"Sunset Boulevard" premieres 1950

 

Billy Wilder's classic film noir Sunset Boulevard premiered in New York City, August 10, 1950. It starred Gloria Swanson (Norma Desmond), William Holden, Jack Webb, and cameos from Buster Keaton, Hedda Hopper, and Cecil B. DeMille.

It was nominated for a whopping eleven Oscars and won three.  Best Writing, Story and Screenplay, Best Art Direction-Set Decoration, Black and White, and Best Music, Scoring of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture.  Gloria Swanson and William Holden were nominated for Best Actress and Best Actor, respectively. 

It got seven Golden Globe nominations and won four: Best Motion Picture, Best Director for Wilder, Best Actress for Gloria Swanson, and Best Original Score.

Sunset Boulevard trailer

"Sharknado 5: Global Swarming" premieres 2017

Sharknado 5:Global Swarming, he fifth installment of the crazy, popular Syfy Sharknado series, premiered on August 6, 2017.  In this chapter, the sharknados are occurring across the globe, so Fin and his crew travel all over the world to save it.

Ian Ziering and Tara Reid reprise their roles from the previous four films. It starred Nichelle Nichols, Bret Michaels, Olivia Newton-John, Greg Louganis, Fabio, Al Roker, Kathy Lee Gifford, and Dolph Lundgren.

Sharknado 5 trailer 

Actor John Saxon born 1936

 

John Saxon, born August 5, 1936 in Brooklyn, New York, had a long, prolific career, appearing in some of the most popular and iconic movies.  He first appeared in two uncredited roles in 1954.  In 1958, he appeared with Angela Lansbury in The Reluctant Debutante. The same year, he won a Golden Globe for Most Promising Newcomer for his work in This Happy Feeling. He appeared in Enter the Dragon in 1973 and the next year, he starred in the cult classic Black Christmas, which help start the slasher genre.

Saxon worked on numerous movie and television projects until 1984, when he appeared in another slasher classic, Nightmare on Elm Street, which has become a lasting franchise. He appeared in the second sequel Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors.  He continued acting until 2017.

 Saxon passed away in July 2020 from pneumonia. 

 John Saxon in Enter the Dragon

Yoshifumi Tajima, Godzilla actor, born 1918

Yoshifumi Tajima, born August 4, 1918 in Kobe, Japan, appeared in many Godzilla and Toho Company films.  His first kaiju film was Rodan in 1956. He went on to star in Mothra (1961), King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962), Mothra vs. Godzilla (1964), Ghidora, the Three-headed Monster (1964), Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965), Destroy All Monsters (1968), and The Return of Godzilla (1984).

He passed away in 2009.

 Yoshifumi Tajima

Babylon 5 episode "A Voice in the Wilderness, Part 2" airs 1994

The second part of one of my favorite Babylon 5 episodes A Voice in the Wilderness aired August 3, 1994. In the first part, Epsilon III, the planet below the space station, woke up and Babylon 5 officers go to investigate.  Soon, other races lay claim to Epsilon III and threaten to attack the station.  

I really miss this show!

Babylon 5: A Voice in the Wilderness, Part 2 clip 

"Sharknado 4: The Fourth Awakens" premieres 2016

Sharknado 4: The Fourth Awakens, the sequel to the sequel to the sequel to Sharknado, premiered on the SyFy Channel July 31, 2016.  Ian Ziering and Tara Reid reprise their roles for the fourth time. In this movie, the sharknado strikes Las Vegas.

It stars David Hasselhoff, Tommy Davidson, Cheryl Tiegs, Al Roker (again), Garey Busey, Susan Anton, Wayne Newton, Dog the Bounty Hunter, and plenty of beefcake Chippendales dancers.

Sharknado 4 was nominated for a BloodGuts UK Horror Award for Best Prequel/Sequel/Remake

Sharknado 4 trailer 

"Sharknado 2: The Second One" premieres 2014

Sharknado 2: The Second One, the long-awaited sequel to Sharknado, premiered on the Syfy Channel July 30, 2014. This time the apocalyptic storm strikes New York City.  It starred Ian Ziering, Tara Reid, and Vivica A. Fox (who has a birthday today!). It featured cameos by Judd Hirsch, Billy Ray Cyrus, Robert Hays, Matt Lauer, Al Roker, Michael Strahan, and the Naked Cowboy.

It referenced other movies such as Airplane! and Star Wars, and the Twilight Zone episode Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.

Sharknado 2 trailer