December 29

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December 28

International Cinema Day

December 28 is International Cinema Day. In 1895, this day saw the premiere of the first film in history – “Workers Leaving a Factory” – by the Lumière brothers in the Parisian cafe in Parkway Kaputsinov. This film lasted only about 40 seconds – but, after all, it was the very beginning of cinematography…

Birthdays

Thomas Woodrow Wilson (December 28, 1856 – February 3, 1924) was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913. An intellectual with very high writing standards, Wilson was a highly effective partisan campaigner as well as legislative strategist. Wilson appealed to a gospel of service and infused a profound sense of moralism into his idealistic internationalism, now referred to as "Wilsonian". Wilsonianism calls for the United States to enter the world arena to fight for democracy, and has been a contentious position in American foreign policy.

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. (born December 28, 1954) is an American actor, film director, and film producer. He has received much critical acclaim for his work in film since the 1990s, including for his portrayals of real-life figures such as Malcolm X, Rubin "Hurricane" Carter, Melvin B. Tolson, Frank Lucas, and Herman Boone. Washington has received two Golden Globe awards and a Tony Award, and two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Glory (1989) and Best Actor for Training Day (2001).


David James Archuleta (born December 28, 1990) is an American singer-songwriter and actor. At ten years old, he won the children's division of the Utah Talent Competition leading to other television singing appearances. When he was twelve years old, Archuleta became the Junior Vocal Champion on Star Search 2.In 2007, at sixteen years old, he became one of the youngest contestants on the seventh season of American Idol.In May 2008 he finished as the runner-up, receiving 44 percent of over 97 million votes.

Thomas Alexander Dekker (born December 28, 1987) is an American film and television actor and a musician. He is also a singer and has written and produced two albums.

He is best known for his roles as John Connor in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nick Szalinski on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, and Zach on Heroes. He also did the voice of Littlefoot in The Land Before Time V-IX (singing voice in The Land Before Time V) and as Fievel Mousekewitz in An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island and An American Tail: The Mystery of the Night Monster. He is also known for playing Jesse Braun in the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street, and recently, Smith in Gregg Araki's film Kaboom. Dekker most recently starred as Adam Conant on The CW series The Secret Circle.

December 27

William Scott "Bill" Goldberg (born December 27, 1966) is an American actor, former football player and retired wrestler. He is best known for his appearances with World Championship Wrestling (WCW) between 1997 and 2001, and in World Wrestling Entertainment between 2003 and 2004.He is notable for his lengthy undefeated streak in singles competition. The official count is listed as 173–0,although some have disputed the legitimacy of that total.

Goldberg is a two-time world champion: a one-time WCW World Heavyweight Champion and one-time World Heavyweight Champion, with both reigns represented by the Big Gold Belt. He is recognized by WWE as the first undefeated world champion in the history of professional wrestling, and the first man to hold a version of the Big Gold Belt in both WCW and WWE, later followed by Chris Benoit, Booker T and Big Show. He is also a two-time WCW United States Heavyweight Champion and one-time WCW World Tag Team Champion (with Bret Hart).Goldberg headlined many pay-per-views for WCW and WWE, including closing WCW's premier annual event, Starrcade, on two occasions.

Before he was a professional wrestler, Goldberg was a football player. After retiring from wrestling, he began working as a commentator for the mixed martial arts promotion EliteXC until its closure. As of 2010, he has been the host of Garage Mahal on the DIY Network.

John Amos (born December 27, 1939) is an American actor and former football player best known for his role as James Evans, Sr. on the hit 1970s television series Good Times. His television work includes roles in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the miniseries Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination, and a recurring role in The West Wing. He also played the father of Will Smith's character's girlfriend, Lisa Wilkes, in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.

He has also appeared on Broadway and in numerous motion pictures in a career that spans four decades. He has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Award and NAACP Image Award.

Nolan Richardson (born December 27, 1941) is an American basketball head coach, who was elected to the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008. He has coached teams to winning a Division I Basketball National Championship, an NIT championship, and a Junior College National Championship. Richardson is the only coach to win all three championships. He previously coached college basketball at the University of Tulsa and the University of Arkansas where he led the Razorbacks to the NCAA title in 1994. Richardson coached the Arkansas team to a second-place finish in the NCAA Tournament in 1995. Nolan Richardson's teams during his 22 seasons of coaching in NCAA Division I, made a post season tournament appearance 20 times (16 NCAA, 4 NIT).

On October 20, 2009, Richardson was named head coach of Women's National Basketball Association's Tulsa Shock, formerly known as the Detroit Shock, a position he held until July 8, 2011. Most recently he coached the Mexican National Team.

David Knopfler (born 27 December 1952, Glasgow)^[ is a British singer-songwriter, rhythm guitarist, pianist and cofounder of the critically acclaimed rock band Dire Straits.

Knopfler spent three years in Dire Straits. After quitting the band, he embarked upon a solo career as a recording artist, releasing a respectable number of albums over the years. Knopfler initially created smaller record labels, publishing companies, and indie labels. Knopfler has encouraged the advent of online purchasing music in 1995, although he concedes the necessity for other avenues of the distribution and sale of recorded music.^[2]

Knopfler is a published poet and writer. He wrote the Bluffers Guide to the Rock Music Business.

David is in a stable long-term relationship with Art Professor Leslie Stroz and has one son with his former wife Anna Perera.

December 26

The 1st Day of Kwanzaa

     Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States (and more recently, Canada) but also celebrated in the Western African Diaspora. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture, and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving.It is ideological, with seven core principles (Nguzo Saba): Unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. It was created by Maulana Karenga, and was first celebrated in 1966–67.

     Black candle, placed right in the middle of red and green candles in Kinara, is lit on the very first day of the festival. It marks the commencement of the festive season. The person who takes the responsibility to light the candle makes a statement about the first principle i.e. Umoja (oo-MOH-jah) or unity. All the family members should listen to the statement and understand it in a way that all of them can explain the doctrine and its meaning. At times that particular member shares a passage or poem which is related to their lives and the principle in some way or the other.

      The Umoja (Unity cup) filled with fruit juice is passed to all the members present in that congregating spot. Some of the families use a Unity cup for every member present where as some just like to keep a Unity cup in the centre of the Kwanzaa table. After the ceremony of sharing fruit juice is over, the candles are turned off till the very next day.

December 25

Christmas!!!

Merry Christmas to everyone who create and read this blog!!! Today is the most-awaited holiday for each of us as well as for most countries! So let’s see how it traditionally celebrated in the USA.

For many Americans as well as for many peoples, Christmas is one of the most joyous times of the year. It’s a time when families and friends gather together and celebrated. It is one of the holiest days of the year for them.  

Churches

Various churches play an important part in the American Christmas. Many families feel that it is important to go to church on Christmas. There are also a variety of associated activities such as church dinners, live Nativity scenes, choir concerts and special church services.

Food

Food plays an important part in the American Christmas. It is a time of open house for friends who want to bring gifts or just to wish everyone a happy holiday. At this time it is appropriate to offer these guests food and beverage, so many homes have a variety of treats prepared in advance for these occasions. Although many families serve a variety of menus for Christmas dinner, the standard fare includes turkey, dressing, potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, vegetables, a salad and some sort of dessert.

Decorations
Lots of families also decorate outside of the home with regional traditions and according to the weather. Some forms of illumination are often used on the homes and in the yards during the holidays. There are snowmen, Santa, snowflakes, reindeer, and other lighted displays in many neighborhoods. Others outline the architectural features of their homes in lights.

December 24

Howard Robard Hughes, Jr. (December 24, 1905  – April 5, 1976) was an American business magnate, investor, aviator, aerospace engineer, film maker and philanthropist. He was one of the wealthiest people in the world. As a maverick film producer, Hughes gained prominence in Hollywood from the late 1920s, making big-budget and often controversial films like The Racket (1928), Hell's Angels (1930), Scarface (1932) and The Outlaw (1943). Hughes was one of the most influential aviators in history: he set multiple world air speed records, built the Hughes H-1 Racer and H-4 "Hercules" (better known to history as the "Spruce Goose" aircraft), and acquired and expanded Trans World Airlines, which would later on merge with American Airlines. Hughes is also remembered for his eccentric behavior and reclusive lifestyle in later life, caused in part by a worsening obsessive–compulsive disorder and chronic pain. His legacy is maintained through the Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Fritz Reuter Leiber, Jr. (December 24, 1910 – September 5, 1992) was an American writer, of fantasy, horror and science fiction. He was also a poet, actor in theatre and films, playwright, expert chess player and a championfencer. Possibly his greatest chess accomplishment was winning clear first in the 1958 Santa Monica Open.^[With writers such as Robert E. Howard and Michael Moorcock, Leiber can be regarded as one of the fathers of Sword and Sorcery fantasy. But he excelled in all fields of speculative fiction, writing award-winning work in horror, fantasy and science fiction.

Ava Lavinia Gardner (December 24, 1922 – January 25, 1990) was an American actress. She was signed to a contract by MGM Studios in 1941 and appeared mainly in small roles until she drew attention with her performance in The Killers(1946). She became one of Hollywood's leading actresses, considered one of the most beautiful women of her day. She was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Actress for her work in Mogambo (1953).

She appeared in several high-profile films from the 1950s to 1970s, including The Hucksters (1947), Show Boat (1951), The Snows of Kilimanjaro (1952), The Barefoot Contessa (1954), Bhowani Junction (1956), On the Beach (1959), Seven Days in May (1964), The Night of the Iguana (1964), The Life and Times of Judge Roy Bean (1972), Earthquake (1974), and The Cassandra Crossing (1976). Gardner continued to act regularly until 1986, four years before her death in London in 1990 (she was 67).

She is listed 25th among the American Film Institute's Greatest female stars.

Stephenie Meyer (née Morgan; pron.: /ˈmaɪ.ər/ my-ər; born December 24, 1973) is an American young adult author and producer, best known for her vampire romance series Twilight.The Twilight novels have gained worldwide recognition and sold over 100 million copies,^[1][4] with translations into 37 different languages. Meyer was the bestselling author of 2008 and 2009 in America, having sold over 29 million books in 2008,and 26.5 million books in 2009. Twilight was the best-selling book of 2008 in US bookstores.

Meyer was ranked #49 on Time magazine's list of the "100 Most Influential People in 2008", and was included in the Forbes Celebrity 100 list of the world's most powerful celebrities in 2009, entering at #26. Her annual earnings exceeded $50 million. In 2010, Forbes ranked her as the #59 most powerful celebrity with annual earnings of $40 million.

December 23

Human Light

HumanLight is a Humanist holiday celebrated on December 23. Like Kwanzaa, HumanLight is a modern invention, created to provide a specifically Humanist celebration near Christmas and the northern Hemisphere's winter solstice. It was established by the New Jersey Humanist Network in 2001.

Humanists have cast HumanLight as a celebration of "a Humanist's vision of a good future." They celebrate a positive approach to the coming new year, generally through the lens of Humanist (and particularly secular humanist) philosophy—secular as opposed to religious. The December 23 date allows HumanLight to connect itself to the December holiday season without interfering with other winter holidays which many Humanists may also celebrate.

HumanLight began with a single event in Verona, New Jersey in 2001. In 2006, there were twenty American events listed on the holiday's homepage, and the American Humanist Association became HumanLight's first national sponsor. In 2007, the first HumanLight celebration outside of the U.S. took place in Chester, England.

December 22

Claudia Alta "Lady Bird" Taylor Johnson (December 22, 1912 – July 11, 2007)  was First Lady of the United States (1963–69) during the presidency of her husband Lyndon B. Johnson.

Notably well educated for her time, she proved a capable manager and a shrewd investor. After marrying LBJ in 1934, when he was a political hopeful in Austin, Texas, she used a modest inheritance to bankroll his congressional campaign, and then ran his office while he was serving in the navy. Next, she bought a radio station and then a TV station, which would soon make them millionaires. As First Lady, she broke new ground by interacting directly with Congress, employing her own press secretary, and making a solo electioneering tour.

Johnson was a lifelong advocate for beautifying the nation's cities and highways ("Where flowers bloom, so does hope") and the Highway Beautification Act was informally known as Lady Bird's Bill. She was a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest US civilian honors.

David Gene Pearson (born December 22, 1934) is a former American stock car racer from Spartanburg, South Carolina.  Pearson began his NASCAR career in 1960 and ended his first season by winning the 1960 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award.  He won three championships (1966, 1968, and 1969) every year he ran the full schedule in NASCAR's Grand National Series (now Sprint Cup Series).  NASCAR described his 1974 season as an indication of his "consistent greatness"; that season he finished third in the season points having competed in only 19 of 30 races.

At his finalist nomination for NASCAR Hall of Fame's inaugural 2010 class, NASCAR described Pearson as "... the model of NASCAR efficiency during his career. With little exaggeration, when Pearson showed up at a race track, he won."Pearson ended his career in 1986, and currently holds the second position on NASCAR's all-time win list with 105 victories; as well as achieving 113 pole positions.  Pearson was successful in different venues of racing; he won three times onroad courses, 48 times on superspeedways, 54 time on Short tracks, and had 23 dirt track wins. Pearson finished with at least one Top 10 finish in each of his 27 seasons. Pearson was nicknamed the "Fox" (and later the "Silver Fox") for his calculated approach to racing. ESPN described him as being a "plain-spoken, humble man, and that added up to very little charisma."

Paul Dundes Wolfowitz (born December 22, 1943) is a former United States Ambassador to Indonesia, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Defense, President of the World Bank, and former dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. He is currently a visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, working on issues of international economic development, Africa and public-private partnerships, and chairman of the US-Taiwan Business Council.

He is a leading neoconservative. As Deputy Secretary of Defense, he was "a major architect of President Bush's Iraq policy and ... its most hawkish advocate." Donald Rumsfeld in his interview with Fox News on February 8, 2011 said that Wolfowitz was the first to bring up Iraq after the 9/11 attacks during a meeting at the presidential retreat at Camp David.

After serving two years, he resigned as president of the World Bank Group ending what a Reuters report called "a protracted battle over his stewardship, prompted by his involvement in a high-paying promotion for his companion."

Jordin Brianna Sparks (born December 22, 1989)  is an American pop and R&B recording artist, songwriter and actress. At the age of 17, Sparks won the sixth season of American Idol, becoming the youngest winner in American Idol history and remains as the most recent female to win American Idol. Her self-titled debut album was released in 2007, which spawned two top-ten singles on the US Billboard Hot 100—"Tattoo" and "No Air" (with Chris Brown)—and was certified platinumby the RIAA. The album managed to sell more than two million copies worldwide. "No Air" is currently the third highest-selling single by any American Idol contestant, selling over three million digital copies in the US. The song earned Sparks her first Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.

Lauralee Kristen Bell (born December 22, 1968) is an American soap opera actress. She was born in Chicago, Illinois, and attended The Latin School of Chicago.

The daughter of soap opera creators William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell, and sister to Bill Bell, Jr. and Bradley Bell as well as sister-in-law to Maria Arena Bell, Lauralee was offered a bit role as a model, Christine "Cricket" Blair, on her parents' show The Young and the Restless in 1983 and that followed into a contract role in 1986.

December 21

Hermann Joseph Muller (or H. J. Muller) (December 21, 1890 – April 5, 1967) was an American geneticist, educator, and Nobel laureate best known for his work on the physiological and genetic effects of radiation (X-ray mutagenesis) as well as his outspoken political beliefs. Muller frequently warned of the long-term dangers of radioactive fallout from nuclear war and nuclear testing, helping to raise public awareness in this area.

His lab grew quickly, but it shrank again following the onset of the Great Depression. Especially after the stock market crash, Muller was increasingly pessimistic about the prospects of capitalism. Some of his visiting lab members were from the USSR, and he helped edit and distribute an illegal leftist student newspaper, The Spark. It was a difficult period for Muller both scientifically and personally: his marriage was falling apart, and he was increasingly dissatisfied with his life in Texas. Meanwhile, the waning of the eugenics movement, ironically hastened by his own work pointing to the previously ignored connections between environment and genetics, meant that his ideas on the future of human evolution had reduced impact in the public sphere.

Phillip John "Phil" Donahue (born December 21, 1935) is an American media personality, writer, and film producer best known as the creator and host of The Phil Donahue Show. The television program, also known as Donahue, was the first talk show format that included audience participation. The show had a 29-year run on national television in America that began in Dayton, Ohio, and ended in New York City in 1996.

His shows have often focused on issues that divide liberals and conservatives in the United States, such as abortion, consumer protection, civil rights and war issues. His most frequent guest was Ralph Nader, for whom Donahue campaigned in2000. Donahue also briefly hosted a talk show on MSNBC from July 2002 to March 2003 when he was fired by the TV network for opposing George W. Bush's invasion of Iraq.

In 1996, Donahue was ranked #42 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Stars of All Time.

Oprah Winfrey said "if it weren't for Phil Donahue, there never would have been an Oprah Show!" 

Jane Fonda (born Lady Jayne Seymour Fonda; December 21, 1937) is an American actress, writer, political activist, former fashion model, and fitness guru. She rose to fame in the 1960s with films such as Barbarella and Cat Ballou. She has won two Academy Awards, an Emmy Award and received several other movie awards and nominations during more than 50 years as an actress. After 15 years of retirement, she returned to film in 2005 with Monster-in-Law, followed by Georgia Rule two years later. She also produced and starred in over 20 exercise videos released between 1982 and 1995, and once again in 2010.

Fonda has been an activist for many political causes; her opposition to the Vietnam War and associated activities were controversial. She has also protested the Iraq War and violence against women. She describes herself as a liberal and afeminist. In 2005, Fonda worked alongside Robin Morgan and Gloria Steinem to co-found the Women's Media Center, an organization that works to amplify the voices of women in the media through advocacy, media and leadership training, and the creation of original content. Fonda currently serves on the board of the organization. Since 2001, Fonda has been a Christian. She published an autobiography in 2005, and in 2011, she published a second memoir, Prime Time.

Samuel Leroy Jackson (born December 21, 1948) is an American film and television actor and film producer. After becoming involved with the Civil Rights Movement, he moved on to acting in theater at Morehouse College, and then films. He had several small roles such as in the film Goodfellas before meeting his mentor, Morgan Freeman, and the director Spike Lee. After gaining critical acclaim for his role in Jungle Fever in 1991, he appeared in films such as Patriot Games, Amos & Andrew, True Romance and Jurassic Park. In 1994, he was cast as Jules Winnfield in Pulp Fiction, and his performance received several award nominations and critical acclaim.

Jackson has since appeared in over 100 films including Die Hard with a Vengeance, The 51st State, Jackie Brown, Unbreakable, The Incredibles, Black Snake Moan, Shaft, Snakes on a Plane, Django Unchained, as well as the Star Warsprequel trilogy and small roles in Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill Vol. 2 and Inglourious Basterds.

He played Nick Fury in Iron Man, Iron Man 2, Thor, Captain America: The First Avenger, and Marvel's The Avengers, the first four (not including Iron Man) of a nine-film commitment as the character for the Marvel Cinematic Universe franchise. Jackson's many roles have made him one of the highest-grossing actors at the box office. Jackson has won multiple awards throughout his career and has been portrayed in various forms of media including films, television series, and songs. In 1980, Jackson married LaTanya Richardson, with whom he has a daughter, Zoe.

In October 2011, Jackson surpassed Frank Welker as the highest grossing film actor of all-time.