Category Archives: On This Day

“Everything I’ve ever let go of has claw marks on it.” — David Foster Wallace

Posted on February 22, 2026 by sheila

“Really good fiction could have as dark a worldview as it wished, but it’d find a way both to depict this world and to illuminate the possibilities for being alive and human in it.” — David Foster Wallace It’s his … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, On This Day, writers | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

“I love humanity but I hate people.” — poet Edna St. Vincent Millay

Posted on February 22, 2026 by sheila

Edna St. Vincent Millay was born on this day in 1892 in Rockland, Maine. “Boys don’t like me anyway because I won’t let them kiss me. It’s just like this: let boys kiss you and they’ll like you but you … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, On This Day, writers | Tagged , , , , , | 16 Comments

“I’m really confident. I had a perfect childhood. I had perfect parents and grandparents. They just love me, simply. So I have no fears.” — Mélanie Laurent

Posted on February 21, 2026 by sheila

Today is the birthday of French actress and director Mélanie Laurent. Probably most American audiences (and international audiences, outside of France) were first introduced to the extraordinary Mélanie Laurent in her perfoƒrmance as the revolutionary Shoshanna in Inglourious Basterds. Laurent … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Directors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged , , , | 10 Comments

“I find it very difficult myself to make movies where I know right from the beginning what the end is going to be.” — Bob Rafelson

Posted on February 21, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. In 1965, television producers Bob Rafelson and Bert Schneider placed an ad in the Hollywood Reporter: MADNESS!! AUDITIONS Folk & Roll Musicians-Singers for acting roles in new TV series. Running parts for 4 insane boys, age … Continue reading →

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“If people want to know who I am, it is all in the work.” — Alan Rickman

Posted on February 21, 2026 by sheila

It’s his birthday today. When Alan Rickman died, I paid tribute to him for Rogerebert.com, including my memory of seeing him in the unforgettable Broadway production of Noel Coward’s Private Lives, opposite Lindsay Duncan. I still have the poster. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day, Theatre | 9 Comments

“Never write from your head; write from your cock.” — Wystan Hugh Auden

Posted on February 21, 2026 by sheila

W.H. Auden was born on this day in York, England, 1907. I first encountered Auden in my “Humanities” class, senior year in high school. I got a lot out of that class, and I remember we analyzed Auden’s famous most-anthologized … Continue reading →

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It’s Ron Eldard’s Birthday: the first famous person I interviewed

Posted on February 20, 2026 by sheila

Here’s the story of the first famous person I interviewed – an actor I had admired for a long time: Mr. Ron Eldard. I saw the excellent Roadie at the Tribeca Film Festival. Eldard plays a roadie fired from his … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day, Personal | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

“I also like to play roles where the women are a little crazy. I just have a feel for crazy people.” – Lili Taylor

Posted on February 20, 2026 by sheila

“If someone puts up $100 million on a movie, they’re gonna be concerned about whether they’ll get it back. So they’re not gonna make a movie about three girls, you know?” — Lili Taylor It’s her birthday today. Like most … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

“Since I couldn’t actuate the things that I wanted to do, the only weapon I had was to say no.” — Sidney Poitier

Posted on February 20, 2026 by sheila

It’s Sidney Poitier’s birthday. Poitier was the first African-American to win a Best Actor Oscar for his performance as Homer Smith, the drifter/handy-man in 1963’s Lilies of the Field (which also won Best Picture). Poitier is a superstar in it, … Continue reading →

Posted in Actors, Movies, On This Day | Tagged | 4 Comments

“The duty of youth is to challenge corruption.” — Kurt Cobain

Posted on February 20, 2026 by sheila

“The kid has heart.” — Bob Dylan, after hearing Nirvana’s song “Polly” for the first time Today is Kurt Cobain’s birthday. I’m not over it. There are defining moments in a generation, moments everyone remembers. For my generation it was … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, On This Day | Tagged , | 13 Comments