Showbiz History: Aretha, Mame, and Florence Pugh

5 random things that happened on this day, January 3rd, in showbiz history

1897 Marion Davies born in Brooklyn. The 1930s film star is best remembered in history as the mistress of tycoon William Randolph Hearst. Multiple films have featured their relationship including current Oscar hopeful Mank (2020).

1952 Dragnet begins airing in its regular time slot Thursdays at 9:00 PM on NBC (a couple of weeks after the pilot airs). The influential series -- which basically created the #1 tv genre, the procedural, will run for eight seasons, be relaunched in the late 1960s for another four seasons and spawn three movies. The last of those was a comedy in 1987  starring Tom Hanks just before Big served as the bridge between popular comic actor and serious actor, netting Hanks his first Oscar nod. Two short-lived one season attempts to revive Dragnet were attempted in 1989 and 2003 respectively...

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Showbiz History: Rasputin, Kiss Me Kate, and Way of the Dragon

7 random things that happened on this day, December 30th, in history 

Veidt, Lee, and Rickman as "Rasputin" in various projects

1916 Russian mystic Raputin, who had great influence with the Romanov family, is assassinated in his sleep. He's been portrayed dozens of times onscreen. Some famous actors who have played him include Conradt Veidt (Rasputin, Dämon der Frauen), Lionel Barrymore (Rasputin and the Empress), Christopher Lee (Rasputin the Mad Monk), Alan Rickman (Rasputin: Dark Servant of Destiny - Emmy, SAG, and Golden Globe wins for Best Actor in TV Movie or Miniseries), and the voice of Christopher Lloyd (Anastasia). The next actors to play him will be Rhys Ifans (The King's Man, 2021), and maybe Leonardo DiCaprio in a biopic though Leo doesn't even make a fifth of the projects he's attached to. He's currently attached to 45 titles (!!!) according to IMDb Pro... though most are only "optioned" or in some unknown stage of development.

Miley Cyrus, Daniel Sunjata, Kiss Me Kate, Way of the Dragon, "My Way" and more after the jump...

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Link Roundup

• Advocate straight actors still not feeling any hesistancy about taking on gay roles that could be played by underemployed actually gay actors. Viggo Mortensen is the latest, he even wrote it for himself
• Coming Soon I don't know quite why I expectd Jordan Peele, who got famous in comedy, to transition out of horror films but he's sticking with the genre. After Get Out and Us his third horror feature lands in 2022 (no plot, title, or cast details yet)
• My New Plaid Pants ohmy. There's a pretty gay rumor about the long delayed Dev Patel picture The Green Knight which co-stars Joel Edgerton

More after the jump including Andrew Scott, The Queen's Gambit, A Quiet Place sequels, new film projects and new TV series... 

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Showbiz History: Gunfight at the OK Corral, The Terminator, and Bond

Five random things that happened on this day (October 26th) in history...

1881 The Gunfight at the OK Corral lasted just 30 seconds on this day but it's been immortal since via the movies and television where it's been depicted dozens of times, most famously in Gunfight at the OK Corral (1957) and Tombstone (1993).

1931 Eugene O'Neill's Mourning Becomes Electra opens on Broadway starring Alice Brady (who will win an Oscar later that decade for In Old Chicago). But it takes 16 years for a film version to premiere which disappoints but nabs an Oscar nomination and a Golden Globe Drama win for Rosalind Russell...

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Streaming Review: "What the Constitution Means to Me"

by Christopher James

One of my favorite theater going experiences ever was seeing What the Constitution Means to Me off Broadway last fall. Writer/performer Heidi Schreck had such a knack for involving the audience in her exhilarating look at the role of the Constitution in our lives. By the end of the show, it felt like we were working with her in devising a new and more perfect solution. This level of intimacy and audience engagement seemed almost impossible to replicate with the remove of film. Luckily, director extraordinaire Marielle Heller was tasked with recording the production during its final week at the Helen Hayes Theater on Broadway. Heller continues her impressive streak, delivering another hit...

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