Soyuz TMA-21 crew (L-R): Ronald Garan, Aleksandr Samokutyavey, Andrei Borisenko
Soyuz TMA-21, launched April 4, 2011, carried members of Expedition 27 to the International Space Station. Its crew consisted of Commander Aleksandr Samokutyayev, Andrey Borisenko, and Ronald Garan (NASA). They participated in Expeditions 27-28, before returning to Earth in September 2011.
The disco glam movie Can't Stop the Music was nominated for seven Golden Raspberry awards and took home the award for Worst Movie at the first annual ceremony held March 31, 1981. The Golden Raspberry awards were initiated to celebrate the worst of the film industry. Can't Stop the Music is the reason John J. B. Wilson started the Golden Raspberries.
Can't Stop the Music won Worst Screenplay for Bronte Woodard and Allan Carr. It was nominated for Worst Director for Nancy Walker, Worst Actor for Bruce Jenner, Worst Actress for Valerie Perrine, Worst Supporting Actress for Marilyn Sokol, Worst Original Song for (You) Can't Stop the Music by Jacques Morali.
Xanadu was nominated for six Razzies and won for Worst Director for Robert Greenwald. It also received nominations for Worst Picture, Worst Actor for Michael Beck, Worst Actress for Olivia Newton-John, Worst Screenplay and Worst Original Song for Suspended in Time (seriously?).
Can't Stop the Music was released during a period of rising anti-disco sentiment, which is probably why it received so much hate at the time. However, some 45 years later, opinions toward it have mellowed somewhat and it seems that now it isn't considered to be as terrible as when it was released.
Angela Lansbury won her first Golden Globe award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for her work as Sibyl Vane in The Picture of Dorian Gray at the 3rd annual ceremony held March 30, 1946. It was the first of six Golden Globe awards for Dame Lansbury, and first of fifteen nominations.
Steven Spielberg's blockbuster horror film Jaws and the disaster flick The Hindenburg both took home Academy Awards at the 48th annual ceremony held March 29, 1976.
Jaws won Best Music Score for John Williams. It was his second Oscar and eleventh nomination.
Jaws won Best Sound for Robert L. Hoyt, Roger Heman, Earl Madery, and John Carter. It also won Best Film Editing for Verna Fields. It was nominated for Best Picture.
The Hindenburg was nominated for five Oscars and won two. It won two Special Achievement Awards: Sound Effects for Peter Berkos; Visual Effects for Albert Whitlock and Glen Robinson. It was nominated for Best Sound, Best Art Direction, and Best Cinematography.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was the big winner that night with five Academy wins and Barry Lyndon with four.
Eric Idle, born March 29, 1943 in Tyne and Wear, England, is best known for his work in the comedy troop Monty Python. He appeared in Monty Python's Flying Circus and the movie spin-offs. He appeared with Robbie Coltrane in one of my favorites, Nuns on the Run.
I didn't realize this, that he has been nominated for six Grammys for Best Comedy Recording and Best Spoken Word Album for Children. He won Best Musical Show Album for Monty Python's Spamalot in 1981.
Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace got a lot of hate when it was released. Admittedly, it had some huge shoes to fill after the earlier three movies, but I think it is one of the best movies out there. A lot of movies, and I do mean a lot, don't even come close to matching it. It did have its flaws, of course, such as introducing one of the most annoying characters of all time, Jar Jar Binks. And it's better than any of the final three movies in the series.
I don't think it deserved the criticism it received at the 20th Golden Raspberry Awards, held March 25, 2000. It was nominated for seven Razzie awards, but only took home one. Ahmed Best won Worst Supporting Actor for his work as Jar Jar Binks.
Phantom Menace was nominated for Worst Picture, Sofia Coppola for Worst Supporting Actress, Jake Lloyd for Worst Supporting Actor for his performance as Anakin Skywalker, Worst Screen Couple for Jake Lloyd and Natalie Portman, Worst Director for George Lucas (seriously?), and Worst Screenplay for Lucas (really?).
However, Wild Wild West was the top winner (loser?) for the evening, taking home five awards from its nine nominations. Multi-Grammy award winner Stevie Wonder shared the Worst Original Song with co-writers Will Smith, and Kool Moe Dee.
IMHO, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi is one of the best movies ever made. Fortunately, I might not be the only one who thinks that, since the movie was nominated for ten Saturn Awards, and won five at the annual ceremony by the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films, March 24, 1984.
It won Best Science Fiction Film, Best Actor for Mark Hamill for his performance as Luke Skywalker, Best Costumes for Aggie Guerard Rodgers and Nilo Rodis-Jamero, Best Make-up for Phil Tippett and Stuart Freeborn, and Best Special Effects for Richard Edlund, Dennis Muren, and Ken Ralston.
Return of the Jedi was nominated for Best Director for Richard Marquand, Best Actress for Carrie Fisher, Best Supporting Actor for Billy Dee Williams, Best Writing for Lawrence Kasdan and George Lucas, and Best Music for John Williams.
Something Wicked This Way Comes, an unusually dark film from Walt Disney won Best Fantasy Film and Best Writing for Ray Bradbury. It was nominated for Best Supporting Actor for Jonathan Pryce, Best Music, Best Costumes, Best Make-up, and Best Special Effects.
Krull was not a box-office success, but I'm glad to see that the Academy showed it some love. They nominated it for Best Fantasy, Best Music, and Best Costumes.
