Born on this day – Julian Sands:

Julian Sands

Actor

January 4, 1948 - circa January 2023

(exact date of death unknown)

 

Credits:

Double Soul (2023); Seneca: On the Creation of Earthquakes (2023); The Ghosts of Monday (2022); The Ghosts of Borley Rectory (2021); Benediction (2021); The Survivalist (2021); Death Rider in the House of Vampires (2021); Sweeney Todd and the String of Pearls (2021); Bobbleheads: The Movie (2020); Yeh Ballet (2020); Into the Dark (2019); The Garden of Evening Mists (2019); The Painted Bird (2019); Bongee Bear and the Kingdom of Rhythm (2019); What/If (2019); Medici (2018); The Keeper (2018); Elementary (2018); The Blacklist (2018); Stiff Upper Lip Jeeves: The Radio Play (2018); Moonraker: The Radio Play (2018); Walk Like a Panther (2018); Toy Gun (2018); Crooked House (2017); Borley Rectory (2017); Will (2017); Man in an Orange Shirt (2017); The Escape (2017); Honey Flood (2016); Surfing (2016); Thunderball: The Radio Play (2016); The Chosen (2016); The Persian Connection (2016); We're Doomed! The Dad's Army Story (2015); Sariel (2015); A Postcard from Istanbul (2015); Gotham (2015); Banshee Origins (2014); Six Weeks (2014); Me (2014); GHB: To Be or Not to Be (2014); The Village (2014); Crossbones (2014); Crónica de Castas (2014); On Her Majesty's Secret Service: The Radio Play (2014); Rosamunde Pilcher (1994); Banshee (2014); The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar (2014); Cesar Chavez (2014); Dexter (2013); All Things to All Men (2013); Extraordinary Tales (2013); Suspension of Disbelief (2012); Person of Interest (2012); Call of Duty: Black Ops II (2012); The Nightshift Belongs to the Stars (2012); From Russia with Love: The Radio Play (2012); Hirokin: The Last Samurai (2012); Star Wars: The Old Republic (2011); The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011); NTSF:SD:SUV (2011); The Maiden and the Princess (2011); Above Suspicion (2011); Assisting Venus (2010); Smallville (2009–2010); Golf in the Kingdom (2010); The Good Life (2010); Second Chance (2009); Beyond Sherwood Forest (2009); Heidi 4 Paws (2009); Castle (2009); Blood and Bone (2009); Bollywood Hero (2009); Demetra's Dream (2008); Cat City (2008); Lipstick Jungle (2008); Stargate: The Ark of Truth (2008); Ocean's Thirteen (2007); Ghost Whisperer (2007); Blood Ties (2007); Marple (2007); The Haunted Airman (2006); 24 (2006); Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2006); The Trail (2006); Her Name Is Carla (2005); Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2005); Stargate SG-1 (2005); Kenneth Tynan: In Praise of Hardcore (2005); Ring of the Nibelungs (2004); Romasanta (2004); The L Word (2004); Easy Six (2003); The Medallion (2003); Napoléon (2002); Ozzy & Drix (2002); Jackie Chan Adventures (2000–2002); The Scoundrel's Wife (2002); Rose Red (2002); Hotel (2001); Vatel (2000); Timecode (2000); Love me (2000); The Million Dollar Hotel (2000); Mercy (2000); The Phantom of the Opera (1998); The Loss of Sexual Innocence (1998); Long Time Since (1998); One Night Stand (1997); End of Summer (1997); Strangers (1996); The Real Adventures of Jonny Quest (1996); Chicago Hope (1996); Never Ever (1996); Adventures from the Book of Virtues (1996); The Tomorrow Man (1996); Biker Mice from Mars (1995); Leaving Las Vegas (1995); The Great Elephant Escape (1995); Mario and the Magician (1994); Witch Hunt (1994); Lamerica (1994); The Browning Version (1994); Warlock: The Armageddon (1993); Boxing Helena (1993); America (1992); Tale of a Vampire (1992); The Turn of the Screw (1992); Crazy in Love (1992); Naked Lunch (1991); Husbands and Lovers (1991); Grand Isle (1991); The Wicked (1991); Impromptu (1991); Blood Royal: William the Conqueror (1990); Arachnophobia (1990); Night Sun (1990); Tennessee Waltz (1989); Manika, une vie plus tard (1989); Warlock (1989); Murder by Moonlight (1989); Wherever You Are... (1988); Vibes (1988); Siesta (1987); Basements (1987); Gothic (1986); Harem (1986); A Room with a View (1985); The Doctor and the Devils (1985); The Holy Experiment (1985); Romance on the Orient Express (1985); After Darkness (1985); The Sun Also Rises (1984); The Box of Delights (1984); The Killing Fields (1984); Oxford Blues (1984); A Married Man (1983); Privates on Parade (1983); Play for Today (1982).

On this day in movie history - The Power of Film (2024)

 

The Power of Film

6-part documentary,
directed by Laura Gabbert,

written by Doug Pray and Howard Suber,

was released in the United States on January 4, 2024.

Music by Garron Chang.

Episodes:

Popular and Memorable; Trapped Between Fate & Destiny; The Power of Character Relationships; Heroes and Villains; The Power of Paradox; Love and Meaning.

Cast:

Howard Suber.

On this day in music history - The album Carnaval de Venise, by Catrin Finch (2001)

Carnaval de Venise

by Catrin Finch

was released on January 4, 2001.

Track list:

Italian Concerto – I; Italian Concerto – Ii; Italian Concerto – Iii; Sonata – I; Sonata – Ii; Sonata – Iii; Impromptu - Opus 86; Introductions Et Variations 'Norma'; Ballade - Opus 28; Bugeilio'R Gwenith Gwyn; Carnaval De Venise.

On this day in television history - Medium (January 2005 through January 2011)

Medium

The series began on January 3, 2005,

and ran for seven seasons until January 21, 2011.

Narrated by Patricia Arquette.

Cast:

Patricia Arquette, Jake Weber, Miguel Sandoval, Sofia Vassilieva, Feodor Lark, David Cubitt, Madison Carabello, Miranda Carabello, Tina DiJoseph, Ryan Hurst, David Arquette, Arliss Howard, Holliston Coleman, Bruce Gray, Kathy Baker, Margo Martindale, Olivia Sandoval, Kurtwood Smith, Zak Lee Guarnaccia, Roxanne Hart, Kelly Preston, John Prosky, Anjelica Huston, Annamarie Kenoyer.

George R. R. Martin, on reading:

I was born in Bayonne, New Jersey.

I grew up in the projects.

I never went anywhere.

But I have lived a thousand lives and I've loved a thousand loves.

I've walked on distant worlds and seen the end of time.

Because I read.
 
- George R. R. Martin.

Recommending reading - The Switch

 

The Switch

by Elmore Leonard.
 
Published by Mariner Books.
First published 1978.
Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0062206133
ISBN-13: 978-0062206138
 
Description:
 
“My favorite Leonard book….He writes the way Hammett and Chandler might write today, if they sharpened their senses of ironic humor and grew better ears for dialogue.” – Dallas Morning News.
 
“The best writer of crime fiction alive.” – Newsweek.
 
“The greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever!” – The New York Times Book Review.
 
“An absolute master.” – The Detroit News.
 

Dangerously eccentric characters, razor-sharp black humor, brilliant dialog, and suspense all rolled into one tight package – that’s The Switch, Elmore Leonard’s classic tale of a kidnapping gone wrong…or terribly right, depending on how you look at it. The Grand Master whom the New York Times Book Review calls, “the greatest crime writer of our time, perhaps ever,” has written a wry and twisting tale that any of the other all-time greats – Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, John D. MacDonald, James M. Cain, Robert Parker…every noir author who ever walked a detective, cop, or criminal into a shadowy alley – would be thrilled to call their own. Leonard, the man who has given us U.S. Marshal Raylan Givens (currently starring in TV’s Justified) is at his storytelling best, as a spurned wife decides to take a rightful – and profitable – revenge on her deceiving hubby by teaming up with the two thugs he hired to abduct her.

 

Ordell Robbie and Louis Gara hit it off in prison, where they were both doing time for grand theft auto. Now that they're out, they're joining forces for one big score. The plan is to kidnap the wife of a wealthy Detroit developer and hold her for ransom. Looks good until they learn the lowlife husband doesn't want his wife back. So it's time for Plan B and the opportunity to make a real killing – with the unlikely help of a beautiful, ticked-off housewife who's hungry for a large helping of sweet revenge.

 

Born on this day – J. R. R. Tolkien:

J. R. R. Tolkien

Writer

January 3, 1892 – September 2, 1973

Credits:

Books:

A Middle English Vocabulary; Sir Gawain & The Green Knight; The Hobbit: or There and Back Again; Farmer Giles of Ham; The Fellowship of the Ring; The Two Towers; The Return of the King; The Adventures of Tom Bombadil and Other Verses from the Red Book; Ancrene Wisse: The English Text of the Ancrene Riwle; Tree and Leaf; Smith of Wootton Major; The Road Goes Ever On: A Song Cycle; Bilbo’s Last Song; Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Pearl and Sir Orfeo; The Father Christmas Letters; The Silmarillion; Pictures by J.R.R. Tolkien; Unfinished Tales of Numenor and Middle-earth; Letters of J.R.R. Tolkien; The Old English ‘Exodus’; Mr. Bliss; Finn and Hengest: The Fragment and the Episode; The Monsters and the Critics and Other Essays; The Book of Lost Tales, Part I; The Book of Lost Tales, Part II; The Lays of Beleriand; The Shaping of Middle-earth; The Lost Road and Other Writings; The Return of the Shadow; The Treason of Isengard; The War of the Ring; Sauron Defeated; Morgoth’s Ring; The War of the Jewels; The Peoples of Middle-earth; Roverandom; Tales from the Perilous Realm; The Children of Húrin; The Legend of Sigurd and Gudrún; The Fall of Arthur; Beowulf: A Translation and Commentary, together with Sellic Spell; Tolkien On Fairy-stories; The Story of Kullervo; A Secret Vice: Tolkien on Invented Languages; The Lay of Aotrou and Itroun; Leaf by Niggle; Beren and Lúthien; The Fall of Gondolin; The Nature of Middle-earth; The Fall of Númenor; The Battle of Maldon, together with The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth.

Movies and television:

A Passage to Middle-earth: The Making of 'Lord of the Rings' (2001); A Simple Walk Into Mordor (2012); Adventure Quest (1983); Allting i ett (2021); An Awfully Big Adventure (1998); An Everyday Tale of a Seeker of Gold (1986); Angband (1993); Arte Journal (2023); Atop the Fourth Wall (2014); Bookstand (1962); Born of Hope (2009); Colossal Adventure (1983); Death Battle (2022); Der kleine Hobbit (1980 / (1984); Die gefährten (2010); Die zwei türme (2010); Dungeon Adventure (1984); Epic Rap Battles of History (2011); Fastitocalon (2006); Golden Moustache (2013); Guardians of Middle-Earth (2012); Hobitit (1993); Horn of Gondor (2020); Icons Unearthed (2024); J.R.R. Tolkien: Master of the Rings - The Definitive Guide to the World of the Rings (2004); J.R.R. Tolkien: The Origin of the Rings (2002); J.R.R.T.: A Film Portrait of J.R.R. Tolkien (1996); Jackanory (1979–1985); Jet Set Willy: Lord of the Rings (2000); Kingdom O' Magic (1996); Kot (2005); La fraternité de l'anneau (2018); La Somme, une bataille mondiale - Documentaire sur la Bataille de la Somme (2024); Lego the Hobbit (2014); Lego the Lord of the Rings (2012); Les deux tours (2018); Lingua Franca (2018); Lord of the Brush (2005); Lord of the Rings (1990); Lord of the Rings: Game One (1986); Making of Hunt for Gollum (2010); Mashup at the Movies (2021); Master of the Rings: The Unauthorized Story Behind J.R.R. Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (2001); Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (2014); Minecraft Adventure Maps (2012); Moria (1975 / 1983); Mr. Bliss (2004); MultiVersus (2024); National Geographic Explorer (2001); Nerdrotic (2022–2024); Olifaunt (2006); Quest for the Ring (2001); Release (1968); Review (1972); Riders of Rohan (1991); Sagan om ringen (1971); Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' (2003); Secrets of Middle-Earth: Inside Tolkien's 'the Hobbit' (2003); Seelenjäger (2014); Shadowfax (1982); Skazochnoe puteshestvie mistera Bilbo Begginsa, Khobbita (1985); Sleuths, Sorcerers & Spies: Andrew Marr's Paperback Heroes (2016); Story Box (1964); Super Power Beat Down (2012); Tale of a Timelord (2016); The ABCs of Book Banning (2023); The Crack of Doom (1989); The Fall of Gondolin (2019); The Fellowship of the Ring (1991); The Fellowship of the Ring Animated (2022); The Fellowship of the Ring: Book One of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The Hobbit (1966 / 1968 / 1977 / 1991 / 2003 / 2007 / 2012); The Hobbit Software Adventure (1982); The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey - Extended Edition Scenes (2013); The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey (2012); The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies - Extended Edition Scenes (2015); The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug - Extended Edition Scenes (2014); The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug (2013); The Hobbit: The Swedolation of Smaug (2014); The Hunt for Gollum (2009); The Last Journey (2021); The Lord of the Rings (1978); The Lord of the Rings Online (2007); The Lord of the Rings Starring Cats: A Meowy Earth Adventure (2025); The Lord of the Rings: Aragorn's Quest (2010); The Lord of the Rings: Conquest (2009); The Lord of the Rings: Gollum (2023); The Lord of the Rings: Sons of Elrond (2005); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-earth II - The Rise of the Witch-king (2006); The Lord of the Rings: The Battle for Middle-Earth II (2006); The Lord of the Rings: The Empire of Saruman (2025); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001 / 2002); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003 / 2007); The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power (2022–2024); The Lord of the Rings: The Third Age (2004); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - Special Extended Edition Scenes (2003); The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 / 2021); The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Ring (2003); The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim (2024); The Lord of the Rings: Vol. I (1990); The Lord of the Rings: Vol. II (1992); The Lord of the Rings: War in the North (2011); The Making of 'The Lord of the Rings' (2002); The Return of the King (1980); The Return of the King: Book Three of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The Shadows of Mordor (1988); The Silmarillion (2015 / 2023); The Standard Deviants: Rings, Kings & Things (2002); The Two Towers: Book Two of the Lord of the Rings (2012); The UnXplained (2022); The Worlds of Fantasy (2008); Tolkien Remembered (1984); War in Middle Earth (1988); Weekend Sunrise (2016); Who the 'Ell Is Tauriel? (2013); Wings Over Arda: The First Age (2011); Wonderland (2022).