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Drewsky1211

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Everything posted by Drewsky1211

  1. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Adam "MCA" Yauch died on this day 12 years ago, aged 47. - MCA was an acronym for "Master of Ceremonies Adam". - Yauch would create the punk band Young Aborigines alongside Michael (Mike D) Diamond, and the band would become the Beastie Boys in 1981. - Throughout the band's history, Yauch would co-write many of their hit singles, including "You Gotta Fight for Your Right to Party", "No Sleep Till Brooklyn", "Brass Monkey", "Sabotage", and "Intergalactic". - Yauch also went under the pseudonym 'Nathaniel Hornblower' when directing some of the Beastie Boys' music videos, such as those for "Intergalactic" and "Body Movin'": - While Yauch had a Catholic father and Jewish mother, he was a Buddhist and was a vocal proponent for Tibetan liberation from China. - Yauch was the only one of the Beastie Boys unable to record voice cameos for the Futurama episode "Hell is Other Robots", so Adam (Ad-Rock) Horowitz would voice him. Recordings of "Intergalactic" and "Super Disco Breakin'" at the concert the characters attended would still use his voice, however: - Yauch was diagnosed with salivary gland cancer in 2009, and died after a 3-year battle with the disease.
  2. Drewsky1211

    The Happy Birthday Thread

    Pia Zadora is 71. Here she is (on the right) in a Christmas film with about as much notoriety as The Star Wars Holiday Special- 1964's Santa Claus Conquers the Martians:
  3. 5/3/2024 52 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor -4 49 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 37 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 20 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 10 Coldplay — In My Place -1 0 Manic Street Preachers — Your Song Alone Is Not Enough -1
  4. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Mehmed II the Conqueror died on this day 543 years ago, aged 49. - Mehmed was the son of Sultan Murad II, and would become sultan of the Ottoman Empire when he was 12 after his father abdicated in favor of him. Despite his young age, Mehmed was a strategic commander, managing to win the Battle of Varna in 1444. This first reign lasted only two years, and his father returned to the throne. - Mehmed became sultan once again once his father died in 1451. As the country surrounded Constantinople, and as such Mehmed made it his target. He would besiege the city in 1453, and Constantinople (according to They Might Be Giants) "got the works". Afterwards, Mehmed would declare the Ottoman Empire the successor to the Roman Empire (as the Byzantine Empire once was), and named himself caesar. - From there Mehmed would colonize Europe, spreading the Ottoman Empire's lands into Serbia, Bosnia, southern Greece, and Albania, and would lead expeditions into Italy. Mehmed was negatively nicknamed 'The Great Eagle' by Europeans (somehow this derogatory nickname is badass). - Mehmed was known for his tolerance of religious freedom (as long as non-Muslims were loyal to the empire), centralizing the Ottoman government, and being a patron of the blossoming Renaissance- he would commission art from Italian artists, and had a large library at his palace with over 8,000 manuscripts. - Mehmed would die while on campaign planning for his next conquest (either the island of Rhodes, southern Italy, or the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt). He was succeeded as sultan by his son Bayezid II.
  5. Drewsky1211

    The Happy Birthday Thread

    Frankie Valli is 90.
  6. 5/2/2024 57 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor -6 46 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 39 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 26 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 22 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 20 Coldplay — In My Place
  7. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Jack Kemp died on this day 15 years ago, aged 73. - Before entering politics, Kemp was already well-known as an football quarterback, most notably for the Buffalo Bills between 1962 and 1969. He was a two-time winner of the AFL Championship (a precursor to the Super Bowl). - Kemp was already into politics while he was still a football star, serving as a volunteer on Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign, and Ronald Reagan's successful 1966 run for California governor. - Kemp would be elected to the US House of Representatives in 1970, serving for nine terms. He ran for president in 1988, receiving over 300,000 votes in the Republican primaries (about 3% of the primaries' votes). The winner of those primaries- George H. W. Bush- would appoint him as his Secretary of Housing and Urban Development after he won the election. - Kemp's most well-remembered political achievement was when Bob Dole chose him as his running mate in 1996. On an incidental note, their campaign website has outlived both of them: http://www.dolekemp96.org/ - Kemp was diagnosed with skin cancer in January of 2009, and died four months later.
  8. Drewsky1211

    The Happy Birthday Thread

    Engelbert Humperdinck is 88.
  9. 5/1/2024 70 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor 39 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 38 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 35 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 27 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 13 Coldplay — In My Place -3 12 Wheatus — Teenage Dirtbag -3 10 Adele — Chasing Pavements
  10. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Pope Marcellus II died on this day 469 years ago, aged 53. - Marcellus' non-papal name was Marcello Cervini, which was obviously Latinized once he became pope (he is the most recent pope to keep his birth name). His father Ricardo was good friends with Pope Clement VII, who initially hired Marcellus to work on a project to resynchronize the Julian calendar (the Gregorian calendar was only invented later that century). - Marcellus was appointed as a bishop in 1539, and made a cardinal by Pope Paul III in December of that year. As cardinal, Marcellus would serve as a council member of the Council of Trent (which began in 1545), and became the librarian of the Vatican Library in 1550. - Marcellus was elected pope after the death of Pope Julius III in 1555. While he had made plans for church reform, Marcellus soon fell ill and died following a stroke, having spent only three weeks as pope. Marcellus would be succeeded by Pope Paul IV.
  11. 4/30/2024 72 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor 42 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 41 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 37 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 29 Wheatus — Teenage Dirtbag 23 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 22 Coldplay — In My Place -1 20 Adele — Chasing Pavements 0 Razorlight — Somewhere Else -5
  12. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Peter Mayhew died on this day 5 years ago, aged 74. - Mayhew was 7'3" (or 2.21 meters) tall, as a result of Marfan syndrome. - Mayhew's first film role he was cast in was in the 1977 film Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, in the role of a robot minotaur. - Mayhew's second film role was what he was most famous for- Chewbacca. The role was originally going to go to David Prowse, but after Prowse became Darth Vader's physical actor, Mayhew was cast after George Lucas saw his height. He would continue to play Chewbacca in both Star Wars media and in cameos (like The Muppet Show and Glee) up until The Force Awakens in 2015. - One of the few non-Chewbacca roles Mayhew did was the voice of Susha in Funimation's English dub of Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy in 2004. - In his later years, Mayhew had mobility issues and relied on a wheelchair; he had knee replacement surgery in 2013 and spinal surgery in 2018. Mayhew ultimately died of a heart attack.
  13. Drewsky1211

    The Happy Birthday Thread

    King Carl XVI Gustaf of Sweden is 78.
  14. 4/29/2024 63 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor 47 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +4 41 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 36 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 35 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 31 Wheatus — Teenage Dirtbag 26 Adele — Chasing Pavements 22 Coldplay — In My Place -3 13 Razorlight — Somewhere Else -3 10 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound
  15. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Deborah Sampson died on this day 197 years ago, aged 66. - Sampson was born in colonial Massachusetts, and had Mayflower passenger ancestors on both sides of her family- her mother was a direct great-granddaughter of William Bradford. Her father abandoned his family under the guise of a shipwreck, when he actually moved to Maine and started another family there. - Sampson became an indentured servant when she was 10, and would be educated by the sons of the man she worked for (he didn't believe in women's education, but the kids shared their homework with her). Because of this education, she would become a teacher afterwards. - Sampson, however, is most known for her service during the American Revolution. In 1782, she would dress in drag and enlist in an army unit under the name of 'Timothy Thayer', but was found out almost immediately by a fellow townsperson. She would try this again with a different unit under the new alias 'Robert Shirtliff'. She wasn't immediately discovered due to her small breast size (easily covered up) and above-average height: Sampson- or Shirtliff- would see combat in Tarrytown, New York, and was shot band had her forehead cut by a British soldier. After being taken to a hospital, she would manage to remove the musket ball herself using a knife and needle, leaving after her sword wound was treated. Sampson fell in in 1783, and the doctor who treated her found her breast-concealing cloth- but kept his discovery secret and had her tended to by a female nurse. The doctor would give her a note to give to her superior- which was the revelation of her gender. She would be honorably discharged from the US Army by Henry Knox in October of 1783, having served for over a year. - After the war, Sampson would marry and had four children (one adopted). In 1792, she petitioned the Massachusetts government due to not having her army pay given to her due to her being a woman. She would receive the money, with John Hancock signing the agreement. - Sampson would also befriend Paul Revere, and he would loan her money when she was in financial trouble- her main source of income was giving lectures where she performed a military drill exercise from her time in service. - Sampson died in 1827 after a bout of yellow fever.
  16. Drewsky1211

    The Happy Birthday Thread

    What's the deal with Jerry Seinfeld turning 70 today?
  17. 4/28/2024 53 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor 46 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +2 36 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough  32 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 31 Wheatus — Teenage Dirtbag 30 Coldplay — In My Place 30 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 28 Adele — Chasing Pavements 24 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 14 Kylie Minogue — On A Night Like This 14 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 12 Pink — Get The Party Started +2 4 Oasis — Stop Crying Your Heart Out -6
  18. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Artabanus IV of Parthia died on this day 1800 years ago, aged ~63. - Artabanus was the son of king Vologases V. His name is derived from the Old Persian "Arta-banu", meaning "the glory of arta"- arta being a Zoroastrian term for 'righteousness'. - Artabanus' father died in 208, and his older brother Vologases VI would become the king of Parthia. Artabanus would end up rebelling against Vologases sometime around 213, and successfully took over the majority of the country (Vologases still had dominion over some areas within Parthian territory). - During his reign, Parthia would enter a conflict with the Roman Empire. Emperor Caracalla would use the pretext of Artabanus refusing to marry his daughter, and Roman and Parthian forces would clash with each other in 217. - Artabanus would be killed in a battle against the Sasanian Empire in 224, which marked the end of the Parthian Empire. The Sasanians, led by Ardashir I, would rule over Parthia until 651 when the Rashidun Caliphate took them over.
  19. 4/27/2024 40 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +2 37 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor 34 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 34 Manic Street Preachers — Your Love Alone Is Not Enough 33 Wheatus — Teenage Dirtbag 28 Adele — Chasing Pavements 28 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie 27 Oasis — Stop Crying Your Heart Out 26 Coldplay — In My Place 20 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 19 Busted — Year 3000 +2 18 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 15 Kelis — Trick Me -2 14 Kylie Minogue — On A Night Like This 14 Pink — Get The Party Started 07 Corinne Bailey Rae — Put Your Records On 0 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon -4
  20. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Ruth Handler died on this day 22 years ago, aged 85. - Handler would found a plastic furniture company with her husband Elliot. Due to falling sales in World War II, the Handlers would begin making dollhouse furniture, and in 1945 the company was renamed to "Mattel". The dollhouse furniture sale success led to the company fully entering the toy market. - In 1956, Handler would visit Germany, where she would notice a doll based on a comic book character named "Bild Lilli". She would bring one home for her daughter to play with, and noticing the absence of adult-aged female dolls in toy stores (girls would tend to play with baby dolls), decided to redevelop Bild Lilli for an American audience. Three years later, the doll would release, Handler would name it after said daughter- and the rest is history: Barbie's boyfriend Ken would follow in 1961, named after the Handlers' son. - Handler would have a mastectomy following a diagnosis of breast cancer in 1970, and would develop her own prosthetic breasts under a new company, "Ruthton": They were known as "Nearly Me"s. - Handler would resign from Mattel in 1975 after she was reported to have made fraudulent financial reports; she was fined and had to serve 2500 hours of community service. - Handler was later diagnosed with colon cancer and died from complications of surgery treating it. Interest in her surged following the 2023 Barbie movie, where her spirit would be played by Rhea Perlman.
  21. Drewsky1211

    The Happy Birthday Thread

    King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands is 57.
  22. 4/26/2024 34 Gorillaz — Feel Good Inc. +3 32 Sophie Ellis-Bextor — Murder On The Dancefloor 29 Kylie Minogue — Love At First Sight 29 Wheatus — Teenage Dirtbag 28 Manic Street Preachers—Your Love Is Not Enough 24 Coldplay — In My Place 24 Adele — Chasing Pavements 24 Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse — Valerie -6 23 Oasis — Stop Crying Your Heart Out 23 Busted — Year 3000 +1 20 Razorlight — Somewhere Else 20 Daft Punk — One More Time 18 Coldplay — Speed Of Sound 18 Manic Street Preachers — The Love Of Richard Nixon 16 Kylie Minogue — On A Night Like This 16 Pink — Get The Party Started 16 Kelis — Trick Me 14 Justin Timberlake — Cry Me A River -1 10 Corinne Bailey Rae — Put Your Records On 10 Plain White T’s — Hey There Delilah ,02 Taylor Swift — Love Story 0 Dido — White Flag -5
  23. Drewsky1211

    Death Anniversary Thread

    Count Basie died on this day 40 years ago, aged 79. - Basie's actual first name was William, and he began using his stage name sometime around 1928. His parents were instrument players, and they taught him how to play the piano- albeit he preferred drums. - Basie would get his start in Harlem (during its eponymous 'Renaissance' in the 1920s), before moving to Kansas City in 1929. He would play for the Bennie Moten Band, and he would soon take over the band when they kicked Moten out. He would rename it 'Count Basie and His Cherry Blossoms', before later renaming it to 'Count Basie and His Barons of Rhythm'. Among his biggest hits included "One O'Clock Jump" and "Boogie Woogie": - Basie's band would break up once the big band era ended following World War II, but he would make a new orchestral band in 1952, called "The New Testament Band", moving from swing and blues to jazz at this time. - Basie would make a few cameos in movies in his later years, most notably in Blazing Saddles: - Basie was one of the musicians mentioned in Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke", and one of two alive at the time of the song's release in 1977 (the other being Ella Fitzgerald). Basie was specifically the first one mentioned in the second verse's lyrics. - Basie died from pancreatic cancer.
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