FridayFri, May 15th Edition Go Back
Today in the World Countries
- Buddha's Birthday is being celebrated in Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea
- People born on this day are Taurus as their zodiac sign.
Today in History
On this day in 2023
- EVENTS
- Martha Stewart is Sports Illustrated oldest-ever cover model at 81, appearing as part of its swimsuit issue.
- BIRTHS
- Maria Marin, Self-Help Author, born in Puerto Rico.
- DEATHS
- Ron Northcott, Canadian curler (World C'ship gold 1966,68,69), who died at 87.
On this day in 2022
- EVENTS
- 29th Billboard Music Awards: Olivia Rodrigo wins 7; Drake wins 5; Taylor Swift and BTS also win.
- WEDDINGS
- Kourtney Kardashian and Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker marry in Santa Barbara, for real, shortly after they married in Las Vegas illegally without a licence.
- Actress Chloë Sevigny and art gallerist Siniša Mackovic marry for the second time in front of friends and family in Connecticut, two years after their courthouse wedding.
- DEATHS
- Knox Martin, Sculptor.
- Ricky Gardiner, Scottish rock guitarist (David Bowie - Low; Iggy Pop - Lust for Life), and composer, who died at 73.
- TV SERIES
- The Time Traveler's Wife: Season 1 is released. The marriage between Clare (Rose Leslie) and Henry (Theo James) is complicated by time travel in this Steven Moffat adaptation of Audrey Niffenegger's novel of the same name.
- Conversations with Friends: Season 1 is released. The relationship between 21-year-old Frances (Alison Oliver) and her best friend/ex-girlfriend Bobbi (Sasha Lane) is tested after they both grow closer to Melissa (Jemima Kirke), an older writer and her actor husband, Nick (Joe Alwyn) in this adaptation of Sally Rooney novel of the same name.
On this day in 2021
- EVENTS
- China lands its Zhurong rover on Utopia Planitia, Mars, for the first time as part of the Tianwen-1 mission.
- WEDDINGS
- American pop singer Ariana Grande at the age of 28 weds American realtor Dalton Gomez at the age of 25 at home in Montecito, California.
- Pop star Ariana Grande at the age of 28 weds realtor Dalton Gomez at the age of 25 at home in Montecito, California.
- SPORTS
- Fred Martinelli, American College Football Hall of Fame coach (Ashland University 1959-93), who died at 92.
On this day in 2020
- EVENTS
- Germany, Europe's largest economy, officially in recession due to COVID-19 pandemic, as figures show economy shrank 2.2% 1st 3 months of 2020.
- DEATHS
- Fred Willard, American comedian and actor (Best In Show, Everyone Loves Raymond), who died at 86.
- Monk Tate, Race Car Driver.
- Jorge Santana, Guitarist.
- Phil May, English rocker (Pretty Things), who died at 75.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- The Wolf House is released. Maria, a young woman finds refuge in a house in the south of Chile after escaping from a sect of German religious fanatics. She is welcomed into the home by two pigs, the only inhabitants of the place. Like in a dream, the universe of the house reacts to Maria’s feelings. The animals transform slowly into humans and the house becomes a nightmarish world. Inspired on the actual case of Colonia Dignidad, The Wolf House masquerades as an animated fairy tale produced by the leader of the sect in order to indoctrinate its followers. [KimStim]
- Fourteen is released. Mara and Jo, in their twenties, have been close friends since middle school. Jo, the more outgoing figure, is a social worker who runs through a series of brief but intense relationships. Mara, a less splashy personality than Jo, bounces among teacher aide jobs while trying to land a position in elementary education, and writes fiction in her spare time. She too has a transient romantic life, though she seems to settle down after meeting Adam, a mild-mannered software developer. It soon becomes apparent that Jo, despite her intellectual gifts, is unreliable in her professional life, losing and acquiring jobs at a troubling rate. Substance abuse may be responsible for Jo’s instability… but some observers suspect a deeper problem. Over the course of a decade, the more stable Mara sometimes tries to help, sometimes backs away to preserve herself, but never leaves behind her powerful childhood connection with Jo.
- Castle in the Ground is released. A grieving teenager (Alex Wolff) befriends his charismatic but troubled next-door neighbor (Imogen Poots), only to become ensnared in a world of addiction and violence as the opioid epidemic takes hold of their small town.
- Alice is released. After discovering that her husband's addiction to escorts has left their family penniless, Alice finds herself drawn into the world of high-end prostitution as a means of caring for herself and her child.
- Blood and Money is released. A retired veteran (Tom Berenger) hunting in the Allagash backcountry discovers a dead woman with a duffle bag full of money. He soon finds himself in a web of deceit and murder.
- MOVIES: PG
- Scoob! is released. Scoob! reveals how lifelong friends Scooby and Shaggy first met and how they joined with young detectives Fred, Velma and Daphne to form the famous Mystery Inc. Now, with hundreds of cases solved and adventures shared, Scooby and the gang face their biggest, most challenging mystery ever: a plot to unleash the ghost dog Cerberus upon the world. As they race to stop this global “dogpocalypse, ” the gang discovers that Scooby has a secret legacy and an epic destiny greater than anyone imagined.
- TV SERIES
- The Great: Season 1 is released. The comedy series created and written by Tony McNamara follows Catherine the Great (Elle Fanning) as she marries Peter III of Russia (Nicholas Hoult) and rises in power.
- White Lines: Season 1 is released. Zoe Walker (Laura Haddock) travels to Ibiza to look into her brother's (Tom Rhys Harries) disappearance after his body is found 20 years later in this crime drama from Money Heist's Alex Pina.
- ALBUMS
- Will This Make Me Good was released by Nick Hakim. The second full-length release for the Brooklyn-based artist was produced by Andrew Sarlo.
- The Mosaic of Transformation was released by Kaitlyn Aurelia Smith. The eighth full-length release for the electronic composer is her first on the Ghostly International label.
- The Quickening was released by Jim White. The debut full-length improvised collaboration between Marisa Anderson and Jim White was recorded in Mexico City and Portland, Oregon.
- Set My Heart on Fire Immediately was released by Perfume Genius. The fifth full-length release for Mike Hadreas as Perfume Genius was produced with Blake Mills.
- Reunions was released by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit. The latest full-length studio release for the singer-songwriter with his band was produced by Dave Cobb and features contributions from Rival Sons' Jay Buchanan and David Crosby.
- Sorceress was released by Jess Williamson. The fourth full-length release for the singer-songwriter from Texas was self-produced with some co-production from Al Carlson, Dan Duszynski, and Shane Renfro.
- Starz was released by Yung Lean. The fourth full-length studio release for the Swedish rapper features a guest appearance from Ariel Pink.
- All Visible Objects was released by Moby. The latest full-length release for the electronic artist features contributions from Apollo Jane, Boogie, Mindy Jones, Linton Kwesi Johnson, and Dead Kennedys drummer D.H. Peligro.
- A Steady Drip, Drip, Drip was released by Sparks. This is the 24th full-length studio release for the sibling art-rock duo of Ron and Russell Mael.
- Gentle Grip was released by Public Practice. The debut full-length release for the New York band that includes Samantha York and Vince McClelland of Wall and Drew Citron and Scott Rosenthal of Beverly features elements of funk, disco, and punk music.
- græ was released by Moses Sumney. The double album (released also as two separate EPs] for the experimental artist features a guest appearance from Jill Scott and elements of folk, jazz, indie rock, pop, and soul music.
- High Off Life was released by Future. The eighth full-length studio release for the rapper features guest appearances from DaBaby, Doe Boy, Drake, Future, Lil Baby, Lil Durk, Lil Uzi Vert, Meek Mill, Travis Scott, YoungBoy Never Broke Again, and Young Thug
- how i'm feeling now was released by Charli XCX. The fourth full-length release for the pop artist was created with executive producers A. G. Cook and BJ Burton through Zoom calls and asking fans for their preferences.
- Quickies was released by Magnetic Fields. The 12th full-length release for the band led by Stephen Merritt features songs as short as 13 seconds to just over two and a half minutes.
- Lovers Rock was released by The Dears. This is the eighth full-length release for the Canadian indie rock band led by Murray Lightburn and Natalia Yanchak.
- GAMING: PC
- Tales From Off-Peak City Vol. 1 for PC is released. On the corner of July Avenue and Yam Street, all is not what it seems. What role will you play in a city's fate?
- GAMING: SWITCH
- The Eternal Castle Remastered for Switch is released. The Eternal Castle [REMASTERED] is an ambitious attempt to modernize an old classic in order to keep its memory alive. Through detailed research and hard work, the production team tried to expand the experience while keeping the same 'feel' and emotional flow of the original masterpiece from 1987.
- Hatsune Miku: Project Diva MegaMix for Switch is released. [Also known as "Hatsune Miku Project Diva Mega39"] Based on the popular Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Future Tone, Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA Mega Mix takes the series to a new dimension on the Nintendo Switch, giving both new fans and Project DIVA veterans ways to play at home or on the go. Rhythm game modes features both traditional button controls, as well as a new game mode exclusive to the unique functions of the Nintendo Switch.
On this day in 2019
- EVENTS
- Jeff Koons "Rabbit" sculpture sells for 91.1 million, setting a new record for a work by a living artist at auction.
- Mexico City declares an environmental emergency after air pollution reaches dangerous levels.
- Findings from China's Chang'e-4 rover to the Moon suggests huge asteroid created the giant crater on Moon's far side with impact so great it cracked its crust and reached the mantle below published in "Nature".
- Five of world's biggest tech companies pledge to tackle extremist material at "The Christchurch Call" initiative in Paris hosted by Jacinda Ardern and Emmanuel Macron.
- Adria Petty and Annakim Violette daughters of the late Tom Petty filed suit against his widow, Dana York Petty, in a dispute about the singer-songwriter’s catalogue and estate. The papers accused York Petty of superseding the daughters’ right to ‘equal participation, ’ as they claimed was in the terms of the trust, when making decisions regarding his catalogue. The suit was seeking at least $5 million in damages..
- Alabama passes law banning abortion in almost all cases including rape or incest.
- US birthrate in 2018 the lowest for 32 years (total fertility rate 1,728 births per 1,000 women), with record lows for teen births.
- MOVIES: R
- The Third Wife is released. In 19th century rural Vietnam,14-year-old May becomes the third wife of wealthy landowner Hung. Soon she learns that she can only gain status by asserting herself as a woman who can give birth to a male child. May’s hope to change her status turns into a real and tantalizing possibility when she gets pregnant. Faced with forbidden love and its devastating consequences, May finally comes to an understanding of the brutal truth: the options available to her are few and far between. [Film Movement]
- GAMING: PC
- Druidstone: The Secret of the Menhir Forest for PC is released. A tactical, turn-based RPG from the makers of Legend of Grimrock games. Every action, every turn counts as you control your party of heroes through challenging, handcrafted missions in the ancient, mist-clad Menhir Forest.
On this day in 2018
- EVENTS
- Flyover collapses in Varanasi, India, killing at least 18.
- " Laurel vs Yanny" disagreement over what word heard in an audio file begins across social media.
- North Korea threatens to pull out of summit with US and South Korea saying it can "not hide our feeling of repugnance" towards US security advisor John Bolton.
- Taliban forces attack and claim to has seized control of the western city of Farah, Afghanistan.
- 58 Palestinians killed by Israeli forces and 1700 hospitalized on the Gaza border protesting opening of US embassy in Jerusalem and 70 year founding of Israel.
- BIRTHS
- Lucy Deru, Family Member, born in Utah.
- DEATHS
- Jlloyd Samuel, Soccer Player.
- Ian Denholm, Scottish shipping CEO (Murray Investment Trust), who died at 91.
- GAMING: 3DS
- Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux for 3DS is released. A spatial distortion full of demons appeared in Antarctica, threatening to engulf the Earth in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey. The United Nations responded by tasking a team of highly advanced specialists with piercing the anomaly and figuring out how to stop it from the source. Well, get ready to don your Demonica once again in this new expanded port: Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux. Expect new story content, additional endings, a new dungeon to explore, and more in the return of this sci-fi tinged SMT adventure.
- GAMING: PC
- Horizon Chase Turbo for PC is released. Thrilling arcade racing game, inspired by the super-fun-straight-to-the-point classic racing games from the 90s.
- Forgotton Anne for PC is released. Imagine a place where everything that is lost and forgotten goes; old toys, letters, single socks. The Forgotten Lands is a magical world inhabited by Forgotlings; creatures composed of mislaid objects longing to be remembered again. Forgotton Anne is a seamless cinematic adventure game with light puzzle platforming elements. You play as Anne, the enforcer who keeps order in the Forgotten Lands, as she sets out to quash a rebellion that might prevent her master, Bonku, and herself from returning to the human world... [Square Enix]
- GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
- Dragon's Crown Pro for PlayStation 4 is released. Dragon's Crown thrusts you into a fantastical medieval world packed with labyrinthine dungeons to explore, vile monstrosities to smite, and nearly endless online adventure. Your mission is to dive into the dank underworld, uncovering treasure and strengthening your mettle as you unlock the secret behind the ancient dragon threatening the world. Simple, easy-to-learn controls allow anyone to dive into the fray and enjoy the breathtaking sword-and-sorcery action. In addition to long-lasting gameplay, the game also features a vast array of character customization features - with six wildly different classes to play as, raiding the catacombs for epic loot remains fresh and engaging.
- Little Witch Academia: Chamber of Time for PlayStation 4 is released. Uncover the mysteries at Luna Nova Academy and experience the magical world of Studio Trigger style Japanese animation. Join Akko and her friends to work as a team – exploring dungeons, casting magical spells and using witchcraft to ultimately discover the seven wonders and solve the mysterious shift in time.
- Omensight for PlayStation 4 is released. Omensight is an action murder mystery. You are the Harbinger, a powerful mystical warrior. You have witnessed the destruction of the world. In order to prevent annihilation you are destined to repeat that fateful day and solve the murder of the Godless-Priestess, whose death precipitated the apocalypse.
- The Council - Episode 2: Hide and Seek for PlayStation 4 is released. Hide and Seek is the second episode of The Council’s 5-episode season. Get the full experience with the Season Pass. Episode 1: The Mad Ones is required to run this episode or the Season Pass. Louis de Richet is on Lord Mortimer’s island where he is still in search of his mother. Here he has met a collection of the most influential people alive, invited to help reshape the world. His investigation is interrupted by tragic events on the second night in the mansion, meaning Louis must answer to the enigmatic Lord Mortimer. Meanwhile the Spanish head of state joins the guests and brings news that threatens the stability of all of Europe - Louis must pick a side as factions begin to form.
- Wizard of Legend for PlayStation 4 is released. Wizard of Legend is a fast paced 2D dungeon crawler where you assume the role of a powerful wizard on his quest for fame and glory! Combine powerful spells and quick reflexes to become a Wizard of Legend!
- GAMING: SWITCH
- Battle Chasers: Nightwar for Switch is released. Battle Chasers: Nightwar is an RPG inspired by the console genre-greats and the 90’s cult comic book. Experience deep dungeon diving, turn-based combat presented in classic JRPG format, and a story driven by exploration of the world.
- POLITICS
- Controversial Kerch bridge linking Russia and annexed Crimea opened by Russian President Vladimir Putin. At 19km the longest bridge in Europe..
- Malaysian politician Anwar Ibrahim is released from prison after being pardoned by King Muhammad V.
On this day in 2017
- EVENTS
- UN Security Council condemns North Korea missile test.
- State of Emergency declared in Sanaa, Yemen after outbreak of cholera kills 115.
- 1st US prosecution under federal Hate Crimes Act of violence against transgender person, murder of Mercedes Williamson.
- DEATHS
- Karl-Otto Apel, Philosopher.
- Ian Brady [Ian Duncan Stewart], British serial killer (Moors Murders), who died in prison at 79.
- Don Israel, Race Car Driver.
On this day in 2016
- DEATHS
- Margarito Esparza Nevares, Comedian.
On this day in 2015
- EVENTS
- Carl Icahn invests $100 million in Lyft, a ride-sharing service.
- BIRTHS
- Imade Adeleke, Instagram Star, born in Nigeria.
- WEDDINGS
- Former Spice Girl Geri Halliwell at the age of 42 weds F1 racing team boss Christian Horner at the age of 41 in Bedfordshire, England.
- DEATHS
- Garo Yepremian, American NFL place kicker (Miami Dolphins), who died at 70.
- Renzo Zorzi, Race Car Driver.
- MOVIES: NOT RATED
- Dark Star: HR Giger's World is released. Where others flee, he makes his home. What others dread, he makes his habitat. What others fight to suppress, he drags back to the surface. Throughout his life, HR Giger inhabited the world of the uncanny: a dark universe on the brink of many an abyss.
- Animals is released. Bobbie (Kim Shaw) and Jude (David Dastmalchian) are a young couple living in their broken-down car parked alongside Chicago's Lincoln Park Zoo. Their days are a continuous ritual of theft and scoring until they must confront the difficult truth of their relationship after one of them is hospitalized.
- The Connection is released. Real-life Marseilles magistrate Pierre Michel (Jean Dujardin) goes on a relentless crusade to dismantle the most notorious drug smuggling operation in history: the French Connection. In his crosshairs is charismatic and wealthy kingpin, Gatean "Tany"Zampa (Gilles Lellouche), who runs the largest underground heroin trade into the States. Though the fearless and tenacious Michel, aided by a task force of elite cops, will stop at nothing—including boldly orchestrated drug raids, devastating arrests, and exacting interrogations—to ensure the crime ring's demise, Zampa's "La French"always seems one step ahead. As La French mounts its retaliation, Michel will be forced to make the most difficult decision of his life: to continue waging his war, or ensure his family's safety, before it's too late.
- MOVIES: PG13
- Pitch Perfect 2 is released. The Barden Bellas enter an international a cappella competition that no American team has ever won.
- Where Hope Grows is released. Calvin Campbell (Kristoffer Polaha) is a former professional baseball player sent to an early retirement due to his panic attacks at the plate. Even though he had all the talent for the big leagues, he struggles with the curveballs life has thrown him. Today, he mindlessly sleepwalks through his days and the challenge of raising his teenager daughter. His life is in a slow downward spiral when it is suddenly awakened and invigorated by the most unlikely person – Produce (David DeSanctis), a young-man with Down syndrome who works at the local grocery store. [Roadside Attractions]
- I'll See You in My Dreams is released. Carol, a widow in her 70's, is forced to confront her fears about love, family, and death. After her routine is rattled she decides to start dating again and falls into relationships with two very different men.
- MOVIES: R
- Mad Max: Fury Road is released. In the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and everyone is fighting for the necessities of life, there are two rebels who just might be able to restore order—Max (Tom Hardy), a man of action and few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos, and Furiosa (Charlize Theron), a woman of action who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.
- Every Secret Thing is released. Detective Nancy Porter (Elizabeth Banks) is still haunted by her failure to save the life of a missing child from the hands of two young girls. Eight years later, another child goes missing in the same town just days after Ronnie and Alice (Dakota Fanning and newcomer Danielle Macdonald), the two girls convicted of the former crime, were released from juvenile detention. Porter and her partner (Nate Parker) must race against the clock to prevent history from repeating itself. But as they begin to investigate the girls and their families, especially Alice’s protective mother (Diane Lane), they unearth a web of secrets and deceptions that calls everything into question.
- Good Kill is released. In the shadowy world of drone warfare, combat unfolds like a video game–only with real lives at stake. After six tours of duty, Air Force pilot Tom Egan (Ethan Hawke) yearns to get back into the cockpit of a real plane, but he now fights the Taliban from an air-conditioned box in the Las Vegas desert. When he and his crew start taking orders directly from the CIA, and the stakes are raised, Egan's nerves—and his relationship with his wife (January Jones)—begin to unravel. [IFC Films]
- Slow West is released. At the end of the nineteenth century,16-year-old Jay Cavendish (Kodi Smit-McPhee) journeys across the American frontier in search of the woman he loves. He is joined by Silas (Michael Fassbender), a mysterious traveler, and hotly pursued by an outlaw along the way. [A24]
- GAMING: XBOX ONE
- N.E.R.O.: Nothing Ever Remains Obscure for Xbox One is released. NERO is a fully story driven first person game filled with puzzles that are heavily connected with the environments and with the past of the main characters. The more the player is going to explore, the better he will be rewarded with pieces of narration that will help him to understand the truth behind this next-gen visual novel. [Storm in a Teacup]
- SPORTS
- Bob Hopkins, American basketball forward and coach (Syracuse Nationals; Seattle SuperSonics), who died of heart and kidney failure at 80.
On this day in 2014
- GAMING: PC
- BattleBlock Theater for PC is released. Shipwrecked. Captured. Betrayed. Forced to perform for an audience of cats? Wait, what?? You've just unlocked the door to BattleBlock Theater! There's no turning back once you've started on your quest to free your imprisoned friends from evil technological cats! Immerse yourself in this mind bending tale of treachery as you battle your way through hundreds of levels in order to discover the puzzling truth behind BattleBlock Theater.
- DreadOut for PC is released. When a group of high school students stray from their vacation trip, they discover an old deserted town. They begin to realize that something sinister is happening as soon as they enter the town. Linda, as the main protagonist, feels the stirrings of a strange and mystical power within herself. This spiritual power just might be the only way to save herself and her friends from an unknown evil..
- Heavy Bullets for PC is released. Heavy Bullets is a randomized FPS dungeon crawler where players make their way through a colorful maze, while protecting themselves from aggressive creatures and malfunctioning security devices. The goal lies at the end of the 8th level, where they must reset the security mainframe to restore order and reap the rewards.
- Jagged Alliance: Flashback for PC is released. Jagged Alliance: Flashback is a tactical turn-based action game where you control and maintain squads of mercenaries off and on the battlefield.
- GAMING: WII U
- Scram Kitty and His Buddy on Rails for Wii U is released. Take control of a rail-riding, laser-shooting young hero on a perilous quest to find his kidnapped pet cat! With a unique control system that allows for 360 degree platforming action and exciting 2D shooting, Scram Kitty and his Buddy on Rails pits players against an army of intelligent, mechanized rodents. Glide along glowing rails, leap across chasms and leave arcing streams of shots as you rid each stage of the rodent aggressors and locate the keys to the numerous cat cages. Keys are attached to specific objectives, adding a multi-layered design to stages and adding replay value for completionists who won't rest until every cat is free!
- GAMING: XBOX ONE
- Titanfall: Expedition for Xbox One is released. Titanfall: Expedition introduces three new maps to the Frontier – Runoff, Swampland and War Games.
- POLITICS
- Jean-Luc Dehaene, Belgian Prime Minister (1992-99), who died from a fall at 73.