Saturday, November 19, 2011

Today in Pop Culture History

Downer:
19 November 1998: Movie director Alan J. Pakula died in New York City at the age of 70 from a freak automobile accident. (Seriously freaksome--the driver in front of him hit a pipe, which went through Pakula's windshield, causing him to swerve off the road where he hit a fence and was instantly killed. It's straight out of Final Destination.) Pakula directed and/or produced some twentieth-century film classics, including To Kill a Mockingbird (producer), Klute (director and producer), and Sophie's Choice (director and producer). But my favorite is All the President's Men. 

Woodstein!


Uppers:
19 November 1961: A year after Chubby Checker appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show debuting "The Twist," he came back and sang it again on this day, making the song the first to ever reach #1 on Billboard charts twice. In addition to making wedding guests look ridiculous at receptions for ever after, it made this moment possible, back when Quentin Tarantino was still relatively little known:



19 November 2006: The Wii, Nintendo's gaming console, launched in North America. In addition to livening up house parties for ever after, it made this moment possible, back when True Blood still had a sense of humor:


 

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