Category Archives: On This Day

Happy Birthday, “Mr. Personality” Lloyd Price

Posted on March 9, 2026 by sheila

It’s the birthday of Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Lloyd Price (born in 1933- he died in 2021 at the age of 88!) He moved into a rarified level of cultural status with his 1959 mega-hit “Personality” – which … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, On This Day | 8 Comments

“Have you ever noticed how a cat stretches after a nap? We can learn from watching animals.” — Cyd Charisse

Posted on March 8, 2026 by sheila

Legs for weeks, not days. While there are so many classic and unforgettable dance numbers to choose from, the “Girl Hunt” number from Band Wagon is my favorite. Please read this wonderful tribute to Charisse by my friend, Dan Callahan. … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged , , | 17 Comments

“Since when was genius found respectable?” – Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Posted on March 6, 2026 by sheila

It’s her birthday today. I have a beautiful red-leather bound copy of The Complete Poetical Works of Elizabeth Barrett Browning, bought at a second-hand store. The publication date is 1882, with a foreword by Mrs. Browning herself. She died in … Continue reading →

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Happy Birthday, Dean Stockwell

Posted on March 5, 2026 by sheila

I’ve been paying tribute to him on his birthday for 15 years or something insane like that. I need to take a moment to reflect on my own “relationship” to him and his work. He was really important to me, … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day, Television | Tagged | 20 Comments

“Character roles definitely age better than your ingenues. You don’t get to keep doing that.” — Catherine O’Hara

Posted on March 4, 2026 by sheila

It’s a sad day. It is Catherine O’Hara’s birthday. What a tragic loss. Unexpected. I am glad I so appreciated her – and venerated her, really – while she was still with us. There was nobody – NOBODY – like … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged | 3 Comments

“Silence is necessary to tyrants and occupiers, who take pains to have their actions accompanied by quiet.” — Ryszard Kapuściński

Posted on March 4, 2026 by sheila

It’s the birthday today of one of my favorite writers, Polish journalist and author Ryszard Kapuściński. His death in 2007 was devastating to me. I went to the memorial tribute at the New York Public Library, hosted by his close … Continue reading →

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“I wasn’t born an actress, you know. Events made me one.” — Jean Harlow

Posted on March 3, 2026 by sheila

Today is Jean Harlow’s birthday. Here is a discussion Mitchell and I had about her. The setup of the conversation (an ongoing series): I throw names of famous people at Mitchell, and ask him to describe each person in only … Continue reading →

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“I just love telling stories. That’s what we do and it’s a good business to be in, especially if you know you have talent.” –Jensen Ackles

Posted on March 1, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. I’ve written so much about him. My Supernatural re-caps are filled with tributes/explorations to his talent. He has no flaws as an actor. This is so rare. He can do anything. And he is lucky to … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, On This Day, Television | Tagged , , | 219 Comments

“I was going upstream, against the current. I was coming from the North before the North had broken”. — John Montague

Posted on February 28, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. John Montague has great sentimental value to me. He was one of my father’s favorite poets. I remember being at home – some years ago, it had to be pre-covid (sob) – and Mum pulled out … Continue reading →

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“What a writer asks of his reader is not so much to like as to listen.” — poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Posted on February 27, 2026 by sheila

“He suffered excessive popularity; he has now suffered three quarters of a century of critical neglect.” – Michael Schmidt, Lives of the Poets Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on this day in 1807, in Portland, Maine. He was the first … Continue reading →

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