P.S. Merry Christmas! I enjoyed this forum thread, which addresses King Moonracer’s possible villain status: “Was King Moonracer a fraud?” Indeed. Why was King Moonracer holding the misfit toys hostage for so long? Since he regularly flies around the world collecting unwanted toys, why wasn’t he already collaborating with Santa to find new homes for those toys? Moonracer only thought to contact Santa afterRudolph, Hermey, and Yukon showed up? Really? King Moonracer is very possibly a manipulative cult leader with megalomaniac tendencies who hoards rare, emotionally damaged toys. It seems like the unexpected arrival of visitors to his remote island shamed him into doing the right thing with his sad toy collection.
Quincy Magoo (or simply Mr. Magoo) is a cartoon character created at the UPA animation studio in 1949. Voiced by Jim Backus, Quincy Magoo is a wealthy, short-statured retiree who gets into a series of comical situations as a result of his nearsightedness, compounded by his stubborn refusal to admit the problem. However, through uncanny streaks of luck, the situation always seems to work itself out for him, leaving him no worse than before. Mr. Magoo was born on February 25, 1858.
Elizabeth “Betty” Grable was an American actress, dancer and singer. She appeared in several smash-hit musical films in the 1940s, including Mother Wore Tights (1947). Grable was celebrated for having the most beautiful legs in Hollywood and studio publicity widely dispersed photos featuring them. Her iconic bathing suit poster for Sweet Rosie O’Grady (1943) made her the number-one pin-up girl of the World War II era. It was later included in the Life magazine project 100 Photographs that Changed the World. Grable’s legs were famously insured by her studio for a million dollars with Lloyds of London. She was born on this day in 1916.
Jim Morrison was an American singer-songwriter and poet, best remembered as the lead singer of Los Angeles rock band The Doors. From a young age, “The Lizard King” developed an alcohol dependency that led to his death at the age of 27 in Paris. Morrison is alleged to have died of a heroin overdose, but as no autopsy was performed, the exact cause of his death is still disputed. He was well known for often improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live. Due to his wild personality and performances, Morrison is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. He was born on December 8, 1943.
Shawn Carter, known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer and entrepreneur. He is one of the most financially successful hip-hop artists and entrepreneurs in America. He has sold approximately 50 million albums worldwide, while receiving 17 Grammys for his musical work. Three of his albums, Reasonable Doubt (1996), The Blueprint (2001) and The Black Album (2003), are considered landmarks in the genre. As an artist, he holds the record for most number one albums by a solo artist on the Billboard 200 with 13. As an entrepreneur and investor, Jay-Z is the former CEO of Def Jam Recordings and the founder of Roc-A-Fella Records, Roc Nation, Rocawear and Roc Nation Sports. He also co-owns the sports bar chain 40/40 Club and is a certified NBA and MLB sports agent. Jay-Z is married to American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. He was born on this day in 1969, unless you believe he is immortal, or Illuminati.
Over the past four months, I have played my baby daughter Ramona a wide variety of music to see what she likes. Azure Ray’s “Don’t Leave My Mind” was an early comfort, as were some Simon & Garfunkel classics. But to the surprise of my wife and me, no song has been received with greater enthusiasm and joy than Jay-Z’s 1998 hit “Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem).” Ramona loves that song so much and breaks into a big smile each time. We’ve listened to it dozens, if not hundreds, of times at this point. The great bassline and high-pitched voices sampled from the Broadway musical Annie apparently elevate “Hard Knock Life” to perfect children’s song (well, aside from the lyrics).
Woody Allen is an American screenwriter, director, actor, comedian, author, playwright and musician whose career spans more than 50 years. He worked as a comedy writer in the 1950s. In the early 1960s, Allen began performing as a stand-up comic, using the persona of an insecure, intellectual, fretful nebbish. By the mid-1960s Allen was writing and directing films, first specializing in slapstick comedies before moving into dramatic material influenced by European art cinema during the 1970s. He is often identified as part of the New Hollywood wave of filmmakers. Allen often stars in his films, typically in the persona he developed as a standup. Of his more than 40 films, three of his best are Annie Hall (1977), Manhattan (1979) and Midnight in Paris (2011). Allen has won four Academy Awards and nine BAFTAs. He performs regularly as a jazz clarinetist at small venues in Manhattan. Allen was born on December 1, 1935.
Note: While Woody Allen’s birthday isn’t until Sunday, Thanksgiving and Hanukkah have collided today. This hasn’t happened since 1888 and may never happen again (unless you think the United States of America, Jewish people and the human race will still be around in 70,000 years or so). On that note, Happy Thanksgivukkah. Or Happy Thanukkah. Or whatever.
General Twobabies is a recurring character in the webcomic Left-Handed Toons by Drew Mokris and Justin Boyd, who are right-handed people. General Twobabies, created by Drew, is my favorite character (with Whale! being a close second). Twobabies is actually two babies in an Army general’s uniform. He may be guilty of war crimes, and adorable teething. He has also appeared as Private Twobabies and Senator Threebabies.
Note: Drew also makes Spinnerdisc cartoons and Justin also makes the Invisible Bread webcomic, which I enjoy. Go check them out!
David Ortiz Arias, nicknamed “Big Papi,” is a Dominican-American Major League Baseball (MLB) designated hitter (DH). He has played for the Boston Red Sox since 2003 and previously played for the Minnesota Twins (1997-2002). Ortiz is a nine-time All-Star, a three-time World Series champion (2004, 2007 and 2013) and the holder of the Red Sox single-season record for home runs with 54 (2006). In 2005, Red Sox ownership presented Ortiz with a plaque proclaiming him “the greatest clutch-hitter in the history of the Boston Red Sox.” Last month he was named World Series MVP after batting .688 as he willed the Red Sox to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals. Ortiz was born on this day in 1975.
Note: It was 33 years ago today that Southern Airways Flight 932 crashed, killing all 75 people on board, including 37 Thundering Herd football team players and five coaches. The accident is widely considered to be the deadliest sports-related tragedy in U.S. history. The 2006 movie We Are Marshall depicts the aftermath of the plane crash. This 8-bit pixel art character is for my cousin Adam, a Marshall alum.
Charles Manson is an American criminal and musician who led what became known as the Manson Family, a quasi-commune that arose in California in the late 1960s. He was found guilty of conspiracy to commit the 1969 murders of Hollywood starlet Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca carried out by members of the group at his instruction. Manson believed the murders would help precipitate an impending apocalyptic race war he called “Helter Skelter.” Before the murders, he was a singer-songwriter on the fringe of the Los Angeles music industry, chiefly through a chance association with Dennis Wilson of the Beach Boys. Manson is serving life imprisonment at Corcoran State Prison in California. Now 79 years old, he was born on this day in 1934.
Neil Gaiman is an English author of short fiction, novels, comic books, graphic novels, audio theater and films. His notable works include the comic book series The Sandman and novels Neverwhere (1996), Stardust (1999), American Gods (2001), Coraline (2002) and The Graveyard Book (2008). Gaiman has won numerous awards, including the Hugo, Nebula and Bram Stoker awards, as well as the Newbery and Carnegie medals. He is the first author to win both the Newbery and the Carnegie medals for the same work, The Graveyard Book. Gaiman is married to performer/musician Amanda Palmer. He was born on November 10, 1960.
I have many personal anniversaries between November 8th and 11th. This is the week each year when my life tends to change most consistently. I moved to Oregon from Pennsylvania 12 years ago. I started my current web developer/designer job in Corvallis exactly nine years ago. I met my wife Heidi three years ago. We have been married for one year (our anniversary’s on Monday). All during November 8-11.
Admiral of the Fleet Sir Cloudesley Shovell was an English naval officer. Rising through the ranks and fighting in many of the important battles of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, he became a popular British hero, whose celebrated career was brought to an end in a disastrous shipwreck in the Isles of Scilly. He also served as MP for Rochester from 1695 until his death. He died on this day in 1707.
Last February, a friend introduced me to this magnificent name (also spelled “Cloudisley” and “Shovel” by some sources). I managed to wait all year, until this very day of his untimely death, to make an Admiral Cloudesley Shovell pixel art character. On October 22, 1707, Shovell’s British Naval fleet became lost in stormy weather and steered into the uninhabited Isles of Scilly, off Cornwall. Four large ships were dashed against the rocks and sunk, killing at least 1,400 to 2,000 sailors. One legend is that Shovell himself made it to shore, only to be murdered by locals hoping to pillage the wreckage. Naturally, there is a psychedelic heavy metal band named in his honor. On that note, Sir Cloudesley is quite likely the name of my next cat. And I’m not ruling it out as a future son’s name.
Jim Morrison – No. 693
Jim Morrison was an American singer-songwriter and poet, best remembered as the lead singer of Los Angeles rock band The Doors. From a young age, “The Lizard King” developed an alcohol dependency that led to his death at the age of 27 in Paris. Morrison is alleged to have died of a heroin overdose, but as no autopsy was performed, the exact cause of his death is still disputed. He was well known for often improvising spoken word poetry passages while the band played live. Due to his wild personality and performances, Morrison is regarded by critics and fans as one of the most iconic, charismatic and pioneering frontmen in rock music history. He was born on December 8, 1943.
In October 2012, my wife Heidi and I visited Morrison’s grave in the Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris during our trip to Europe. At this same cemetery are the bodies of Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Frédéric Chopin and many other famous artists and personalities.