If you thought January 14 was just another day on the calendar, this list will tell you otherwise! We all know there’s a lot that goes down in the film and television industry, and we also know how most of these events get lost in the pages of history. Well, that’s what our series Top 10 Events This Day in Movie and Television History is here for! In this series, we bring to you the top 10 events that went down in movies and television on a particular calendar day so that you’re always in sync with the little happenings that have contributed to making the entertainment industry what it is today. This time around, we bring to you the best of January 14!
10. January 14, 1941: Faye Dunaway is Born
Who hasn’t heard of Faye Dunaway! Born on January 14, 1941, in Bascom, Florida, Faye has been an integral part of the American entertainment industry since she first made her debut in 1962. With a long list of awards and accolades to her name, Faye has been a part of some truly noteworthy projects in her many decades in the industry. Some of her works that are considered among the best in cinema and on stage even today include The Happening, Bonnie and Clyde, The Thomas Crown Affair, The Arrangement, Little Big Man, The Three Musketeers, Chinatown, The Towering Inferno, Three Days of the Condor, Don Juan DeMarco, Mommie Dearest, Eyes of Laura Mars, The Twilight of the Golds, The Rules of Attraction, Arizona Dream, Hogan’s Goat, A Man for All Seasons, and A Streetcar Named Desire. One look at even this shortened version of the works of her career will tell you just how essential Faye’s portrayals have been in the evolution of cinema over the decades.
9. January 14, 1943: Holland Taylor is Born
When Holland Taylor was born on January 14, 1943, in Philadephia, Pennsylvania, we do not know how many of those present during her birth would have predicted that this little baby would go on to become one of the strongest performers and people the world had seen. And that’s true too! Holland truly has a strong personality, and this strength shows in every role she has played ever since she entered the entertainment industry in 1965 as a young and beautiful 22-year-old. Among Holland’s most notable roles in recent times were as the unapologetically obnoxious Evelyn Harper in the comedy series Two and a Half Men and as Judge Roberta Kittleson in the drama series The Practice. An actor and a playwright of note, some of the most popular titles across television, films, and theater that Holland has lent her acting prowess to include Bosom Buddies, All My Children, Keeping the Faith, The L Word, Mr. Mercedes, Ann, Legally Blonde, The Naked Truth, The Truman Show, George of the Jungle, Romancing the Stone, To Die For, Alice, The Wedding Date, Hollywood, and Bill & Ted Face the Music, among a host of others. Holland was also one of the first actors to openly admit that she has always had relationships with women. In 2015, Holland married Sarah Paulson.
8. January 14, 1952: The Today Show Premieres on NBC
What do you call a show that has been running for 70 seasons now with more than 18,000 episodes — yes, you read that right, eighteen thousand is what we wrote there — to its name? We call it The Today Show. Now known as Today, the show finds itself in the Top 5 list of longest-running shows in the US, and the way things are going, it’s bound to stay on the air as long as television is a thing! The first of its kind to capture the imagination of the audience, the show is a news and talk show that is telecast in the mornings on NBC and has been a staple diet for many Americans across generations. The first episode of the show was broadcast on January 14, 1952, and was a perfect show to wake up to even then. It had a mix of just about everything — news, lifestyle, entertainment, interviews, and even gimmicks. The show gained popularity immediately and soon enough, other networks were clamoring to make their own versions of the show. The format of the show was even replicated overseas, with Breakfast Time in the UK and Canada AM in Canada being the most notable spinoffs. The first host of the show was Dave Garroway.
7. January 14, 1963: Steven Soderbergh is Born
One of the most renowned directors of our time, Steven Soderbergh was born on January 14, 1963, in Atlanta, Georgia, and is a renowned editor, director, producer, screenwriter, and cinematographer. Working in the entertainment industry since 1981, one of Steven’s most popular works early in his career included 9012Live, for which he received a Grammy Award nomination in the category of Best Music Video, Long Form. The first major work from Steven that saw worldwide success was Sex, Lies, and Videotape. Made on a modest budget of $1.2 million, the initial critical acclaim the movie received as well as a string of awards at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival pushed it into the limelight and helped the project amass a total of $36.7 million at the box office. And to think that Steven wrote the screenplay for the movie on a legal notepad while he was on a cross-country road trip! Later, Steven brought to the audience a steady lineup of impressive works, that soon had the entertainment industry thanking him for the individual brilliance he brought to each of his works. Some of the works with a distinct Steven Soderbergh stamp on them include King of the Hill, Erin Brockovich, Traffic, Ocean’s Eleven, Full Frontal, Solaris, Ocean’s Thirteen, Contagion, The Informant!, Magic Mike, Logan Lucky, Let Them All Talk, Unsane, Side Effects, and The Girlfriend Experience, among others.
6. January 14, 1969: Jason Bateman is Born
Jason Bateman was born on January 14, 1969, in Rye, New York, and has donned the roles of actor, director, and producer ever since he first entered the entertainment industry in 1981. The son of a flight attendant mom and a rather famous dad — Kent Bateman is credited as the founder of the repertory stage in the entertainment mecca that is Hollywood and is well-known in filmmaking circles as an actor, writer, and director in both films and television — Jason first made it on to the screen in a cereal commercial in 1980. Soon, Little House on the Prairie was one of his first works on television and before long, he was making his way up the ladder. Some of Jason’s initial works in film and television that are noteworthy include Knight Rider, Silver Spoons, It’s Your Move, The Hogan Family, Teen Wolf Too, Valerie, This Can’t Be Love, Some of My Best Friends, George & Leo, Simon, and Chicago Sons. Among these works, Silver Spoons, It’s Your Move, and Valerie even won him several nominations at the Young Artists Awards. Jason’s nominations turned into wins in 2004 with Arrested Development. The series got him a Golden Globe Award in the Best Actor in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy category and a Satellite Award in the Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy category. Zootopia brought on another round of awards with an Annie Award win in the Outstanding Achievement, Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production category, and a Kids’ Choice awards win in the Favorite Frenemies section. The same year, in 2017, Jason was also inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his contribution to cinema. In 2019, Ozark won him a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series and a Primetime Emmy Award in the Outstanding Drama Series category. in 2021, Jason repeated his Screen Actors Guild Award win for the same series in the same category.
5. January 14, 1977: Fantasy Island Premieres on ABC
7 long seasons on television through 152 episodes and another two television movies to boot, Fantasy Island sure kept the audiences riveted during its run from 1977 to 1984. With each episode running between 45 and 48 minutes, that’s more than 7000 minutes of entertainment via the series alone! First premiering on ABC on January 14, 1977, the journey of the Fantasy Island era began with the two television movies, Fantasy Island, which premiered in 1977 and Return to Fantasy Island, which premiered in 1978. The popularity of these two movies inspired the series by the same name as the first television firm from the franchise. Thanks to a unique storyline that had guests visit the island to fulfill their fantasies, most stories ran into twists and turns that kept the audience hooked at all times. With Mr. Roarke and Tattoo playing the roles of the two main protagonists, the fantasy drama played out in different ways, with some of the episodes requiring the intervention of Mr. Roarke to save the guests from the dangers of their own fantasy. Led by a cast consisting of Ricardo Montalban, Herve Villechaize, Wendy Schaal, and Christopher Hewett, the series was created by Gene Levitt.
4. January 14, 1988: Jack P. Shepherd of Coronation Street Fame is Born
An English actor, and a quite popular one at that, Jack P. Shepherd’s claim to fame is his role as David Platt in the hit soap opera, Coronation Street. At 5 feet and 6 inches, Jack may not be among the most towering of individuals but he certainly makes up for it in talent. Born on January 14, 1988, in Pudsey, West Yorkshire, England, Jack first appeared on the telly in a few episodes of two television series, Clocking Off and Where The Heart Is. Soon enough, he was offered the role of David Platt, and the rest is history. Some of his other works include appearances on The Jeremy Kyle Show and The Big Quiz. Despite the rather short list of titles to his name yet, Jack’s has been among the winning names in several awards shows, thanks to his celebrated role on Coronation Street. Among his wins are three Inside Soap Awards, one in the Best Young Actor and two in the Best Bad Boy categories, a British Soap Award in the Villain of the Year category, another British Soap Award in the Best Actor category, and a TV Choice Award in the Best Soap Actor category. Jack has also been nominated several times in the Best Actor and Best Male Dramatic Performance categories at The British Soap Awards, and the Best Soap Actor category at the TV Quick Awards.
3. January 14, 1993: David Letterman Lets the World Know of Move to CBS
David Letterman has to his name one of the longest careers in the talk show business and despite all the changes in the names of his shows as well as the channels that aired different versions, proved to possess his signature style that came to be well-loved, widely accepted, and controversial too! It all began with The David Letterman Show on NBC. The morning talk show was aired on the channel from June 23 1980 to October 24 the same year and aired a total of 90 episodes. In the final three weeks of the show after learning from the network that his show would be canceled, Letterman did just about anything he wished, and his popularity hit the roof! In fact, until NBC could think of how to put him to better use, they paid him a whopping million dollars only so he wouldn’t be picked up by another network. Soon enough, he was back on the air, this time with Late Night with David Letterman. Premiering on February 1, 1982, this show ran successfully for a grand 11 seasons and when it ended its run, had clocked an impressive 1,819 episodes. But Letterman still wasn’t done, and on January 14, 1993, announced in a hastily put-together press conference that he would be moving his talents to CBS. On CBS, the show was christened the Late Show with David Letterman and this one had what one could call a marathon run indeed! Featuring a mind-boggling 4,261 episodes across 23 seasons, the show was a David Letterman classic all the way, with each episode bringing forth the producer, comedian, television host, and writer within him.
2. January 14, 2001: Love Don’t Cost a Thing Gives Jennifer Lopez Her First UK No.1 Single
Singer, actor, dancer, and performer par excellence, Jennifer Lopez aka J Lo is one of those exceptional talents who make headlines no matter what she does. Well, on January 14, 2001, J Lo made some personal history too! Love Don’t Cost a Thing was one of the most popular songs of her career and a single from her second studio album simply titled J.Lo — yes, that’s how famous she already was, all she had to do was put her name on the cover. And on this day, the song made it all the way up to the top of the list in the UK as the No. 1 single. The song was a popular one across the globe too, and even at various award ceremonies took the limelight with quite a few nominations and some wins. Some of the most notable nominations included a My VH1 Music Awards nomination in the Is It Hot In Here Or Is It Just My Video category, two MTV Video Music Awards nominations in the Best Female Video and Best Dance Video categories, and a Teen Choice Awards nomination in the Choice Music Single category. The single picked up two awards that year, the first one in the People’s Choice for Outstanding Music Video category at the ALMA Awards, and the other in the Award-Winning Song category at the BMI Pop Music Awards. The song made it all the way to the top of the charts not just in the UK but also in other countries across the globe including Canada, Finland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Romania, and Spain. In the UK, it made it to the top in the UK Singles and UK Dance lists, and back in the US, it topped the charts in the Billboard US Dance Singles Sales and the Billboard US Mainstream Top 40 charts. J Lo’s impressive career in music also propelled her into some significant movie roles, which makes her one of the most successful multitalented artists of our time.
1. January 14, 2011: 16th Critics’ Choice Awards
The 16th Critics’ Choice Awards was held on January 14, 2011, at the Hollywood Palladium and brought into the limelight some of the best works of the year gone by, honoring cast and crew alike. The nominations in various categories were announced on December 13 the previous year and a month later, it was time to give away the trophies! Black Swan received the most nominations that year in various categories, and at 12, was still one category ahead of The King’s Speech and True Grit, movies with 11 nominations each. Inception was not far behind with 10 nominations, while The Social Network had 9 nominations in different categories. Some of the most notable projects and titles that made it to the list of winners for the night included The Social Network in the Best Picture category, Toy Story 3 in the Best Animated Feature category, Waiting for “Superman” in the Best Documentary Feature category, Inception in the Best Action movie category, and Easy A in the Best Comedy Movie category. The Pacific was announced as the Best Picture Made for Television. Celebrities who left the rest of the competition behind and won accolades for the year included Aaron Sorkin, David Seidler, Hailee Steinfeld, Christian Bale, Melissa Leo, Natalie Portman, Colin Firth, and David Fincher.
That’s A Wrap On The Day That Was January 14!
How many of you even knew that all these events went down on a single day of the calendar year! And you’d be even more surprised to know that there is so much more that we couldn’t accommodate in this list! Now that you’ve enjoyed yet another edition of Top 10 Events This Day in Movie and Television History, we are sure you’d love to come back for more. So, allow us to go ahead and do our bit of homework now and we promise to get you yet another great lineup from our film and television archives!Arrested Development
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