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May 16, 2007 weds
May 16th, 2007


The documentary that I created animation for, Flock of Dodo's, will have it's television premiere Tomorrow thursday on Showtime. Filmmaker-scientist Randy Olsen does a Michael Moore on the Evolution-Intelligent Design argument.

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Birthdays: Lily Pons, Richard Tauber, Henry Fonda, Liberace- real name Wladziu Valentine Liberace, Jan Kiepura, Edmund Kirby-Smith, Studs Terkel , Pierce Brosnan, Gabriela Sabbatini, Thurman Thomas, Margaret Sullivan, Olga Korbut, Debra Winger, Tori Spelling, Janet Jackson, Woody Herman

1866- Congress authorized the creation of a new 5 cent coin, which because of it’s metal content people called the Nickel.

1918- During World War One President Woodrow Wilson created the Wartime Committee of Public Information- a propaganda board headed by journalist George Creel and psychologist Edmund Bernays, a nephew of Sigmund Freud. After the war they would ply their skills in mass persuasion for the private sector- Bernay's advertising equating cigarrette smoking with women's equality hooked millions of women. He labels cigarettes “freedom sticks” and even engineered a change in ladies fashion to a taste for green to help sagging sales of a cigarette in a green pack. He also engineered a campaign to make all Americans believe the only real American breakfast is bacon & eggs.

1929- The First Academy Awards ceremony at the Rose Ballroom of the Biltmore Hotel. The best picture winner was William Wellman’s “Wings”. The name Oscar for the award supposedly came from joking that it’s butt looked like Betty Davis’ husband Oscar’s. The ceremony was originally a dinner party with some industry business conducted. During the Depression in 1933 the Oscars was the place to announce across the board wage rollbacks and salary cuts. Must have made for a swell party.

1946- the musical Annie Get Your Gun starring Ethel Merman premiered on Broadway.

1957- In a small town in Pennsylvania a failing small time businessman who had been drinking heavily died of a heart attack at age 54. Ironically, he had just approved the first draft of a memoir about his days as a young Treasury Agent in Al Capone’s Chicago. His name was Elliot Ness. The book - The Untouchables- became a national best seller and Hollywood turned it into a hit television series, films. Elliot Ness became a household word.

1965 – the birthday of Spaghetti-O's.

1975 - Wings release "Listen to What the Man Said" in UK

1981 - "Bette Davis Eyes" by Kim Carnes hits #1 for next 9 weeks. The elderly movie legend was not impressed:” Kim Carnes does not have eyes like me!” quote Bette.

1985 - Michael Jordan named NBA Rookie of Year. He retired in 2003.

1986 – the film "Top Gun," directed by Tony Scott and starring Tom Cruise premieres.

1987 - Rocker David Crosby wed Jan Dance in LA.

1996- One of the lamest moments in TV writing. On DALLAS Pam Ewing encounters her husband Bobby Ewing in the shower although he had been dead for one year. The incident meant the entire previous season had only been a bad dream.


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