On this day in 2008, The Dark Knight, the fifth film in the big-screen Batman series, opens in theaters around the United States, six months after the death of one of its stars, Heath Ledger, who played the Joker. The Dark Knight beat out the previous record-holder, 2007’s Spider-Man 3, to score the then-highest-grossing opening […]
Continue ReadingMTV’s The Real World Leaves Hollywood
On this day in 2008, the final episode of The Real World: Hollywood, a reality television show about seven young adults selected to live together, airs on MTV. Real World: Hollywood marked the 20th season of the pioneering reality program, which debuted in 1992 and went on to become MTV’s longest-running show. MTV (Music Television) […]
Continue ReadingGeorge Carlin Dies
On this day in 2008, the influential comic writer, actor and stand-up comedian George Carlin dies of heart failure at the age of 71. Born in New York City, Carlin dropped out of high school and joined the Air Force. While stationed in Shreveport, Louisiana, he got a job as a radio disc jockey; after […]
Continue ReadingCyd Charisse Dies
Cyd Charisse, who shot to Hollywood stardom as the graceful, long-legged dancing partner of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire in classic Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musicals such as Singin’ in the Rain (1952), Brigadoon (1954) and Silk Stockings (1957), dies of a heart attack on this day in 2008, in Los Angeles. She was 86. Charisse was born […]
Continue ReadingAngelina Jolie Gives Birth To Twins
On this day in 2008, a girl named Vivienne Marcheline and a boy named Knox Leon are born to actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie at Fondation Lenval hospital in Nice, France. The twins’ arrival made headlines around the world, as their celebrity parents had been a source of media fascination since their romantic relationship […]
Continue ReadingSex And The City Movie Released
On this day in 2008, the film version of HBO’s iconic comedy series Sex and the City, starring Sarah Jessica Parker, premieres in more than 3,200 theaters around the country and goes on to become a big box-office success. The Sex and the City TV series, which debuted some 10 years before, was based on […]
Continue ReadingSidney Pollack Dies
On this day in 2008, the film director, producer and actor Sidney Pollack, whose string of hits included Tootsie, Out of Africa and The Firm, dies of cancer at his home in Los Angeles, at the age of 73. After high school, Pollack left his hometown of South Bend, Indiana, to study at New York […]
Continue ReadingCelebrity Private Detective Anthony Pellicano Found Guilty
On April 30, 2008, Pellicano himself addressed judge and jury. According to a report in the New York Times, he referred to himself in the third person, as Judge Dale Fischer had ordered him to do given that he was representing himself. He steadfastly denied that he was running a criminal enterprise, and maintained that […]
Continue Reading“Speed Racer” Movie Released
On this day in 2008, “Speed Racer,” the big-budget live-action film version of the 1960s Japanese comic book and television series “MachGoGoGo,” makes its debut in U.S. movie theaters. Warner Brothers, the studio behind “Speed Racer,” brought on Larry and Andy Wachowski, the brothers who created the blockbuster science-fiction hit “The Matrix” and its two […]
Continue ReadingIron Man Released
On May 2, 2008, Iron Man, the latest big-budget action film based on a Marvel Comics character, debuts in some 4,100 theaters in the United States and Canada, raking in an estimated $32.5 million on its opening day. Co-created by Stan Lee, the legendary writer-editor behind Spider-Man, the Fantastic Four, X-Men and the Incredible Hulk, […]
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