Jean-Louis "Jack" Kérouac ( March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969) was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic spirituality, jazz, promiscuity, Buddhism, drugs, poverty, and travel. Kerouac became an underground celebrity and, with other beats, a progenitor of the hippie movement, although he remained antagonistic toward some of its politically radical elements. In 1969, at age 47, Kerouac died from internal bleeding due to long-standing abuse of alcohol. Since his death Kerouac's literary prestige has grown and several previously unseen works have been published. All of his books are in print today, among them: On the Road, Doctor Sax, The Dharma Bums, Mexico City Blues, The Subterraneans, Desolation Angels, Visions of Cody, The Sea is My Brother, andBig Sur.
Today is celebrated Girl Scout Week (Girl Scouts of the USA)
ReplyDeleteIn the Girl Scouts of the USA, the equivalent holiday is Girl Scout Sunday or Girl Scout Sabbath, celebrated in Girl Scout Week the week that includes March 12, the day the first Girl Scout troop was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in Savannah, Georgia in 1912.
Aaron Edward Eckhart was born March 12, 1968) is an American film and stage actor.Born in California, he moved to England at the age of 13, when his father relocated the family. Several years later, he began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Sydney, Australia, for his high school senior year. He left high school without graduating, but earned a diploma through an adult education course, and graduated from Brigham Young University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in film. For much of the mid-1990s he lived in New York City as a struggling, unemployed actor. As an undergraduate at Brigham Young, Eckhart met director and writer Neil LaBute, who cast him in several of his own original plays. Five years later Eckhart made a debut as an unctuous, sociopathic ladies' man in LaBute's black comedy film, In the Company of Men (1997). Under LaBute's guidance he worked in the director's films, Your Friends & Neighbors (1998), Nurse Betty (2000), and Possession (2002).
ReplyDeleteEckhart gained wide recognition as George in Steven Soderbergh's critically acclaimed film, Erin Brockovich (2000), and in 2006 received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of Nick Naylor in Thank You for Smoking. In 2008 he starred in the big-budget studio film The Dark Knight as Two-Face. Other key roles include The Pledge (2001) and Rabbit Hole (2010).
Jason Beghe (born March 12, 1960) is an American film and television actor and critic of Scientology. As a young man he attended the Collegiate School in New York City, where he became best friends with John F. Kennedy, Jr. and David Duchovny. Beghe is married and lives in Los Angeles, California.
ReplyDeleteHe had recurring roles on Picket Fences, Melrose Place, Chicago Hope, American Dreams and Cane, as well as parts on numerous other television programs.
I like his story 'On the Road'. Trying to live up to the wild image he'd presented in 'On The Road,' he developed a severe drinking habit that dimmed his natural brightness and aged him prematurely.
ReplyDeleteI can say that "The Town and the City" was published in 1950 under the name "John Kerouac" and, though it earned him a few respectable reviews, the book sold poorly. Heavily influenced by Kerouac's reading of Thomas Wolfe, it reflects on the generational epic formula and the contrasts of small town life versus the multi-dimensional, and larger life of the city. The book was heavily edited by Robert Giroux, with around 400 pages taken out.
ReplyDeleteRobert "Rob" Cohen also was born this day. He is an American film director, producer and writer. As producer, he has been behind many major motion pictures, including The Witches of Eastwick, The Serpent and the Rainbow, and The Running Man. His latest movie is the third film in Universal Studios' The Mummy franchise begun by Stephen Sommers.
ReplyDeleteAs a director, Cohen is mainly known for his hit films Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story, Dragonheart, Daylight, xXx, and The Fast and the Furious. He also directed the critical and commercial flop Stealth. Cohen produced the comedy horror flick The Monster Squad and will direct the upcoming remake. He directed Alex Cross in 2012.