On this day in movie history - Loft (2008):

Loft

directed by Erik Van Looy,

written by Bart De Pauw,

was released in Belgium on October 22, 2008.

Music by Wolfram de Marco.

Cast:

Koen De Bouw, Filip Peeters, Matthias Schoenaerts, Bruno Vanden Broecke, Koen De Graeve, Veerle Baetens, Tine Reymer, An Miller, Charlotte Vandermeersch, Wine Dierickx, Maaike Cafmeyer, Marie Vinck, Jan Decleir, Gene Bervoets, Sara de Roo, Dirk Roofthooft, Laura Verlinden, Ruth Beeckmans, Barbara Dzikanowice, Ina Geerts, Sophie Van Peel, Olivier De Smet, Carl Van Baelen, Ben Mouling, Veronique Boubane, Lindsay Bervoets, Tiffany Van den Brande, Pam Borgoo, Sara Giulini, Tessa Van Winkel, Sylvie Kruppa, Els Talloen, Imke Courtois, Véronique Billon, Marianne Bolle, Nana Jans, Adia Panteleeff, Britt Van Driessche, Bente De Graeve, Elise Regaert, Cindy Ghijsel, Patrick Roef, Renée Fokker, Cela Yildiz.

On this day in television history - Pushing Daisies (2008):

Pushing Daisies

Season 2. Episode 4.

Episode entitled: Frescorts.

Released October 22, 2008.

Directed by Peter Lauer.

Written by Lisa Joy, Gretchen J. Berg, Aaron Harberts.

Series created by Bryan Fuller.

Music by Jim Dooley.

Narrated by Jim Dale.

Cast:

Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Field Cate, David Arquette, Debra Mooney, Alexandra Barreto, Dana Davis, Hayes MacArthur, Phil Abrams, Amelia Borella, Heather Brooker, Colton Haynes, Joshua LeBar, Carolyn McDermott, J.R. Nutt, Steven Wash Jr., Courtney Alvarez, Sean R. Lake, Jamie McCall.

On this day in movie history - Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film (2008):

Public Enemies: The Golden Age of the Gangster Film

documentary directed and written by Constantine Nasr,

was released in the United States on October 21, 2008.

Narrated by Alec Baldwin.

Cast:

Alec Baldwin, Rudy Behlmer, Robert Benton, Sheri Chinen Biesen, Joan Blondell, Humphrey Bogart, John Bright, Daniel Bubbeo, James Cagney, Drew Casper, Bernard Dick, Christopher Frayling, Alan Gansberg, Patricia King Hanson, Molly Haskell, Howard Hawks, Foster Hirsch, Richard B. Jewell, Eric Lax, Mervyn LeRoy, Joan Leslie, Tony Maietta, Leonard Maltin, Gregory W. Mank, Mardik Martin, Virginia Mayo, Colin McArthur, John McCarty, Glenn Mitchell, Mike Newell, Kim Newman, Nicholas Pileggi, Dana Polan, George Raft, Richard Schickel, Martin Scorsese, Alain Silver, Robert Sklar, Anthony Slide, Peter Travers, James Ursini, Jeffrey Vance, Mark Vieira, Raoul Walsh, William A. Wellman, Terence Winter.

On this day in television history - Pushing Daisies (2008):

Pushing Daisies

Season 2. Episode 3.

Episode entitled: Bad Habits.

Released October 15, 2008.

Directed by Peter O’Fallon.

Written by Gretchen J. Berg, Aaron Harberts.

Series created by Bryan Fuller.

Music by Jim Dooley.

Narrated by Jim Dale.

Cast:

Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Diana Scarwid, Mo Collins, Graham McTavish, Michael Hitchcock, Samantha Bailey, Diana Costa, Mary K. DeVault, Marc Raducci.

On this day in television history - Pushing Daisies (2008):

Pushing Daisies

Season 2. Episode 2.

Episode entitled: Circus, Circus.

Released October 8, 2008.

Directed by Lawrence Trilling.

Written by Peter Ocko.

Series created by Bryan Fuller.

Music by Jim Dooley.

Narrated by Jim Dale.

Cast:

Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Field Cate, Rachael Harris, Lee Arenberg, Diana Scarwid, Googy Gress, Theodore Zoumpoulidis, Sy Richardson, Michael Christian Alexander, Artie O’Daly, Nicole Greenwood, Loren Lazerine, Hayley McFarland, Mark Povinelli, Casey Weiant, Jerald Garner, Jackie Harris Greenberg, Ron Riekki.

On this day in television history - Pushing Daisies (2008):

Pushing Daisies

Season 2. Episode 1.

Episode entitled: Bzzzzzzzzz!

Released October 1, 2008.

Directed by Adam Kane.

Written by Bryan Fuller.

Series created by Bryan Fuller.

Music by Jim Dooley.

Narrated by Jim Dale.

Cast:

Lee Pace, Anna Friel, Chi McBride, Jim Dale, Kristin Chenoweth, Ellen Greene, Swoosie Kurtz, Field Cate, Missi Pyle, French Stewart, Peter Cambor, Autumn Reeser, Diana Scarwid, Sy Richardson, Samantha Hanratty, Robin Gwynne.

On this day in music history - Un frisson français: A Century of French Song, by Susan Graham (2008):

Un frisson français: A Century of French Song

Album by Susan Graham,

released September 29, 2008.

Track list:

Paladilhe: Psyché; Chausson: Les papillons, Op. 2, No. 3; Bachelet: Chère nuit; Duparc: Au pays où se fait la guerre; Ravel: Le paon (Histoires naturelles); Caplet: Le corbeau et le renard; Roussel: Réponse d’une épouse sage, Op. 35, No. 2; Messiaen: La fiancée perdue; Debussy: Colloque sentimental (Fêtes galantes II); Faure: Vocalise-Etude; Hahn: A Chloris; Satie: Le Chapelier; Honegger: Trois Chansons de la Petite Sirene: I. Chanson des sirens; Honegger: Trois Chansons de la Petite Sirene: II. Berceuse de la Sirène; Honegger: Trois Chansons de la Petite Sirene: III. Chanson de la poire; Canteloube: Brezairola; Rosenthal: La souris d’Angleterre; Poulenc: La Dame de Monte Carlo.

On this day in movie history - The Brothers Warner (2007):

The Brothers Warner

documentary directed and written by Cass Warner,

was released in the United States on September 25, 2008.
Narrated by Cass Warner.
Music by David Campbell.

Cast:

Dennis Hopper, Cass Warner, Bette-Ann Warner, Harry M. Warner, Tab Hunter, Norman Lear, Efrem Zimbalist Jr., Leo Braudy, Nancy Snow, Steven J. Ross, Samuel Goldwyn Jr., Benjamin Warner, Betty Warner Sheinbaum, Michael Birdwell, John Steel, Albert Warner, Angie Dickinson, George Segal, Haskell Wexler, Debbie Reynolds, Jack Warner Jr., Lina Basquette, Stephen Farber, Johanna Blakey, Sam Warner, Lita Heller, Jack L. Warner, Roy Edward Disney, Lewis Warner, Sherry Lansing, Frank Pierson, Eddie Bockser, Lois McGrew, Robert Greenwald, Jim Meskimen, Heinrich Himmler, Frank Sinatra.

On this day in movie history - 2:22 (2008)

2:22

directed by Phillip Guzman,

written by Mick Rossi, Phillip Guzman and Eric Saavedra,

was released in the United States on September 24, 2008.
Music by Danny Saber.

Cast:

Mick Rossi, Robert Miano, Aaron Gallagher, Jorge A. Jimenez, Peter Dobson, Val Kilmer, Bruce Kirby, Sile Bermingham, Sean Power, Luis Caldeira, Brian Foyster, Eric Shani, Tom Knight, Laura McLean, Cheryl Meyer, Sandy Duarte, Maja Mandzuka, Manny Barbosa, Vicki Rivard, Dan Fox, Steve Boyer, Andrew Robichaud, Jean-Marc Fontaine, Christian Bako, Beverley Ellis, Kelly Ames, Donald Mitchell, Domenic Bitondo, Mathew Bitondo, James LaMarr, Angela Froese, Darrel Gamotin, Louis Rossetti, Zach Humphreys, R Austin Ball, Roberto Caprara, Mike Guzzo, Philip Roy, Phillip Guzman, Katelyn Vanier, Mike Woodbridge, Alex J. Campbell, Richard Hasan, Matthew Campbell, David M. Frost, Billy Barbosa, Frank Consiglio, Vincent Tedesco, Diego Caprara, Anna Caprara, Rolando Marcello, Katie Spencer, Serena Karson, Andrew Risi, Loraine Guzzo, Michelle Guzzo, Manuel Brito, Salvatore Cangialosi, Seymour Abramovitz, Tommy Massis, Nikola Caloger, Natali Jones, Justin Kelly, Matt Greyson, Gene Burns, Gabriel Byrne.

Recommended reading - Pulp Fiction: The Dames (2008):

Pulp Fiction: The Dames

Omnibus.

Edited by Otto Penzler.

Introduced by Laura Lippman.

Published 2008.

Published by Quercus.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 1847242316

ISBN-13: 978-1847242310

Description:

Laura Lippman introduces 23 dames, femmes fatales, avenging angels, broads, molls and dolls from the golden age of pulp fiction and the dawn of modern crime writing.

From Sally the Sleuth to The Girl Who Knew Too Much, these women knew how to steal a guy’s heart – or his gun – and they weren’t afraid to use their fists if their charms couldn’t get them what they wanted. Risking their lives and ending others, these dames are certain to set your heart racing, whether you’re a pulp novice or a hard-boiled fan.

With stories from Raymond Chandler, Cornell Woolrich and Dashiell Hammett, and a strip cartoon from Adolphe Barreau, Pulp Fiction: The Dames shows that some writing has an edge that time just can’t dull.

Contents: Preface, by Otto Penzler; Introduction, by Laura Lippman; Angel Face, by Cornell Woolrich; Chosen to Die, by Leslie T. White; A Pinch of Snuff, by Eric Taylor; Killer in the Rain, by Raymond Chandler; Sally the Sleuth, by Adolphe Barreaux; A Shock for the Countess, by C. S. Montanye; Snowbound, by C. B. Yorke; The Girl Who Knew Too Much, by Randolph Barr; The Corpse in the Crystal, by D. B. McCandless; He Got What He Asked For, by D. B. McCandless; Gangster's Brand, by P. T. Luman; Dance Macabre, by Robert Reeves; The Girl with the Silver Eyes, by Dashiell Hammett; The Jane from Hell's Kitchen, by Perry Paul; The Duchess Pulls a Fast One, by Whitman Chambers; Mansion of Death, by Roger Torrey; Concealed Weapon, by Roger Torrey; The Devil's Bookkeeper, by Carlos Martinez; Black Legion, by Lars Anderson; Three Wise Men of Babylon, by Richard Sale; The Adventure of the Voodoo Moon, by Eugene Thomas; Brother Murder, by T. T. Flynn; Kindly Omit Flowers, by Stewart Sterling.

On this day in music history - Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs, by Renée Fleming and Christian Thielemann (2008):

Richard Strauss: Four Last Songs

Album by Renée Fleming and Christian Thielemann,

released September 16, 2008.

Track list:

Frühling; September; Beim Schlafengehen; Im Abendrot; Ach! Wo war ich? Tot? ...; Ein Schönes war; Es gibt ein Reich; Verführung, op. 33 no. 1; Freundliche Vision, op. 48 no. 1; Winterweihe, op. 48 no. 4; Zueignung, op. 10 no. 1; Zweite Brautnacht!

Recommended reading - L.A. Noir: Nine Dark Visions of the City of Angels (2008):

L.A. Noir:
Nine Dark Visions of the City of Angels

By William Hare.

Published by McFarland & Company.

Published in 2008.

Paperback.

ISBN-10: 0786437405

ISBN-13: 978-0786437405

Description:

Los Angeles is an ideal city for film noir for both economic and aesthetic reasons. The largest metropolitan area in the country, home to an ever-changing population of the disillusioned and in close proximity to city, mountains, ocean, and desert, the City of Angels became a center of American film noir.

This detailed discussion of nine films explores such topics as why certain settings are appropriate for film noir, why L.A. has been a favorite of authors such as Raymond Chandler, and relevant political developments in the area. The films are also examined in terms of story content as well as how they developed in the project stage. Utilizing a number of quotes from interviews, the work examines actors, directors, and others involved with the films, touching on their careers and details of their time in L.A. The major films covered are The Big Sleep, Criss Cross, D.O.A., In A Lonely Place, The Blue Gardenia, Kiss Me Deadly, The Killing, Chinatown, and L.A. Confidential.

On this day in movie history - Righteous Kill (2008):

Righteous Kill

directed by Jon Avnet,

written by Russell Gewirtz,

was released in the United States on September 12, 2008.
Music by Edward Shearmur.

Cast:

Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, 50 Cent (Curtis Jackson), Carla Gugino, John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Brian Dennehy, Trilby Glover, Saidah Arrika Ekulona, Alan Rosenberg, Sterling K. Brown, Barry Primus, Melissa Leo, Alan Blumenfeld, Oleg Taktarov, Shirly Brener, Frank John, Terry Serpico, Liza Colón-Zayas, Malachy McCourt, Ajay Naidu, Charles F. Krichman Jr., Rob Dyrdek, James Shanahan, Terrell J. Ramsey, Mia Barron, Andre B. Blake, Chris Cenatiempo, John Cenatiempo, Judy Del Giudice, Bryan Chatlien, Shalaya Patty Ford, Shaun Kelvin, Merritt Wever, Les Chantery, Katie Bukovsky, Tyrone Smith, Jim Jones, Darryl Pittman, Margaret Head, Katarzyna Wolejnio, Tony Borea, Harold Bridgeforth, Taylor E. Brown, Edrick Browne, Gail Bruno, Franco Bulaon, Jon Dainty, Kim Donovan, Kimberly Dorsey, Tanisha Grant, Catie Lazarus, Paul Lucenti, Kimberly Magness, Adrian Martinez, Laura Maselli, Antonino Paone, Peter Riga, Harry L. Seddon, Brian Stapf, Cindi Woods.

On this day in music history - One Kind Favor, by B.B. King (2008):

One Kind Favor

Album by B.B. King,
released on August 26, 2008.

Track list:

See That My Grave Is Kept Clean; I Get So Weary; Get These Blues off Me; How Many More Years; Waiting for Your Call; My Love Is Down; The World Gone Wrong; Blues Before Sunrise; Midnight Blues; Backwater Blues; Sitting on Top of the World; Tomorrow Night.

On this day in music history - Blue Dream, by Fiona Joy Hawkins (2008):

Blue Dream

Album by Fiona Joy Hawkins,

released August 1, 2008.

Track list:

Contemplating; Sunrise At Ularu; Samite’s Interlude (Fiona Joy Hawkins & Samite Mulondo); Song Phonique; Indigo Interlude; The Void; Turquoise Interlude (Fiona Joy Hawkins & Philip Aaberg); Voice of Angels; Cobalt Interlude; Prelude to a Painting; The Midnight Interlude; Moving On; Azure Interlude; Somewhere.

On this day in music history - Winter & Christmas, by Amy Lauren (2008):

Winter & Christmas

Album by Amy Lauren,

released July 31, 2008.

Track list:

Ice Dance; The Holly and the Ivy; Everything Magical; Eve of Winter; November; Greensleeves; December Song; I Saw Three Ships; Midnight Snow; Away in a Manger; Silent Night; God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen; Northern Sunrise; We Three Kings; There is Peace; Jolly Old St. Nicholas.

Recommended reading - The Stanley Kubrick Archives, by Alison Castle (2008):

The Stanley Kubrick Archives

By Alison Castle.

Made in cooperation with Jan Harlan, Christiane Kubrick and The Stanley Kubrick Estate.

Published by TASCHEN.

Published 2008.

ISBN-10: 3822822841

ISBN-13: 9783822822845

Preface:

The making of this book has been something of an odyssey: two years of traveling through time and space to the heart of Stanley Kubrick's universe, where I not only had the unprecedented privilege of having access to his archives, but also the invaluable guidance of those who were closest to him. Kubrick's wife, Christiane, and executive producer, Jan Harlan, were not only immensely generous in allowing me to "excavate" the various parts of his St. Albans estate where the archives are stored, but they were also exceedingly kind, supportive, and helpful during the entire process. In addition, I was very fortunate to have the aid of Anthony Frewin and Leon Vitali, Kubrick's longtime assistants, who tirelessly answered my questions and offered invaluable advice and assistance.

Endeavoring to uncover each and every artifact that could cast light upon Kubrick's creative process, I scoured the archives, gathering the most illuminating items, from bits of paper covered with hurriedly scribbled notes to photographs taken by Kubrick on the sets of his films. Hunched over hundreds upon hundreds of contact sheets with my loupe, I was able to select images that had never been printed before, let alone seen; rifling through screenplay drafts I found references to scenes that were never filmed, and among the photos I found images of sequences that were abandoned; reading Kubrick's notes and letters, I discovered not only clues to his thought processes but also his curious love affair with various types of stationery, typewriters, and pens. Searching through the often chaotic mountains of material was an exhilarating experience: each and every "discovery" was like a minor miracle, a defining moment, an epiphany.

Part 2 of this book features the result of this gleaning: an eclectic collection of material that represents the nuts and bolts of Kubrick's creative history. To help guide readers through the expedition is a selection of articles and essays by noted Kubrick scholars as well as a generous selection of material "from the horse's mouth" (i.e. Kubrick letters, essays, and interviews), refuting the popular misconception that Kubrick was a recluse who didn't or wouldn't talk about his work.

The items presented in Part 2 offer valuable insight into Kubrick's filmmaking process, though the most important material from the archives is unquestionably the films themselves. Kubrick once said, "The test of a work of art is, in the end, our affection for it, not our ability to explain why it is good." Part 1 offers plenty of opportunities for readers to test their affection: from Killer's Kiss to Eyes Wide Shut, Kubrick's twelve feature films are represented by a vast selection of stills (not including his first feature, Fear and Desire, which he withdrew from circulation). The stills, which were scanned directly from the film reels, are presented chronologically, unadulterated and without text.

In an interview about 2001: A Space Odyssey, Kubrick made a statement that reflects one of his central tenets: "Reactions to art are always different because they are always deeply personal.... [T]he film becomes anything the viewer sees in it." The goal of this book is to allow readers the chance to explore Kubrick's archives intuitively, absorbing the various puzzle pieces and assembling them into a personal interpretation. This is, I hope, the way Stanley Kubrick would have wanted it.

– Alison Castle, Paris, 2004.

On this day in music history - Strauss: Four Last Songs, by Renée Fleming (2008):

Strauss: Four Last Songs

Album by Renée Fleming,

was released on July 24, 2008.

Track list:

Frühling; September; Beim Schlafengehen; Im Abendrot; Ach! Wo war ich? Tot? ...; Ein Schönes war; Es gibt ein Reich; Verführung, op. 33 no. 1; Freundliche Vision, op. 48 no. 1; Winterweihe, op. 48 no. 4; Zueignung, op. 10 no. 1; Zweite Brautnacht!; Eugene Onegin--Letter Scene; Rusalka--Song to the Moon; Otello--Willow Song...Ave Maria; Thaïs--Ah! Je suis seule...Dis-moi que je suis belle; Capriccio--Moonlight Music & Final Scene.

On this day in movie history - JCVD (2008):

JCVD

directed by Mabrouk el Mechri,

written by Frédéric Bénudis, Mabrouk el Mechri and Christophe Turpin,

was released in France on June 4, 2008.
Music by Gast Waltzing.

Cast:

Jean-Claude van Damme, François Damiens, Zinedine Soualem, Karim Belkhadra, Jean-François Wolff, Anne Paulicevich, Saskia Flanders, Dean Gregory, Kim Hermans, Steve Preston, Paul Rockenbrod, Alan Rossett, Jesse Joe Walsh, Isabelle de Hertogh.

On this day in movie history - Synecdoche, New York (2008):

Synecdoche, New York

directed and written by Charlie Kaufman,

was released at the Cannes Film Festival in France on May 23, 2008.
Music by Jon Brion.

Cast:

Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Sadie Goldstein, Tom Noonan, Peter Friedman, Charles Techman, Josh Pais, Daniel London, Robert Seay, Michelle Williams, Stephen Adly Guirgis, Samantha Morton, Hope Davis, Emily Watson, Dianne Wiest, Frank Girardeau, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Amy Wright, Paul Sparks, Jerry Adler, Lynn Cohen, Deirdre O'Connell, Kat Peters, John Rothman, Amanda R. Phillips, Frank Wood, Deanna Storey, Elizabeth Marvel, Laura Odeh, Mark Lotito, Daisy Tahan, Erica Fae, Raymond Angelic Sr., Cliff Carpenter, Timothy Doyle, Amy Spanger, Nick Wyman, Portia, Dan Ziskie, Chris McGinn, Robin Weigert, Gerald Emerick, Alvin Epstein, Rosemary Murphy, Tim Guinee, Kristen Bush, Greg McFadden, Barbara Haas, William Ryall, Joe Lisi, Alice Drummond, Michael Higgins, Stanley Krajewski, Tom Greer, Christopher Evan Welch, Michael Medeiros, Pete Brennan, David Collihan, Brie Eley, Alan Gary, Don Gomez, Brigitte Hagerman, Scott Hatfield, Takako Haywood, Kyle Knauf, Brittany Krall, Amelia Martin, Rebecca Merle, Brenna Palughi, Sal Rinella, Tomasz Smolarski, Misha Zubarev.