Making Movie History: Yes, I Have A Birthday Week

Features, Top Story

April 15 was my birthday and I thought I’d share some events with you all that have taken place on my birthday. Some of them include theatrical events or some are just things that took place throughout the course of human history. Believe it or not, there is a lot more to April 15 then just having your taxes due and the main thing is that it is the day of my birth. And for that you should give me presents, but no…here is my ass providing you all with a gift in this the week of my birth.

The world happens day by day and every single second ends up providing us all with some kind of life altering event. Whether it is something that changes the lives of millions of people or maybe just one; every second sees some sort of event happen that changes the course of how the life (lives) in the world commence. I just turned thirty years old and while there may not be a lot of famous people born on my birthday; it’s still a day to remember and cherish for all times just because you great people wouldn’t have me if it never came about.

I mean think about it. Say my birth had happened on April 14 or 16…you don’t know that my personality wouldn’t be totally introverted and shy rather then overly extroverted and open like I am. Hell, you might not know me at all because if my birthday hadn’t fallen on an Easter Sunday thirty years ago then my interest may have been science and chemistry rather then sports and movies. Lord knows my ass wouldn’t be here at Inside Pulse writing a column about the table of elements. And if by some chance I was, then there should be some good money on the line that there wouldn’t be even a small percentage of my readers checking out that column.

So alas the Easter Bunny came and brought me to my family three decades ago and with that lovely gift, I present to you monumental events that happened to also fall on my birthday. Kinda sucks that most of them end up being rather shitty. Hell, like it isn’t bad enough that I already get the dreaded “Ohhhh TAX day!” response whenever anyone asks me when my birthday is. Like I planned it that way you asses. Like I really told Jesus to let me be born on a day that everyone dreads each year and only associates with accountants that clients have a love/hate relationship with. Now that you know it isn’t my fault…worship me, my birthday, and get educated on:

This Day In The History Of April 15


lincoln
1865 – President Abraham Lincoln Is Shot And Killed



Not off to a good start are we? Yes, my birthday happens to be the day that our sixteenth President and a pioneer in the abolition of slavery was shot and killed at Ford’s Theatre by John Wilkes Booth. Believe it or not; the plan laid in place by Booth is actually quite intricate and very detailed right down to his escape along with the other conspirators joining in to help bring about Lincoln’s death. There have been a few television specials detailing these plans, but most of them kind of vary in the small points and even change things from time to time. Nonetheless, we all do now know that there were a lot of people involved in this assassination and it was almost pulled off to perfection.

Lincoln and his wife had gone to the Theatre to see Our American Cousin but obviously things didn’t work out quite as they had hoped. Low and behold, our sixteenth President ended up being the first ever assassinated. Over time his likeness has come about to be present in a handful of films including: Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, National Treasure: Book Of Secrets, and The Day Lincoln Was Shot. Although that last one kind of bugs me a little bit because it’s still hard to see Lance Henriksen playing Lincoln. A film is scheduled to be released in 2011 simply entitled Lincoln focusing on the life and times of this great man.


titanic
1912 – The Titanic Sinks



Hoo boy. The unsinkable really was anything but now wasn’t it? We all know that this was the maiden voyage for the ship that was supposed to turn the tables of time and bring about a new type of life and luxury for all classes of people. Too bad there was an iceberg that didn’t quite agree with all of that and ended up ripping holes in this huge ship and going down taking with it 1,517 lives of people that simply thought they were going for the ride of a lifetime. Little did so many of them know that it would lead to their cold and watery graves.

That beautiful ship. That wonderful idea. That incredibly tragic story that just spelled a movie fit for the taking by anyone that had enough of a vision to bring it to the forefront for the people of today. Now you need to realize that I feel as if the story of the Titanic is one that needs to be told to every generation so that mistakes can be learned from and so that the lives lost will never be forgotten. But I swear to God that the movie that was created for this story is the highest grossing film of all time and that is absolutely ridiculous. It has nothing really to do with the actual tragedy or the boat itself, but focuses more on the lame ass love story of Jack and Rose.

I won’t bitch anymore about that overly idiotic bullshit, but if you’d like to see my true thoughts about it then check out one of my older columns.


mcdonalds
1955 – McDonald’s Is Founded And Started In Illinois



If this isn’t just one of the most appropriate events to happen on my birthday then I don’t know what is. Hell, people that really know me have been exposed to the fact that my ass will end up eating at McDonald’s anywhere from four to five times a week. It’s true and I can’t help it, but fast food is one of my weaknesses and a great boatload of thanks must go to the founders of the wonderful (yet not really) food. The quarter pounder, fries, apple pies, sweet tea, big mac, hamburgers, hashbrowns, hotcakes, biscuits, and so much more can keep me eating for centuries even though I’m not entirely sure just how healthy I’ll end up by the time my fortieth birthday comes around.

McDonald’s is a franchise that has been shown in numerous films as a background or setting so it’s not like you can really name all of the times it has appeared on the big screen. There are a few incidences though that happen to stand out in my mind and will always be there. You may recall the screaming child incident in a McDonald’s with Adam Sandler in Big Daddy. Eddie Murphy and Arsenio Hall worked at a knockoff of the famous restaurant in the hilarious and classic comedy, Coming To America. Finally there is the Morgan Spurlock retarded ass film called Super Size Me that saw him eat nothing but McDonald’s for thirty straight days to see what the health consequences there would be, if any.

Don’t even get me started on the idiocy of that film or people blaming fast food restaurants for their kids being obese. That is a bitchfest for another time and column, but I like McDonald’s and am happy the thing that “helped” make my ass fatter was founded on my birthday so long ago.


tokyodisneyland
1983 – Tokyo DisneyLand Opens



Really don’t have much to say here because I’m a Disney fanatic, but I’ve never actually been to Tokyo DisneyLand. My Disney visits have only been to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida and I’m perfectly content with that because it is a place I love and virtually grew up in. Tokyo DisneyLand has no real bearing on my life except it’s something Disney and opened on my birthday thus making it cool.


me
1979 – Danny Cox Was Born



Yes ladies and gentlemen. Thirty years ago in the wee hours of April 15, 1979…Danny Cox was born and therefore bringing you who I am today. My first experience in the land of the internet came over twelve years ago when I’d do a little wrestling reporting for a website run by a guy named Rajah and eventually moved on over to 411 and did a lot of work in their forums. My allegiance moved over to Inside Pulse and the forums here many years later and eventually I started writing for Popcorn Junkies. As time went on, my talents branched out to The DVD Lounge, Reality Dish, Primetime Pulse, Pulse Wrestling, Tailgate Crashers, and Moodspins. As time went on…it did get to be too much and my time is spent mostly now in three or four of the zones.

Still, I’m thirty years old meaning you people have a lot of time left to either love my work or get pissed off at me. Either way, I’m going to be around for a long ass time and it’s just the way it is.



So I had to do a little bit of a self-loving column since it was my thirtieth birthday and it just seemed appropriate. Not to mention that Ghost Hunters on Wednesday night did a special investigation at the traveling Titanic exhibit and it reminded me how the ship had gone down on my birthday. It only seemed right that you lovely people know of some of the other wonderful, yet tragic, events to go down on the day of April 15 throughout time.

As the summer approaches and new films comes out; yall are in for a treat with my column. There are a ton of great movies already on tap for the rest of the year giving me a lot of material for columns already. My vault has a good fifteen or so columns already in the works for certain Fridays throughout 2009 and giving me a lot of practice for what will seemingly be a huge 2010 as well. Have a great weekend everyone and I’ll see you next Friday.

Oh, send me gifts. Seriously. Oh, and the Lincoln picture wasn’t too much was it? COME ON…it’s been like forever since that shit happened.