Author Archives: dcaligari

March 17, 2000 –The biographical drama, Erin Brockovich, directed by Steven Soderbergh, and starring Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, and Aaron Eckhart opened on this date. Julia Roberts won the Academy Award for best actress for her role as Erin Brockovich and famously forgot to thank the real Erin Brockovich-Ellis in her acceptance speech. Afterwards, sheContinue reading “Erin Brockovich premiered”

March 17, 1972 – John Waters presented Divine to an unsuspecting world: Pink Flamingos, opened in Baltimore on this date. (In 2021, this cult classic was inducted into the National Film Registery of important films that need to be preserved.) The dog feces in the infamous final scene are real. According to director John Waters,Continue reading “Pink Flamingos premiered”

March 17, 2014 –Sia released her chart smashing hit Chandelier on this date. The song stemmed from an impromptu jam session between Sia and pop producer Jesse Shatkin. “I usually think, ‘Oh this would work for Rihanna, or this would be a good one for B or Katy,’” Sia said to Ryan Seacrest. “But thisContinue reading “Party girls don’t get hurt”

March 16, 1979 –CBS aired a television documentary featuring the rock band Wings, Wings Over the World, on this date. The special consisted of concert performances from their acclaimed 1975–76 world tour, together with behind-the-scenes footage.

March 16, 2019 –Lil Nas X’s song Old Town Road makes the Country chart, but is removed the following week when Billboard declares it ineligible for the tally. Like most unknown artists, Lil Nas X wasn’t signed to a label when he uploaded this song to YouTube and various streaming platforms. When it became aContinue reading “Yeah, I’m gonna take my horse to the old town road”

March 16, 1935 –The first Disney animated short to feature Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy as a comedy trio, Mickey’s Service Station, opened on this date. This is the third and final appearance of Donald Duck in black and white.

March 16, 1940 – The Merrie Melodies cartoon, Cross Country Detours, a wacky travelogue parody, directed by Tex Avery, opened on this date. This is the second longest Golden Age Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies short, clocking short of 10 minutes on its original theatrical release, only behind Horton Hatches the Egg.

March 16, 1955 –Elia Kazan’s powerful family drama, East of Eden, opened in Los Angeles on this date (this is the only one of the “big three” James Dean films to be released before his death.) In the scene where Adam refuses to accept Cal’s money, the script called for Cal to turn away inContinue reading “East of Eden premiered”

March 16, 1960 –One of the iconic films of the French New Wave, À Bout de Souffle (Breathless), directed by Jean-Luc Godard, starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg was released in France on this date. Jean-Paul Belmondo was very surprised by the warm reception the film received. Immediately after production he was convinced it wasContinue reading “À Bout de Souffle opened”

It’s National Hiccup Day today (apparently, according to the interweb, this is a cure for hiccups – Pinch your nose, close your mouth and pretend to blow up a balloon. Well, either that, or a digital rectal massage.) It’s also known as synchronous diaphragmatic flutter or singultus.