Author Archives: dcaligari

December 13, 1996 –Cameron Crowe’s romantic comedy, Jerry Maguire, starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Bonnie Hunt, and Renée Zellweger opened on this date. Jonathan Lipnicki showed up on the set one day telling everyone that “the human head weighs eight pounds“. Writer, producer, and director Cameron Crowe liked it so much he wrote itContinue reading “Jerry Maguire premiered”

December 13, 1975 –Richard Pryor hosted NBC-TV’s Saturday Night Live on this date. Fearing Pryor would say things that were too offensive for television at the time, the show was placed on seven-second delay for the very first time As mentioned in the opening sketch, Pryor requested that Garrett Morris say “Live from New York,Continue reading “I don’t believe Network TV would air comedy like this again”

December 13, 2008 –Beyonce’s song, Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) hit #1 on the Billboard charts on this date. The video has become an internet phenomenon with thousands of homemade versions posted on YouTube. Beyoncé explained to The Sunday Times May 10, 2009 that the idea for the promo was a 1960s filmContinue reading “Single Ladies topped the charts”

Christmas trees are known to have been popular in Germany as far back as the sixteenth century. In England, they became popular after Queen Victoria’s husband Albert, who came from Germany, made a tree part of the celebrations at Windsor Castle. In the United States, the earliest known mention of a Christmas tree is inContinue reading “O Tannenbaum”

December 12, 1531– Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin, an indigenous peasant, had visions of the Virgin Mary. Legend held that the Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego outside Mexico City and left an imprint on his cactus-fiber poncho. The poncho became an icon for the Virgin of Guadalupe. It’s early and I’ll stop hurting your brain withContinue reading “It’s the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe”

December 12, 1968 –Only good girls keep diaries. Bad girls don’t have time. After a long and well enjoyed life, Tallulah Bankhead died in St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City of double pneumonia, complicated by emphysema and malnutrition, on this date. Her last coherent words reportedly were “Codeine… bourbon.” (I absolutely will be stealingContinue reading “Tallulah Bankhead”

December 12, 1954 –BBC Television aired the landmark adaptation of George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four on this date. It was the most expensive drama produced to date. Unusually for a British TV production of that era, this story survives as a telerecording. At the time, the majority of television was transmitted live, and most shows wereContinue reading “Beware the savage jaw of 1984”

December 12, 1915 –It’s the birthday of Francis Albert today. Once again, under advise of legal council, I have make no jokes or innuendos about Mr. Sinatra’s alleged organized crime connection, especially since I work at a union facility (Please note – I did not use the word, Mafia.) And once again, We here atContinue reading “Francis Albert Sinatra”

December 12, 1972 –Irwin Allen’s ocean disaster movie, The Poseidon Adventure, opened in NYC on this date. Paul Gallico was inspired to write his novel by a voyage he made on the Queen Mary. When he was having breakfast in the dining room, the liner was hit by a large wave, sending people and furnitureContinue reading “The premiere of the original Poseidon Adventure”

December 11, 1980 – Hawaiian shirts and free mustache rides were the order of the day when Magnum PI, starring Tom Selleck, debuted on CBS-TV on this date. Orson Welles provided the voice of Robin Masters, whose face was never seen on this show. Producers eventually wanted Welles to be revealed as the face ofContinue reading “Magnum PI premiered”