"Something Wicked This Way Comes" released 1983

Walt Disney Studios' unusually dark horror fantasy movie Something This Way Comes premiered in US theatres April 29, 1983.  Based on a Ray Bradbury story of the same name, the story follows a strange carnival with its spooky ring master Mr. Dark, played by Jonathan Pryce, that arrives in a small town in the early 1900s.  The carnival grants wishes but at a serious cost.

It also stars Jason Robards, Diane Ladd, Pam Grier, and James Stacy.

It opened to to mixed reviews, but mostly negative.  It was a box-office failure, grossing $8.4M on its $20M budget.  It did win two Saturn Awards, one for Best Fantasy Film, and Best Writing for Ray Bradbury, who wrote the screenplay as well.  Jonathan Pryce was nominated for Best Supporting Actor.  James Horner was nominated for Best Music.  It was nominated for Best Costumes for Ruth Myers, Best Make-up for Gary Liddiard and James Scribner, and Special Effects for Lee Dyer.

Happy birthday, astronaut Paul Lockhart!

Paul Lockhart, born April 28, 1956 in Amarillo, Texas, went into space twice. He received a BA in math from Texas Tech University in 1978, and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.  He then entered the US Air Force and graduated from pilot training in 1983. 

Lockhart's first mission was aboard the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) as pilot to the International Space Station in June 2002. He spent almost 14 days in space before returning to Earth.

His second and last mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as pilot to the International Space Station in November-December 2002. He spent another 14 days in space before returning to Earth. 

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Denis Matveev!

Denis Matveev, born April 25, 1983 in Leningrad, Soviet Union, went into space aboard Soyuz MS-21, launched in March 2022 to the International Space Station.  He participated in Expeditions 66-67, during which he conducted four EVAs for a total of twenty-six hours.

He spent almost 195 days in space.  Matveev retired after this mission.

Steve Clark, Def Leppard guitarist, born 1960

Steve Clark, born April 23, 1960 in Sheffield, England, was a guitarist for super-rock group Def Leppard until his death in 1991.  He joined Def Leppard in 1978 and played on all their albums until Hysteria, the last album released before his death.  He contributed to songwriting and demos for Adrenalize which was released in 1992. 

He passed away in January 1991 after years of drug and alcohol abuse. 

"The Sound of Music" wins 5 Academy Awards 1966

Robert Wise's musical classic The Sound of Music was nominated for ten Academy Awards and won five at the annual ceremony held April 18, 1966.  Doctor Zhivago, another successful movie, was also nominated for ten Oscars and won five.

The Sound of Music won Best Picture (Robert Wise, producer) and Best Directing for Robert Wise, beating Doctor Zhivago.  It won Best Music (Scoring of Music-Adaption or Treatment) for Irwin Kostal. It won Best Sound for James Corcoran and Fred Hynes, and Best Film Editing for William Reynolds.

Julie Andrews was nominated for Best Actress, but Christopher Plummer did not receive a nomination for his work. Neither did Omar Sharif. Hmmm.... Peggy Wood was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Mother Abbess.  The Sound of Music was nominated for Best Art Direction (Color) for Boris Leven, Walter Scott and Ruby Levitt.  It was nominated for Best Cinematography (Color) for Ted McCord, and Best Costume Design (Color) for Dorothy Jenkins.  

One of my favorite comedies The Great Race was nominated for five Oscars and won Best Sound Effects for Treg Brown.

Maggie Smith received her first Academy Award nomination.  She was nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her work as Desdemona in Othello. 

Les Tremayne, "Shazam!" actor, born 1913

Les Tremayne, born April 16, 1913 in London, England, started his lengthy career in radio back in the 1930s.  He started in films in the 1950s and starred in movies such as War of the Worlds, The Angry Red Planet, and The Monolith Monsters.  He also appeared in King Kong vs. Godzilla.

For those of us born in the 1960s, we remember him best as Mentor in the Saturday morning show Shazam! from 1974-1976.  He appeared as the mentor to Billy Batson, Captain Marvel's secret identity.  

Tremayne passed away in December 2003 from heart failure. 

Agatha Christie's "Appointment with Death" released 1988

The movie adaption of one of my least favorite Agatha Christie novels Appointment With Death premiered April 15, 1988.  It boasted a star-studded cast including Peter Ustinov, Lauren Bacall, Carrie Fisher, and David Soul.

One reason I didn't care for the novel is it seemed as if Agatha Christie had Hercule Poirot pull the solution out of thin air.  I know throwing red herrings in to confuse the reader is the hallmark of great whodunits, but when the solution comes out of nowhere, it detracts from the surprise ending.  

This movie adaption wasn't good, despite the stellar talent.  Editing and directing were lacking and made viewing clunky and confusing.  It didn't fare well at the box office either, and two years later the production company Cannon Films filed for bankruptcy.  

Happy birthday, astronaut Gregory Harbaugh!

Gregory Harbaugh, born April 15, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, went into space four times. 

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-39) as mission specialist in April 28, 1991. The mission was dedicated to the US Department of Defense. He spent over 8 days in space, returning to Earth on May 6.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-54) as mission specialist launched January 13, 1993. During the mission, Harbaugh and fellow astronaut Mario Runco conducted a 5 hour EVA in the cargo bay to advance NASA's understanding of working in space. He spent almost 6 days in space, returning to Earth January 19.

His third mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) as mission specialist to the Russian space station Mir, the third mission in the Shuttle-Mir program, launched June 27, 1995. He spent almost 10 days in space, returning to Earth, July 7. 

His fourth and final trip into space was aboard Discovery (STS-82) as mission specialist, launched February 11, 1997.  It was the second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  He and fellow astronaut Joseph Tanner conducted two EVAs during the mission for a total of about fifteen hours.  He spent almost 10 days in space before returning to Earth on February 21.

Juice mission to Jupiter's moons launched 2023

The European Space Agency's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) was launched April 14, 2023 from the ESA's space center in French Guyana.  It is expected to reach Jupiter in July 2031 after four gravity assists.  It will conduct flybys of Ganymede, Callisto, and Europa

At the end of 2035, Juice will impact on Ganymede when it runs out of propellant. 

"The Music Man" wins six Tony Awards 1958

Meredith Wilson's musical comedy The Music Man, which debuted on Broadway in 1957, took home five Tony Awards at the 12th annual ceremony held April 13, 1958.  It won:

Best Musical

Best Actor in a Musical for Robert Preston

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for David Burns

Best Supporting Actress in a Musical for Barbara Cook

Best Conductor and Musical Director for Herbert Green

It had been nominated for 

Best Supporting Actor in a Musical for Iggie Wolfington

Best Director for Morton DaCosta

Best Choreography for Onna White

Best Stage Technician for Sammy Knapp

Helen Hayes won her second Best Actress in a Play Tony for her performance in Time Remembered.

Anne Bancroft won her first Tony for Best Supporting Actress in a Play for her performance in Two for the Seesaw.

Stevie Wonder performs "Superstition" live on Sesame Street 1973

Stevie Wonder appeared on Sesame Street April 12, 1973, during which he sings a 7-minute performance of Superstition.  Watch the video below.  Nuff said.

"Ladyhawke" released 1985

Richard Donner's medieval fantasy film Ladyhawke was released in the US April 12, 1985, with Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, and Michelle Pfeiffer.  Hauer and Pfeiffer play lovers who have been cursed by a bishop.  Hauer's character is human by day, and turns into a wolf at night.  Pfeiffer's character is a hawk by day and human at night.  

Despite a poor box-office performance, Ladyhawke was nominated for two Oscars: Best Sound and Best Sound Effects Editing.

It did win Saturn Awards for Best Fantasy Film and Best Costumes for Nana Cecchi.  Michelle Pfeiffer was nominated for Best Actress and Andrew Powell was nominated for Best Music.  

I enjoyed the soundtrack which was Alan Parsons the music score producer.  The music sounded like an Alan Parsons Project album.

Happy birthday, Alex Briley, Village People singer!

Alexander Briley, born April 12, 1947 in Harlem, New York, was the original G.I. in the Village People.  He appeared as a sailor when they recorded In The Navy in 1979.  He retired from the group at 70 after forty years with the Village People. 

"E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial" wins four Academy Awards, "Das Boot" gets snubbed 1983

E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial was nominated for nine Oscars and won four at the 55th Academy Awards ceremony held April 11, 1983.  

It won Best Original Score for John Williams; Best Sound for Robert Knudson,Robert Glass, Don Digirolamo, and Gene Cantamessa; Best Sound Effects Editing for Charles Campbell and Ben Burtt; and Best Visual Effects for Carlo Ramaldi, Dennis Muren, and Kenneth F. Smith.

It had been nominated for Best Picture, Best Directing for Steven Spielberg, Best Writing (Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen), Best Cinematography, and Best Film Editing.

Das Boot, one of the best films ever, was nominated for six Oscars but did not win any of them.  It wasn't even nominated for Best Foreign Film, although none of the other foreign were nominated for any other awards.  I suppose the German film makers didn't do the wine-and-dine policy 20th Century Fox Studios did for Doctor Doolittle.

Ghandi was the big winner of the night with eight awards out of eleven nominations. Meryl Streep won Best Actress for Sophie's Choice.  Louis Gossett Jr. won Best Supporting Actor for An Officer and a Gentleman. Jessica Lange won Best Supporting Actress for Tootsie.  Teri Garr was also nominated for the award for Tootsie.

Victor/Victoria won Best Music (Original Song Score and its Adaption Score) for Henry Mancini and Leslie Bricusse.

Cosmonaut Anatoli Berezovoy born 1942

Anatoli Berezovoy, born April 11, 1942 in Moscow, Russia, made one record-setting trip into space. He trained as a fighter pilot and reached the rank of colonel in the Soviet Air Force.

He launched in Soyuz T-5 as commander to Salyut 7 in May 1982.  It was the first mission to the new Salyut space station. 

He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz T-7 in December 1982, after 211 days in space, setting a record at the time for longest stay in space with fellow cosmonaut, Valentin Lebedev.

Berezovoy passed away in September 2014.

Doctor Dolittle wins two Academy Awards 1968

Twentieth Century Fox Studio's box office bomb Doctor Doolittle was nominated for nine Academy Awards despite its poor critical reception and low box-office returns. Because of its lousy performance, the studio mounted a huge Oscar campaign, where they wined and dined members of the Academy.  It resulted in the movie being nominated for Best Picture.  At a 27% rating from Rotten Tomatoes, it is the poorest reviewed movie to be nominated for Best Picture at the 40th annual ceremony held April 10, 1968.

It was also nominated for Best Art Direction, Best Cinematography, Best Film Editing, Best Music Score, Best Original Song Score or Adaption Score. Best Song, Best Sound, and Best Special Visual Effects.

It won Best Song for Talk to the Animals, and Best Special Visual Effects for L. B. Abbot.

In the Heat of the Night was the big winner that night with five wins: Best Picture, Best Actor for Rod Steiger, Best Writing, Best Sound, and Best Editing.

Rita Moreno wins Best Supporting Actress Academy Award 1961

At what would be the beginning of a stellar career with multiple awards, Rita Moreno won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in West Side Story at the 34th annual ceremony held April 9, 1962. 

West Side Story was the big winner of the evening, winning ten awards out of eleven nominations.  Besides Moreno's win, it won:

Best Motion Picture

Best Directing for Robert Wise and Jerome Robbins

Best Supporting Actor for George Chakiris

Best Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture) for Saul Chaplin, Johnny Green, Sid Ramin, and Irwin Kostal

Best Sound for Gordon Sawyer and Fred Hynes

Best Art Direction (Color) for Boris Leven and Victor Gangelin

Best Cinematography (Color) for Daniel Fapp

Best Costume Design (Color) for Irene Sharaff, beating Edith Head.

Best Film Editing for Thomas Stanford

West Side Story's only loss was for Best Writing (Screenplay-Based on Material from Another Medium).

Breakfast at Tiffany's was nominated for five awards but won only two, both going to Henry Mancini: Best Music (Music Score of a Dramatic or Comedy Picture) and Best Music (Song) for Moon River with Johnny Mercer who wrote the lyrics. 

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-59) launched 1994

STS-59 crew

Standing (L-R): Kevin Chilton, Sidney Gutierrez

Seated (L-R): Linda Godwin, Thomas Jones, Jay Apt, Michael Clifford

STS-59 mission patch

Space shuttle Endeavour (STS-59) was launched April 9, 1994. Its crew consisted of Commander Sidney Gutierrez, Kevin Chilton, Jay Apt, Michael Clifford, Linda Godwin, and Thomas Jones. The crew was divided into two groups,  Red and Blue, and the groups split tasks and research projects throughout the mission.  

They returned to Earth eleven days later, after 183 orbits.

Bette Davis, Angela Lansbury and Edith Head are robbed of Oscars, 1963

Probably more drama backstage than on-stage, the 35th Academy Awards were held April 8, 1963.

Bette Davis was up for Best Actress for her performance as Jane Hudson in What Ever Happened to Baby Jane?, but her feud with Joan Crawford led to Crawford campaigning against her receiving the award.  It would have been Davis's third Oscar win, which would have been made her the first actress to win three Oscars. But Crawford's smear campaign worked and Anne Bancroft won the Oscar for her performance in The Miracle Worker.  I like Anne Bancroft, but I think Bette Davis should have won.  To add insult to injury, Crawford had arranged ahead of time to accept the award for Bancroft who was unable to attend.  

Patty Duke won Best Supporting Actor for her work as Helen Keller in The Miracle Worker.  However, I wonder if someone had initiated a campaign against Angela Lansbury, because she should have won the award for her performance as Eleanor Iselin in The Manchurian Candidate.  I really think something fishy was going on there.  Especially since The Manchurian Candidate was only nominated for two supporting acting awards, nothing else, not even Best Picture or Best Directing.  

The Music Man won Best Music (Scoring of Music-Adaption or Treatment) for Ray Heindorf. Was there any real competition?

Henry Mancini won for Best Music (Song) for Days of Wine and Roses for the movie of the same name.  Johnny Mercer wrote the lyrics. I'm not familiar with the other nominees so I agree with this award. 

What Ever Happened to Baby? won for Best Costume Design (Black-and-White) for Norma Koch.  Iconic Edith Head was nominated for the two costume design categories but didn't win either.  Hmmm....

Lawrence of Arabia was the biggest winner of the night, winning seven out of ten nominations.  

Soyuz TMA-12 launches 2008

Soyuz TMA-12 crew (L-R): Yi So-Yeon, Sergey Volkov, Oleg Kononenko

Soyuz TMA-12, launched April 8, 2008, carried two crew members and a Korean woman, as a Spaceflight Participant to the International Space Station.  The crew consisted of Commander Sergey Volkov, Oleg Kononenko, and Yi So-Yeon (Korean Astronaut Program). 

Volkov and Kononenko participated in Expedition 17 and they returned to Earth in October 2008. Richard Garriott, who had arrived on Soyuz TMA-13 eleven days earlier, returned with them.  

Yi So-Yeon remained on the ISS for almost eleven days and returned on Soyuz TMA-11.

Happy birthday, John Oates!

John Oates, born April 7, 1948 in New York City, is half of one of the most successful duo acts in history, Hall & Oates.  He met Daryl Hall while they were attending Temple University in Philadelphia and formed the iconic duo.  He co-wrote many of their songs and was the main guitarist for the group.  

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2004, and into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014, as a member of Hall & Oates. 

Oates still records music as a solo artist.  His latest album Reunion was released last year. 

Star Trek episode "The City on the Edge of Forever" airs 1967

The twenty-eighth episode of the first season of Star Trek (the original series) The City on the Edge of Forever, first aired April 6. 1967.  Anomalous waves emanating from a strange planet wreaks havoc on the Enterprise, and causes Dr. McCoy to inject himself with a dangerous drug, resulting in psychotic episodes.  In his crazed state, he beams down to the planet below.

Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, Lieutenant Uhura and a security beam down after him.  They find the the Guardian of Forever, a time portal showing Earth's past events in fast time.  Bones jumps through the portal and changes the past.  Kirk, Spock, and Uhura realize they are trapped, since the Enterprise no longer exists.

Kirk and Spock jump through the portal to locate McCoy before he can do the damage he caused to the current time line.

It's considered by fans to be the best episode of the entire series.  The final line is uttered by Kirk when he says "Let's get the hell out of here."

Also, Joan Collins stars as Edith Keeler.

First marsquake recorded 2019

The InSight Mars lander, launched in May 2018, recorded the first marsquake April 6, 2019.  A smaller tremor had been recorded in March but the signals were so small, its origin made it difficult to determine their source. 

On May 2022, a marsquake of magnitude 5 was detected on May 4, 2022.

Happy birthday, Billy Dee Williams!

Billy Dee Williams, born April 6, 1937 in New York City, is best known for his role as Lando Calrissian in Star Wars Episodes V: The Empire Strikes Back, VI: Return of the Jedi, and IX: The Rise of Skywalker.  He's also voice Calrissian in many of the spin-offs and Lego versions.  He received two Saturn nominations for his role as Calrissian.  

He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy for his performance in Brian's Song.

Soyuz TMA-21 launched 2011

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.