FridayFri, December 18th Edition Go Back
Today in the World Countries
- Incwala Day is being celebrated in Eswatini
- National Day is being celebrated in Qatar
- Republic Day is being celebrated in Niger
- People born on this day are Sagittarius as their zodiac sign.
Today in History
On this day in 2022
- EVENTS
- Cinderella's glass slipper really a witty literary joke, by Charles Perrault, poking fun at French King Louis XIV's love of shoes and Versailles'Hall of Mirrors according to Scottish professor Genevieve Warwick.
- English keyboardist Martin Duffy died aged 55 from a brain injury after a fall at home in Brighton, England. Duffy originally played in Felt and later joined Primal Scream. Duffy also played with The Charlatans following the death of founder-member Rob Collins..
- English musician Terry Hall died aged 63. He was the lead singer of The Specials, and formerly of Fun Boy Three. The Specials, had the 1981 UK No.1 single 'Ghost Town' and with Fun Boy Three he had the 1982 UK No.4 single 'It Ain't What You Do It's The Way That You Do It' (with Bananarama). Hall was also a member of Colour Field who had the 1985 UK No.12 single 'Thinking Of You'..
- DEATHS
- Martin Duffy, British rock keyboardist (Primal Scream), who died of head injuries after a fall at 55.
- Wim Henderickx, Composer.
- TV SERIES
- 1923: Season 1 is released. The second prequel to Yellowstone follows Jacob (Harrison Ford) and Cara Dutton (Helen Mirren) as their family faces challenges such as pandemics, a drought, the end of Prohibition and the Great Depression in 1920s Wyoming.
- SPORTS
- FIFA World Cup Final, Lusail Stadium, Qatar: Argentina beats France,4-2 in penalty shootout after teams locked at 3-3 after extra time; Lionel Messi scores 2 for Argentina, Kylian Mbappé a hat-trick for France.
On this day in 2021
- DEATHS
- Richard Rogers, Architect.
On this day in 2020
- EVENTS
- Moderna COVID-19 pandemic vaccine granted emergency authorization by US Food and Drug Administration.
- South Africa announces detection of new variant of COVID-19 pandemic, called 501.V2, which is driving a second wave of infections.
- International body Covax, established to distribute COVID-19 pandemic vaccines to low and middle income countries, announces deals with vaccine manufacturers and method for countries to share excess vaccines.
- WEDDINGS
- Retired British golf champion Nick Faldo at the age of 64 weds fourth wife, American golf enthusiast Linda DeMarco at the age of 58 on the beach in the Florida Keys.
- DEATHS
- Tim Severin, British author and explorer who replicated historic voyages, who died at 80.
- MOVIES: DECEMBER 18 2020
- Small Axe: Education is released. Education is the coming of age story of 12-year-old Kingsley (Kenyah Sandy), who has a fascination for astronauts and rockets. When Kingsley is pulled to the headmaster's office for being disruptive in class, he discovers he's being sent to a school for those with "special needs."Distracted by working two jobs, his parents (Sharlene Whyte, Daniel Francis) are unaware of the unofficial segregation policy at play, preventing many Black children from receiving the education they deserve, until a group of West Indian women take matters into their own hands.
- MOVIES: NR
- Hunter Hunter is released. Hunter Hunter follows a family living in the remote wilderness earning a living as fur trappers. Joseph Mersault (Devon Sawa), his wife Anne (Camille Sullivan), and their daughter Rene´e (Summer H. Howell) struggle to make ends meet and think their traps are being hunted by the return of a rogue wolf. Determined to catch the predator in the act, Joseph leaves his family behind to track the wolf. Anne and Rene´e grow increasingly anxious during Joseph’s prolonged absence and struggle to survive without him. When they hear a strange noise outside their cabin, Anne hopes it is Joseph but instead finds a man named Lou (Nick Stahl), who has been severely injured and left for dead. The longer Lou stays and Joseph is away, the more paranoid Anne becomes, and the idea of a mysterious predator in the woods slowly becomes a threat much closer to home.
- MOVIES: PG13
- Greenland is released. A family fights for survival as a planet-killing comet races to Earth. John Garrity (Gerard Butler), his estranged wife Allison (Morena Baccarin), and young son Nathan make a perilous journey to their only hope for sanctuary. Amid terrifying news accounts of cities around the world being leveled by the comet’s fragments, the Garrity’s experience the best and worst in humanity while they battle the increasing panic and lawlessness surrounding them. As the countdown to global apocalypse approaches zero, their incredible trek culminates in a desperate and last-minute flight to a possible safe haven.
- Monster Hunter is released. Behind our world, there is another: a world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When an unexpected sandstorm transports Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her unit (TI Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta) to a new world, the soldiers are shocked to discover that this hostile and unknown environment is home to enormous and terrifying monsters immune to their firepower. In their desperate battle for survival, the unit encounters the mysterious Hunter (Tony Jaa), whose unique skills allow him to stay one step ahead of the powerful creatures. As Artemis and Hunter slowly build trust, she discovers that he is part of a team led by the Admiral (Ron Perlman). Facing a danger so great it could threaten to destroy their world, the brave warriors combine their unique abilities to band together for the ultimate showdown.
- MOVIES: R
- Fatale is released. In this suspenseful and provocative psychological thriller, a successful sports agent, Darren (Michael Ealy), watches his perfect life slowly disappear when he becomes entangled in a police investigation led by a discredited, disgraced and determined detective (Hilary Swank), with whom he had a wild one night stand.
- ALBUMS
- McCartney III was released by Paul McCartney. The latest full-length release for the Beatles artist was self-recorded and produced during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown.
- Music to Be Murdered By - Side B (Deluxe Edition) was released by Eminem. The second surprise release in 2020 from the rapper features guest appearances from Anderson.Paak, DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Miller Glasgow, Skylar Grey, Juice WRLD, KXNG Crooked, MAJ, Brendan Malloy, Joell Ortiz, Royce Da 5'9", Ed Sheeran, Sly Pyper, Don Toliver, Ty Dolla $ign, White Gold, and Young M.A.
- POLITICS
- US Vice President Mike Pence receives the Pfizer/BioNTech COVID-19 pandemic vaccine live on TV.
On this day in 2019
- DEATHS
- Kenny Lynch, English singer, who died at 81.
- Hugh McKenna, British rock keyboardist (The Sensational Alex Harvey Band), who died of cancer at 70.
- Claudine Auger, Movie Actress.
- Abbey Simon, American concert pianist, and pedagogue, who died at 99.
- POLITICS
- US House of Representatives votes to impeach President Donald Trump for abuse of power (230-197) and obstruction of Congress (229-198).
On this day in 2018
- EVENTS
- Nevada becomes the first US state with a female-majority legislature with new appointments taking it to 51%.
- Manchester United sacks high profile Portuguese manager Jose Mourinho; United in 6th place in EPL,19 points behind league leaders Liverpool; Ole Gunnar Solskjaer new caretaker manager.
- Fire destroys 600 stilt homes in Manaus, northwestern Brazil.
- BIRTHS
- Hanaaliu, Instagram Star, born in Switzerland.
- DEATHS
- Joe Wallace, Race Car Driver.
- David Austin, English rose breeder (Austin roses), who died at 92.
- Eddie Macdonald, Race Car Driver.
- GAMING: PC
- Last Year: The Nightmare for PC is released. Halloween night. 1996. A group of teenagers awake to find themselves trapped in a dark, twisted reflection of their sleepy hometown of Forest Hills. As they make their way across the East Side High School campus, they realize they are being hunted by a supernatural force taking the forms of fearsome killers. Relentlessly pursued, the teens must band together to fight back, survive, and escape the terrifying anomaly they have come to know as The Nightmare.
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION VITA
- London Detective Mysteria for PlayStation Vita is released. Her Majesty’s birthday was to be the heiress of House Whiteley’s debut into high society, but an inquiring mind begs for more than parties as she stumbles into London’s darkest corners and sharpens her instincts as a detective.
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Sheltered for Switch is released. Sheltered is a deep, emotional survival & post-apocalyptic disaster management game. On Nintendo Switch™, Sheltered includes the base game plus the Surrounded and Stasis additional content. After a global apocalypse, you take on the role of protecting four family members living in a deserted underground shelter. Their well-being and survival are your responsibility. One bad decision and a loved one is gone, forever. Combat claustrophobia, radiation and mental exhaustion as you try to turn the cold and cramped Shelter into a home. And as they cling desperately to life, you must defend your shelter from attack and send family members out into the dangerous, desolate wasteland to scavenge for vital supplies. You’ll come across abandoned towns, roaming factions and feral beasts as you fight for survival. How you handle the many moral choices could be the difference between the family living or dying. With all hope lost, how will you survive in this bleak new world?
- SPORTS
- Meteor explodes in huge fireball over the Bering Sea with 10 times the energy of Hiroshima atomic bomb,2nd largest in last 30 yrs.
On this day in 2017
- BIRTHS
- Mia Elise Skye, Family Member, born in Australia.
- DEATHS
- Jonghyun [Kim Jong-hyun], South Korean singer-songwriter, radio host, and author (SHINee), commits suicide at 27.
- POLITICS
- Austria swears in new coalition government with Sebastian Kurz aged 31 of the People's Party made Chancellor.
- SPORTS
- Australia regains cricket's Ashes against England, winning by an innings to take 3 game lead at the WACA in Perth.
On this day in 2016
- DEATHS
- China Machado, Chinese-born model,1st non-Caucasian super model, who died at 86.
- Zsa Zsa Gabor [Sari Gabor], Hungarian-born actress (Queen of Outer Space), who died at 99.
On this day in 2015
- EVENTS
- A US medical examiner said Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland died from a toxic mix of drugs including cocaine, alcohol and ecstasy. Weiland, who was 48, rose to fame with the Stone Temple Pilots was found dead on his tour bus outside a hotel in Bloomington, Minneapolis, on 3 December of this year..
- DEATHS
- Luc Brewaeys, Belgian pianist, conductor, and composer, who died of cancer at 56.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Arabian Nights: Volume 3, The Enchanted One is released. In which Scheherazade doubts that she will still be able to tell stories to please the King, given that what she has to tell weighs three thousand tons. She therefore escapes from the palace and travels the kingdom in search of pleasure and enchantment. Her father, the Grand-Vizier, arranges to meet her at the Ferris wheel and Scheherazade resumes her narration: O auspicious King, in old shanty towns of Lisbon there was a community of bewitched men who, with all dedication and passion, devoted themselves to teaching birds to sing... And seeing the morning break, Scheherazade fell silent. [Kino Lorber]
- Noma: My Perfect Storm is released. With automatic access to genius, Noma: My Perfect Storm is a creative journey into the unique mind of René Redzepi. How did Redzepi manage to revolutionize the entire world of gastronomy, inventing the alphabet and vocabulary that would infuse newfound pedigree to Nordic cuisine and establish a new edible world while radically changing the image of the modern chef? His story has the feel of a classic fairy tale: the ugly duckling transformed into a majestic swan, who now reigns over the realm of modern gourmet cuisine. But beneath the polished surface, cracks appear in the form of old wounds. 2013 stands as the worst year in René Redzepi’s career. We follow him as he fights his way back to the top, reinventing NOMA and reclaiming the title of best restaurant in the world in 2014 for the fourth time. [Magnolia Pictures]
- MOVIES: PG
- Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip is released. Through a series of misunderstandings, Alvin, Simon and Theodore come to believe that Dave is going to propose to his new girlfriend in New York City... and dump them. They have three days to get to him and stop the proposal, saving themselves not only from losing Dave but possibly from gaining a terrible stepbrother. [20th Century Fox]
- MOVIES: R
- Sisters is released. Two disconnected sisters (Tina Fey and Amy Poehler) are summoned home to clean out their childhood bedroom before their parents sell the family house. Looking to recapture their glory days, they throw one final high-school-style party for their classmates, which turns into the cathartic rager that a bunch of ground-down adults really need.
- Son of Saul is released. October 1944, Auschwitz-Birkenau. Saul Ausländer is a Hungarian member of the Sonderkommando, the group of Jewish prisoners isolated from the camp and forced to assist the Nazis in the machinery of large-scale extermination. While working in one of the crematoriums, Saul discovers the corpse of a boy he takes for his son. As the Sonderkommando plans a rebellion, Saul decides to carry out an impossible task: save the child’s body from the flames, find a rabbi to recite the mourner’s Kaddish and offer the boy a proper burial.
- TV SERIES
- Making a Murderer: Season 1 is released. Moira Demos and Laura Ricciardi's 10-part documentary series focuses on the case of Steven Avery, a man convicted of sexual assault, before being exonerated by DNA evidence 18 years later. A few years later, he is convicted in the disappearance and murder of another woman.
- F is for Family: Season 1 is released. Baggage handler Frank Murphy (Bill Burr) and his wife (Laura Dern) raise their three children (Justin Long, Haley Reinhart, and Debi Derryberry) in 1973 in the animated comedy created by Bill Burr and Michael Price.
- ALBUMS
- King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude was released by Pusha T. The second full-length studio release for the rapper features guest appearances from Ab-Liva, A$AP Rocky, Kehlani, Jill Scott, Beanie Sigel, The-Dream, and Kanye West.
- Purple was released by Baroness. The metal band returns from a tour bus accident in 2012 with a new lineup. Nick Jost and Sebastian Thomson take over for Allen Blickle and Matt Maggioni on the fourth studio release produced by David Fridmann.
- Tell Me I'm Pretty was released by Cage the Elephant. The fourth full-length release for the Kentucky alternative rock band was produced by Dan Auerbach.
On this day in 2014
- BIRTHS
- Zaza Bean, Instagram Star, born in United States.
- Zaza Noel, Instagram Star, born in United States.
- DEATHS
- Virna Lisi, Italian actress (Assault on a Queen, Bluebeard), who died at 78.
- GAMING: PC
- Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes for PC is released. Metal Gear Solid V: Ground Zeroes is the first segment of the Metal Gear Solid V Experience and prologue to the larger second segment, Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain launching thereafter.
On this day in 2013
- EVENTS
- Lostprophets singer Ian Watkins was sentenced to 35 years in jail for a string of child sex offences. Watkins,36, from Pontypridd, Wales, had pleaded guilty at Cardiff Crown Court last month to 13 child sex offences..
- Fazer, best known for being part of the group N-Dubz, was declared bankrupt. The 26-year-old rose to fame alongside N-Dubz bandmates Costadinos Contostavlos (Dappy) and Tulisa Contostavlos. N-Dubz had eight songs in the Official Singles Chart. Their most successful track was the appropriately titled Number 1, which hit the top spot in 2009..
- DEATHS
- Ronnie Biggs, English criminal (Great Train Robbery of 1963), who died at 84.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- The New Rijksmuseum is released. Oeke Hoogendijk chronicles the renovation of Holland’s celebrated Rijksmuseum.
- MOVIES: R
- Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues is released. With the 70s behind him, Ron Burgundy, San Diego's top rated newsman, returns to take the nation's first 24-hour news channel by storm.
- Her is released. Set in the Los Angeles of the slight future, Her follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet "Samantha, "a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. [Warner Bros.]
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
- Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag - Freedom Cry for PlayStation 4 is released. Born a slave, Adewale found freedom aboard the Jackdaw where he became Edward Kenwayâ's second-in-command. 15 years later, Adewale has become an Assassin who finds himself shipwrecked in Saint-Domingue without weapons or crew. He meets locals in an effort to assemble a crew & steal a ship. The more he helps, the more he is drawn into the Maroon slave community. Forced to face his past, he sets out to free the slaves & bring death to their captors. Over 3 hours of new single-player game play!
- GAMING: WII U
- NES Remix for Wii U is released. NES Remix is a compilation title available in the Nintendo eShop on Wii U that brings together 16 classic NES games and updates with more modern challenges.
- GAMING: XBOX 360
- The Walking Dead: Season Two Episode 1 - All That Remains for Xbox 360 is released. The Walking Dead: Season Two continues the story of Clementine, a young girl orphaned by the zombie apocalypse. Left to fend for herself, she has been forced to learn how to survive in a world gone mad. Many months have passed since the events seen in Season One of The Walking Dead, and Clementine is in search of safety. But what can an ordinary child do to stay alive when the living can be just as bad – and sometimes worse – than the dead? As Clementine, you will be tested by situations and dilemmas that will test your morals and your instinct for survival. Your decisions and actions will change the story around you.