Saturday, August 16, 2008

Spotlight: Madonna is 50! The pop icon was born Madonna Ciccone. She studied dance in college, dropped out and began a singing career that would turn her into a superstar. The Material Girl made several movies, including Desperately Seeking Susan, Dick Tracy, The Next Best Thing, and A League of Their Own. The soundtrack of her film Evita became a platinum seller — Madonna's twelfth — and one of the songs, "You Must Love Me," won that year's Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Original Song from a Motion Picture. Earlier this year, Madonna was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; this was about the same time she passed Elvis Presley as the artist with the most top ten hits in the Billboard Hot 100's history.

Quote: "Listen, everyone is entitled to my opinion." — Madonna

Question of the Day: What are 'Madonna Studies'?
There is a division of media studies that many academics refer to as "Madonna Studies." These are fields of research that have grown up around topics related to Madonna and her place in modern culture.

Word of the day: extreme ironing
Extreme Ironing (or EI) is an extreme sport and a performance art in which people take an ironing board to a remote location and iron a few items of clothing. According to the official website, extreme ironing is

"the latest danger sport that combines the thrills of an extreme outdoor activity with the satisfaction of a well-pressed shirt."

Part of the attraction and interest the media has towards extreme ironing seems to centre on the issue of whether it is really a sport or not. It is widely considered to be tongue-in-cheek.... (© Wikipedia)

Today's History:

Joseph Kittinger in 2003

• Sports Illustrated: largest US weekly sports magazine was first published by Time Inc., with Milwaukee Braves third baseman Eddie Mathews on the cover (1954)
• Cyprus: was granted independence from Britain (1960)
• Joseph Kittinger: USAF pilot set records for a parachute jump, including fastest speed by a person through the atmosphere — 614 mph/988 kph (1960)
• Elvis Presley: The King was found dead of heart failure at his Memphis estate, Graceland (1977)

Today's Birthdays:

Angela Bassett

• Menachem Begin (1913-1992): former prime minister of Israel
• Frank Gifford (78): football star/sports commentator; today is also the birthday of his wife, Kathie Lee Gifford (55)
• Eydie Gorme (77): pop singer; other musicians born today are Billy Joe Shaver (69), Tim Farriss (51) and Emily Robison (36)
• Suzanne Farrell (63): ballet dancer
• James Cameron (54): film director, Titanic
• Angela Bassett (50): actress, What's Love Got to Do With It?; also, actors Fess Parker (84), Robert Culp (78), Julie Newmar (75), Anita Gillette (72), Bob Balaban (63), Lesley Ann Warren (62), Reginald VelJohnson (56), Laura Innes (49), Timothy Hutton (48), Steve Carell (46), George Stults (33) and Shawn Pyfrom (22)