Netflix launched on this day in 1997 as an online DVD rental store. It became a streaming service in 2007, and began developing original content in 2013. House of Cards and Orange Is the New Black both premiered that year, and the binge-watch was born. In 2016, Netflix had its best year yet with the one-two punch of The Crown and Stranger Things (at the time, Netflix’s most-watched series). Over the years, Netflix has been nominated for 480 awards, and it’s won more than two hundred, including fifteen Oscars, twelve Golden Globes, eleven Screen Actors Guild awards and 120 Primetime Emmys. With 203 million subscribers, Netflix is the most-watched streaming service in the world.
The cast of Orange Is the New Black.
Robin Wright (House of Cards) became the first actor from a Netflix original to win an acting Emmy.
The cast of Stranger Things accepting their SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series.
Claire Foy as Queen Elizabeth II in The Crown; the show has been nominated for 53 Emmys.
In 2017, The White Helmets won Netflix its first Oscar, for Best Documentary Short Subject.
Ingrid Bergman died of breast cancer on her 67th birthday, August 29, 1982. A three-time Oscar winner, Bergman was one of the most iconic – and beautiful – women to ever grace the screen. Her affair with director Roberto Rossellini in 1950 made waves in Hollywood AND Washington D.C. (as well as Bergman’s native Sweden), but the two eventually married. Their union produced three children, including Isabella, who would become a model and actor herself.
Gaslight, which won Bergman her first Academy Award.
Anastasia, which earned Bergman her second Oscar.
Bergman accepting her third Academy Award, for Best Supporting Actress in Murder on the Orient Express.
Bergman as Ilsa in Casablanca, her most iconic role.
Bergman’s daughter Isabella Rossellini, still stunning at the age of 69.
Happy birthday, Elliott Gould!
Gould, Natalie Wood, Robert Culp and Dyan Cannon in Bob & Carol & Ted & Alice.
Gould with Sally Kellerman and Donald Sutherland in M*A*S*H.
Courtney Cox with Gould on Friends.
As Reuben in Ocean’s Eleven.
The Gallagher brothers were unleashed on the world with the release of Oasis’ debut album, Definitely Maybe, on this day in 1994. An infectious blend of 60s-inspired psychedelia and 90s Britpop, Definitely Maybe was a worldwide smash. Oasis’ music – not to mention the Gallagher’s outsized personalities – would dominate the pop scene for the next couple of years; at one point, in a 1996 interview with MTV, Noel Gallagher said that Oasis was “bigger than the Beatles”.
Speedy Gonzales made his first appearance in Cat-Tails for Two, a Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies short released on this day in 1953.
Rolling Stones drummer Charlie Watts died this week at the age of 80. Watts, widely considered among the all-time best rock drummers, was also an accomplished jazz musician. Watts frequented London R&B clubs in the early 60s, where he met Brian Jones, Stu Stewart, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards in 1962. He played his first gig as a permanent band member on February 2, 1963, at the Ealing Jazz Club; he remained a Rolling Stone until his death.
Epix dropped the first three episodes of Chapelwaite this week, and it’s…okay? Adrien Brody is brilliantly cast, and does his best with the material he’s given, but the script is uneven and a lot of the dialogue sounds too contemporary. The worm imagery is heavy-handed, to say the least. I was hoping for a slow-burn Gothic creepfest, but creators Jason and Peter Filardi went with a “let’s try to top the last gross-out” approach instead. Perhaps the biggest problem with the series is that a thirty-page, two-character story has been adapted into a ten-episode series, which means there’s a lot of padding. I’m going to continue watching for now, albeit less eagerly.
Spencer Elden, who posed as a baby for the cover of Nevermind, is suing the surviving members of Nirvana (and Kurt Cobain’s estate), the record company and photographer Kirk Weddle for “child sexual exploitation”, alleging that he was too young to give consent for the use of his naked image. At the time, his parents consented to his photo being taken, and were paid $200 (and Elden has recreated the photo, presumably for money as well, a number of times over the years).
On this day in 1964, Mary Poppins (a Peanut Butter and Julie favorite) premiered in Los Angeles.
Julie Andrews in Mary Poppins
Andrews with Dick Van Dyke and Walt Disney at the film’s premiere
Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) premiered at the Venice Film Festival on this day in 2014. One of the best films of the 21st century, Birdman was almost universally adored by critics and made over $100 million at the box office. It earned nine Academy Award nominations and won four Oscars: Best Picture, Best Director for Alejandro González Iñárritu, Best Original Screenplay and Best Cinematography. It was also nominated for Best Actor (Michael Keaton was robbed), Best Supporting Actor (Edward Norton), Best Supporting Actress (Emma Stone), Sound Editing and Sound Mixing. From the gorgeous cinematography to the brilliant jazz drum score to the astonishing editing to the phenomenal performances, Birdman is an A+.
Cast and crew of Birdman at the 71st Venice International Film Festival
Swedish character actor Peter Stormare was born on this day in 1953.
Fargo
Minority Report
Happy birthday to actor and national treasure Aaron Paul, born on this day in 1979.
Before he was famous, Paul appeared on The Price is Right.
No Fences, Garth Brooks’ second album, was released on this day in 1990. It would become the best-selling country album of 1991 AND the second-best-selling album overall (only Mariah Carey’s self-titled debut sold more copies) AND the fourth-best-selling album of the decade. If you weren’t around in 1991, it’s impossible to overstate how inescapable this album and its singles (“Friends in Low Places” and “The Thunder Rolls” among them) were. Brooks’ next album, 1991’s Ropin’ the Wind, became the first country album ever to enter the Billboard 200 at #1.
On August 22, 1986, Stand By Me went wide after a limited release per-screen-average of $15,174. It would go on to earn more than $50 million on a $7.5 million budget and become one of the most beloved coming-of-age movies ever made.
Based on the Stephen King novella The Body, from his 1982 collection DifferentSeasons, Stand By Me is one of King’s favorite adaptations of his work and for good reason: the film is perfectly rendered from start to finish. Director Rob Reiner assembled a cast of wonderful young actors then worked with them for two weeks prior to filming to ensure a believable camaraderie. The four – Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman and Jerry O’Connell – became friends in real life, and their chemistry jumped off the screen. The dazzling screenplay earned Raynold Gideon and Bruce A. Evans a well-deserved Oscar nomination (it was the film’s only nod, unfortunately). At the time, Reiner had only two feature films under his belt – mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap and romantic comedy The Sure Thing – but directed Stand By Me with the self-assurance of a veteran filmmaker.
The autobiographical story (Wheaton’s Gordie, our King stand-in, loves to tell stories and will grow up to be a writer) is a simple one – four friends set out to find the body of Ray Brower, a missing boy about their age. Along the way, they encounter leeches and a junkyard dog named Chopper, dodge a train and learn some valuable life lessons. Gordie’s older brother Denny (an uncredited John Cusack), clearly their parents’ favorite, has recently died; Gordie is not only navigating his own grief over losing his beloved brother, but coming to terms with the fact that his parents will never love him the way they loved Denny.
Gordie’s friends – best friend Chris Chambers (Phoenix), Teddy Duchamp (Feldman) and Vern Tessio (O’Connell) – have their own problems at home, and the four of them find comfort and a sense of family with each other. One of the best sequences in the film is their post-dinner campfire conversation, which starts with Gordie telling his friends a story he’d been working on (about the revenge of a bullied kid named Davey Hogan) and features discussions ranging from “What is Goofy?” to “Annette’s tits”.
During a quieter moment later on, Chris laments his status as the “bad kid” and fears he’ll never outlive that reputation. River Phoenix is bonkers good in this scene, tapping into some ancient emotion that a 14-year-old shouldn’t be capable of.
The boys find Brower’s body, leading to Gordie’s heartbreaking revelation that his parents would rather he had died than Denny, as well as a showdown with the town bully Ace Merrill (a deliciously malevolent Kiefer Sutherland) and his gang. Now it’s Wheaton’s time to shine, as Gordie, experiencing equal parts anger and grief, finally stands up to Ace (“Suck my fat one, you cheap dimestore hood.”)
“I see him!”
“What are you gonna do, shoot all of us?”
“No Ace, just you.”
As the film ends, we learn from our narrator (Richard Dreyfuss, credited as “The Writer”, plays the older version of Gordie) that Gordie and Chris had drifted apart from Teddy and Vern, and that Chris had recently died trying to break up a fight in a fast food line. The close-up on The Writer’s computer screen shows us the final line of the story he’s writing: “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve. Jesus, does anyone?”
Thirty-five years later, Stand By Me remains a timeless ode to the aches and pains of adolescence and the friends who help us through them. The film took on an added emotional resonance with the death of River Phoenix in 1993; the shot of Chris disappearing from Gordie’s view gives me shivers every time.
Fun facts:
According to Wikipedia, the filmmaker originally attached to the project was Adrian Lyne, director of Flashdance and 9½ Weeks. I for one am thrilled that Lyne’s version doesn’t exist.
The movie generated renewed interest in Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me”, and the 1961 song became a top ten hit again, peaking at #9 in December 1986.
Though the film was only nominated for the one Oscar, it received Golden Globe nominations for Best Picture and Best Director, and Reiner was nominated for a Directors Guild Award as well (he lost to eventual Oscar winner Oliver Stone).
River Phoenix auditioned for the role of Gordie, and Ethan Hawke auditioned for the role of Chris, which ultimately went to Phoenix.
Stand By Me was a clear influence on Stranger Things 1; aside from the obvious visual references, the Duffers had the young actors auditioning for the series read passages from the Stand By Me script.
You can stream Stand By Me on Amazon and the complete soundtrack on Spotify.
The Woodstock music festival (“3 Days of Peace & Music”) was held August 15-18, 1969 on Max Yasgur’s dairy farm in Bethel, New York. A watershed moment for the 60s counterculture and a milestone in rock music history, Woodstock contained iconic performances by some of the period’s greatest artists. The festival spawned an Academy Award-winning film, a #1 three-album soundtrack and two anniversary festivals, Woodstock ’94 and Woodstock ’99.
Jimi Hendrix
Joe Cocker
Melanie
from left, Graham Nash, David Crosby, Stephen Stills and Neil Young
Carlos Santana
Original event poster
ICONIC
On this day in 1939, The Wizard of Oz held its Hollywood premiere at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre. Starring Judy Garland, Ray Bolger, Jack Haley, Bert Lahr, Frank Morgan and an absolutely terrifying Margaret Hamilton, The Wizard of Oz was a commercial failure upon its initial release but has gone on to be one of the most beloved and iconic films ever made. It also inspired generations of stoners to watch the flick while listening to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
Apocalypse Now was released on this day in 1979 after premiering at Cannes the previous May. A loose adaptation of Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, Apocalypse Now stars Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall and Martin Sheen, who suffered a near-fatal heart attack during filming. Warning: this clip is not for the faint of heart, but the scene is brilliant and the use of The Doors’ “The End” is perfect.
Željko Ivanek was born on this day in 1957. A venerable character actor of stage and screen, Ivanek has appeared in critically-acclaimed films and series such as Oz, 24, Donnie Brasco and Black Hawk Down. Fun fact: his contract includes a rider that the Ž in his first name has its caron properly placed in any credits sequence where his name appears.
As the dastardly Mr. Cleary in my beloved School Ties
As Roland in The X-Files
As DA Ed Danvers in Homicide: Life on the Street
Ivanek and Damages co-star Glenn Close with their Emmys
I’m really enjoying Stephen King’s latest, Billy Summers.
Speaking of King, Chapelwaite premieres next Sunday on Epix. The series, based on King’s short story “Jerusalem’s Lot”, will star Adrien Brody, the divine Emily Hampshire and lots of lanterns.
Hello, everyone! I haven’t posted yet this week; my husband and I lost our WiFi due to severe storms. No WiFi, no blog. So I’m going to try to make up for it over the next few days. I have a couple longer pieces in the pipeline that I’m hoping to finish soon. In the meantime, I’m going to get caught up on what we’ve missed this week.
We lost the lovely Markie Post this week to cancer. Best known as public defender Christine Sullivan on Night Court, Post was a frequent guest star on iconic series such as CHiPs, Eight is Enough, The Love Boat, Cheers and Scrubs, and a series regular on The Fall Guy and Hearts Afire.
The Night Court cast, clockwise from top left: John Larroquette, Richard Moll, Charlie Robinson (who died last month), Marsha Warfield, Harry Anderson and Markie Post.
Today would have been John Cazale’s 86th birthday. Cazale is quite possibly the only actor to have 100% of their films (five total) be nominated for the Best Picture Oscar (three – TheGodfather, The Godfather: Part II and The Deer Hunter – won the big prize). Cazale was fighting cancer while filming The Deer Hunter, and died before the movie was released. Cazale was engaged to Meryl Streep at the time of his death at the age of 42.
Cazale and Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon
Cazale with The Deer Hunter co-stars Christopher Walken and Robert De Niro
Cazale and Pacino, The Godfather
Cazale with Meryl Streep
Woodstock ’94 took place August 12-14, 1994. It was held to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the original festival. While not quite the shitshow that occurred five years later, ’94 wasn’t without its issues. Thunderstorms turned the field into mud, which was flung at the artists playing on stage (Les Claypool, during Primus’ set: “You know, when you throw things on stage, it’s a sign of small and insignificant genitalia.”). Jackyl’s lead singer, Jesse James Dupree, had to be dragged off the stage by security after he poured alcohol on the crowd, shotgunned a joint, lit a stool on fire and cut it up with a chainsaw, and shot a rifle into the air. Blind Melon’s Shannon Hoon appeared to be tripping on acid while on stage and in post-performance interviews (Hoon died a little more than a year later from an apparent cocaine overdose). There were bright spots though: on the strength of their muddy performance, Green Day saw sales of their debut album, Dookie, skyrocket. And Bob Dylan made his long-awaited Woodstock debut, after declining in 1969 to play at the Isle of Wight festival in England.
“This isn’t love and peace, it’s fuckin’ anarchy!”
Wings was released on this day in 1927. It would go on to win the first Best Picture Oscar.
Charles ‘Buddy’ Rogers, Clara Bow and Richard Arlen in Wings
My husband and I recently completed a Mission: Impossible binge. All six films are streaming on Paramount+. I wasn’t a huge fan of the first film (and Tom Cruise isn’t a favorite of mine either), so I never bothered with any of the others until now. Each movie was better than the last, and I honestly don’t know if there’s another film series you could say that about.
As a lover of both cinema and music, I tend to associate a piece of music (popular or classical) with the iconic movie or television scene in which it appears. The following are some of my all-time favorite needle drops, in quiz form. How many do you know? Answers will be revealed tomorrow.
Peanut Butter and Julie is six months old today. When I started this project six months ago, I wasn’t entirely certain what my format would be. The first morning I sat down to write happened to be February 2 and I thought, “It’s Groundhog Day so I guess I’ll talk about Groundhog Day.” And just like that, I understood what my format would be.
My initial goal for this blog was to write good content that people would enjoy reading; I believe I’ve achieved that (ultimately, that is for all of you to decide). My eventual goal is to reach a broad enough audience to be able to monetize this little venture of mine. In the meantime, I’ll continue to write stuff that I hope you enjoy.
Thanks to those of you who have been with me from the beginning. If you’re just discovering Peanut Butter and Julie – welcome! Either way, if you’re enjoying what you’re reading, please like, comment, follow and share!
To celebrate the six-month milestone, I’m going to link a few to of my posts that I particularly loved writing.
Happy birthday, Michael Penn! One of my all-time favorite musical artists, Penn is an accomplished singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer who has flown under the radar since his debut single, “No Myth”, became his only top 40 hit, peaking at #13 on the Hot 100. Penn’s refusal to play by record label rules (or cash in on his family name) has meant his success is more critical than commercial; with his infectious blend of folk rock and power pop, I’ve always thought he should be a much bigger star. With Paul Thomas Anderson’s debut, Hard Eight (Anderson prefers the original title Sydney), Penn began composing scores for films and television series such as Boogie Nights (in which he also has a role as Nick the engineer), Sunshine Cleaning, Girls and Masters of Sex. His most recent song, “A Revival”, was released last fall.
Penn after his 1990 Best New Artist win at the MTV Video Music Awards
Penn with wife – and frequent collaborator – Aimee Mann
Penn (far right) with brother Sean, mother Eileen Ryan and late brother Chris (dad Leo died in 1998)
Bob Odenkirk gave us a little scare this week when he collapsed on the New Mexico set of Better Call Saul. He was taken to an Albuquerque hospital with “a small heart attack” but he’s apparently doing well. Best wishes to Bob and his family.
Have y’all seen the disturbing AF trailer for Lamb?
Fifty years ago today, the Concert for Bangladesh was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The brainchild of George Harrison and Ravi Shankar, the benefit concert was to raise money for the refugee and humanitarian crisis in what was then East Pakistan. The event was billed as “George Harrison and Friends”; some of the friends included Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton, Bob Dylan, Billy Preston, Leon Russell and members of Badfinger. A triple album was released in December 1971 (most of the money raised was through sales of the album, not the concert itself). Concert for Bangladesh was the template for later benefit concerts like Live Aid and Farm Aid.
George Harrison and Bob Dylan
Jerry Garcia was born on this day in 1942. Singer, songwriter, guitarist and lead vocalist for Grateful Dead, Garcia was a counterculture legend. He was also the first musician to have an ice cream named for them (Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia). The Grateful Dead – an eclectic mix of psychedelic rock, folk, bluegrass, blues and jazz – were the OG jam band, and they were responsible for some of the most iconic music of the 60s and 70s (including American Beauty, below right). Garcia, who struggled with diabetes and addiction, died on August 9, 1995, eight days after his 53rd birthday.
“Endless Love” by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross was released on this day in 1981. The theme song from the Franco Zeffirelli film of the same name, “Endless Love” would become the second most popular single of 1981 (behind Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes”) and earn an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song (it lost to “Arthur’s Theme”). Though the song was ubiquitous then, when I think of it now, this is how I hear it:
M2 (now known as MTV2) launched on this day in 1996. By the mid-90s, MTV had steered away from videos to reality television like The Real World and Road Rules; M2 was offered as an all-video alternative. But, like the mother station before it, MTV2 had eliminated all its video blocks by 2017.
Whoever designed this logo should be fired.
The first book in epic fantasy series A Song of Fire and Ice, A Game of Thrones, was published on this day in 1996. In addition to the novels, the Game of Thrones universe includes several prequels, a comic book adaptation, the critically acclaimed HBO series, and card, board and video games. Author George R.R. Martin has been promising the series’ sixth novel, The Winds of Winter, for about ten years. A prequel series, House of the Dragon, is in production at HBO, with an expected 2022 release.
We’re going to take a break from talking about pop culture to talk about dogs. But don’t worry, we’ll still be pop culture-adjacent.
Today is my friend Alyssa’s birthday. Alyssa and I met working at a dog daycare. Alyssa is sweet and kind and compassionate. She gives the best hugs. She’s an amazing listener. She loves pop music and Pixar movies. I hope she has a birthday that’s as beautiful and special as she is.
You know what’s better than dogs and pop culture? Dogs with pop culture-inspired names. I’m going to share a few of my favorites with you. These dogs are all clients of the dog daycare, except the one in the featured image: his name is Balki and he belongs to me.
I’ll start with Meeka. Meeka belongs to Alyssa. Meeka is a Border Collie, she’s named for Meeko from Pocahontas and she is perfect.
We have a Vada. Vada belongs to our friend Shannon, who works at the daycare as well. Vada is also perfect.
We have a Moana and a Maui. Alyssa likes to sing “How Far I’ll Go” to Moana.
Moana
Maui
We have a Bennie and a Jet. When they’re together, I sing the obvious Elton John song. But if Jet is by herself, I sing “Jet” by Paul McCartney and Wings. Jet loves when you sing the “oohoooowoooowoooo” part. Bennie just wants you to throw a ball for her.
Bennie
Jet
We have a Simba and a Nala.
Nala
Simba
We have a Starsky. He used to have brothers named Hutch and Huggy Bear.
We have a Leia and a Chewbacca (Chewy for short). Leia demands that you call her General. She’s earned it, damn it.
Chewy
Leia
We have a Ripley. She’ll be your friend, unless you’re a Xenomorph, and she’ll probably bite your ankles.
We have a Dobby and a Sirius.
Dobby
Sirius
We have an Ozzy Pawsbourne.
We have a Sherlock and a Watson.
Sherlock
Watson
We have a Marty McFly.
We have a Maximus and a Krull.
Krull
Maximus
We have a Disco.
We have an Indiana and a Shorty. Shorty is named for Short Round in Temple of Doom. Indiana will also respond to “Indy”. Actually, he’s an Aussie so he probably won’t respond no matter what you call him.
Shorty
Indiana
We have a Buttercup. If you meet her, you must call her Princess Buttercup. This is very important.
We have an Appa and a Zuko (Avatar: The Last Airbender).
Appa
Appa’s namesake
Zuko
Zuko’s namesake
We have lots of Gods and Goddesses.
Juno 1
Juno 2
Loki
Achilles
Apollo
Ares
Freyja 1
Freyja 2
We have a Maliumpkin. She was named for the dormouse from the Alice in Wonderland universe and she has David Bowie eyes.
We have a Turtle and a King (for Stephen King and Maturin, an ancient turtle who features prominently in multiple King works).
Turtle
King
And finally, we have a Mr. Tibbs. Call him Mr. Tibbs.
By the way, for those of you who also love dogs and pop culture, here’s a playlist I made a few years ago of “dog” songs and artists. It’s kind of awesome.
