A Day of Milestones

Written by Jon Williams

August 16 is a significant day across the entertainment industry.

Today is James Cameron’s 59th birthday. The legendary filmmaker has made some of the most successful movies in Hollywood history, including Titanic (for which he won three Academy Awards) and Avatar, the two highest-grossing films of all time worldwide. He also directed the blockbusters The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgment Day, as well as Aliens, the second film in the Alien franchise. Cameron certainly knows how to himself busy; it was recently announced that Avatar will have three sequels, to begin filming simultaneously in 2014, with the first installment slated for release in 2016, with the third and fourth films following each year thereafter.

Cameron isn’t the only well-known entertainer celebrating today, as it is also Madonna’s 55th birthday. The Material Girl burst onto the scene thirty years ago with her eponymous debut album, which included the hit singles “Holiday,” “Lucky Star,” and “Borderline.” The follow-up, Like a Virgin, which contained the track that provides her nickname, came in 1984. All these years later, she’s still a force to be reckoned with in the music world. Her most recent album (her twelfth), MDNA, was released in 2012. In addition to her musical career, she’s also carved out a successful role in front of the camera, starring in such films as Who’s That Girl, Dick Tracy, A League of Their Own, and Evita (as well as contributing to the soundtracks for those films).

On the other end of the spectrum, today also marks the 35th anniversary of the death of Elvis Presley. He is the biggest-selling solo artist of all time, and was largely responsible for bringing rock n’ roll into the American mainstream consciousness. His debut album, Elvis Presley, released in 1956, when he was just 21 years old. Even now, his music is still in great demand, with many of his albums (including his ever-popular Christmas album) recently being certified at gold, platinum, or multiplatinum status. Like Madonna, he also had a significant film career, starring in 31 films, starting with Love Me Tender in 1956.

For more movies and music from these iconic personalities, be sure to SmartBrowse their names on our homepage.