Today is the birthday
… of Tyne Daly, 69.
… of Anthony Daniels. 3CPO is 69.
… of Alan Rickman. Professor Snape is also 69.
… of Patricia Nixon Cox. The former first daughter is 69, too.
… of Frasier Crane. Kelsey Grammer is 60 today.
… of Mary Chapin Carpenter. Celebrating, and one hopes, feeling lucky, she’s 57 today.
… of Ellen Page. The one-time Oscar nominee is 28.
Erma Bombeck was born on this date in 1927. NewMexiKen thought Bombeck funniest when she really was a a full-time mom. When she became rich and famous the humor often seemed more contrived and strained. But then I’d rather be rich and famous than funny, too.
Anaïs Nin was born on this date in 1903 and named Angela Anaïs Juana Antolina Rosa Edelmira Nin y Culmell. I almost passed over the French author, but figured if she was good enough for a Jewel song she was good enough for NewMexiKen’s list of birthdays. Anaïs Nin was French born of Cuban parents.
The great classical guitarist Andrés Segovia was born on this date in 1893. This from his obituary in The New York Times in 1987.
The guitarist himself summed up his life’s goals in an interview with The New York Times when he was 75 years old: ”First, to redeem my guitar from the flamenco and all those other things. Second, to create a repertory – you know that almost all the good composers of our time have written works for the guitar through me and even for my pupils. Third, I wanted to create a public for the guitar. Now, I fill the biggest halls in all the countries, and at least a third of the audience is young – I am very glad to steal them from the Beatles. Fourth, I was determined to win the guitar a respected place in the great music schools along with the piano, the violin and other concert instruments.”
The Washington Monument was dedicated 130 years ago today. Malcolm X was shot and killed 50 years ago today.