Happy birthday, Idris Elba!

Idris Elba, born September 6, 1972 in London, England, is an actor who has racked up multiple acting awards and nominations.  He is mostly known for his role as DCI Luther in the British mystery series Luther, but I like him as Heimdall in the Thor and Avengers movies.

One of his earliest roles was as a hustler on Absolutely Fabulous with Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley in 1995.  He has appeared in Star Trek Beyond, The Wire, and Pacific Rim.  He has been nominated for 5 Primetime Emmys and 4 Golden Globes for his performance on Luther, and won the Golden Globe in 2012 for Best Actor in a Television Series.  

Why has this man not been nominated for an Oscar?  Why?

The Animals "House of the Rising Sun" reaches #1 1964

The British rock band The Animals' recording of House of the Rising Sun reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 among other charts, September 5, 1964.  It reached #1 in Canada, Finland, Spain and the UK.

The origin of the song is mired in rumor and legend.  It has a resemblance to a 16th century ballad, and the Rising Sun is the name of a "bawdy house" in two English traditional songs.  It has been said that American miners sang it in 1905.  The oldest publish version of the lyrics were printed in 1925 by Robert Winslow Gordon.  The oldest known recording of the song is by Clarence "Tom" Ashley and Gwen Foster was made on September 6, 1933 under the name Rising Sun Blues.  

Woody Guthrie recorded it in 1941, and it has been covered by artists such as Glenn Yarborough, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Andy Griffith, Nina Simone, Bob Dylan, and Dolly Parton.  

But the performance by The Animals is the most recognized version.  It is listed by Rolling Stone magazine as #122 on the list of 500 Greatest Songs of All Times.  It received a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1999.

Dick York, the original Darrin Stephens, born 1928

Dick York, born September 4, 1928 in Fort Wayne, Indiana, is best known for his role as the beleaguered husband Darrin Stephens in the iconic television series Bewitched.  He appeared in the show opposite Elizabeth Montgomery and Agnes Moorehead from 1964-1969.  York suffered a serious back injury while filming They Came to Cordura in 1959, which caused him to suffer back pain for the rest of his life.  

He appeared in two episodes of the Twilight Zone before starring in Bewitched.  His chronic back problems resulted in him leaving the show in 1969.  His final on-screen appearance in Bewitched was Samantha and Darrin in Mexico City.  Daddy Does His Thing was the final episode he filmed.  During the filming, he suffered at seizure and was rushed to the hospital, at which time he was let go from the show.

He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 1968 for his performance on Bewitched.

York passed away in February 1992.  

"Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings" released 2021

Marvel's Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, released September 3, 2021, was nominated for an Oscar for Best Achievements in Visual Effects. Actor Simu Liu played the titular role of Shang-Chi, the son of an immortal crime lord, who has to confront his past when his father lures him and his sister into a plot to find and destroy a mythical village.

As usual for a Marvel Cinematic Universe feature film, the special effects are dazzling and make the movie confusing at times, since it's hard to keep up.  Still it was fun to see the connection to Dr. Strange's world.

The awesome Michelle Yeoh and Ben Kingsley also appear in the movie.  Simu Liu won a People's Choice Award for Action Movie Star for 2021.

Happy birthday, Billy Batson!

Actor Michael Gray, born September 2, 1951 in Chicago, Illinois, is best known for his role as Billy Batson on the Saturday morning show Shazam!.  I never missed an episode.

Lately, he's been seen regularly on the Comic-Con circuit, talking about his experiences on the show.  Still looks good, too! 

Official end to World War II 1945

Representatives of Japan formally surrendered to the United States and its allies when it signed the official surrender document September 2, 1945, ending World War II.  The event took place on board the USS Missouri in Tokyo Bay, Japan.  

On August 15, 1945, Emperor Hirohito announced Japan accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration, or Proclamation for Defining Terms for Japanese Surrender.

This day is known as Victory over Japan Day or V-J Day.

Yvonne De Carlo (Lily Munster) born 1922

Beautiful and talented Yvonne De Carlo, born September 1, 1922 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, is best known and loved for her role as Lily Munster in the hit comedy The Munsters.  She appeared as Sephora, Moses' wife in The Ten Commandments, a role for which she was nominated for a Laurel Award for Top Female Supporting Performance.  

De Carlo starred in an episode of Murder, She Wrote, when she appeared as a prison cook.  She appeared on Broadway in Steven Sondheim's musical Follies.  

She passed away in January 2007 from natural causes.