved as Gregory Peck (MacArthur), Liam Neeson (Operation Chromite), and Henry Fonda (Collision Course: Truman vs MacArthur)
1892 Bessie Coleman is born in Texas. Becomes the first female African American pilot and the first American woman to hold an international pilot licencse. Where's her biopic? Today's Google Doodle is in her honor
1917 Louis Zamperini Centennial today! His WW II story of survival starring Jack O'Connell is told in Angelina Jolie's movie Unbroken (2014)
more after the jump including Paul Newman and the Golden Globes...
1923 Dick Tracy's original Tess Trueheart actress Anne Jeffreys is born. After B movies she became a TV regular with roles in Topper, Falcon Crest, Baywatch, and more. She's one of our oldest living screen actors.
1925 Movie god Paul Newman is born in Ohio.
1928 Director Roger Vadim, of Barbarella and And God Created Woman fame was born. He went on to marry five different actresses (most famously Jane Fonda and Brigitte Bardot) as well as have a child on the side with Catherine Deneuve.
1941 Scott Glenn is born in Pittsburgh. He begins his very long screen career twenty-four years later with a guest spot on The Patty Duke show. Currently he's "Stick" on Daredevil
1946 Gene Siskel. Becomes an iconic critic to a whole generation of moviegoers with fellow Chicago critic Roger Ebert
1949 Actor David Strathairn is born. Credits include: Good Night, and Good Luck (Oscar nomination), Silkwood, Delores Claiborne, LA Confidential and many more
1958 Comedienne Ellen DeGeneres is born. Becomes one of the first major stars to come out as LGBT
1961 Elvis Presley goes to #1 with "Are you Lonesome Tonight?" goes to #1. Forty-six years later The Rock sings it in The Game Plan (2007) predating his Moana singing onscreen.
1973 Undervalued actor Melvil Poupaud is born in Paris. Credits include By the Sea, Laurence Anyways, Time to Leave, A Summer's Tale. He's nominated for a César again this year for Victoria.
1974 At the 31st annual Golden Globes The Exorcist and American Graffiti take the Best Picture awards. They aren't able to repeat at the Oscars though where The Sting prevails. Curiously the Sting only received 1 Globe nomination (for Screenplay)
1976 French actor Gilles Marini is born. 32 years later, showering shamelessly outdoors for ogling by Samantha in Sex & The City (2008) he becomes famous. Has never stopped working since.
1979 British actor Edward Hogg is born. He's currently on Taboo with Tom Hardy
1985 At the 42nd annual Golden Globes, Amadeus, F Murray Abraham and Sally Field begin their march to Oscar
1988 Phantom of the Opera premieres on Broadway. Gets a film version 16 years later. Is still on Broadway (sigh) as the longest running show of all time (by an unbeatable margin now)
1993 Cameron Bright the "little liar" who drove Nicole Kidman crazy in Birth (2004) is born.
2001 The Wedding Planner with JLo and McConaughey opens in theaters. The romantic comedy boom doesn't know that it's on its last legs yet.
2014 Whiplash wins the Dramatic prize at Sundance. Goes on to 3 Oscar wins and eventually gets Damien Chazelle the greenlight for La La Land
2018 Maybe the world ends? It's looking bleak. If we're all going to die let's go out staring at Paul Newman's impossible beauty
How will you celebrate the day?
Reader Comments (6)
Paul Newman. One of the greats. And despite all his fame and achievements, still underrated as an actor. His characters are vivid, memorable, beautiful.
Speaking of underrated, he's quite good in The Towering Inferno. Just had to add that.
That Dick Tracy poster got me to laugh - thanks.
Melvil Poupaud IS underrated. It's no surprise that Parker Posey travels to Paris in Broken English (speaking of undervalued grns) on a whim just hoping to bump into him again.
One never gets tire of Mr Newman's blue eyes....a true Hollywood icon both sex symbol and great actor
Paul Newman. That is all.
Giles Marini is... dick in the flesh LOL