FridayFri, September 11th Edition Go Back

On this day in 2023

On this day in 2022

• DEATHS
• Alain Tanner, Swiss film director (Charles, Dead or Alive), who died at 92.
• TV SERIES
• Monarch: Season 1 is released. The legacy of country music legends Dottie Cantrell Roman (Susan Sarandon) and Albie Roman (Trace Adkins) is threatened and their daughter (Anna Friel) will do everything to protect it in this drama series created by Melissa London Hilfers.
• The Serpent Queen: Season 1 is released. Catherine de Medici (Samantha Morton) tells how she rose to power as the Queen of France after being married off at the age of 14 to a French count in this drama series based on Leonie Frieda's book "Catherine de Medici: Renaissance Queen of France."
• POLITICS
• Swedish General Election narrowly won by right-wing coalition defeating sitting center-left government headed by Magdalena Andersson.

On this day in 2021

• EVENTS
• 74th Cannes Film Festival: Audrey Diwan's "Happening" (L'Événement) wins the Palme d'Or.
• DEATHS
• Kerry Teague, Race Car Driver.
• Abimael Guzman, Politician.
• POLITICS
• Twentieth anniversary of 9/11 marked by US President Joe Biden and former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton in New York.
• SPORTS
• Mick Tingelhoff, American Pro Football HOF center (6 × Pro Bowl; 5 × First-team All-Pro; Minnesota Vikings), who died at 81.

On this day in 2020

• EVENTS
• The Rolling Stones album Goats Head Soup was at No.1 on the UK chart. The 11th British and 13th American studio album by the Stones first released on 31 August 1973 had been remixed by Giles Martin for this 2020 reissue, including a deluxe edition with bonus tracks and unreleased outtakes..
• Toots Hibbert, frontman of the legendary reggae band Toots and the Maytals, died age 77 after being taken to hospital with Covid-like symptoms. One of Jamaica’s most influential musicians, he helped popularise reggae in the 1960s with songs like 'Pressure Drop', 'Monkey Man' and 'Funky Kingston'. He even claimed to have coined the genre’s name, on 1968’s 'Do The Reggay'..
• BIRTHS
• Huxley Robert Wood, Family Member, born in United States.
• DEATHS
• Charles Patrick, American do-wop singer and songwriter (The Monotones - "The Book of Love"). dies on his 82nd birthday.
• Nadhim Shaker, Iraqi soccer defender (57 caps; Al-Tayaran) and coach (Iraq), who died from COVID-19 pandemic at 61.
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• Our Time Machine is released. When influential Chinese artist Ma Liang (a.k.a. Maleonn) realizes that his father Ma Ke, an accomplished Peking Opera director, is suffering from Alzheimer's disease, he invites his father to collaborate on his most ambitious project to date - a haunting, magical, autobiographical stage performance featuring life-size mechanical puppets called "Papa's Time Machine". Through the creation of this play, the two men confront their mortality before time runs out and memories are lost forever.
• I Am Woman is released. In 1966, single-mother Helen Reddy (Tilda Cobham-Hervey) leaves her old life in Australia for New York and stardom, only to find that the industry’s male gatekeepers don’t take her seriously. Helen finds an encouraging friend in legendary rock journalist Lillian Roxon (Danielle Macdonald), who becomes her closest confidant. When ambitious aspiring talent manager Jeff Wald (Evan Peters) sweeps Helen off her feet, everything changes as he becomes both her husband and manager and relocates the family to California. With a strong push from Helen, Jeff secures her a recording contract and subsequent string of hit singles, including the iconic megahit “I Am Woman.” Increased fame leads to added pressures on themselves and their relationship, forcing Helen to find the strength to take control of her own destiny.
• Buoyancy is released. Spirited 14-year-old Chakra works the rice fields with his family. He yearns for independence and seeks out a local broker who can get him paid work in a Thai factory. Without telling his family, Chakra travels to Bangkok to make his fortune. But when he gets there, he and his new friend Kea realize the broker has lied to them. Along with other Cambodians and Burmese, they are sold to a fishing captain as slaves.
• Sibyl is released. Sibyl follows a psychotherapist (Virginie Efira) who decides to quit her practice and return to writing instead. As Sibyl starts dropping patients, she begins to struggle with excess time and a lack of inspiration–until she gets a call from Margot (Adèle Exarchopoulos), a young actress wrapped up in a dramatic affair with her costar, Igor (Gaspard Ulliel), who happens to be married to the film’s director (Sandra Hüller). Becoming further enmeshed in Margot’s life, Sibyl starts to blur past and present, fiction with reality, and the personal with the professional as she begins to use Margot’s life as source material for her novel.
• Space Dogs is released. Laika, a stray dog picked up by the Soviet space program on the streets of Moscow, became the first living being to orbit the earth when she was launched into space on Sputnik 2. Although Laika would not survive the journey, directors Elsa Kremser and Levin Peter trace the persistence of her memory and legacy into the present day. As the capsule containing Laika re-entered Earth’s orbit and began to burn up, the narrator announces “What had been a Moscow street dog had become a ghost.” The ghost Laika lives on in the present-day strays of Space Dogs. Photographed at ground level with wandering, hypnotic camera movements, the strays are seen navigating the urban environs of modern Moscow. In hewing closely to the dog’s point of view, the city is rendered as a strange, alien environment. Pulsating music from buildings and unidentified passerby take on an unfamiliar quality as the dogs explore this strange new world. [Icarus Films]
• MOVIES: NR
• Rent-A-Pal is released. Set in 1990, a lonely bachelor named David (Brian Landis Folkins) searches for an escape from the day-to-day drudgery of caring for his aging mother (Kathleen Brady). While seeking a partner through a video dating service, he discovers a strange VHS tape called Rent-A-Pal. Hosted by the charming and charismatic Andy (Wil Wheaton), the tape offers him much-needed company, compassion, and friendship. But, Andy’s friendship comes at a cost, and David desperately struggles to afford the price of admission.
• MOVIES: PG13
• The Broken Hearts Gallery is released. What if you saved a souvenir from every relationship you've ever been in? The Broken Hearts Gallery follows the always unique Lucy (Geraldine Viswanathan), a 20-something art gallery assistant living in New York City, who also happens to be an emotional hoarder. After she gets dumped by her latest boyfriend, Lucy is inspired to create The Broken Heart Gallery, a pop-up space for the items love has left behind. Word of the gallery spreads, encouraging a movement and a fresh start for all the romantics out there, including Lucy herself.
• TV SERIES
• The Duchess: Season 1 is released. Katherine (Katherine Ryan), a single mother with a nine-year-old daughter is thinking of having a second child with her ex (Rory Keenan) in this London-set comedy created and written by Ryan.
• ALBUMS
• The Universal Want was released by Doves. The first full-length studio release for the British alternative rock band in over 10 years was produced with Dan Austin.
• WE ARE CHAOS was released by Marilyn Manson. The 11th full-length studio release for the rock band was produced with Shooter Jennings.
• Shame was released by Uniform. The fourth full-length release for the New York industrial metal trio was mixed by Randall Dunn.
• RE-ANIMATOR was released by Everything Everything. The fifth full-length studio release for the British art pop/rock band was produced by John Congleton.
• From King to a God was released by Conway the Machine. The debut full-length studio release for the rapper from Buffalo features guest appearances from Lloyd Banks, Benny The Butcher, Armani Caesar, DeJ Loaf, Elcamino, Flee Lord, Freddie Gibbs, Havoc, Method Man, and Westside Gunn.
• Comma was released by Sam Prekop. The fifth full-length solo release for the The Sea and Cake band member is his first in five years.
• American Head was released by The Flaming Lips. The 16th full-length studio release for the experimental rock band features a guest appearance from Kacey Musgraves
• SPORTS
• Sonny Allen, American basketball coach (ODU, Southern Methodist University, University of Nevada, Reno; WNBA Sacramento Monarchs), who died of Parkinson's Disease at 84.

On this day in 2019

• EVENTS
• Water detected for first time on planet outside out solar system, on exoplanet K2-18b 110 light-years away, in findings published in "Nature Astronomy".
• American songwriter and artist Daniel Johnston died of a suspected heart attack at his home in Waller, Texas, at the age of 58. Kurt Cobain once described him as 'the best songwriter on earth' and famously wore one of Johnston's t-shirts to the 1992 MTV Awards. Other musicians who have covered Johnston's songs include Pearl Jam, Tom Waits, Wilco, Death Cab for Cutie, Sufjan Stevens and Yo La Tengo..
• DEATHS
• Daniel Johnston, American musician and visual artist (" Hi, How Are You"), who died of a suspected heart attack at 58.
• Bacharuddin Habibie, Politician.
• T. Boone Pickens, American business person and oil tycoon (Shamrock, Mesa Petroleum Co) known as the 'Oracle of Oil', who died at 91.
• POLITICS
• B. J. Habibie,3rd President of Indonesia (1998-99) who liberalized Indonesia's press and political party laws, who died of heart failure at 83.

On this day in 2018

• EVENTS
• American-backed militia begins final push to oust militants from Hajin, Syria, last area under Islamic State control.
• Bus crash in southern Indian state of Telangana kills 53.
• Film "Green Book" directed by Peter Farrell and starring Viggo Mortensen and Mahershala Ali premieres at the Toronto Film Festival (Academy Award Best Picture 2019).
• Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan lies in state in Accra, Ghana, ahead of a state funeral.
• " Fear: Trump in the White House" by Bob Woodward is published by Simon and Schuster.
• Russia launches its largest military exercise since 1981 involving 300,000 personal with Chinese troops participating.
• James Anderson takes his 564th Test wicket to become the most prolific fast bowler in cricket history as England beats India by 118 runs in the 5th Test at The Oval for a 4-1 series victory; Alistair Cook's final Test.
• Suicide bombing in Nangarhar province, Afghanistan, kills 68 and injures 165.
• DEATHS
• Fenella Fielding, English actress (Carry On films), who died at 90.
• GAMING: PLAYSTATION 4
• V-Rally 4 for PlayStation 4 is released. Enjoy an extreme off-road racing experience while becoming an expert in a demanding simulation. Take on the challenges of rallies, rallycross, drifts, buggies and hill climbs, and set off on a spectacular journey across every continent.
• POLITICS
• Imprisoned Brazilian Ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva abandons his presidential campaign.
• SPORTS
• Jim Houston, American College Football Hall of Fame linebacker (Ohio State; Pro Bowl 1964-65,69-70; Cleveland Browns), who died of dementia and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis at 80.

On this day in 2017

• EVENTS
• One million march on this state's national day in Barcelona in support of independence for Catalonia.
• UN imposes new export sanctions on North Korea.
• DEATHS
• Peter Hall, Actor Director.
• Pierre-Simon, marquis de Laplace, French mathematician, astronomer and physicist (stability of the solar system), who died at 77.
• Joe Roletto, Race Car Driver.
• TV SERIES
• Liar: Season 1 is released. The date between Laura Nielson (Joanne Froggatt) and Andrew Earlham (Ioan Gruffudd), a surgeon with a son at her school, was just the start of a series of accusations in this six-part thriller written and created by Harry and Jack Williams.
• POLITICS
• Norwegian Conservative Prime Minister Erna Solberg, heading a right-wing coalition, claims victory in Norway's general election.

On this day in 2016

• WEDDINGS
• The Munsters actor Butch Patrick at the age of 63 weds Leila Murray at the Macon Roadhouse in Macon, Missouri.
• DEATHS
• Alexis Arquette, American transgender performer (Last Exit to Brooklyn), who died at 47.
• TV SERIES
• Son of Zorn: Season 1 is released. The live-action/animation hybrid comedy where the Zephyria warrior Zorn (voiced by Jason Sudeikis) returns to Orange County and complicates the life of of his teenage son (Johnny Pemberton) and ex-wife (Cheryl Hines), who is engaged to a psychology professor (Tim Meadows).

On this day in 2015

• EVENTS
• Sofia Vergara (Modern Family) and Kaley Cuoco-Sweeting (The Big Bang Theory) are named highest earning TV actresses (28.5 million) by Forbes.
• A large crane collapses killing more than 100 people in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
• Mark Ronson’s hit 'Uptown Funk!' became the fifth biggest-selling single in British chart history with over two million UK sales and overtaking Paul McCartney & Wings’ 1977 chart-topper 'Mull Of Kintrye/Girls’ School'..
• BIRTHS
• Mateo Messi, Family Member, born in Barcelona, Spain.
• Liam Alves, Family Member, born in Brazil.
• DEATHS
• Marcel Zeeuw, Surinamese soldier (coup 1982), who died at 61.
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• A Brilliant Young Mind is released. Preferring to hide in the safety of his own private world, Nathan (Asa Butterfield) struggles to connect with people, often pushing away those who want to be closest to him, including his mother, Julie (Sally Hawkins). Without the ability to understand love or affection, Nathan finds the comfort and security he needs in numbers and mathematics. Mentored by his unconventional and anarchic teacher, Mr Humphreys (Rafe Spall), it becomes clear that Nathan’s talents are enough to win him a place on the British team competing at the highly revered International Mathematics Olympiad. Being part of a team and one which has a real chance of winning seems like it could change Nathan’s life forever. But when the team go to train in Taiwan, Nathan is faced with a multitude of unexpected challenges, not least the new and unfamiliar feelings he begins to experience for one of the Chinese competitors, the beautiful Zhang Mei (Jo Yang).
• Breathe is released. Charlie (Joséphine Japy) is seventeen and bored. Her estranged parents are too caught up in their own drama to pay her much attention. School holds no surprises either, and Charlie grows tired of her staid friends. Enter Sarah (Lou de Laâge), a confident and charismatic new transfer student who brings with her an alluring air of boldness and danger. The two form an instant connection, and through shared secrets, love interests and holiday getaways their relationship deepens to levels of unspoken intimacy. But with this intimacy comes jealousy and unrealistic expectations, and soon the teens find themselves on a dangerous trajectory toward an inevitable and unforeseen collapse. [Film Movement]
• MOVIES: PG
• Meet the Patels is released. Meet The Patels is a real life romantic comedy about Ravi Patel, an almost-30-year-old Indian-American who enters a love triangle between the woman of his dreams...and his parents. [Alchemy]
• MOVIES: PG13
• 90 Minutes in Heaven is released. Don Piper (Hayden Christensen) died Jan. 18,1989, when a semi-tractor truck crushed his car. Declared dead by the first rescue workers to arrive on the scene, Don’s body lay under a tarp for the next 90 minutes. Don’s soul, meanwhile, was experiencing love, joy and life like he’d never known before. Don was in Heaven.When another pastor’s prayers helped bring Don back to life, he became a living miracle! Yet this is one miracle Don wished never happened. Heaven’s bliss was replaced by excruciating pain and emotional turmoil. With the support and prayers of his beloved Eva, their three kids and friends near and far, Don clings to his faith in God and fights to regain a semblance of his previous life.
• The Perfect Guy is released. After a painful breakup, successful lobbyist Leah Vaughn (Sanaa Lathan) jumps into a passionate relationship with a charming stranger (Michael Ealy). When her ex-boyfriend (Morris Chestnut) resurfaces in her life she has to figure out who she should trust and who she should fear.
• The Visit is released. A brother and sister are sent to their grandparents’ remote Pennsylvania farm for a weeklong trip. Once the children discover that the elderly couple is involved in something deeply disturbing, they see their chances of getting back home are growing smaller every day.
• Wolf Totem is released. In 1967, a young Beijing student, Chen Zhen, is sent to live among the nomadic herdsmen of Inner Mongolia. Caught between the advance of civilization from the south and the nomads' traditional enemies - the marauding wolves - to the north; humans and animals, residents and invaders alike, struggle to find their true place in the world.
• MOVIES: R
• Sleeping with Other People is released. Can two serial cheaters get a second chance at love? After a one-night stand in college, New Yorkers Lainey (Alison Brie) and Jake (Jason Sudeikis) meet by chance twelve years later and discover they each have the same problem: because of their monogamy-challenged ways, neither can maintain a relationship. Determined to stay friends despite their mutual attraction, they make a pact to keep it platonic, a deal that proves easier said than done. [IFC Films]
• Goodnight Mommy is released. In the heat of the summer lays a lonesome house in the countryside where nine year old twin brothers await their mother’s return. When she comes home, bandaged after cosmetic surgery, nothing is like before and the children start to doubt whether this woman is actually who she says she is. What ensues is a terrifying struggle for identity and fundamental trust. [RADiUS-TWC]
• ALBUMS
• Good Sad Happy Bad was released by Micachu & the Shapes. After scoring 2014 film Under The Skin, Mica Levi returns to his experimental pop trio for their first studio release in three years.
• Gone by the Dawn was released by Shannon and the Clams. The fourth full-length release for the Oakland, California-based garage rock trio was produced by Sonny Smith of Sonny & The Sunsets.
• Hollow Meadows was released by Richard Hawley. The eighth full-length studio solo release for the British rock singer-songwriter features contributions from Pulp's Jarvis Cocker, Nancy Kerr, Martin Simpson, and Slow Club's Rebecca Taylor.
• Hollywood Vampires was released by Hollywood Vampires. Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp decided three years ago to form their own Hollywood Vampires and recruited Joe Perry and producer Bob Ezrin to record a tribute album to the original members with the profits going to MusiCares. Guest appearances include Perry Farrell, Dave Grohl, Brian Johnson, Robbie Krieger, the late Christopher Lee, Sir Paul McCartney, Slash, Zak Starkey, Joe Walsh, and Kip Winger.
• Faith in the Future was released by Craig Finn. The second full-length solo release for The Hold Steady frontman was produced by Josh Kaufman.
• Anthems for Doomed Youth was released by The Libertines. The first release in 11 years for the British garage rock band led by Carl Barât and Pete Doherty.
• Love + War was released by Kwabs. The debut full-length release for the British R&B singer Kwabena Sarkodee Adjepong features production from SOHN and Dave Okumu.
• Me was released by Empress Of. The full-length debut release for Lorely Rodriguez was largely recorded in Mexico and self-produced.
• La Vie Est Belle was released by Petite Noir. The debut full-length release for South African singer Yannick Ilunga features influences from 80s pop, Afrobeat, house and rock music.
• Keep the Village Alive was released by Stereophonics. The ninth full-length studio release for the Welsh alternative rock band led by Kelly Jones was produced with Jim Lowe.
• No, No, No was released by Beirut. The first release in four years for the indie folk band led by Zach Condon, who found inspiration again with a new girlfriend and spending time in Turkey.
• Ones and Sixes was released by Low. The 11th full-length studio release for the indie rock band was produced with BJ Burton.
• Paper Gods was released by Duran Duran. The 14th full-length studio release for the British pop rock band features guest appearances from Jonas Bjerre, John Frusciante, Kiesza, Lindsay Lohan, Janelle Monáe, Mr Hudson, and Nile Rodgers.
• Repentless was released by Slayer. Produced by Terry Date, the 11th full-length studio release for the California trash metal band is the first with Exodus guitarist Gary Holt who took over from co-founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman who passed away in 2013.
• So There was released by Ben Folds. The chamber pop music from the singer-songwriter features the Nashville Symphony and yMusic.
• That's the Spirit was released by Bring Me the Horizon. The fifth full-length studio release for the British metal band was produced by band members Oli Sykes and Jordan Fish.
• 90059 was released by Jay Rock. The second full-length studio release for the Black Hippy rapper features guest appearances from Black Hippy, Busta Rhymes, Kendrick Lamar, Isaiah Rashad, Sir, and Lance Skiiiwalker.
• The Story of Sonny Boy Slim was released by Gary Clark, Jr.. The second full-length release for the Austin guitarist was self-produced.
• GAMING: WII U
• Super Mario Maker for Wii U is released. Play a countless number of intensely creative Super Mario levels from players around the globe. It’s easy enough to create your own levels with the Wii U GamePad controller that it may feel like you’re simply sketching out your ideas on paper, but you can now bring enemies and objects into a playable course in ways you could only consider before. Violate the conventions of traditional Super Mario gameplay by blending enemies, traps and items into unexpected twists, like Piranha Plant-shooting cannons, power-up-tossing Lakitus, or even Hammer Bros. riding on Bowser while bouncing on trampolines.
• GAMING: XBOX ONE
• Leo's Fortune for Xbox One is released. Leo's Fortune is a platform adventure game where you hunt down the cunning and mysterious thief that stole your gold. Beautifully hand-crafted levels bring the story of Leo to life in this epic adventure.VOYAGE through lush environments from mossy forests and arid deserts, to pirate cities and snowy mountains.SURVIVE vicious traps and solve physics-based puzzles through 24 levels of treacherous adventure.FOLLOW the trail of gold and uncover the truth behind Leo's stolen fortune.Finish Leo's Fortune to unlock Hard-core Mode: try to beat the whole game without dying to unlock a special prize!
• POLITICS
• Ex-Governor of Texas, Rick Perry becomes the first candidate to drop out of race for the Republican nomination.

On this day in 2014

• EVENTS
• South African athlete Oscar Pistorius is found not guilty of murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp (and is later found guilty of culpable homicide).
• DEATHS
• Antoine Duhamel, French composer, who died at 89.
• Bob Crewe, American songwriter and producer (" Big Girls Don't Cry"), who died at 83.
• GAMING: 3DS
• The Keep for 3DS is released. First-person dungeon crawler. Real-time combat. Rune magic. Fire, Ice and Lightning.Enter the Keep as an unsung hero on a quest to destroy the nefarious wizard Watrys. Explore the subterranean depths in this first-person dungeon crawler featuring real-time combat, a unique rune magic system, exploration, and puzzle solving. This game will awaken memories of what made old-school RPG dungeons so much fun to play while you fight, hunt for hidden treasures, and avoid deadly traps. Get to know your enemies, find their weaknesses, and crush them. Experiment with magic to discover powerful spells. Only the strongest will survive.To defeat the seemingly undefeatable Watrys, you will need to level up your character and find powerful armor and weapons. The game controls were designed with a stylus in mind so mastering both sword and magic is a fun and intuitive experience.Do you have what it takes to stand against such evil? Then dont procrastinate and enter. The Keep awaits you...
• GAMING: WII U
• Teslagrad for Wii U is released. Teslagrad is a 2D puzzle-platformer, where you play as a young lad who suddenly finds himself embroiled in an ancient conflict that will shake the foundations of his entire existence, and bring a gruesome truth to light.The game revolves around the use of electricity and magnetism, and your ingenuity will be put to the test as you employ the amazing technology of the Teslamancers to traverse the abandoned Tesla Tower. The game is completely devoid of both text and dialogue, and prefers to tell the story purely through visual means.

On this day in 2013

• EVENTS
• 12 Alawite sect members are killed by rebel fighters in central Syria.
• MOVIES: NOT RATED
• Mademoiselle C is released. A documentary focused on former Vogue Paris editor-in-chief and fashion stylist Carine Roitfeld as she moves to New York to launch her own magazine.
• GAMING: XBOX 360
• Disney DuckTales: Remastered for Xbox 360 is released. DuckTales Remastered has seen the development team take the levels and layout from the original 1989 release as a foundation before expanding upon them to significantly enhance the gameplay experience but where this update truly impresses is its graphics and sound. All of the visuals from the 8-bit game have been beautifully re-created as hand-drawn and animated sprites, across a backdrop of luscious, re-envisioned level backgrounds. Furthermore, original Disney Character Voices talent, including some from the cartoon TV series, bring in-game characters to life with charm and wit, while the classic melodies of the original soundtrack are given a modern twist.