Born on this day – Elisha Cook Jr.:

Elisha Cook Jr.

Actor

December 26, 1903 – May 18, 1995

Born on this day – J. D. Short:

J. D. Short

Blues singer

Guitarist

Harmonicist

December 26, 1902 – October 21, 1962

Eugène Ionesco, on writers and writing:

A writer never has a vacation.

For a writer, life consists of either writing or thinking about writing.

- Eugène Ionesco.

On this day in movie history - Fences (2016):

Fences,

directed by Denzel Washington,

written by August Wilson,

based on the play by August Wilson,

was released in the United States on December 25, 2016.
Music by Marcelo Zarvos.

Cast:
Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Mykelti Williamson, Saniyya Sidney, Christopher Mele, Lesley Boone, Jason Silvis, Toussaint Raphael Abessolo, Gregory Bromfield, Hanibal Chancellor, Cara Clark, Tra’Waan Coles, Sean Cummings, Ellwood Davis, DieselDonlow, Mark Falvo, Joe Fishel, Kristie Galloway, Carlos Gonzalez, John W. Iwanonkiw, Floyd Jackson, Daniel James, Aristle Jones IV, Trudi Kennedy, Malik Abdul Khaaliq, Connie Kincer, Ashley Marie Lewis, Cecily Lewis, Wayne Leya, Frank McAleavey, Chris McCail, Terri Middleton, Kelly L. Moran, Mike Nardi, Phil Nardozzi, Frankie Palombi, Kameron Peters, Eric Rasmussen, Dillon Stark, Brian E. Stead, Will Tolliver Jr.

On this day in movie history - Silver Linings Playbook (2012):

Silver Linings Playbook,

written and directed by David O. Russell,

was released in the United States on December 25, 2012.
Based on the novel The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick.
Music by Danny Elfman.

Cast:
Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Jacki Weaver, Chris Tucker, Anupam Kher, John Ortiz, Shea Whigham, Julia Stiles, Paul Herman, Dash Mihok, Matthew Russell, Cheryl Williams, Patrick McDade, Brea Bee, Mary Regency Boies, Phillip Chorba, Anthony Lawton, Patsy Meck, Maureen Torsney-Weir, Jeff Reim, Fritz Blanchette, Rick Foster, Bonnie Aarons, Ted Barba, Elias Birnbaum, Matthew Michels, Pete Postiglione, Dicky Eklund Jr., Sanjay Shende, Mihir Pathak, Ibrahim Syed, Madhu Narula, Samantha Gelnaw, Tiffany E. Green, Tal Livshitz, Vlada Semenova, Zhan Paulovich, Lana Rossi, Richard Adams, Todd Anthony, Erica Lynne Arden, Robert Bizik, Joe Cappelletti, Louis Centanni, David Collihan, Jessica Czop, Alan Davis, Tom Delconte, Luisa Diaz, Christian Dorsey, Chris Dyer, Debra Efre, Cindy Engle, Mark Falvo, Liam Ferguson, Mark Finney, Erin Frederick, Jade Froeder, Anthony J Giampetro, Vaughn Goland, Shawn Gonzalez, Matt von Siegel, Thomas Walton, Jamell Washington, Volieda Webb, Jen Weissenberg, Brian Anthony Wilson, Mike Wilson, Lindsey Zajac.

On this day in movie history - Ali (2001):

Ali,

directed by Michael Mann,

written by Michael Mann, Eric Roth, Stephen J. Rivele and Christopher Wilkinson,

based on a story by Gregory Allen Howard,

was released in the United States on December 25, 2001.
Music by Pieter Bourke and Lisa Gerrard.

Cast:
Will Smith, Jamie Foxx, Jon Voight, Mario Van Peebles, Ron Silver, Jeffrey Wright, Michael Bentt, Robert Sale, James Toney, Charles Shufford, Mykelti Williamson, Jada Pinkett Smith, Nona Gaye, Michael Michele, Joe Morton, Paul Rodriguez, Bruce McGill, Barry Shabaka Henley, Albert Hall, Giancarlo Esposito, David Haines, Laurence Mason, LeVar Burton, David Cubitt, Leon Robinson, Ted Levine, Malick Bowens, Victoria Dillard, David Elliott, Brad Greenquist.

On this day in movie history - Michael (1996):

Michael,

directed by Nora Ephron,

written by Nora Ephron, Delia Ephron, Peter Dexter and Jim Quinlan,

based on a story by Jim Quinlan and Peter Dexter,

was released in the United States on December 25, 1996.
Music by Randy Newman.

Cast:
John Travolta, Andie MacDowell, William Hurt, Bob Hoskins, Robert Pastorelli, Jean Stapleton, Teri Garr, Wallace Langham, Joey Lauren Adams, Carla Gugino, Tom Hodges, Catherine Lloyd Burns, Richard Schiff, Calvin Trillin, Donald J. Lee Jr., JoAnn Fregalette Jansen, David Harrod, Jane Lanier, John Hussey, Margaret Travolta, David M. Bernstein, Betsy Sokolow Sherman, Tracey A. Doyle, Blue Deckert, Deborah Nunez, Dell Aldrich, Kay Colvin, James N. Harrell, Peyton E. Park, Dianne Dreyer, Tim Harrison, Daniel Mimura, Mark Nutter, Thomas F. Evans, Jimmy Borto, Stephen Bruton, Dominic Paolo Testa, Tom Woodruff Jr.