Entertainment History
On September 13, 1965, John Lennon, Yoko Ono and the Plastic Ono Band
played their first gig, in Toronto. In 1974, Stevie Wonder began his
first U.S. tour since a near-fatal car accident, performing on Long
Island, New York. In 1977, conductor Leopold Stokowski died in
Hampshire, England, at age 95. In 1982, RCA Records announced that
David Bowie had left for the South Seas to begin filming "Merry
Christmas, Mr. Lawrence. In 1985, Sting began his first solo tour in
San Diego to promote his album "Dream of the Blue Turtles. In 1993,
"Late Night with Conan O'Brien" made its premiere on NBC. David
Letterman had moved his show to CBS. In 1996, rapper Tupac Shakur
(TOO'-pak shah-KOOR') died in Las Vegas of gunshot wounds suffered six
days earlier. In 1998, Scary Spice Melanie Brown married dancer David
Gulzar in Little Marlow, England. They have since split up. In 2009,
Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV
Video Music Awards. Swift looked stunned when West said Beyonce' had
made one of the best videos ever. West later apologized and disappeared
from the public eye for several months. Today's Birthdays: Actress
Barbara Bain (TV's "Mission: Impossible") is 85. Actress Eileen Fulton
("As The World Turns") is 83. Actor Joe E. Tata ("Beverly Hills,
90210," 'The Rockford Files") is 80. Singer David Clayton-Thomas of
Blood, Sweat and Tears is 75. Singer Peter Cetera (seh-TAYR'-uh)
(Chicago) is 72. Actress Jacqueline Bisset is 72. Actress Christine
Estabrook ("Desperate Housewives") is 66. Actress Jean Smart is 65.
Singer Randy Jones of the Village People is 64. Record
producer-musician Don Was (Was (Not Was)) is 64. Actress Geri Jewell
("The Facts of Life," 'Deadwood") is 60. Country singer Bobbie Cryner
is 55. Singer-guitarist Dave Mustaine of Megadeth is 55. Radio and TV
personality Tavis Smiley is 52. Actor Louis Mandylor ("My Big Fat Greek
Wedding") is 50. Drummer Steve Perkins of Porno for Pyros and Jane's
Addiction is 49. Actor Dominic Fumusa ("Nurse Jackie") is 47. Actress
Louise Lombard ("CSI") is 46. Country guitarist Joe Don Rooney of
Rascal Flatts is 41. Singer Fiona Apple is 39. Guitarist Hector
Cervantes of Casting Crowns is 36. Actor Ben Savage ("Boy Meets World")
is 36. Singer Niall Horan of One Direction is 23.
