"The Others" wins three Saturn Awards 2002

The Others, the haunted house movie with Nicole Kidman, won three Saturn Awards out of six nominations, at the annual ceremony held June 10, 2002. I really enjoyed this movie, and consider it to be much better than The Sixth Sense. It's one of my favorite haunted house movies.

The Others won Best Horror Film, and Nicole Kidman won Best Actress for her performance as Grace Stewart.  Fionnula Flanagan won Best Supporting Actress for her performance as Mrs. Mills.

Alejandro Amenabar was nominated for Best Director and for Best Writing, and Alakina Mann was nominated for Best Performance by a Younger Actor.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring also won three awards.  It won Best Fantasy Film.  Ian McKellen won Best Supporting Actor for his work as Gandalf the Grey.  Peter Jackson won Best Director.

Steven Spielberg's A.I. Artificial Intelligence won five Saturn Awards, but I did have not seen it, so I can't comment on it. 

Maggie Smith and Helena Bonham Carter were nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

"Ice Age" premieres 2002

Blue Sky Studios premiered their animated comedy Ice Age, March 12, 2002, and released across the US March 15.  The movie follows the adventures of a wooly mammoth Manny (voiced by Ray Romano), a sloth (voiced by John Leguizamo), and a shady saber-toothed tiger (voiced by Denis Leary) as they try to return a human baby to the humans before the pass closes up.

It was well-received, ranking #1 at the box office during its first weekend. It was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature in 2003.  It has spawned four sequels. 

Endeavour (STS-111) launched 2002

STS-111 crew (L-R): Philippe Perrin, Paul Lockhart, Kenneth Cockrell, Franklin Chang Diaz

STS-111 mission patch

Expedition 5 crew (L-R): Valery Korzun, Peggy Whitson, Sergei Treshchov

Expedition 4 crew (L-R): Daniel Bursch, Yuri Onufrienko, Carl Walz

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-111), launched June 5, 2002, carried members of Expedition 5 to the International Space Station.  Endeavour's crew consisted of Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Philippe Perrin (CNES), and Franklin Chang Diaz on his seventh and final flight.  The members of Expedition 5 consisted of Valery Korzun (Roscosmos), Peggy Whitson, and Sergei Treshchov (Roscosmos).

Chang Diaz and Perrin conducted three EVAs during the mission.  Endeavour returned to Earth after almost two weeks in space with the members of Expedition 4: Yuri Onufrienko (Roscosmos), Carl Walz, and Daniel Bursch.

"Foggy Mountain Breakdown" wins second Grammy 32 years later 2002

Earl Scruggs received a second Grammy for his 1949 composition of Foggy Mountain Breakdown, at the 44th annual ceremony on February 27, 2002.  He first released his instrumental March 15, 1950.  It reached No. 55, and was featured as background music in the 1967 movie Bonnie and Clyde.  He recorded it with Lester Flatt and their performance was awarded a Grammy for Best Country Performance, Duo or Group - Vocal Or Instrumental at the 11th ceremony in 1969. 

He recorded another performance in 2001 with comedian Steve Martin on second banjo, Vince Gill on guitar, Marty Stuart in mandolin, Paul Shaffer on piano among many others.  This work won the Grammy for Best Country Instrumental Performance in 2002.  In 2004, it was selected for preservation by the Library of Congress to be added to the National Recording Registry.

The pop group Train won two awards for their performance of Drops of Jupiter.  Paul Buckmaster won Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).  Their song also won Best Rock Song.

Dolly Parton won Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Shine.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon won Best Score Soundtrack Album for a Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media.

Rosemary Clooney, Count Basie, and Al Green received Lifetime Achievement Awards.

Billy Joel received MusiCares Person of the Year.

Janet Jackson received Recording Academy's Governors Award.

"Star Trek - Enterprise" wins two Primetime Emmys 2002

Star Trek: Enterprise, after its first season, won two PrimeTime Emmys at the 54th ceremony held September 22, 2002.  It won for Outstanding Hairstyling for a Series and the pilot episode, Broken Bow, won for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series.

It was nominated for three more Emmys.  Episode Breaking the Ice was also nominated for Best Visual Effects.  Broken Bow was nominated for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Series but lost to the pilot episode of Smallville.  It was also nominated for Outstanding Makeup for a Series.

Halle Berry wins Academy Award for Best Actress (2002)

Halle Berry won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Monster's Ball at the 74th ceremony on March 24, 2002.  She became the first African-American actress to win the top award.  She beat out Judi Dench and Sissy Spacek.  

Denzel Washington won Best Actor, making him the second African-American actor to win the award.

"Gosford Park" released 2002

Gosford Park, released January 18, 2002, is a star-studded murder mystery in the Agatha Christie style set in the 1930s.  It starred Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Helen Mirren, Sir Derek Jacobi, Sir Michael Gambon, and Charles Dance.

It won an Academy Award for Best Writing, Screenplay Written Directly for the Screen for Julian Fellowes.  It was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Art Direction, and Best Costume Design. Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

It won a Golden Globe for Best Director for Robert Altman.  Julian Fellowes was nominated for Best Screenplay.  Maggie Smith and Helen Mirren were again nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

"Star Trek: Nemesis" released 2002

Star Trek: Nemesis, the fourth and final movie to feature the Next Generation cast, debuted in US theaters December 13, 2002.  The film was the first to feature the Romulans primarily.  Unfortunately, it was not the box-office success as the previous Star Trek movies.  It was the first film that did not open at #1 its first weekend.  Due to its poorer than expected performance, subsequent movies featuring the Next Generation cast were cancelled. 

The original crew of Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, LeVar Burton, Brent Spiner, Gates McFadden, Michael Dorn and Marina Sirtis, appeared.  Tom Hardy and Ron Perlman played antagonists.  There were cameos by Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Kathryn Janeway, Wil Wheaton as Wesley Crusher, Majel Barrett as the computer's voice and Whoopi Goldberg as Guinan.  

Tom Hardy was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor. 

Sting wins two Primetime Emmys 2002

Sting won two Primetime Emmys for his A&E in Concert special: Sting in Tuscany...All This Time at the 54th award ceremony September 22, 2002.  His performance won Outstanding Individual Performance in A Variety or Music Program and Outstanding Multi-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special. Okay, maybe that last one didn't go to Sting but it does give his special more awards.  

He received four more nominations:  Outstanding Lighting Direction, Outstanding Art Direction for a Variety or Music Program, Outstanding Technical Direction  Direction, Camerawork, Video for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special, and Outstanding Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special.

"Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones" released 2002

George Lucas' sequel/prequel Star Wars II: Attack of the Clones was released in the US May 16, 2002.  It follows Anakin Skywalker as he begins a forbidden romance with Queen Amidala, and Obi-Wan discovers a secret clone army on a remote planet.

Anthony Daniels (C3PO) and Kenny Baker (R2D2) reprised their roles from the previous four Star Wars movies.  Samuel L. Jackson appeared again as Mace Windu and Jimmy Smits as Ambassador Bail Organa.  Frank Oz provided the voice of Master Yoda.

The movie received an Academy Award nomination for Best Visual Effects.  Unfortunately, it was also nominated for 7 Razzie Awards and won two of them.

Atlantis (STS-110) launched 2002

STS-110 crew

Front row (L-R): Stephen Frick, Ellen Ochoa, Michael Bloomfield

Back row (L-R): Steven Smith, Rex Walheim, Jerry Ross, Lee Morin

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-110), launched April 8, 2002, carried the S0 Truss segment, which formed the backbone of the truss structure of the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Michael Bloomfield, Pilot Stephen Frick, Rex Walheim, Ellen Ochoa, Lee Morin, Jerry Ross, and Steven Smith.

Four EVAs were conducted by Smith, Walheim, Ross, and Morin to install the truss segment.

The crew returned to Earth April 19.

Columbia (STS-109) launched 2002

STS-109 crew (L-R): Michael Massimino, Richard Linnehan, Duane Carey, Scott Altman, Nancy Currie, John Grunsfeld, James Newman

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-109), launched March 1, 2002, was the fourth mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  Its crew consisted of Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Duane Carey, John Grunsfeld, Nancy Currie, Richard Linnehan, James Newman, and Michael Massimino.

Five EVAs were conducted during the mission.  Grunsfeld and Linnehan performed 3 EVAs and Newman and Massimino performed two.  The crew returned to Earth March 12.

It was the last successful flight of Columbia before its disaster upon re-entry in 2003.

Celebrating Black History Month: Halle Berry, first African-American to win Oscar for Best Actress

The most recent Academy Awards saw an unprecedented number of African-American winners, riding the strength of Black Panther, which was a totally awesome film.  But way back in 2002, Halle Berry became the first African-American woman to take home the Oscar for Best Actress, for her performance in the movie Monster's Ball.

Born August 14, 1966 in Cleveland, Ohio, she won Miss Teen All-American Pageant in 1985, representing Ohio.  She was the first runner-up in the Miss U.S.A pageant in 1986.  She started modeling which led to her acting career.  Her performance in Spike Lee's Jungle Fever was her big screen breakthrough. 

The year before Monster's Ball, she appeared as Storm (first African-American female superhero) in the X-Men movie series, playing in four movies.

Soyuz TMA-1 launched 2002

Soyuz TMA-1 crew (L-R): Frank de Winne, Sergei Zalyotin and Yuri Lonchakov

Soyuz TMA-1 mission patch

Soyuz TMA-1 was launched October 30, 2002 to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted  of Commander Sergei Zalyotin, Flight Engineer Frank De Winne (ESA) and Yury Lonchakov.  The crew returned on Soyuz TM-34, which landed November 10.

The landing crew consisted of Commander Nikolai Budarin, Kenneth Bowersox and Donald Pettit, who returned to Earth May 4, 2003.

Soyuz TMA-1 was in orbit when the Columbia disaster occurred, and that forced a change in how crews were changed out.  The Soyuz spacecraft became the sole method to exchange crews on the ISS until  the space shuttle program was reinstated in July 2005.

"Ghost Ship" released 2002

I'm not one for supernatural thrillers but this one I enjoyed.  Ghost Ship was released October 25, 2002 just in time for Halloween, but I didn't see until much later.  With a cast like Gabriel Byrne, Julianna Margulies and Karl Urban, I was sold.  Emily Browning, who played the ghost of the young girl, went on to appear with Kristen Chenoweth in American Gods.

The opening scene is rather gruesome and I learned that it had been changed from a even more gory beginning to tone it down.  Ick.  My first thought was that the ship contained a design flaw that would have been caught before the ship was completely built.

Beyond that, the movie is exciting and contains a lot of chills.  The supernatural connection isn't revealed until the end, and it has sort of a happily ever after finale.  Until Margulies' character is in the back of the ambulance...

That's the only spoiler you get.

Def Leppard releases "X" 2002

Def Leppard released X, their eighth studio album (and tenth album overall) July 30, 2002.  The album was a departure from their previous sound and did not sell as well as the previous albums.  It did not receive any RIAA certifications.

X generated three singles, Now, Four Letter Word and Long, Long Way to Go.  Now made it to #23 and Long, Long Way to Go made it to #40, their last Top 40 hit.

Soyuz TM-34, with first South African in space, launched 2002

Crew (L-R): Yuri Gidzenko, Mark Shuttleworth, Roberto Vittori

Soyuz TM-34, launched April 25, 2002, was the fourth Soyuz mission to the International Space Station and carried the first South African into space.  Its crew consisted of Commander Yuri Gidzenko (Roscomos) and Roberto Vittori (European Space Agency).  Mark Shuttleworth, a space tourist from South Africa, the first from that country in space, was the second self-funded space tourist.

All three returned home on May 5 on Soyuz TM-33.

Shenzhou 4 launched 2002

Shenzhou 4, launched December 29, 2002, was the fourth unmanned mission of China's Shenzhou program.  The following October, they would launch their first astronaut into space. 

Shenzhou 4 was a continuation of experiments to prepare for sending a man into space.  It carried two dummy astronauts, with a sleeping bag, food and medication.  The windows were constructed of a new material that would stay clear even after re-entry, so astronauts could see if the parachutes had deployed properly.  It carried 100 peony seeds to see how weightlessness would affect plants grown from them.

Shenzhou 4's re-entry module returned to Earth January 5, 2003.  The orbital module remained in orbit until September 2003.

Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-112) launched 2002

Sandra Magnus, David Wolf, Pamela Melroy, Jeffrey Ashby, Peirs Sellers, Fydor Yurchikhin

Space Shuttle Atlantis took off from Kennedy Space Center  October 7, 2002 on mission STS-112.  Her crew consisted of Commander Jeffrey Ashby, Pilot Pamela Melroy, Mission Specialist 1 Piers Sellers, Mission Specialist 2 Sandra Magnus, Mission Specialist 3 David Wolf, and Mission Specialist Fyodor Yurchikhin.

During the launch, a chunk of foam broke off the external tank and created a 4"x3" dent in an attachment to one of the solid booster rocket.  Despite realizing the dangers of such an incident, NASA decided to continue with launches as scheduled.  Endeavour's flight in November 2002 went without incident.  The next flight was STS-107, Columbia, which ended in disaster.

Pam Melroy's wake up call on Day 10 was Prime Time from Alan Parsons Project!  What a gal!

"Godzilla vs Mechagodzilla" released in 2002

So this is, what, the fifth Mechagodzilla movie?  And still Japan hasn't figured out you can't beat the G-Man!  That absolute zero weapon isn't going to do any good.  Perhaps that's why Godzilla is a butthead in this one, destroying Tokyo just for grins, instead of being the anti-hero.