today’s Birthday: Maureen O’Sullivan (1911)

Maureen O’Sullivan (1911)

Maureen O’Sullivan’s acting career began when she met motion picture director Frank Borzage, who suggested that she take a screen test and then cast her in the film Song o’ My Heart. She went on to appear in a number of movies for several studios before being chosen to play Tarzan’s love interest, Jane Parker, in Tarzan the Ape Man and five other Tarzan features. In what other film did she play a character named Jane? More… Discuss

Today In History. What Happened This Day In History

A chronological timetable of historical events that occurred on this day in history. Historical facts of the day in the areas of military, politics, science, music, sports, arts, entertainment and more. Discover what happened today in history.

February 12

1294		Kublai Khan, the conqueror of Asia, dies at the age of 80.
1554		Lady Jane Grey, the Queen of England for thirteen days, is beheaded on Tower Hill. She was barely 17 years old.
1709		Alexander Selkirk, the Scottish seaman whose adventures inspired the creation of Daniel Dafoe‘s Robinson Crusoe, is taken off Juan Fernandez Island after more than four years of living there alone.
1793		The first fugitive slave law, requiring the return of escaped slaves, is passed.
1818		Chile gains independence from Spain.
1836		Mexican General Santa Anna crosses the Rio Grande en route to the Alamo.
1909		The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is formed.
1912		China becomes a republic following the overthrow of the Manchu dynasty.
1921		Winston Churchill of London is appointed colonial secretary.
1924		George Gershwin’s groundbreaking symphonic jazz composition Rhapsody in Blue premieres with Gershwin himself playing the piano with Paul Whiteman’s orchestra.
1929		Charles Lindbergh announces his engagement to Anne Morrow.
1931		Japan makes its first television broadcast–a baseball game.
1935		The Macon, the last U.S. Navy dirigible, crashes off the coast of California, killing two people.
1938		Japan refuses to reveal naval data requested by the U.S. and Britain.
1940		The Soviet Union signs a trade treaty with Germany to aid against the British blockade.
1944		Wendell Wilkie enters the American presidential race against Franklin D. Roosevelt.
1949		Moslem Brotherhood chief Hassan el Banna is shot to death in Cairo.
1953		The Soviets break off diplomatic relations with Israel after the bombing of Soviet legation.
1966		The South Vietnamese win two big battles in the Mekong Delta.
1972		Senator Edward Kennedy advocates amnesty for Vietnam draft resisters.
1974		The Symbionese Liberation Army asks the Hearst family for $230 million in food for the poor.
1980		The Lake Placid Winter Olympics open in New York.
1987		A Court in Texas upholds $8.5 billion of a fine imposed on Texaco for the illegal takeover of Getty Oil.
1999		The U.S. Senate fails to pass two articles of impeachment against President Bill Clinton. He had been accused of perjury and obstruction of justice by the House of Representatives.
Born on February 12
1768		Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor
1775		Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams
1809		Charles Darwin, naturalist and influential theorist of evolution (On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection).
1809		Abraham Lincoln, 16th U.S. President of the United State (1861-1865).
1828		George Meredith, English poet and novelist.
1857		Eugene Atget, French photographer, took over 10,000 photographs documenting Paris.
1874		Auguste Perret, French architect, pioneer in designs of reinforced concrete buildings.
1880		John L. Lewis, American labor leader.
1893		Omar Bradley, U.S. army general during World War II.

– See more at: http://www.historynet.com/today-in-history#sthash.tiHHQKz9.dpuf

Education – Audiobooks – (Dare to listen): Boris Pasternak Doctor Zhivago

1p Boris Pasternak Doctor Zhivago {audiobook}

Audiobooks 2

First part of “Doctor Zhivago”, by Boris Pasternak

2p Boris Pasternak Doctor Zhivago {audiobook}

Audiobooks 2

3p Boris Pasternak Doctor Zhivago {audiobook}

Audiobooks 2

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Leonard Bernstein – Maria (from West Side Story) , great compositions/performances

English: Leonard Bernstein, conductor and musical director of New York City Symphony Español: Leonard Bernstein, director de orquesta y director musical de la New York City Symphony (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

Leonard Bernstein – Maria (from West Side Story)

Bogdan Preunca

Uploaded on Mar 1, 2009/228,851 views

Leonard Bernstein (1918 – 1990) was probably best known to the public as the longtime music director of the New York Philharmonic, for conducting concerts by many of the world’s leading orchestras, and for writing the music for West Side Story, a musical based on William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

English: Leonard Bernstein (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

West Side Story is an American musical with a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein, libretto/lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and conception and choreography by Jerome Robbins.^[1] It was inspired by William Shakespeare‘s play Romeo and Juliet.

The story is set in the Upper West Side neighborhood in New York City in the mid-1950s, an ethnic, blue-collar neighborhood. (In the early 1960s much of the neighborhood would be cleared in an urban renewal project for the Lincoln Center, changing the neighborhood’s character.)^[2][3] The musical explores the rivalry between the Jets and the Sharks, two teenage street gangs of different ethnic backgrounds. The members of the Sharks, from Puerto Rico, are taunted by the Jets, a caucasian gang.^[4] The young protagonist, Tony, a former member of the Jets and best friend of the gang leader, Riff, falls in love with Maria, the sister of Bernardo, the leader of the Sharks. The dark theme, sophisticated music, extended dance scenes, and focus on social problems marked a turning point in American musical theatre. Bernstein’s score for the musical includes “Something’s Coming”, “Maria“, “America“, “Somewhere“, “Tonight“, “Jet Song”, “I Feel Pretty“, “A Boy Like That“, “One Hand, One Heart”, “Gee, Officer Krupke”, and “Cool“.

The original 1957 Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Jerome Robbins and produced by Robert E. Griffith and Harold Prince, marked Sondheim’s Broadway debut. It ran for 732 performances before going on tour. The production was nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Musical in 1957,^[5] but the award for Best Musical went to Meredith Willson‘s The Music Man. Robbins won the Tony for his choreography and Oliver Smith won for his scenic designs. The show had an even longer-running London production, a number of revivals and international productions. A 1961 musical film of the same name, directed by Robert Wise and Robbins, starred Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Rita Moreno, George Chakiris and Russ Tamblyn. The film was nominated for eleven Academy Awards and won ten, including George Chakiris for Supporting Actor, Rita Moreno for Supporting Actress, and the Best Picture.

West Side Story
Original Cast Recording
Music	Leonard Bernstein
Lyrics	Stephen Sondheim
Book	Arthur Laurents
Basis	William Shakespeare‘s Romeo and Juliet
Productions	1957 Broadway 1958 West End 1959 U.S. tour 1960 Broadway return 1961 Film 1980 Broadway revival 1997 UK tour and West End revival 2008 West End revival and UK tour 2009 Broadway revival and US tour 2013/2015 UK Tour

	New York City portal
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Word of the Day: Disciple

Word of the Day
disciple Definition: (noun) One who embraces and assists in spreading the teachings of another. Synonyms: adherent Usage: An avowed disciple of Jonson and his classicism and a greater poet than Fletcher is Robert Herrick, who, indeed, after Shakespeare and Milton, is the finest lyric poet of these two centuries. Discuss.

Alice’s Restaurant Massacree (1967): Happy Thanksgiving!

Alice’s Restaurant Massacree (1967)

  ScienceFindsGod

Published on Aug 19, 2014

I love the song, the film was a bit depressing. So, I extracted the best part to make the perfect video for the song. I hope you agree.

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today’s birthday: Samuel Cunard (1787)

Samuel Cunard (1787)

Cunard was a Canadian-born British magnate and a giant of Atlantic shipping. When the British government invited bids in 1838 for carrying mail between England and North America, Cunard’s carefully considered plans won him the contract. Within two years, Cunard and his partners had placed four ships in operation, establishing the first regular steamship service between the continents and marking the beginning of the noted Cunard Line. What honor did Queen Victoria bestow upon Cunard in 1859? More… Discuss

this day in the yesteryear: The Sound of Music Opens on Broadway (1959)

The Sound of Music Opens on Broadway (1959)

The Sound of Music, with a score by Richard Rodgers and lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, opened on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre. Mary Martin starred as Maria, and Theodore Bikel played the role of Captain Georg von Trapp. The Tony Award-winning production ran for 1,443 performances. Productions in London, Japan, and Australia followed, as did the phenomenally successful 1965 film, starring Julie Andrews. What are some of the differences between the stage and screen versions? More… Discuss

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this day in the yesteryear: 42nd Street Opens on Broadway (1980)

42nd Street Opens on Broadway (1980)

42nd Street tells the story of an up-and-coming chorus girl from Allentown, Pennsylvania, pursuing a Broadway career during the Great Depression. This hugely successful stage musical premiered on August 25, 1980, at New York City’s Winter Garden Theatre. Known for its elaborate tap dances and songs like “We’re in the Money,” it won Tony Awards for Best Choreography and Best Musical and saw a Broadway revival in 2001. What tragedy marred 42 Street’s opening night? More… Discuss

The Walnut Street Theatre

The Walnut Street Theatre, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is the oldest continuously-operating theater in America. Its first play was The Rivals in 1812, and it went on to host many pre-Broadway tryouts of soon-to-be classics—including Gigi with Audrey Hepburn and A Streetcar Named Desire with Marlon Brando. Technologically innovative, it was the first theater to install gas footlights and air conditioning. In 1976, what major non-theatrical event happened there? More…

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TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: JEROME KERN (1885)

Jerome Kern (1885)

Kern was one of the major US creators of the musical. With lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II, he wrote his most important work in 1927—Show Boat—in which he integrated lyrical text with the dramatic demands of plot and character to create the first American musical play. He became one of the most influential songwriters in American musical theater and is credited with more than 1,000 songs, including the standards “Ol’ Man River” and “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes.” How did he cheat death in 1915?More… Discuss

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ARTICLE: THE LITTLE THEATER MOVEMENT

The Little Theater Movement

Sensational melodramas had been en vogue at the theater since the 19th century, but as film became the medium for large-scale spectacle, the Little Theater Movement developed in the US. Beginning in Chicago around 1912, theater enthusiasts banded together to produce more intimate, noncommercial, and reform-minded plays. The success of their Little Theater Movement likely helped to launch community theater and Off-Broadway plays. It also kick-started the career of what famous playwright? More… Discuss

 

Janis Joplin Live – Summertime

 

Janis Joplin – Piece of My Heart

From album “Cheap Thrills” released in September 1968

Today’s Birthday: Katharine Hepburn (1907)

Katharine Hepburn (1907)

Hepburn made her Broadway debut in 1928 and became a star with her first film, A Bill of Divorcement, in 1932. She brought a spirited individuality and strength of character to the screen in her roles in films such as Bringing Up Baby, The Philadelphia Story, and The African Queen. She made eight films with her longtime partner Spencer Tracy, eventually starring in 43 films. No actress has ever won more Academy Awards than Hepburn. How many did she win? More… Discuss

Today’s Birthday: Fres Astaire (MAy 10, 1899)

Fred Astaire (1899)

Born Frederick Austerlitz, Astaire was an American dancer, actor, and singer who began his career as a child on a successful Broadway vaudeville team with his sister Adele. After his sister retired, Astaire became a film actor and developed a reputation as a debonair song-and-dance man, particularly in the films he made with Ginger Rogers, which elevated tap dance to an elegant, disciplined art and revolutionized popular-dance performance. What were some of Astaire’s most popular films? More… Discuss