Culture on My Mind Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics Continues
December 21, 2020
The folks at the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics have been continuing to churn out content. It’s been a few weeks since I checked in with them, so here’s a bit of catching up.
On October 22nd, they celebrated Halloween with Tar Man, Bub, Barbara’s Brother, and More: Our Favorite Zombies! This panel included Jason Gilbert and Samantha Bryant.
On October 29th, Felicity Kusinitz and Rick Terault stopped by to discuss the 45th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Also on October 29th, Gary and Joe were visited by Beth Van Dusen and Lola Lariscy to chat about horrific children in Tender Lumplings: Our Favorite Evil Kids.
On November 5th, they took a dive into local children’s television shows from the age of youth on Jabberwock & Vegetable Soup: Obscure Children’s Shows. The panel included Kevin Eldridge, Felicity Kusinitz, Deanna Toxopeus, and Sherman Burris.
On November 11th, Keith R. A. DeCandido stopped by to talk superheroes on Talkin’ Tights & Capes with Keith DeCandido.
On November 12th, I joined in the fun as Gary Mitchel celebrated a birthday with the tradition AMA (Ask Me Anything) panel.
On November 19th, it was All Things V! Graciously Welcoming Our Lizard Overlords. Guests included: Charles and Adina, founders of CT:V, the Flagship of the Visitor Fleet, a dedicated group of costumers celebrating the original sci-fi classic “V”; The Irredeemable Shag from The Fire and Water Podcast Network; and Denise Lhamon.
November 26th saw the Turkey Day Potluck on the channel. Kevin Eldridge joined in to host the variety show.
On December 3rd, they hosted a huge panel on Elf, Scrooged, Muppets & Die Hard: Greatest Christmas Movies Ever Made! Guest included Elizabeth Jones, Bethany Kesler, Shaun Rosado, Alison Sky, and Chad J. Shonk.
The Christmas spirit continued on December 10th with Funny Christmas & Chanukah Music. Guests included Kevin Eldridge, Geena Phillips, Chris Cummins, and Metricula.
December 17th rounds out this batch with Moving the Stars for No One: A David Bowie Tribute Panel. Guests included Beth Van Dusen, Rob Levy, and Tom Morris.
So, I can’t make any promises, but I’m going to try to keep up with the promotion of this channel. It’s one of my home bases during Dragon Con and Gary and Joe are great people. I admire the work that they’re doing to keep these discussions going throughout the year.
Gary and Joe have a lot more fun discussions planned. Stay tuned to the YouTube channel and the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook.
Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.
Culture on My Mind Disney Investor’s Call 2020
December 18, 2020
This week, I’m thinking Disney.
It’s been a weekend since the Disney Investor’s Call, but it’s taken a few days to parse all of the news from the four-hour long presentation on all things Disney, including Star Wars and Marvel Studios.
It was almost like a mini-D23 Expo to close out a troubling year. But it did come with news that the Mouse House was planning on expanding their streaming offerings within the next few years, including around 10 Marvel series, 10 Star Wars series, 15 additional series under the Disney banner (Disney animation, Pixar, and live action), and 15 completely new movies under those same banners.
There will be a price hike on Disney+ to cover it. The service is going to $7.99 a month in the United States, coming from the 86 million subscribers they picked up in the first thirteen months as well as anyone else who wants in on what the House of Mouse has in store.
Raya and the Last Dragon
Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra in ancient Asia, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it’s up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she’ll learn that it’ll take more than dragon magic to save the world—it’s going to take trust as well.
This computer-animated adventure film stars Kelly Marie Tran as the titular Raya and Awkwafina as Sisu, the last dragon. It is directed by Don Hall and Carlos López Estrada, co-directed by Paul Briggs and John Ripa, produced by Osnat Shurer and Peter Del Vecho, written by Qui Nguyen and Adele Lim, and scored by James Newton Howard.
This film was originally set for a November 2020 theatrical release, but due to COVID-19 it was pushed back to late March 2021. The investor call revealed that it will be released to Disney+ on March 5th alongside a theatrical release. The streaming release will be on the Premium Access side of Disney+, meaning that it will require an additional fee to access. If it follows the Mulan model, it will likely become widely available around three months afterward.
Star Wars
The Star Wars news started with what might have been a no-brainer after this season of The Mandalorian.
There are a lot of dark clouds surrounding Rosario Dawson at the intersection of Star Wars fandom and the LBGTQ+ community, and she has a lot of work to do to regain trust given the allegations against her. I don’t discredit anything that the LBGTQ+ community has to say about it. Disney has made many strides forward in representation and diversity, but the casting of both Rosario Dawson and Gina Carano has told many people that there is still a long, long road to travel.
That said, given her status, I would have been very surprised if Disney had let Dawson go after a one-shot appearance as one of the most famous modern characters in the franchise.
There are not a lot of details surrounding the Ahsoka Tano limited live-action series, but Dave Filoni is slated as showrunner. Which, of course he is, because she is his creation.
I am excited about this for many reasons. I’ve loved Ahsoka since her premiere in 2008’s Star Wars: The Clone Wars, even if my fellow fans were not. Trust me, despite what franchise detractors claim now, they were certainly not fans of her twelve years ago. But in that time, she has expanded the philosophy of the Force beyond the Skywalker films, and has been an avatar for Dave Filoni to take the reins of the Star Wars universe after literally studying at the feet of George Lucas for the animated series that followed the 2008 film.
I just wish someone else was in the lead acting role, y’know?
The Ahsoka series is apparently going hand-in-hand with Star Wars: Rangers of the New Republic, a live-action series from executive producers Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni that will intersect with future stories and culminate into a climactic story event.
Whatever that means, anyway. I’m guessing that either we’ll get some clues as The Mandalorian wraps its second season, or maybe we already have with that golden badge that Cara Dune received from the New Republic.
Last August, Lucasfilm and Disney announced that Ewan McGregor was returning to his prequel trilogy role of Obi-Wan Kenobi in a series set on the Tatooine dunes. We found out from the call that the series will take place approximately ten years before A New Hope, or effectively halfway into his self-imposed exile after Revenge of the Sith. The series will be helmed by Deborah Chow, who directed in season one of The Mandalorian.
The big news here is that Hayden Christensen is returning to the role of Darth Vader for the series. It’s only been relatively recently that Christensen has warmed up to Star Wars fans after the fire and venom they flung at him after the prequels. Seriously, if you want to see how bad some supposed fans can be, read up on the troubles that Jake Lloyd, Ahmed Best, and Hayden Christensen have had in light of the nastiness of fan letters.
It’s not clear if Christensen will be in flashbacks or in the Vader suit, but I’m eager to see how the story goes because I loved Ewan McGregor’s interpretation of Kenobi.
After that, they talked about the next feature film.
Patty Jenkins, director of Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984 will be directing a Rogue Squadron film.
Coming to theaters in December 2023, this film will follow the next generation of starfighter pilots in the Star Wars universe. It also fulfills a dream since Patty Jenkins, the daughter of a fighter pilot, has always wanted to make a fighter pilot movie. She’s also a Star Wars fan. It’s a match made in heaven.
We’re also getting a film directed by Mandalorian and Marvel alum Taika Waititi, but no details are available.
Finally, we have a last bundle of television series.
Lando Calrissian’s getting a show, but we have no idea if it’s Billy Dee Williams, Donald Glover, or another actor in the svelte capes.
The Cassian Andor (Rogue One: A Star Wars Story) series is finally being talked about. The Tony Gilroy spy thriller will star Diego Luna as Cassian Andor with Stellan Skarsgard, Adria Arjona, Fiona Shaw, Denise Gough, Kyle Soller, and Genevieve O’Reilly as Mon Mothma.
Leslye Headland, Emmy Award-nominated creator of Russian Doll, is in charge of a Dark Side mystery-thriller called The Acolyte, which is set in the final days of the High Republic era. That’s well before The Phantom Menace.
Star Wars: Visions will present ten short films in an anthology from the world’s best anime creators.
A Droid Story will take us on an epic journey with a new hero guided by R2-D2 and C-3PO.
And, last but not least, The Bad Batch will continue the Clone Wars story with the elite and experimental clones introduced in The Clone Wars: Season Seven as they navigate the turbulent times just after the fall of the Republic. This one might be the hardest for me to watch since I’m not a fan of the clones who executed Order 66. It all depends on what happened to the Bad Batch as Palpatine gave the order and what happens to them afterward.
I have seen people complain already that it’s too much, too soon. First, this is a plan for years, not months. Second, everything but Rogue Squadron and Taika Waititi’s film will be behind a paywall so you need to pay to play. Third, this is nothing compared to Marvel Studios.
Marvel Studios
The investor call brought the final trailer for WandaVision, a series dealing with Wanda Maximoff, Vision, the aftermath of Avengers: Endgame, and the dawn of Phase Four of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It premieres in January.
The series will also include Teyonah Parris as a grown-up Monica Rambeau (Captain Marvel), Kat Denning as Darcy Lewis (Thor and Thor: The Dark World), and Randall Park as FBI agent Jimmy Woo (Ant-Man and the Wasp).
We also got a first look at The Falcon and the Winter Solider, a post-Avengers: Endgame and post-Spider-Man: Far From Home series with the new Captain America (played by Anthony Mackie) and Sebastian Stan’s Winter Soldier as they take on Baron Zemo (Daniel Bruhl, Captain America: Civil War).
They briefly addressed Chadwick Boseman and the Black Panther legacy: Black Panther 2 is definitely happening with Ryan Coogler back at the helm, but they will not recast the role of T’Challa. I’m still pulling for Letitia Wright’s Shuri to become the new Queen of Wakanda.
Disney also announced a few new surprise titles for Phase Four.
Secret Invasion will star Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury as he battles a (ahem) secret invasion of Skrulls with shapeshifting Skrull ally Talos (Captain Marvel, Spider-Man: Far From Home). This is probably going to be loosely based on the comics event of the same name.
Ironheart stars Dominique Thorne as Riri Williams, a young black girl from inner city Chicago who reverse engineers Tony Stark’s armor to become the protector of her neighborhood. I am definitely onboard for this.
Don Cheadle will return as War Machine/James Rhodes in Armor Wars as Marvel explores what happens when Iron Man tech falls into the wrong hands. We got a taste of that in Iron Man 2.
We’ll also get a “live action holiday special” with the Guardians of the Galaxy cast (written and directed by James Gunn) and a series of shorts featuring new characters in the Marvel universe via I am Groot.
Ready for another surprise? Just over a year after regaining the rights to Marvel’s First Family, director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming,Spider-Man: Far from Home, and the third Spider-Man MCU film) will be in charge of Fantastic Four.
The Fantastic Four have been notoriously difficult to capture on film, but with Watts in charge, I’m expecting about the same level of levity and charm as he’s shown through the two Spider-Man films so far.
We got a first look at What If…?, which explores stories of alternate Marvel Cinematic Universes where one little thing changed the whole world. What if Peggy Carter was the super soldier instead of Steve Rogers? What if T’Challa was taken by Yondu, thus becoming Star Lord? What if…?
There’s also a first look at Loki, a series that looks like a ton of multiverse-bending madness. It also features Atlanta’s famous Marriott Marquis hotel. I’d know those elevators anywhere.
Oh, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania! Peyton Reed is returning to direct, Kathryn Newton is taking over the role of Cassie Lang, and Jonathan Majors is Kang the Conqueror.
Is that enough? Of course not. Marvel still has Black Widow on May 7th, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings on July 9th, The Eternals on November 5th, and the third MCU Spider-Man film on December 17th.
Thor: Love and Thunder (enter Christian Bale as Gorr the God Butcher), Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness (which just announced newcomer Xochitl Gomez to portray America Chavez!), the Black Panther sequel, the Captain Marvel sequel, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, and a Blade movie are still in the wings for 2022 and beyond.
We also have Hawkeye (Hailee Steinfeld is Kate Bishop), Ms. Marvel (Iman Vellani is Kamala Khan), She-Hulk (Tatiana Maslany in the title role with Tim Roth and Mark Ruffalo returning as Abomination and Hulk), and Moon Knight being developed for Disney+.
And… breathe.
Disney Live-Action
Love ’em or hate ’em, Disney’s still revamping their back catalog in live-action/computer animated form. However, given the tumult presented by COVID-19 on the motion picture industry, the upcoming remakes of Peter Pan and Pinocchio will join Lady and the Tramp and Mulan on Disney+ instead of theaters.
Peter Pan and Wendy will star newcomer Ever Anderson (the daughter of Milla Jovovich and Paul W.S. Anderson, who also plays a young Natasha Romanoff in Black Widow) and Alexander Moloney. Yara Shahidi will play Tinker Bell and Jude Law will play Captain Hook.
Yes, a black Tinker Bell. Prepare yourself for a whole new crop of close-minded bovine excrement from that particular sector of the internet.
One of Disney’s all-time classics is coming to #DisneyPlus with the new live-action retelling of Pinocchio, starring Tom Hanks and directed by Robert Zemeckis. ✨ pic.twitter.com/44bHbFRhMe
Pinocchio will star Tom Hanks as Geppetto and Alan Cumming as Honest John, with Robert Zemeckis at the helm. Tom Hanks is a universal treasure, so I’m excited to see what he does with this.
Jungle Cruise and The Little Mermaid will still be released in theaters, and we’re also getting sequels to Enchanted and Hocus Pocus. I get the former, but I’m hesitant about the latter.
Disney Animation
On the success of the DuckTales reboot, Disney is breathing new life into Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, this time in the hybrid live-action/computer generated format. John Mulaney and Andy Samberg are the chipmunk brothers in a world where cartoons live side-by-side with humans. So, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? style?
Lin-Manuel Miranda is coming back to Disney animation with Encanto, a new animated film set in Colombia dealing with “the dangerously wonderful chaos of family” combined with elements of magic. Encanto will be the studio’s 60th animated feature film.
Princess Tiana (The Princess and the Frog) and Moana will be returning in their own respective musical animated series, and Baymax (Big Hero 6) and the characters of Zootopia will also be getting their own shows. Disney also announced that they’re teaming up with the Pan-African entertainment company Kugali to develop a science fiction animated series called Iwájú, which showcases a gorgeous, Afro-futuristic world.
In a first-of-its-kind collaboration, @DisneyAnimation and Pan-African entertainment company Kugali will team up to create an all-new, science fiction series coming to @DisneyPlus in 2022: Iwájú. Check out a first look at visual development art from the series. pic.twitter.com/x46dreKcu0
We’re also getting another crack at A Diary of a Wimpy Kid, this time as a 3D computer animated series. Not my cup of tea exactly, but it will probably work for the fans. Blue Sky Studios is working on an animated sequel to Night at the Museum, which was a fun and chaotic trilogy.
Pixar also has some dishes for the table: We also get a Buzz Lightyear origin story and a Cars series. I’m skeptical about both of those, but they’re still working on feature films too, including Luca and Turning Red.
Blasting into theaters June 17, 2022, Lightyear is the definitive story of the original Buzz Lightyear. Voiced by @ChrisEvans, get ready to go to “infinity and beyond” with Lightyear. 🚀 👨🚀 pic.twitter.com/LdYXlN33sP
Director of the Academy Award-winning short Bao, Domee Shi, brings us Turning Red. Meet Mei: she experiences the awkwardness of being a teenager, with an added twist: when she gets too excited, she transforms into a giant red panda. Turning Red comes to theaters March 11, 2022 pic.twitter.com/2s5NgzqBHP
Lucasfilm also chimed in with news of a fifth Indiana Jones film with Harrison Ford back in the fedora, James Mangold in the driver’s seat, and a target date of July 2022.
They added a Willow television series to the mix, including Warwick Davis returning as the great sorcerer Willow Ufgood in a story set decades after the 1988 Ron Howard film.
Finally, Lucasfilm will be adapting Tomi Adeyemi’s New York Times bestselling novel Children of Blood & Bone, which features a young African girl in a coming-of-age adventure to restore magic to her forsaken people, the Maji.
Untitled Alien Series
To wrap this all up, the call also contained news of a television series coming to Hulu via FX based on the Alien film series.
Noah Hawley, the writer and producer known from his work on Fargo and Legion, has been tapped to run this series. Rumors abound that Ridley Scott, director of 1979’s Alien and sequels Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, is being courted as executive producer.
All we have so far is that this series will take place on Earth, a first in the franchise if you ignore the two Alien vs. Predator films. And, honestly, most people do.
That’s a lot to cover, but it’s also a bright future for Star Wars, Marvel, and Disney/Fox properties. Keep an eye out because the next few years are going to be packed.
I know I’m excited. If my social media feeds are any indication, I’m not the only one.
Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.
Culture on My Mind Quarantine Con, Episodes XX-XXI
October 23, 2020
The folks at the Dragon Con American Sci-Fi Classics have started up the quarantine panels once again, and I have two to offer you this week.
The twentieth panel in this series comes ready to discuss favorite Frankensteins (or monsters thereof).
Panel #21, in typical track tradition, kept it strange by comparing famous cereal mascots to actual serial killers.
Gary and Joe have a lot more fun discussions planned in the Dragon Con off-season, if anything because these are so much fun to do. Stay tuned to the YouTube channel and the group on Facebook. If you join in live, you can also leave comments and participate in the discussion using StreamYard connected through Facebook.
Culture on My Mind is inspired by the weekly Can’t Let It Go segment on the NPR Politics Podcast where each host brings one thing to the table that they just can’t stop thinking about.
Pop Pop Con Con
October 16 through October 18, 2020
Last weekend was Pop Pop Con Con, a free virtual convention hosted by Shaun and Laura Rosado of PopCycled Baubles.
Three days of geeky discussions helped to fill the gap of conventions cancelled by the global pandemic, and it was a really fun event overall.
All of the weekend’s panels can be found on the PopCycled Baubles YouTube channel, and the videos from the panels I participated in can be found below.
I want to thank the Rosados and all of the panelists for a great weekend, and for experimenting with the path forward for events like this in the future. The entirety of the convention was hosted and run on Streamyard, including the transitions between discussion panels, video bumpers, and scrolling chyron banners. It was very well crafted.
I keep saying that this is the way new and smaller conventions should be run. There’s no need for renting physical space with this, and it would certainly help to build an audience and get the convention on its feet in the first few years.
Pop Pop Con Con
October 16 through October 18, 2020
I’ll be contributing to another genre convention this year.
With the global pandemic, so many fan conventions have been cancelled. The fun of great conversation and hanging out with friends is something that I miss. In an effort to help fill that gap, Pop Pop Con Con will be happening over the weekend of October 16-18, 2020.
Pop Pop Con Con is absolutely free, and will assemble fans of anime, movies, comics, TTRPGs, and more. We’re going to be discussing a ton of fun topics with a laid back atmosphere.
The event is being hosted by Shaun and Laura Rosado, longtime fans and owners of PopCycled Baubles. Along with putting on this show, they’re also celebrating the re-opening of their online store.
The event will be hosted online on the PopCycled Baubles Facebook page, YouTube channel, and Twitch channel.
The schedule of events can be found on the PopCycled Baubles website, and the specific panels that I am sitting are listed below.
Friday, October 16th
9:30pm – New Normal VOD Premium Movie Rentals: COVID-19 has changed how we do a lot of things, even going to the movies. Will Premium VOD become the new normal? What does the movie industry look like after COVID? Panelists include Nathan Laws, Gary Mitchel, and Jenna Busch
11:00pm – 1984 It’s been argued that 1984 was one of the single best years in the history of movies. Is it true? Why? Let’s find out. Panelists include Kristen Nedopak, Eric Ratcliffe, Gary Mitchel, and Calvin Watts
Saturday, October 17th
3:00pm – Far Beyond the Stars Deep Space Nine was a groundbreaking moment in Star Trek and in TV history. We’re going to talk about the best Star Trek series you’ve never seen and how it changed the world. Panelists include Sue Kisenwether, Nathan Laws, Kimi Hughes, Michael Williams, and Will Nguyen
8:00pm – D&D Tips and Tricks (Player Edition) Being a player can be tricky and sometimes it can feel overwhelming. We’re going to talk about the best tips and tricks to ensure you get the most out of your TTRPG experience (can be used for any Tabletop RPG). Panelists include Dodger, Jeff Mueller, Nathan Laws, and Michael Williams
Sunday, October 18th
6:00pm – NuTrek Trek has entered a new golden age of content. With Picard, Discovery, The Lower Decks and new movies on the horizon, the world of The Federation has grown by leaps and bounds. What hit? What missed? What’s next? Let’s talk. Panelists include Sue Kisenwether, Callie Wright, Nathan Laws, Michael Williams, and Calvin Watts
7:30pm – Sci Fi Westerns In the last 20 years, the Sci-Fi Western has become a regular staple and the cornerstone of a genre that tends to produce excellence. From The Mandalorian, Firefly, Westworld and Wynonna Earp, we’re going to talk about the Sci-Fi Western. Panelists include Corrine Vitek, Bethany Kesler, Donald Maher and Brandy Roatsey
In 1528, William Tyndale published The Obedience of a Christian Man, which advocated the divine right of kings.
In 1535, Jacques Cartier discovered the present site of Montreal.
In 1800, American slave and uprising leader Nat Turner was born.
In 1869, Indian freedom fighter, activist, and philosopher Mahatma Gandhi was born.
In 1870, a plebiscite held in Rome supported the annexation of the city of Rome by the Kingdom of Italy.
In 1890, comedian and actor Groucho Marx was born.
In 1895, comedian Bud Abbott was born.
In 1919, United States President Woodrow Wilson suffered a massive stroke, leaving him incapacitated for several weeks.
In 1945, singer-songwriter and guitarist Don McLean was born.
In 1948, actor and singer Avery Brooks was born.
Also in 1948, Indian model and actress Persis Khambatta was born.
Also in 1948, singer-songwriter and sculptor Chris LeDoux was born.
In 1949, photographer Annie Leibovitz was born.
In 1955, Alfred Hitchcock Presents premiered on television.
In 1957, The Bridge on the River Kwai was released to theaters.
In 1959, Rod Serling’s anthology series The Twilight Zone premiered on CBS. The first episode was “Where Is Everybody?”
In 1967, Thurgood Marshall was sworn in as the first African-American justice of the United States Supreme Court.
October 2nd is Batik Day (Hari Batik Nasional), which is an Indonesian cultural day for celebrating batik, the traditional cloth of Indonesia.
October 2nd is the anniversary of UNESCO’s 2009 recognition of batik as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. On that day, the map of Indonesian batik diversity by Hokky Situngkir was opened for public for the first time by the Indonesian Ministry of Research and Technology in Jakarta.
Batik is a traditional Indonesian cloth that has roots in the country’s historical artwork. In celebration of their culture, Indonesians dress head-to-toe in batik for the holiday. Now, Batik Day is celebrated across a number of platforms all over the world, particularly in Indonesian organizations ranging from universities, church groups, and communities all around the world. These Indonesian organizations usually celebrate Batik Day as well in order to create awareness of Indonesia’s traditional fabric to other cultures.
The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.
October 1st is the 275th day of the year. It is Independence Day in multiple locations, including Cyprus (separated from the United Kingdom in 1960), Nigeria (from the United Kingdom in 1960), Palau (from the UN Trust Territory status in 1994), and Tuvalu (from the United Kingdom in 1978).
In 1507, Italian architect Giacomo Barozzi da Vignola. He designed the Church of the Gesù in Rome.
In 1861, Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management was published, going on to sell 60,000 copies in its first year and remaining in print until the present day.
In 1890, Yosemite National Park was established by the United States Congress.
In 1891, Stanford University opened its doors in California.
In 1893, Hong Kong martial artist Ip Man was born. He was a grandmaster of the martial art Wing Chun and had several students who later became martial arts masters in their own right, the most famous among them being Bruce Lee.
In 1920, actor Walter Matthau was born.
In 1921, actor James Whitmore was born.
In 1924, Naval lieutenant, politician, humanitarian, and Nobel Prize laureate Jimmy Carter was born. He was the 39th President of the United States.
In 1930, Irish actor Richard Harris was born.
In 1931, the George Washington Bridge was opened, linking New Jersey and New York.
In 1935, actress and singer Julie Andrews was born.
In 1958, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics was replaced by NASA.
In 1961, the United States Defense Intelligence Agency was formed, becoming the country’s first centralized military intelligence organization.
In 1968, Guyana nationalized the British Guiana Broadcasting Service, which would eventually become part of the National Communications Network, Guyana.
Also in 1968, cult zombie film Night of the Living Dead, directed by George A. Romero, was released.
In 1971, Walt Disney World opened near Orlando, Florida.
Also in 1971, the first practical CT scanner was used to diagnose a patient.
In 1982, Epcot opened at Walt Disney World in Florida.
Also in 1982, Sony and Phillips launched the compact disc in Japan. On the same day, Sony released the model CDP-101 compact disc player, the first player of its kind.
In 1989, Denmark introduced the world’s first legal same-sex registered partnerships.
Also in 1989, actress Brie Larson was born. I thought she was brilliant was Captain Marvel.
In 1536, the Lincolnshire Rising began.
The Lincolnshire Rising was a brief rising by Roman Catholics against the establishment of the Church of England by Henry VIII and the dissolution of the monasteries set in motion by Thomas Cromwell. Both planned to assert the nation’s religious autonomy and the king’s supremacy over religious matters. The dissolution of the monasteries resulted in much property being transferred to the Crown.
Led by a monk and a shoemaker called Nicholas Melton, some 22,000 people are estimated to have joined the rising. It quickly gained support in Horncastle, Market Rasen, Caistor, and other nearby towns, and Dr. John Raynes, the chancellor of the Diocese of Lincoln, who dragged from his sick-bed and beaten to death by the mob as the commissioners’ registers were seized and burned.
The protest effectively ended on October 4th when the King sent word for the occupiers to disperse or face the forces of Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of Suffolk. By October 14th, few occupiers remained in Lincoln. Following the rising, the vicar of Louth and Captain Cobbler, two of the main leaders, were captured and hanged at Tyburn. Most of the other local ringleaders were executed during the next twelve days.
In memory of the event, Lincolnshire Day is observed every October 1st.
The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.
September 30th is the 274th day of the year. It is Orange Shirt Day in Canada, an event designed to educate people and promote awareness in Canada about the Indian residential school system and the impact it has had on Indigenous communities for over a century as children were taken from their homes, separate from their parents and culture, and eventually merged and lost within the nation. The impact is recognized as cultural genocide and is one that continues today.
In 1791, the first performance of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute took place two months before his death.
In 1861, businessman William Wrigley, Jr. was born. He founded the Wrigley Company.
In 1882, Thomas Edison’s first commercial hydroelectric power plant, later known as Appleton Edison Light Company, began operation.
In 1909, the Cunard Line’s RMS Mauretania completed a record-breaking westbound crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. The record would not be broken for 20 years.
In 1921, Scottish-English actress Deborah Kerr was born.
In 1928, Romanian-American author, academic, activist, Nobel Prize laureate, and Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel was born.
In 1935, the Hoover Dam, astride the border between the U.S. states of Arizona and Nevada, was dedicated.
In 1943, the United States Merchant Marine Academy was dedicated by President Roosevelt. I served with a guy who graduated from that academy. He’s one of the best people I know.
In 1950, English actress and dancer Victoria Tennant was born.
In 1954, The United States Navy submarine USS Nautilus (SSN-571) was commissioned as the world’s first nuclear-powered vessel.
In 1955, American actor and cultural icon James Dean was killed in a car crash. He was 24 years old.
In 1957, actress, producer, and screenwriter Fran Drescher was born.
In 1960, The Flintstones premiered on television. It was the first animated sitcom created by Hanna-Barbera.
In 1961, actor, director, and producer Eric Stoltz was born.
In 1964, Italian actress and fashion model Monica Bellucci was born.
In 1967, the BBC Light Programme, Third Programme, and Home Service were replaced with BBC Radio 2, 3, and 4, respectively. BBC Radio 1 was also launched.
In 1975, French-American actress and singer Marion Cotillard was born.
In 1977, because of NASA budget cuts and dwindling power reserves, the Apollo program’s ALSEP experiment packages left on the Moon were shut down.
In 1982, actress Lacey Chabert was born.
In 1984, Murder, She Wrote premiered on television.
In 1992, actor and singer Ezra Miller was born.
In 1999, the Tokaimura nuclear accident caused the deaths of two technicians in Japan’s second-worst nuclear accident.
September 30th is International Translation Day, an international observance celebrated every year on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is considered the patron saint of translators.
The celebrations have been promoted by the International Federation of Translators (FIT) since it was established in 1953. In 1991, FIT launched the idea of an officially recognized International Translation Day to show solidarity of the worldwide translation community. It was an effort to promote the translation profession in different countries, and not necessarily only in Christian ones. It is a profession that is becoming increasingly essential in the era of progressing globalization.
The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.
September 29th is the 273rd day of the year. It is Inventors’ Day in Argentina.
In the United States, today is “celebrated” as National Coffee Day and VFW Day. The coordination is superb.
Historical items of note:
In 1829, the Metropolitan Police of London, later also known as the Met, was founded. Their iconic police boxes were introduced by Met surveyor and architect Gilbert MacKenzie Trench that same year.
In 1901, Italian-American physicist and academic Enrico Fermi was born. He was the creator of the world’s first nuclear reactor, the Chicago Pile-1. He has been called the “architect of the nuclear age” and the “architect of the atomic bomb”. He was one of very few physicists to excel in both theoretical physics and experimental physics, and was awarded the 1938 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on induced radioactivity by neutron bombardment and for the discovery of transuranium elements. He made significant contributions to the development of statistical mechanics, quantum theory, and nuclear and particle physics.
In 1904, actress Greer Garson was born.
In 1907, the cornerstone was laid at the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in Washington, D.C. It would be better known as the Washington National Cathedral. Construction was completed on this same day in 1990.
In 1913, actor Trevor Howard was born.
In 1935, singer-songwriter and pianist Jerry Lee Lewis was born.
In 1939, actor Larry Linville was born. He was Major Frank Burns on M*A*S*H.
In 1942, actress and singer Madeline Khan was born.
Also in 1942, actor Ian McShane was born.
In 1944, composer and producer Mike Post was born. If you watched television in the 1980s and 1990s, you know his work.
In 1948, Hamlet premiered at the Park Avenue Cinema. It starred and was directed by Sir Laurence Olivier.
In 1954, the convention establishing CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research) was signed.
Also in 1954, actress Cindy Morgan was born.
Also in 1954, A Star is Born starring Judy Garland and James Mason premiered.
In 1957, the Kyshtym disaster occurred, becoming the third-worst nuclear accident ever recorded. The explosion spread hot particles over more than 20,000 square miles in the Soviet Union.
In 1969, actress and model Erika Eleniak was born. Most know her from Baywatch, but I know her as the girl that Elliott kissed in E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial.
In 1975, WGPR of Detroit, Michigan became the first black-owned-and-operated television station in the United States.
Also in 1975, Sharon Dahlonega Bush became American television’s first African American weathercaster.
In 1980, actor and singer Zachary Levi was born.
In 1985, MacGyver premiered on television.
In 1988, NASA launched the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-26, the first mission since the Challenger disaster.
In 2004, the asteroid 4179 Toutatis passed within four lunar distances of Earth.
In 2007, Calder Hall, the world’s first commercial nuclear power station, was demolished in a controlled explosion. It was opened in 1956 and was closed in 2003 after 47 years of operation.
September 29th is World Heart Day, an observance started by the World Heart Federation in 2000 to inform people around the globe that heart disease and stroke are the world’s leading causes of death.
The World Heart Federation (WHF) is a nongovernmental organization based in Geneva, Switzerland. In 1978 the International Society of Cardiology merged with the International Cardiology Federation (which had been founded in 1970) to form the International Society and Federation of Cardiology. This body changed its name in 1998 to the World Heart Federation. The Federation hosts the World Congress of Cardiology.
The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.
September 28th is the 272nd day of the year. It is Freedom from Hunger Day, an event started in 2006 to increase awareness about global hunger and promote Freedom from Hunger’s empowerment of women around the world.
In 1836, English plumber Thomas Crapper was born. While he didn’t invent the modern toilet, he did hold nine patents, three of them for water closet improvements such as the floating ballcock. He also improved the S-bend plumbing trap in 1880 by inventing the U-bend.
Of note, it has often been claimed in popular culture that crap, a slang term for human feces, originated with Thomas Crapper because of his association with lavatories. One common version is that American servicemen stationed in England during World War I saw his name on cisterns and used it as army slang.
The word crap is actually of Middle English origin and predates any application to bodily waste. Most likely, it comes from the combination of two older words: the Dutch krappen (to pluck off, cut off, or separate) and the Old French crappe (siftings, waste or rejected matter, from the medieval Latin crappa).
In English, it was used to refer to chaff and also to weeds or other rubbish. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the first recorded application to bodily waste was in 1846, 10 years after Crapper was born, referencing a crapping ken. That was a term for a privy, where ken meant a house.
Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming…
In 1868, English writer Evelyn Beatrice Hall was born. She was best known for her biography of Voltaire and wrote under the pseudonym S. G. Tallentyre.
In 1889, the General Conference on Weights and Measures (CGPM) defined the length of a meter.
In 1912, Corporal Frank S. Scott of the United States Army became the first enlisted man to die in an airplane crash.
In 1925, computer scientist Seymour Cray was born. The “Father of Supercomputing”, he founded the CRAY Computer Company.
In 1928, Alexander Fleming noticed a bacteria-killing mold growing in his laboratory, discovering what later became known as penicillin.
In 1934, French actress Brigitte Bardot was born.
In 1951, CBS made the first color televisions available for sale to the general public, but the product was discontinued less than a month later.
In 1968, English-Australian actress and producer Naomi Watts was born.
In 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation premiered on television.
In 1991, the Strategic Air Command stood down from alert all ICBMs scheduled for deactivation under START I, as well as its strategic bomber force.
In 2008, Falcon 1 became the first privately developed liquid-fuel ground-launched vehicle to put a payload into orbit.
In 2018, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War, the international project Tree of Peace was established. One of the trees was planted personally by Zuzana Čaputová, President of the Slovak Republic.
September 28th is the International Day for Universal Access to Information. Initially known as Access to Information Day, it was designated by the UNESCO General Conference. It was inaugurated in November 2015 and was first held in 2016.
The day had been recognized as International Right to Know Day since 2002, and it was developed by international civil society advocates beginning in 2012. The UNESCO resolution that created the day was heavily driven by African civil society groups seeking greater information transparency.
The Thing About Today is an effort to look at each day of 2020 with respect to its historical context.
The Star Wars news started with what might have been a no-brainer after this season of The Mandalorian.
Finally, we have a last bundle of television series.
Ready for another surprise? Just over a year after regaining the rights to Marvel’s First Family, director Jon Watts (Spider-Man: Homecoming, Spider-Man: Far from Home, and the third Spider-Man MCU film) will be in charge of Fantastic Four.
Lucasfilm also chimed in with news of a fifth Indiana Jones film with Harrison Ford back in the fedora, James Mangold in the driver’s seat, and a target date of July 2022.
To wrap this all up, the call also contained news of a television series coming to Hulu via FX based on the Alien film series.
9:30pm – New Normal VOD
11:00pm – 1984
3:00pm – Far Beyond the Stars
8:00pm – D&D Tips and Tricks (Player Edition)
6:00pm – NuTrek
7:30pm – Sci Fi Westerns
