Happy birthday, Chinese astronaut Wang Yaping!

Wang Yaping, born January 1980 in Shandong, China, is the second Chinese woman in space, and the first Chinese woman to perform a spacewalk.  She set a record for the longest stay in space by a female Chinese astronaut in April 2022 with a total of 197 days.

Her first trip into space was aboard Shenzhou 10 as Laboratory Assistant to Tiangong 1 in June 2013.  The crew returned to Earth 14 days and 14.5 hours later.

Her second mission was aboard Shenzhou 13 as Operator to the Tianhe core module, the first part of the Tiangong space station in October 2021. During the mission, she conducted an EVA in November 2021 with fellow astronaut Zhai Zhigang to install the robotic arm suspension and perform some routine tests. The EVA lasted 6 hours, 25 minutes. The crew returned to Earth in April 2022.

Betty White wins Screen Actors Guild Award 2011

The incomparable, irreplaceable Betty White won a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series for her role as Elka Ovstrovsky.in Hot in Cleveland at the 17th annual ceremony January 30, 2011.  It was the second of three SAGs for Betty.  The year before, she was awarded a Lifetime Achievement from the Screen Actors Guild.

Daryl Hall & John Oates " I Can't Go For That" reaches #1 1982

The second single from Private Eyes, the tenth studio album by Daryl Hall & John Oates, I Can't Go for That (No Can Do) reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, January 30, 1982.  It knocked Olivia Newton-John's Physical from the top spot where it had been for a record-setting 10 weeks. Ironically, Physical had knocked the Hall & Oates single Private Eyes from the top spot ten weeks earlier.  

VH-1 listed I Can't Go for That as one of the 100 Greatest Songs of the '80's. 

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Pyotr Dubrov!

Pyotr Dubrov, born January 30, 1978 in Russia, went into space aboard Soyuz MS-18 in April 2021 to the International Space Station.  He participated in a long duration missions from Expeditions 64-66.  He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz MS-19 in March 2022 with fellow astronaut Mark Vande Hei.  He spent over 355 days in space. 

Iran sends a monkey into space 2013

Iran reported on January 28, 2013, that they had sent a rhesus monkey into space in a Pishgam rocket, and the animal was recovered safely after only a few minutes.  They chose January 28 because it has a religious significance as the birthday of Mohammed. 

Shelly Winters wins Golden Globe 1973

Shelly Winters won  the Golden Globe award for Best Supporting Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture at the 30th ceremony held January 28, 1973.  She won for her performance as Belle Rosen in The Poseidon Adventure.

I just found out that she did her own stunts during the underwater scene where she frees Gene Hackman from drowning.

Dark Shadows actor Joel Crothers born 1941

Joel Crothers, born January 28, 1941 in Cincinnati, Ohio with handsome, boy-next-door features, is probably best-known for his performances on Dark Shadows.  He played Joe Haskell and Nathan Forbes, appearing in 166 episodes. 

He went on to appear in another daytime drama, The Edge of Night until 1984.

Crothers passed away in November 1985 from AIDS-related lymphoma.

The Pointer Sisters win 3rd American Music Award 1986

My girls, Ruth, Anita, and June, won their third American Music Award at the annual ceremony January 27, 1986.  They took home the award for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo Group Video Artist.

The same evening Pat Benatar won the Favorite Pop/Rock Female Video Artist, her third AMA as well.

Alabama won their fourth and fifth AMAs that night for Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group and for Favorite Country Album for 40-Hour Week.

"Laverne & Shirley" debuts 1976

The Happy Days spin-off, Laverne & Shirley, aired its first episode January 27, 1976.  It starred Penny Marshall as Laverne DeFazio and Cindy Williams and Shirley Feeney, two working class girls, making it through the latter part of the 1950s in Milwaukee. In the last three seasons, they move to Burbank, California in 1965 when they are replaced by automatic bottle cappers. 

The show ran for 8 seasons, ending in 1983, racking up numerous awards nominations.  Although Marshall and Williams had many fights during filming, Cindy Williams stated later that they still remained good friends.  

"Shaolin" released 2011

Awesome and spectacular Shaolin, released January 27, 2011 in Hong Kong, is a martial arts movie set in China in the early 20th century.  A ruthless warlord (played by the multi-talented Andy Lau) is betrayed by his second-in-command and flees to the refuge of a shaolin, seeking redemption.

The movie also stars Jackie Chan in a minor but entertaining role.  

Shaolin was released on January 19 in China, and September 9 in the US.  It was a major box office hit in Hong Kong and China.  Being released in Mandarin and Cantonese helped boost its popularity.

It was nominated for four Hong Kong movie awards, including a nomination for Best Song, co-written and performed by Andy Lau, who is also a successful singer in Asia.

Happy birthday, Nightcrawler actor Alan Cumming!

Versatile actor Alan Cumming, born January 27, 1965 in Perthshire, Scotland, has won numerous awards for his acting including two Tony awards. He has been nominated numerous times for his work on The Good Wife, but my favorite performance of his will always be as Nightcrawler in X-2: X-Men United.  He declined appearing in any of the sequels because he didn't want to go through the entire makeup sessions again.  

Fair enough.

Cumming has come out and has appeared in several gay movies and won a TLC Releasing Award for Best Lead Actor in a Gay Movie.

Pat Benatar wins American Music Award for Best Pop/Rock Female Artist 1982

My girl Pat Benatar won the American Music Award for Best Pop/Rock Female Artist at the 9th annual ceremony held January 25, 1982.  Her single Fire and Ice from her third album Precious Time helped her win the Grammy that year as well.  It would be the first of three AMAs for her.

Air Supply?  The Australian duo won Best Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group beating The Pointer Sisters?  Give me a break.  They even beat AC/DC as well.  Something's fishy there. Hmmm....

At least, the Oak Ridge Boys won the country version of the award, beating Alabama and the Statler Brothers. 

Raquel Welch wins Golden Globe for Best Actress 1975

I've always liked Raquel Welch. Though I'm not familiar with much of her work, my favorite movies of hers are The Three Musketeers and The Four Musketeers, which unfortunately her character does not survive.

But the movies let her showcase her talent and it worked.  Ms. Welch won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical for her work as Constance Bonacieux in The Three Musketeers.  She had some stiff competition for the award.  Lucille Ball, Helen Hayes, and Cloris Leachman (Young Frankenstein).

The Three Musketeers was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical. I'm a little shocked that these were the only two nominations this movie received.  Faye Dunaway was nominated for her work in Chinatown, but got snubbed for her work on The Three Musketeers.

I could not find an image or a clip of her accepting her win, so I settled for a still from the movie and the catfight between her and Faye Dunaway.

"The A Team" premieres 1983

The A-Team, an action television show about a group of Vietnam vets that are on the lam, premiered January 23, 1983.  Over its five seasons, it had plenty of car chases, car crashes, explosions, and shoot-outs for any action buff.  The first episode, Mexican Slayride, starred George Peppard as Hannibal Smith, Dwight Shultz as Murdock, and Mr. T as B.A. Baracus.  Tim Dunigan appeared as Templeton "Faceman" Peck, but was replaced by Dirk Benedict.  

It was nominated for three Primetime Emmy awards for sound editing or sound mixing.

The show was never loved by critics but audiences loved it and made it a huge success.

"Aladdin" wins 2 Golden Globes 1993

Disney's animated take on Aladdin garnered two Golden Globes at the 50th celebration held January 23, 1993.  Alan Menken won for Best Original Score and A Whole New World won Best Original Song, as performed by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle.  

Aladdin was nominated for three more awards.  It was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy.  Two other songs from the soundtrack, Friend Like Me and Prince Ali, both sung by Robin Williams were nominated for Best Original Song.

I like those two songs much better than Whole New World, but I wasn't asked.  

Happy birthday, actor/director Lou Antonio!

I do like to tout fellow Okies when I can.  Lou Antonio, born January 23, 1934 in Oklahoma City, has been nominated for three Primetime Emmys for his directing. I remember him mostly for his role as Lokai on the original Star Trek series episode Let That Be Your Last Battlefield, the fifteenth episode of the third season. 

Martin Landau wins Golden Globe for "Ed Wood" 1995

Martin Landau won the Golden Globe for Best Supporting Performance by an Actor in a Movie for his portrayal of Bela Lugosi in the movie Ed Wood at the 52nd ceremony held January 21, 1995.  I loved his performance and was so happy when he won the Golden Globe and the Oscar for this role.  

It was his third Golden Globe of his career.

"Saturday Night Fever" soundtrack reaches #1 1978

The soundtrack album from the movie Saturday Night Fever reached #1 on the Billboard 200 January 21, 1978 and stayed there for 24 weeks.  It generated three singles from the Bee Gees and one from Yvonne Elliman.  It is the second biggest-selling soundtrack of all time.  It won the Grammy for Album of the Year and Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1979.  It won an American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B album in 1979.  

The album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 and, in 2014, was added to the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry for being culturally significant.

Agatha Christie's first novel "The Mysterious Affair at Styles" published 1921

Agatha Christie's first novel The Mysterious Affair at Styles, introducing Belgian detective Hercule Poirot, was published in the UK January 21, 1921.  It had been published the previous October in the US.  It was well-received by critics and remains one of her best.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles was adapted for television and aired as an episode on ITV's series Poirot starring David Suchet as the detective in September 1990.  

Since its initial publication, it has been re-released in hardcover and paperback dozens of times.

Comedian extraordinaire Benny Hill born 1924

Benny Hill, born January 21, 1924 in Southampton, England, is best known for his television variety comedy and sometimes bawdy show in the 1980s.  The Benny Hill Show was nominated twice for a Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Comedy series.  

He had a cameo in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang where he played the Toy Maker.  He also appeared in music video Anything She Does with Genesis.

He passed away in April 1992.

Angela Lansbury wins fifth Golden Globe 1990

Multi-talented actress Dame Angela Lansbury won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama for her role as Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote, at the 47th ceremony held January 20, 1990.  It was her third win for playing Fletcher and fifth Golden Globe overall.  

DeForest Kelly (Dr. "Bones" McCoy) born 1920

DeForest Kelly, born January 20, 1920 in Toccoa, Georgia, will always be remembered as the cantankerous Dr. Leonard "Bones" McCoy in the Star Trek universe.  He had appeared in many westerns prior to his casting on Star Trek and was more comfortable in that genre rather than science fiction.  Kelly passed away in 1999, the first of the original main cast from Star Trek.

McCoy wasn't one of my favorite characters on the series and movies but he did have some great moments.  

I love this one from Star Trek VI: The Voyage Home:

Happy birthday, actress Essie Davis!

We came to love multi-talented and lovely actress Essie Davis, born January 19, 1970 in Tasmania, Australia, in her role as Miss Phryne Fisher, solver of mysteries.  She had a short sting on Game of Thrones, but she has won many accolades and awards for her performance in the horror flick, The Babadook.

After the Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries series ended, she reprised her role in the made for television movie Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears.

I really hope she continues to enthrall us in future Miss Fisher movies.

Star Trek episode "Arena" airs 1967

One of the classic episodes from the original series Star Trek, Arena, first aired January 19, 1967.  Outpost Cestus III has been destroyed and the crew of the Enterprise retaliates against the killers, a reptilian race known as the Gorn.  As the ships battle, another alien race, the Metrons, stop them and place Captain Kirk (William Shatner) and the Gorn captain on a planet to solve their dispute one-on-one.

It is the first episode to feature photon torpedoes and the first to establish transporters cannot beam through deflector shields. 

Ted Cassidy of the Addams Family provided the voice of the Gorn.

The Mythbusters investigated the diamond cannon Kirk used to defeat the Gorn, and found it to be implausible.  The bamboo used to make the cannon would have been destroyed in the explosion and killed Kirk.  But the episode takes place on an alien planet so you never know. 

Donna Summer 3 American Music Awards 1980

The Goddess of Disco (then Queen of Disco) Donna Summer won three American Music Awards at the 7th annual ceremony held January 18, 1980.  She walked away with Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist (over Babs and ONJ), and Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist.

She won Favorite Pop/Rock Song for Bad Girls, beating the one-hit wonder My Sharona by the Knack and Rod Stewart's Do Ya Think I'm Sexy?

Barry Manilow won Favorite Pop/Rock Male Artist beating my man Billy Joel.  I smell a conspiracy.  Michael Jackson won three awards as well, all in the Soul/R&B categories.  

The Bee Gees won 2 awards for Favorite Pop/Rock Band/Duo/Group and Favorite Pop/Rock album for Spirits Having Flown.  

The Statler Brothers won Favorite Country Band/Duo/Group.

Benny Goodman was honored with the Merit Award.

Happy birthday, Dave Bautista!

Hot, sexy Dave Bautista, my latest obsession, is a WWE wrestler turned actor.  Born on January 18, 1969 in Washington, DC, he began to make his mark in the WWE universe in 2002.  He made an appearance in Smallville in 2006 and played the lead in House of the Rising Sun.  Then he appeared with Vin Diesel in Riddick before joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Drax in the Guardians of the Galaxy movies, and the Avengers movies.  He played Rabban Harkonnen in the 2021 remake of Dune and is currently appearing in Glass Onion, a Knives Out movie.  I saw Knives Out so I definitely need to see the next one. 

 

"Up" Wins two Golden Globes 2010

Up, one of the best movies of all time, both live and animated, won two Golden Globe awards at the 67th ceremony held January 17, 2010.  It took home the award for Best Animated Feature Film and Best Original Score by Michael Giacchino. Since it won the two categories it was nominated for, Up scored 100%! 

Sandra Bullock beat out Helen Mirren for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama?  Hmmm...Meryl Streep beat Bullock and Meryl Streep for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, but I reported on that year before last.

Happy birthday, Village People lead vocalist Ray Simpson!

Ray Simpson, born January 15, 1954 in New York City, is best known as the former lead singer and Cop for Village People.  He sang backup for the group in its formative years.  When the original lead singer Victor Willis left the Village People in 1979, Simpson became the front man.  He appeared with the rest of the band in the movie Can't Stop the Music in 1980.  

His sister is Valerie Simpson of the duo Ashford & Simpson.

Ray lives in New Jersey with his wife Leslie and daughter Alayna.  

Helen Mirren Wins 2 Best Actress Golden Globes 2007

The amazing Helen Mirren won two Golden Globe awards at the 64th Awards ceremony held January 15, 2007.  She won the award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth II in The Queen.  

She won another award for Best Performance for an Actress in a Miniseries or Television Film for her portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I in Elizabeth I on HBO.  She was nominated for the same award for her work as Detective Superintendent Jane Tennison in Prime Suspect: The Final Act.

Helen Mirren wins Golden Globe for Best Actress for Elizabeth I

Happy birthday, astronaut Robert Hines!

Robert Hines, born January 11, 1975 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, is a NASA astronaut and went into space aboard SpaceX's Crew Dragon spacecraft named Freedom.  He piloted Freedom and docked with the International Space Station in April 2022 and remained there with the rest of the crew until they returned to Earth in October, after spending over 170 days in space.  

WALL-E, Meryl Streep win Critic's Choice Award 2009

My favorite WALL-E won the prestigious Critic's Choice Award for Best Animated Feature, January 8, 2009.  The award is given by the American-Canadian Critics Choice Association to honor the finest in cinematic achievement.

Meryl Streep tied with Anne Hathaway for Best Actress for her work in Doubt.  

Bee Gees "Too Much Heaven" reaches #1 1979

The Bee Gees' single Too Much Heaven reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 January 6, 1979.  They performed it for Music for UNICEF on January 9 and released on their Spirits Having Flown album, their 13th studio album. The single went double platinum in the US.

Too Much Heaven was the theme for my junior/senior prom when I was a junior.

Happy birthday, Babylon 5 actress Andrea Thompson!

Beautiful actress Andrea Thompson, born January 6, 1960 in Dayton, Ohio, is probably best known for her work on NYPD Blue, but my favorite is her appearance as Psi Officer Talia Winters on Babylon 5.  She also appeared in an episode of Murder, She Wrote with Angela Lansbury.  

Thompson was only in two seasons of Babylon 5, appearing in 44 episodes, and her character was written out of the series rather rudely, but I understand there were some extenuating circumstances.  

Remembering Anita Pointer (1948-2022)

I am so sad right now.  I've just learned that Anita Pointer passed just before the new year at age 74.  I haven't been able to find a cause of death yet.  She was a founding member of the Pointer Sisters, whom I adore and worship.  She was surrounded by her family when she passed.  She follows sisters June and Bonnie to the Grand Stage in the Sky.  Ruth is the last surviving member of the original Pointer Sisters.