Today's Five: Don't go into that castle, Jonathan Harker!

by Nathaniel R

We got a little carried away with our "on this day" posts these past few months. They were meant just to be fun and festive quickies and not take over so REDUCE REDUCE. Moving forward we'll give you 5 reasons to celebrate any given day because a) we're trying to stay positive b) it's good to be alive and c) who knows how much longer we'll be able to do that with nut-job man-babies running the world's most weaponized countries? So put on your party hats every day, is the point. 

Five Showbiz-Related Anniversaries (May 3rd)

2002 Sam Raimi's pop and playful superhero picture Spider-Man opens in theaters to massive then record-breaking returns. We were all so innocent back then. There was really only Batman and Spider-Man (Superman still on his long hiatus) and no "universes" to obsess over. If only even 1/10ths of the superhero pictures that came after it these past 15 years were shot as inventively (but they can't all be Raimis)

In its honor today: Look at yourself in the mirror the appreciative way Tobey Maguire does when he wakes up after that spider-bite, improved. You're awesome. Maybe you just didn't notice it before?

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1954 Look Back: Grace Kelly's Fight for Independence

David looks back on the biggest cinematic year of one of cinema's most glamorous stars...

The thrill of this moment keeps me from saying what I really feel. I can only say thank you with all my heart to all who made this possible for me. Thank you. 

Grace Kelly’s surprise Oscar win on 30 March, 1955, was the belated cherry on top of an incredible year by any actress’ standards, and certainly the busiest and most successful of Kelly’s ultimately brief Hollywood career. The basic narrative is now one of legend: the young, popular new star caught the attentions of the Academy over the established older performer; in this case, despite only being seven years older, Judy Garland. Hollywood gossip columnist Hedda Hopper said it was a matter of just 6 votes. If you believe her, than it's probably the closest Best Actress race ever, outside of the 1968 Hepburn-Streisand tie.

History has decided that Grace Kelly didn’t deserve it. History may be right.

But at the time, there seemed to be no more fitting capper to Kelly’s incredible year than this reward, one received in such gracious form. In 1954, she starred in 5 films – almost half of her entire cinematic catalogue and a ubiquity comparable to the likes of Julia Roberts in 1990, or Jennifer Lawrence in 2012. While Princess Grace has been mythologised like few other Hollywood stars, the real story is a far more complex one than the romantic image allows. But that, of course, is the Hollywood machine for you. [More...]

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