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April 29, 1983 –Martha Coolidge’s Rom-Com about a girl from the valley, Valley Girl, starring Nicolas Cage, Deborah Foreman, Michelle Meyrink, Elizabeth Daily, Cameron Dye and Michael Bowen premiered in the US on this date. The producers of this film approached Frank Zappa about making a film based on his hit single Valley Girl (releasedContinue reading “Today in Film History”

Today is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, the co-patron saint of Italy. The Renaissance was tough on women, Catherine’s older sister and younger sisters died in 1463 (she had 22 other siblings, although, at that point, who could tell who was alive or died or the neighbor’s cat.) Catherine’s father did what anyContinue reading “Another page from the Book of the Saints”

April 28, 1881 –Billy the Kid escaped from a New Mexico jail, killing jailer Bob Ollinger and a fellow prisoner in the process. Billy survived for another three months before Pat Garrett finally killed him. Somehow Bob Dylan, Paul Newman, Dracula, and a braless Jane Russell are involved in this story Once again, history isContinue reading “Today in History”

April 27, 1922 –Fritz Lang’s Dr Mabuse, der Spieler (some have called it the first film-noir,) premiered in Berlin, Germany on this date. Fritz Lang originally wanted the actress portraying Venus to be completely nude. When the first take was completed, he didn’t like how the woman’s pubic hair looked, and ordered her to shaveContinue reading “Today in Film History”

April 26, 1956 – Godzilla: King of All Monsters debuted in America on this date (Gojira premiered in Japan on November 3, 1954) With the ashes of World War II only recently cooled, Japan is plagued by a sudden wave of maritime disasters: Without warning, ships are exploding into flame and sinking beneath the waves.Continue reading “Terror and Horror to Astound Mankind!”

April 25, 1856 –Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, mathematician and an Oxford professor, met a three year old girl named Alice Liddell on this date. Charles had a penchant for making up stories to entertain the little girls he liked to photograph (many of them happened to be in the nude, at the time.) Alice had aContinue reading “Just another day”

Dionysiac ( die-uh-NIS-ee-ak ), (Latin Dionysiacus, from Greek Dionusiakos, from Dionusios.), adjective 1. Of or relating to Dionysus, the god of wine and of an orgiastic religion celebrating the power and fertility of nature. Of or relating to Dionysia, ancient Greek festivals held seasonally, chiefly at Athens, in honor of Dionysus. 2. Often dionysiac. EcstaticContinue reading “Troy lost her grace and glory”

April 23, 1958 –Orson Welles‘ noir thriller Touch of Evil, starring Charlton Heston and Janet Leigh, was released on this date. Orson Welles initially despised the title Touch of Evil, having had nothing to do with its conception. Over the years, however, he grew to like it, and eventually considered it the best title outContinue reading “Today in Film History”

On April 22, 1970, 20 million Americans took to the streets, parks, and auditoriums to demonstrate for a healthy, sustainable environment in massive coast-to-coast rallies. Thousands of colleges and universities organized protests against the deterioration of the environment. Happy Earth Day! Groups that had been fighting against oil spills, polluting factories and power plants, rawContinue reading “Start investing in a secure climate future right now”

April 21, 1990 –Sinead O’Connor topped the charts with a cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2U on this date. The video was the first time most people saw what O’Connor looked like and were surprised that she was bald. She shaved her head when she first started recording because she wanted to make a statementContinue reading “Today in Rock History”