Well, so far its' friday morning and its raining a bit but no big winds. I know some folks are wondering if we're animating in a scene out of Master and Commander, but its decidedly underwhelming so far...Most of the storm seems to be south of downtown Taipei. My USC colleague Mar Elepano is down south doing an animation workshop, so I'm sure I'll hear some stories from him.

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Birthdays: Harrison Ford, is 65, Cheech Marin, Cameron Crowe,Patrick Stewart is 66
,Film special effects artist Jim Danforth, Dr. Erno Rubik inventor of the Rubiks Cube

1865- P.T.Barnhams American Museum in New York City burned down in a spectacular
fire. Barham rebuilt but after that one burned as well he got the idea of getting
into the circus business. In his American Museum , more a sitting menagerie and
sideshow than a museum as we know it, Barnum invented the idea of advanced hype
and created kiddie matinees.

1925- Walt and Lillian Disney marry.Lillian was one of the first female animation cel painters.

1930- Six thousand people in formal evening wear crowded into Londons Albert Hall
to hear a special message from Sherlock Holmes author Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle. It
was extra special because Conan-Doyle had died five days ago. Conan-Doyle
was a champion of spiritualism and declared he could get a message through from
beyond the grave. An empty chair was placed on stage in hopes of his apparition
taking a seat. Hymns were sung and a clairvoyant medium claimed she saw Sir Arthur.
Others saw nothing and thought it was all a big humbug.


1930 David Sarnoff the head of the NBC radio network said in the NY Times that
" The new invention of Television would be a theater in every home". Sounded
crazy back then.

1939- Frank Sinatra recorded his first album, this one with the Harry James Orchestra.

1949- Producer David O. Selznick left his first wife Esther, the daughter of Louis
B. Mayer, and married actress Jennifer Jones.

2305- According to Star Trek Next Generation Captain Jean Luc Picard was born.

Which famous cartoonist never worked for an animation studio?

1- Milt Caniff ( Terry and the Pirates)
2- Jules Feiffer (Village Voice)
3- Charles Addams (The Addams Family)
4- Jack Kirby ( Fantastic Four)
5-Hank Ketcham ( Dennis the Menace)

Answers below

NEWS: I'm currently in Taipei about to get hit with a typhoon! First called Taifun in Chinese.

courtesy Alvin Robina topcities.com
The only thing my co-workers are worried about is if they get a day off or not. I'll let you know what its like.

Quiz Answer:What cartoonist never worked in animation?

Jules Feiffer worked at Terrytoons, 1958, Charles Addams and Jack Kirby began as inbetweeners at Max Fleischers 1937, Hank Ketcham was an assistant animator at Walter Lantz and Walt Disney, 1938-1941. So the answer is Milton Caniff.

Birthdays: Gaius Julius Caesar is 2,105 years old, Henry David Thoreau, Oscar Hammerstein, Kirsten Flagstad, Andrew Wyeth, Pablo Neruda, George Eastman, Milton Berle, Buckminster Fuller, Krysty Yamaguchi, Bill Cosby is 69

1824- Birth of Eugene Boudin, French painter who pioneered Impressionism by
being one of the first artists to take his easel outside to paint.

1870- Celluloid film patented. The inventor had been trying to find a substitute for ivory billiard balls. Inventor George Eastman later perfected the sprocket and hole system of roll film for cameras, replacing the large glass plates.

1876- Gunfighter Wild Bill Hickock arrived in Deadwood South Dakota to prospect for gold, see some old friends like Calamity Jane, and play a little poker.

1962 – The Rolling Stones 1st performance at the Marquee Club, London. One band member named Elmo Lewis changed his name to Brian Jones.

1979- Disco Demolition Night. Chicago Fans could get into Comisky Park for 98 cents if they each brought a Disco record to burn. Thousands of records were thrown at the players like Frisbees while they were trying to play, so Chicago was forced to forfeit the game. “I love the Nightlife, I love the Nightlife…”

1990- TV series Northern Exposure premiered.

Drawing the Line scored some nice ink on Turner Classic Movie News.

http://www.tcm.com/movienews/index/?cid=139236