Category Archives: Uncategorized

July 19, 1996 –Danny Boyle’s brilliant adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s equally celebrated novel, Trainspotting, starring Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Kelly MacDonald opened on this date. Kelly Macdonald got the part when the production crew were handing out flyers across Glasgow, for anyone eager to audition. When Danny Boyle first laid eyes on her, withContinue reading “Trainspotting premiered”

July 19, 1941 – MGM released the Hanna/ Barbera cartoon, The Midnight Snack, starring Tom and Jerry, on this date. William Hanna and Joseph Barbera originally had the cat named Jasper and the mouse was Jinx, in 1940’s Puss Gets the Boot cartoon. This is the first cartoon with their names, Tom Cat and JerryContinue reading “The first Tom and Jerry Cartoon (where they’re named Tom and Jerry)”

July 18, 2008 –Warner Bros. released the Christopher Nolan superhero film The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale, Michael Caine and Heath Ledger, in US theaters, on this date. In preparation for his role as The Joker, Heath Ledger hid away in a motel room for about six weeks. During this extended stay of seclusion, LedgerContinue reading “The Dark Knight premiered”

July 18, 1939 – Hunter S. Thompson’s birthday is today. He was once considered, armed, and dangerous. Now he is no more than soot on the window sills of his and his neighbors homes. Dr. Thompson founded the Gonzo school of journalism in the 1970s; graduates from that school can today be seen every nightContinue reading “Buy the ticket, take the ride.”

July 18, 1980 –Closer, the second and final album from Joy Division, was released on this date, just two months after the suicide of founding member and singer Ian Curtis. Despite or perhaps because of the tragedy surrounding Joy Division, the band has had an indelible effect on the post-punk music scene, which later morphedContinue reading “Closer went on sale”

July 18, 1936 –After Carl Mayer approached his uncle Oscar with the idea of driving a giant hot dog through Chicago streets, the first Oscar Mayer Wienermobile rolled out of General Body Company’s factory on this date. The Wienermobile started as a smallish 13-foot affair – Carl Mayer drove around with his head sticking throughContinue reading “The first Hot Dog drove down the road”

July 17, 1955 –That place is my baby, and I would prostitute myself for it. – Walt Disney Disneyland, the happiest place in the world, opens in Anaheim, California on this date.  Things didn’t go so well on that first day. A 15 day heat wave raised temperatures up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit. Also, dueContinue reading “Disneyland opened”

July 17, 1917 – Britain’s King George V issues a royal proclamation changing his family’s surname from Saxe-Coburg and Gotha to Windsor. Thus, everyone is fooled into believing that a bunch of inbred Germans are really English. Which is convenient, because England just so happens to be at war with the other side of theContinue reading “Meanwhile in England”

July 17, 1968 – The premiere of the drug-induced, Big Blue Meanie-infested cartoon Beatles film Yellow Submarine, was held at the London Pavilion on this date. In summer 1967, director George Dunning brought German artist Heinz Edelmann to London to work as production designer on this movie. The script wasn’t ready, and Edelmann wasn’t givenContinue reading “Yellow Submarine opened”

July 17, 1999 – The series, Spongebob Squarepants, created by marine biologist and animator Stephen Hillenburg, started regularly airing on Nickelodeon on this date. (It’s actually the second episode. The pilot episode had premiered in May of 1999) Frequently, a French accented-voice comes on to note a passage of time. It’s an homage to Jacques-YvesContinue reading “Series premiere of SpongeBob Squarepants”