My trip to Vietnam from October 2024 to March 2025

Coming to Vietnam in October 2024, I was with my grandma and my auntie. For 5 months, we lived together in Cua Ong, based at Cam Pha in Quang Ninh, Vietnam.

Huyen Duong (b. 1984), Vu Hue Anh (b. 1996) and Vu Thi Thu Thuy (b. 1985) are some of the good people I met the most while I was in Cua Ong.

Thanh (b. 1972) and Hanh (b. 1981) are also some of the good people I met while in Cua Ong.

Vu Thi Thu Thuy's favourite singer is Britney Spears.

Charisma, charm, beauty, sincerity, grace, youth, innocence, humour, vulnerability and sex appeal are some enduring qualities making Britney Spears an iconic sex symbol.

Some aspects which contribute to Britney Spears' sex appeal include her physical appearance and her voice (notably vocal fry).

Incidentally, Britney Spears has a singing voice with a soft tone.

Having been a young, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous and charismatic woman, Britney Spears is likewise a world-famous symbol of resilience for many girls/women around the world.

Furthermore, Britney Spears is also deeply loved and idolized by many, especially girls worldwide.

Many girls are attractive to Britney Spears for reasons beyond her sexy looks, her sexy voice and her sexy vocal fry register.

Unconfined to being a sex icon, Britney Spears is also a cultural icon for teens and young adults.

Britney Spears has a casual, even androgynous, look with midriff-baring tops and jeans.

In addition, Britney Spears uses flirtatious gestures, such as sticking out a tongue, licking/biting lips, doing a sexy and sultry gaze/stare and using a suggestive, slightly open-mouth pose.

Unconfined to dance-pop and teen pop, Britney Spears has also incorporated African-American music genres, like rhythm & blues, hip-hop and rap, despite being a white woman.

Baby, honey and darling are terms of endearment that are already being used by Marilyn Monroe, also popularized among younger generations by Britney Spears.

Through her music, Britney Spears uses "baby", "Oh, baby" and "Oh, baby, baby".

McComb, Mississippi is where Britney Spears was born, whilst Kentwood, Louisiana is where she was raised and spent most of her childhood.

Key idols for Britney Spears include Michael Jackson, Madonna and Janet Jackson.

Marilyn Monroe, in turn, is a key idol for Madonna.

Similarly, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears have the name structure, with 7 letters in their first names and 6 in their last (13 overall), both being stage names.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears are also pop culture icons who won fame and popularity at a young age and became sex icons, captivating both the public and media.

Furthermore, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears are also blonde girls/women whose natural hair colour is brown, but also endure careers as actresses and singers.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears also have casual looks with midriff-baring tops and jeans.

In addition, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears also have pigtails, but with a difference.

Like her key idol Madonna, Britney Spears is deeply loved and admired by younger generations (teens and young adults).

Elizabeth "Betty" Hall is a woman being active in the 17th century, who is a common ancestor for both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears.

Plus, Britney Spears has a image based on Barbie, partly inspired by Marilyn Monroe, who is also an influence on Madonna, in turn, a key idol for Britney Spears herself.

Furthermore, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears have struggles in their lives.

Both Michael Jackson and his sister Janet Jackson are also Britney Spears' idols.

During the last few months of 2024, Vu Thi Thu Thuy used long hair, but in the new year, and also to celebrate her fortieth birthday, she began to use blunt bangs.

For Vu Thi Thu Thuy, using blunt bangs offers a more modern, youthful and sexy vibe.

On March 6, 2025, while in Hanoi, my mother came to see me in the first time in a few months.

While in Hanoi, I listened to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road by Elton John, One of These Nights by The Eagles and Sara Smile by Hall and Oates on March 7, 2025.

Not long after, on March 8, 2025, my mon and I travelled to Saigon/Ho Chi Minh City.

Plus, I visited Phu Tung Hop So, located next to both Galaxy Cinemas and McDonald's at Saigon's District 6, where I met Danny/Hieu (b. 1978) and Helen/Do Ha (b. 1985), on March 10, 2025.

My mom and I returned to Quang Ninh on March 11, 2025, reunited with my grandma.

Hien Bui (b. 1973) and Helen/Do Ha (b. 1985) are some of the people I met the most while I was in Saigon; both were born in the year of the Vietnamese zodiac Water Buffalo.

The Water Buffalo zodiac is different in name from the Chinese zodiac Ox.

Some of the girls I met in Vietnam were born in a US presidential election/inauguration year, notably Hien Bui, Vu Thu Thi Thuy, Vu Hue Anh, Huyen Duong, Helen/Do Ha, Thanh and Hanh.

Whereas other singers in the Vietnamese diaspora stick with traditions, both Lynda Trang Dai and Minh Tuyet bridge the gap between traditional Vietnamese music and modern global pop.

Known as the Vietnamese Madonna, Lynda Trang Dai is one of the first singers among the Vietnamese diaspora to embrace a provocative attitude, like crop tops.

Incidentally, Marilyn Monroe is a key idol for Madonna, who, in turn, inspires Lynda Trang Dai.

For Lynda Trang Dai, she uses dance-pop, rock, rap and ballads.

Dance-pop songs, which come from parts of the Western world, including the United States, the United Kingdom and Germany, make up Lynda Trang Dai's song collection.

Whilst less globally recognized than both Marilyn Monroe and Madonna, Lynda Trang Dai is still an influential figure in the Vietnamese dance-pop scene.

The stage name for Lynda Trang Dai is derived from an actress who stars as Wonder Woman.

Earlier in her career, Lynda Trang Dai used her provocative stage presence, her racy costumes and her persona, breaking traditions for Vietnamese women.

Moving to Hong Kong and San Diego in 1978, and finally Orange County, Lynda Trang Dai had first encountered American culture, to which she was exposed.

In addition to her singing work, Lynda Trang Dai is a businesswoman.

Being a businesswoman, Lynda Trang Dai runs a sandwich shop, opened on New Year's Eve 2010.

Britney Spears popularized the Y2K trend in general; Minh Tuyet is one of the first singers among the Vietnamese diaspora to embrace the Y2K trend.

From 1993 to 1997, in Vietnam, Minh Tuyet used a traditional image and music style.

By relocating to the United States in 1997 (and by signing a deal with Thuy Nga in 2002), Minh Tuyet underwent a shift in her image and music approach.

Having been exposed to American and world culture when she came to the United States in 1997, Minh Tuyet worked with Tinh, during which she adopted honey highlights and a modern wardrobe.

When Thuy Nga signed her in 2002, Minh Tuyet became sexier.

The controversy for Minh Tuyet is less about public scandals and more about her shift from domestic Vietnamese music to overseas diaspora, in contrast to Lynda Trang Dai.

Aside from slow ballads, Minh Tuyet also embraces more upbeat and modern music genres, including rhythm & blues, dance-pop, hip-hop and rap.

For her upbeat tunes, Minh Tuyet incorporates the the Y2K trend, like crop tops, into her style and her music, drawing some comparisons to pop icons like Britney Spears.

Plus, for her ballads, Minh Tuyet uses traditional clothes, even with the Y2K trend, like crop tops.

While less globally recognized than Marilyn Monroe, Madonna and Britney Spears, Minh Tuyet is still influenced by Britney Spears in both music and performance.

Since her move to the US, Minh Tuyet has adopted a Barbie doll-like aesthetic.

Bao Han (b. 1973), Tu Quyen (b. 1977) and Nhu Loan (b. 1981) are likewise singers in the Vietnamese diaspora.

For Bao Han, her hometown is Vienna, Austria, rather than the United States or France.

Tu Quyen was born in 1977 in Philadelphia, where, fittingly, due to its status and reputation as the first capital of the United States, it was aligned with the nation's presidential inauguration year.

As for Nhu Loan, she is known for her charming looks and her sweet voice.

Like both Lynda Trang Dai and Minh Tuyet, Bao Han, Tu Quyen and Nhu Loan embrace a sexual and provocative attitude, including crop tops.

Truc Linh (b. 1973), Loan Chau (b. 1973), Ho Le Thu (b. 1973) and Luu Bich (b. 1960's) are likewise singers in the Vietnamese diaspora.

Annette Funicello is the blueprint for the modern Disney-to-popstar career path (influencing Britney Spears, whose idol is Madonna, in turn, influenced by Marilyn Monroe).

Britney Spears also has ties to Michael Jackson and Janet Jackson, both connected to Paula Abdul, a Gemini girl in Van Nuys, born in June of a Tiger year and in California like Marilyn Monroe.

In turn, both Lynda Trang Dai and Minh Tuyet are influenced by Madonna and Britney Spears.

Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn and Tim Heintz are Disney songwriters, creating songs for its television series; they also make songs for Thuy Nga.

While at Thuy Nga, the trio comprising Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn and Tim Heintz usually provide modern Western-style music arrangements and original compositions for Vietnamese artists.

Noted Thuy Nga artists in collaboration with Randy Petersen, Kevin Quinn and Tim Heintz are Lynda Trang Dai, Minh Tuyet, Bao Han, Tu Quyen, Nhu Loan, Truc Linh, Loan Chau and Luu Bich.

My Tam (b. 1981), Hien Thuc (b. 1981) and Le Quyen (b. 1981) are female singers within the domestic Vietnamese music scene.

Ho Ngoc Ha (b. 1984), Pham Quynh Anh (b. 1984), Luong Bich Huu (b. 1984) and Thu Thuy (b. 1984) likewise serve as female singers within the domestic Vietnamese music scene.

1981 is a year that is associated with the Rooster, which is the Chinese zodiac having the most letters in English, in contrast to the Ox, the one having the fewest, with which 1973 is associated.

Conversely, in the Vietnamese system, 1973 is a year that is associated with the Buffalo, which uses the most letters in English (7), tied with the Rooster, with which 1981 is associated.

If the Water Buffalo is used with a space, it uses 12 letters, the most in any Vietnamese zodiac.

Plus, 1984 is a leap year; each leap year has 366 days, the most in a year.

Like the Rooster zodiac, Rat has the letter R, featuring the letter T.

Since the 1990's, some songs have instrumental intros featuring soulful vocal riffs, runs and melisma before the main melody, inspired by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.

For the last chorus of some pop songs since the 1990's, the backup singers have harmonized with the primary singer doing soul, inspired by Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.

Between the first chorus and the second verse, soulful riffs, runs and melisma are used as breaks.

My trip to Vietnam in late spring/early summer 2022

I came to my parent's own country Vietnam in May 2022, my first visit there in 11 years. My visit to Vietnam also came in 2005 and two years later.

The provinces I've been to are Hung Yen and Quang Ninh, both in the Northern portion of Vietnam.

Phu Cu was my first stop during my trip to Vietnam in 2022.

At Cua Ong, based at Cam Pha in Quang Ninh, I met Vu Thi Thu Thuy (b. 1985).

Vu Thi Thu Thuy's favourite singer is Britney Spears.

Charisma, charm, beauty, sincerity, grace, youth, innocence, humour, vulnerability and sex appeal are some enduring qualities making Britney Spears an iconic sex symbol.

Some aspects which contribute to Britney Spears' sex appeal include her physical appearance and her voice (notably vocal fry).

Incidentally, Britney Spears has a singing voice with a soft tone.

Having been a young, sexy, beautiful, gorgeous and charismatic woman, Britney Spears is likewise a world-famous symbol of resilience for many girls/women around the world.

Furthermore, Britney Spears is also deeply loved and idolized by many, especially girls worldwide.

Many girls are attractive to Britney Spears for reasons beyond her sexy looks, her sexy voice and her sexy vocal fry register.

Unconfined to being a sex icon, Britney Spears is also a cultural icon for teens and young adults.

Britney Spears has a casual, even androgynous, look with midriff-baring tops and jeans.

In addition, Britney Spears uses flirtatious gestures, such as sticking out a tongue, licking/biting lips, doing a sexy and sultry gaze/stare and using a suggestive, slightly open-mouth pose.

Unconfined to dance-pop and teen pop, Britney Spears has also incorporated African-American music genres, like rhythm & blues, hip-hop and rap, despite being a white woman.

Baby, honey and darling are terms of endearment that are already being used by Marilyn Monroe, also popularized among younger generations by Britney Spears.

Through her music, Britney Spears uses "baby", "Oh, baby" and "Oh, baby, baby".

McComb, Mississippi is where Britney Spears was born, whilst Kentwood, Louisiana is where she was raised and spent most of her childhood.

Key idols for Britney Spears include Michael Jackson, Madonna and Janet Jackson.

Marilyn Monroe, in turn, is a key idol for Madonna.

Similarly, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears have the name structure, with 7 letters in their first names and 6 in their last (13 overall), both being stage names.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears are also pop culture icons who won fame and popularity at a young age and became sex icons, captivating both the public and media.

Furthermore, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears are also blonde girls/women whose natural hair colour is brown, but also endure careers as actresses and singers.

Both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears also have casual looks with midriff-baring tops and jeans.

In addition, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears also have pigtails, but with a difference.

Like her key idol Madonna, Britney Spears is deeply loved and admired by younger generations (teens and young adults).

Elizabeth "Betty" Hall is a woman being active in the 17th century, who is a common ancestor for both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears.

Plus, Britney Spears has a image based on Barbie, partly inspired by Marilyn Monroe, who is also an influence on Madonna, in turn, a key idol for Britney Spears herself.

Furthermore, both Marilyn Monroe and Britney Spears have struggles in their lives.

Both Michael Jackson and his sister Janet Jackson are also Britney Spears' idols.

Plus, I went to Ho Chi Minh City/Saigon, which is the most populous city of Vietnam, doubling as the former capital city of South Vietnam, as a present for my 26th birthday on May 30, 2022.

While in Saigon, my parents and I lived briefly at Happy Hotel 2 at District 10 until June 2, when after dinner at Yeebo restaurant at District 7, we went to OYO An Binh Hotel, also at District 7.

Located next to 81 Tran Trong Cung at District 7 in Saigon, An Binh is better than Happy Hotel 2.

Plus, my parents and I went to Yersin International Clinic at District 3 in Saigon to check inside my stomach on June 2.

The next day, on June 3, my parents and I went to Cardiff Diabetes Centre.

Located at at District 2 in Saigon, Cardiff is below Top Vision and European Eye Centre.

While there, my parents and I visited a doctor at Cardiff talking about a stomach check-up.

On the morning of June 4, when I woke up at OYO An Binh Hotel, my mom left Vietnam to return to Vancouver.

Even though I missed my mom, I still had a chance to be with my father in Vietnam.

My dad and I moved to Hai Minh, located at Saigon's District 7, on June 6 until June 17, and again six days later until July 6.

Hai Minh is the place my parents and I lived on May 31.

Plus, I visited Phu Tung Hop So, located next to both Galaxy Cinemas and McDonald's at Saigon's District 6, where I met Hieu (b. 1978) and Helen/Do Ha (b. 1985).

During my visit to Saigon, I took photos of things related to New Zealand.

New Zealand is a friend, ally and partner to Vietnam, as well as the United States, Germany, etc.

My trip to the Dominican Republic in early-April 2024

On April 1, 2024, which was Easter Monday, my parents and I went to the Dominican Republic, along with our friends, for a week-long vacation.

The second day of April 2024 was when me, my parents and their friends were photographed, but also swam around the pool.

My parents, our friends and I went out to celebrate a wedding anniversary on the third day of April.

On the fourth and fifth days of April 2024, me, my parents and our friends danced around.

April 6, 2024 was when my parents and I went to Santo Domingo, along with our friends.

With the eighth day of April being the day of the solar eclipse, my parents and I went back to Canada, together with our friends.

Broadcast technology

Fritz Pfleumer, an Austrian-German engineer, invented magnetic tape in the late-1920's.

Magnetic tape, which was the best-known innovation by Fritz Pfleumer, later became the basis for the equally-innovative Magnetophon, developed in the 1930's by AEG.

During the Second World War, magnetic tape was kept secret, but when the Allied forces, including the United States, emerged victorious, they acquired recording equipment from Germany.

After the Allies emerged victorious in WWII, Americans, such as John T. Mullin, John Herbert Orr and Richard H. Ranger, took magnetic tape out of Germany and made it commercially viable formats.

The Ampex Model 200A, an improved American version of the innovative Magnetophon, which was based on Fritz Pfleumer's magnetic tape invention, was introduced in 1948.

For the Ampex Model 200A, it revolutionized both the broadcasting and the recording industries.

With the Ampex Model 200A, prerecorded radio programs provide more schedule flexibility, but also attract established and emerging artists untied to live broadcasts.

Quadruplex videotape is the first practical and commercially successful videotape format, whereas the Ampex VRX-1000 is the first commercially successful videotape recorder.

Both quadruplex and the Ampex VRX-1000 are video responses to the Ampex Model 200A, based on Magnetophon from AEG, in turn based on magnetic tape invented by Fritz Pfleumer.

Kinescope is the process used to film the television screen, but it is cumbersome and expensive; both quadruplex and the Ampex VRX-1000 are solutions to these limitations.

With both quadruplex and the Ampex VRX-1000, television quality improved.

Like radio, prerecorded television programs, on film and videotape, offer more schedule flexibility and attract established and emerging artists celebrities untied to live broadcasts.

Norikazu Sawazaki, who hailed from Toshiba, demonstrated the first videotape recorder using the new helical scan method in the late-1950's.

Ampex introduced the first commercial helical scan video recorder called the VR-8000 in 1961.

Helical scan enabled features, like pause and variable speeds.

Responding to both the quadruplex format and the Ampex VRX-1000 recorder, JVC developed its own two-head video tape recorder in the late-1950's and, by 1960, a colour version.

JVC also created the DV220, once its standard video tape recorder, in the mid-1960's.

In 1969, JVC joined forces with Matsushita Electric (which formerly held a majority stake in JVC) and Sony to build a video recording standard for the Japanese consumer.

U-matic is the world's first videocassette format on a commercial level.

For U-matic, it is among the earliest video formats to use a cassette with the videotape being enclosed inside, replacing the bulky reel-to-reel/open-reel systems made earlier.

This innovative design made for U-matic made video recording more portable and easier to handle.

Key successes for this U-matic format came from industrial and educational markets and the electronic news gathering (ENG) process, as well as professional, non-broadcast video production.

Cartrivision is the first home video format to have prerecorded tapes, specifically feature-length motion pictures, for consumer rental.

Avco, which gained a foothold in the film industry in the late-1960's with Embassy Pictures, also ran its subsidiary Cartridge Television Inc. (CTI), which produced the innovative Cartrivision format.

The film catalog for this Cartrivision format came from its parent company Avco Embassy Pictures, but from major Hollywood studios as well, including 20th Century-Fox, Columbia and others.

Not confined to films, Cartrivision also offered other content, like sports, instructional films, etc.

Unlike later video cassette recorders, Cartrivision was initially integrated into colour television sets.

June 1972 to July 1973 was the period from which Cartivision was available for consumer rental.

Many factors caused Cartrivision's own demise, including high costs, inconvenient mailing and rental processes, large-sized machines and technical issues.

Despite its short lived-run and its demise caused by its problems, Cartrivision's innovative features still continue to live on, leading to the home video revolution.

Ampex also introduced the HS-100 and the HS-200

Soon after the U-matic release, all of its three developers began working on new consumer-grade video recording formats of their own.

For instance, Sony started working on Betamax, Matsushita on VX, JVC on the CR-6060.

Philips designed the Video Cassette Recording (VCR) concept, the first consumer-level home VCR.

Introduced in 1972, the Philips VCR format was used in the UK, mainland Europe, Australia and South Africa.

JVC's own VHS format was released in Japan, one year after Betamax's 1975 release, and in the United States in August 1977.

VHS won the videotape format war over Betamax, becoming the most popular media format for VCRs.

For Type C videotape, it is smaller, easier to operate and provides slightly higher video quality than the quadruplex videotape.

Plus, Type C videotape has functions that quadruplex has not, like still and slow-motion playback.

Whereas Type C videotape was successfully adopted on both sides of the Atlantic (making it the global leader), Type B videotape was successfully adopted in mainland Europe.

The RCA TK cameras are the first cameras being made for colour television on a practical, commercial and fully electronic basis.

Before the RCA TK cameras, colour television systems were attempted, but relied on semi-mechanical methods.

Also in RCA's innovation list is the image orthicon video camera tube, utilized during the post-WWII period until the 1960's.

Besides, the Iconoscope, the Emitron and Image Dissector are early television camera tubes.

Vidicons are video camera tubes which became a commercial success, due to its simplicity, smaller size and lower cost, making small-sized video cameras what they were.

Plumbicons are variants of the Vidicon, developed by the Dutch-based multinational company Philips.

In contrast to Vidicons, which caused problems, particularly in low-light conditions, producing noisy pictures and lag effects, Plumbicons have higher resolution, better image quality and others.

Solid-state sensor technology like CCD and CMOS replace Vidicons and Plumbicons in the 1990's.

Norelco cameras use advanced Plumbicon tubes, positioning them as an alternative to the RCA colour television cameras.

Responding to the success of the Norelco camera designs with Plumbicons, RCA abandoned its older television camera designs and incorporated Plumbicon tubes into its next-generation cameras.

Trinitron is the brand name for Sony's system of television sets.

Some of the notable innovations for Sony's Trinitron system of television sets include vertical bars, one electron gun, an aperture grille and a flatter screen surface in design.

With these innovations, Trinition is an advancement in colour television technology.

Before Sony's Trinitron system, early television sets featured dots, three electron guns, a curved screen surface in design and a shadow mask; these resulted in a dimmed and grainy picture quality.

However, with Sony's Trinitron system, television sets have found solutions to these issues.

FD Trinitron/WEGA is Sony's flat incarnation of this Trinitron system, which featured a flatter screen surface and further improvements to the electron gun, the aperture grille and the deflection yoke.

The Ikegami HL-33 is the first compact hand-held video camera made in colour for ENG and the first broadcast camera to use 1-inch Plumbicon tubes.

Introduced in 1972 (or 1973, sources vary), the Ikegami HL-33 gave birth to ENG.

Before ENG, film was the primary medium for recording and broadcasting news footage.

With ENG, news footage was done on a smooth and fast-paced basis, using portable, lightweight and mobile equipment like video cameras and microwave systems.

Sony's Portapak is an innovative video camera using a 1/2-inch reel-to-reel format.

Contrasting to bulky studio cameras requiring crews and transport, Sony's Portapak is the first portable system to allow one person to shoot and record video easily outside studios.

Furthermore, in contrast to film or telecine, the Portapak has video played back on location.

Having been introduced in the late-1960's, the Sony Portapak was the catalyst for ENG, doubling as a precursor to the Ikegami HL-33.

Whereas the Sony Portapak is a monochrome video camera being designed for non-broadcast use, the Ikegami HL-33 is a colour video camera being made for the ENG process.

Plus, Ikegami introduced both the TK-301 and the TK-301A colour cameras, both of which resulted in huge improvements over other cameras.

Ikegami also introduced the DNS-11, one of the first portable, tapeless and non-linear camcorders.

The CMX-6000 is the first non-linear video editing system.

Before the CMX-6000, videotape editing had linear constraints.

With the CMX-6000, videotape editing became non-linear.

C-band is used for TVRO systems, and Ku-band 

Primestar DirecTV, USSB and Dish Network.

Philco Radio Time, the first program on a major American broadcaster to be prerecorded, has endured innovations.

For its first season, Philco Radio Time used poor-quality, unedited and live transcription discs.

The second Philco Radio Time season pioneered prerecorded broadcasts using AEG's Magnetophon machine; its third and last season featured Ampex Model 200A recorders with 3M.

All in all, Philco Radio Time brought film technology to radio and set new broadcast standards.

Blackboard Jungle

Blackboard Jungle features Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets, not just in its opening sequence, but four additional times.

For Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets, its inclusion in Blackboard Jungle marked the first instance of a major Hollywood film featuring rock music.

Plus, having been used 5 times in Blackboard Jungle, notably in its opening sequence, Rock Around the Clock topped the pop charts around the world, introducing rock music to the mainstream.

Rock Around the Clock is also the name of a film, whose title track is used in its opening sequence.

Unlike Blackboard Jungle, which is a social commentary, Rock Around the Clock is a musical, the first musical film entirely dedicated to rock music.

For the film Rock Around the Clock, it capitalizes on Bill Haley's fame and the song's global success.

Meanwhile, Crazy Man, Crazy made the pop charts, marking the initial national breakthrough for Bill Haley & His Comets and proving that rock music could exist on the mainstream pop charts.

However, Rock Around the Clock was the true catalyst for rock music's global dominance.

Prior to Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets, pop music had a conservative feel.

Rock Around the Clock by Bill Haley & His Comets, however, opened the floodgates for rock music's dominance on a global, mainstream pop music level.

Glenn Ford suggested his younger son Peter (who was interested in both the rhythm & blues and rock music genres) to choose Rock Around the Clock as the theme tune for Blackboard Jungle.

Former Disney musician Charles Wolcott adapted the music for Blackboard Jungle, which introduced rhythm & blues-rooted rock music to mainstream pop music.

Stock music

Stock music, also known as production music or library music, is recorded music licensed for use in various media forms, including (but not limited to) film, television and radio.

De Wolfe Music, KPM, Bruton, Sonoton, Network Music, Killer Tracks, FirstCom Music, Cavendish, Chappell, Freeplay Music, Sound Ideas, Westar Music and others are major stock music labels.

NFL Films is the film and television production company of the National Football League.

Initially known as Blair Motion Pictures, NFL Films has revolutionized the sports filming world.

Ed Sabol and his son Steve Sabol are the NFL Films figureheads, both of whom make this company a success story.

John Facenda is the first narrator for NFL Films until his 1984 death.

Sam Spence is the primary music composer for NFL Films from 1966 to 1990, having crafted his epic Hollywood-like music scores.

Together, Ed Sabol, Steve Sabol, John Facenda and Sam Spence create the NFL Films hallmarks.

Munich, Germany is the adopted base for Sam Spence and his music work with NFL Films.

Just before NFL Films, marching band music was often featured in many sports films, but under Sam Spence's influence, NFL Films uses cinematic Hollywood-like orchestral music in them.

In his NFL Films music work, Sam Spence's influence derives from many world-famous Hollywood music composers, like Miklos Rozsa and Dimitri Tiomkin.

Having been the music director for NFL Films from the late-1960's to 1984, Phillip Spieller selected music for (and mixed) many sports films during his career.

Phillip Spieller made up a process in which he blended music cues composed by NFL Films' in-house composers, like Sam Spence, with prerecorded tracks from stock music labels.

This process by Phillip Spieller gave NFL Films its cinematic Hollywood-like orchestral sound.

Noted NFL Films innovations include slow-motion shots, edited montages, close-ups and game sound synchronization, plus many others, all set to dramatic orchestral music.

De Wolfe Music (or Music De Wolfe) has been a stock music pioneer since its 1909 inception.

In the late-1920's, with talkies being born, De Wolfe Music started to use recorded music cues, giving birth to modern stock music.

For the rest of the 1950's, the weekday London ITV franchise Associated-Rediffusion purchased Keith Prowse Music Publishing and Peter Maurice Music, forming Keith-Prowse-Maurice (KPM).

With commercial television having arrived through both ITV and Associated-Rediffusion, stock music became an integral and a crucial component of television music.

In the mid-1960's, in the wake of the successes being created by the British Invasion, Motown and Stax music trends, KPM pioneered a modern, often instrumental, stock music sound.

The KPM 1000 Series blended traditional music genres, notably orchestral and jazz, with more modern ones, like pop, rhythm & blues, soul, rock and electronica.

With the KPM 1000 Series, it hired session musicians and composers in the pop, jazz and rock scenes.

For instance, Alan Hawkshaw and Brian Bennett, both coming from Cliff Richard's backing band The Shadows, are involved with stock music.

Mike Vickers and Dave Richmond, both hailing from Manfred Mann, are likewise musicians working with stock music labels.

Ray Russell, Vic Flick and Kenny Salmon, all hailing from The John Barry Seven, are also musicians involved with stock music.

Warren Bennett, who hails from The Shadows, of which his father Brian Bennett is a member, is also involved with stock music, like his father.

Keith Mansfield, Johnny Pearson, Frank Ricotti and Nick Ingman, who are session musicians, are also involved with stock music.

Francis Monkman and Darryl Way, both coming from Curved Air, are also involved with stock music.

Alan Parker, Herbie Flowers, Barry Morgan, John Cameron, Geoff Bastow, Trevor Bastow and Steve Gray, all being session musicians, are also involved with stock music.

By combining traditional music genres, notably orchestral and jazz, with modern ones, the KPM 1000 Series modernized and revitalized stock music, marking its quality facelift in production values.

Instead of the generic "mood music" sound, the KPM 100 Series featured many instrumental cues that sounded like commercial ones, creating a sonic identity ubiquitous in television and film.

KPM also shifted from 10-inch 78 rpm shellac records into 12-inch 33 rpm LPs.

While 78 rpm shellac records use faster playback speed, 33 rpm LPs use slower speed and finer, more densely packed microgrooves, giving music a more storage space.

In 1969, EMI, which took Associated British Picture Corporation (ABPC), the part-owner of Thames Television (ABC's successor), took KPM from Thames' other precursor Associated-Rediffusion.

EMI, not confined to stock music, also features musicians, like The Beatles, David Bowie, The Beach Boys, Queen, Bob Seger, Kylie Minogue, Coldplay, Radiohead, Selena, etc.

Robin Phillips is the mastermind of the KPM 1000 Series.

Adrian Kerridge, who, at Lansdowne Studios, helped establish the distinct sound of The Dave Clark Five, also engineered the KPM 1000 Series.

Wardour Street had been De Wolfe's longtime headquarters until its relocation to Shropshire House on Capper Street in the late-1990's.

Denmark Street, located near Wardour Street where De Wolfe was located, had also been the longtime headquarters for KPM/EMI until its move to Charing Cross the late-1980's.

Soho bridges both Wardour Street and Denmark Street, where De Wolfe and KPM/EMI were based.

Until its relocation to Queens House at Tottenham Court Road in the late-2010's, De Wolfe's primary location was Shropshire House on Capper Street.

Boosey & Hawkes, Chappell, Josef Weinberger Ltd. and Bosworth are some music publishers which entered stock music with their reputation on par with De Wolfe and KPM/EMI.

Cavendish Music is the current name for Boosey & Hawkes' stock music division.

Regent Street is the former main location for the Boosey & Hawkes music publishing empire.

New Bond Street and Park Street sre the former primary locations for the Chappell music publishing empire.

Sonoton is a company that brings stock music to Germany and endures innovations in this field.

Gerhard Narholz, an Austrian film and television composer and a pop songwriter, is the driving force behind Sonoton and its innovations.

Roy Berry's eponymous stock music label, founded in partnership with Campbell-Connelly, Inc. in the mid-1950's or after 1954, is best known for its iconic Conroy sub-label.

KPM/EMI purchased Berry Music from Campbell-Connelly, Inc. in 1973 or between 1972 and 1974.

EMI Photoplay Library is one of the early forays into stock music for EMI before it acquired KPM in 1969.

In 1969, Sonoton struck a deal with Berry Music, exposing its catalogue to a global audience.

With Berry Music being purchased in 1973 by KPM/EMI, which was led by Robin Phillips, Sonoton underwent its further worldwide expansion, also marking the birth of its own record label.

The underscore is one of the stock music trends created by Sonoton.

Parry Music is one of the stock music labels hailing from Canada.

John Parry, who previously worked with the known publisher Chappell, co-founded this eponymous stock music label with Canadian music consultant Chris Stone in 1974.

Using the strategy by both John Parry and Chris Stone, Parry Music featured British composers, some hailing from Chappell, where John Parry formerly worked, but also across the world.

Alain J. Leroux is one of the composers working with Parry Music. 

In 1977, Robin Phillips took many of his KPM/EMI composers with him to start his own label run by ATV Music/Northern Songs, with whom Sam Trust worked for its US branch.

Bruton Street served as the chief base for the eponymous music label that was more experimental and electronic than KPM/EMI, but also the base for ATV Music.

Zomba purchased Bruton in 1986, marking its first foray into stock music; it also acquired Chappell's stock music division in the late-1980's or before 1989.

In 1953, De Wolfe made its expansion to North America in partnership with Corelli-Jacobs; exactly 60 years later, in 2013, it launched De Wolfe USA to further increase its American presence.

Until the late-1980's, Emil Ascher, Inc. and TRF were America's leading stock music distributors.

KPM and Bruton were respectively owned by EMI and ATV; they were represented in the US by Emil Ascher, Inc., and this partnership led to the creation of APM Music to represent them both.

Promusic is a former stock music distributor located in South Florida, which had once been the largest company distributing European labels.

Cavendish Music, which is Boosey & Hawkes' stock music label, is also one of the earliest labels from Promusic.

Abaco Music, which was Promusic's own label, was sold to Boosey & Hawkes, and became integrated with Cavendish, both in the mid-noughties.

In addition, Promusic also distributed Parry, for which the stock music distributor's own founder Alain Leroux composed tracks; he also did tracks for Abaco, later integrated into Cavendish Music.

5 Alarm Music, founded in 2001, acquired Promusic in 2005, and returned Cavendish to its fold in the early-2010's, after the latter was distributed by Non-Stop Music.

Ever since the 1960's, stock music labels, including De Wolfe, KPM/EMI and Bruton, have utilized a modern sound made by musicians, especially those having backgrounds in rock music.

Robin Phillips (who worked at both the KPM/EMI and Bruton labels) was the visionary behind stock music's modernization, revitalization and reinvention.

The Music People Ltd. is a former stock music distributor in Canada, led by Parry Music's founders.

Studio G is a former stock music label based at Wardour Street, where De Wolfe was based.

John Gale, who once worked with Chappell's stock music division, founded Studio G.

Network Music plays a crucial role in evolving and popularizing stock music, as does KPM/EMI under Robin Phillips.

Using music composers from Tuesday Productions, Network Music is also a stock music innovator.

The Network Music style features French horns and strings being laden with a modern drum beat, with timpani and brass accents.

In fact, Network Music is innovative in blending traditional orchestral elements with modern rhythms.

S. John Archer and Ron Satterfield, who are the primary members of their own new age/eclectic music group Checkfield, plus Spencer Nilsen, are also in stock music through Network Music.

Killer Tracks was founded in 1989 as a joint venture between jingle company HLC/Killer Music and music executive Sam Trust, the latter also being involved in stock music through APM.

In the early-1990's or after 1990, Killer Tracks sold its 50% stake to BMG and eventually took over its remaining shares in 1996, becoming its stock music division.

Plus, Network Music was sold to BMG in 2001, and became integrated with Killer Tracks after 2005.

Ron Hicklin, Al Capps and John Bahler, all hailing from the eponymous Ron Hicklin Singers, are also musicians involved with stock music through FirstCom and Killer Tracks.

HLC/Killer, owned by Ron Hicklin, was involved with stock music through Killer Tracks, which is an innovative label.

Lars Clutterham and Grant Geissman are session musicians involved with stock music.

Suzie Katayama and Steve Kujala, all being session musicians, are also involved with the stock music industry through Killer Tracks.

FirstCom, which Jim Long co-founded, is also a household name in stock music.

Likewise, using music composers coming from TM Productions and VTS Music, FirstCom is also a stock music innovator, as is Network Music, using composers from Tuesday Productions.

Zomba, which already owned Bruton and Chappell, acquired FirstCom in 1990.

Six years later, in 1996, Zomba put Bruton, FirstCom and Chappell together under the name Zomba Production Music, the first of the so-called super-libraries in stock music.

Atmosphere Music Library is one of the most innovative and cutting-edge stock music.

Luis Jardim and Geoff Downes, both of whom worked together with famous music innovator Trevor Horn, also worked with Atmosphere Music Library.

Both Trevor Horn and Geoff Downes are Biddu's two former session musicians; they also teamed up together as the core members of The Buggles, best known for Video Killed the Radio Star.

Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles was the first music video on MTV in 1981.

Cezame is a French music label founded in 1975 by the collaborators of the singer F.R. David, whose English-language song Words became a worldwide success and put the label on the map.

Koka Media is the leading stock music label in France.

Founded in the early-1980's by Cezame and RCA, Koka has been a successful stock music label.

Incidentally, in the late-1980's, RCA became integrated with BMG, which, in February 1996, assumed Koka's 50% stake and the rest before 2008.

Still in France, Kosinus is a stock label founded in the late-1980's.

Responding to BMG acquiring a 50% stake in Koka in February 1996, Kosinus sold its ownership and distribution rights to its co-founder's new entity called Kapagama.

Primetime Productions is the publisher for Match Music, a stock label with its roots in Sweden.

Stephen Paul Martin, professionally known as Steve Martin, not the comedian, is the mastermind and guiding spirit for Match Music, also known as Paul Osborne or Arch Bacon.

BMG purchased Match Music and Primetime Productions in April 1997.

Immediate Music is a stock music company known for its epic trailer music approach filled with huge choirs and sound design elements.

Driving the vision for Immediate Music are Yoav Goren and Jeffrey Fayman.

Yoav Goren was initially influenced by classical music, then by the Beatles, and by iconic film music composers like Jerry Goldsmith, John Barry and Ennio Morricone.

Jeffrey Fayman was involved with progressive rock acts, like Robert Fripp.

Before Immediate Music, though movie trailers featured music sourced from movies for decades, stock music cues were rarely utilized in this industry, as they were low-quality.

However, through the efforts of both Yoav Goren and Jeffrey Fayman, Immediate Music revolutionized stock music in movie trailers with its high-quality epic orchestral style.

Immediate Music's success paved the way for other labels in this epic music genre, including Extreme Music, Brand X Music, Two Steps from Hell, Audiomachine, Future World Music, etc.

Dolphin Taylor, who was the drummer for Stiff Little Fingers, is involved with stock music, as is their manager Russell Emanuel.

Having gained his experience in the stock music scene through Bruton, Russell Emanuel then moved to Music House, but this time, with Dolphin Taylor.

Incidentally, both Bruton and Music House were founded by Robin Phillips (KPM/EMI).

For both Russell Emanuel and Dolphin Taylor, their work at Match Music resulted in their cues being created using MIDI technology.

Both Russell Emanuel and Dolphin Taylor founded Extreme Music in 1997.

One of the reasons that both Russell Emanuel and Dolphin Taylor founded Extreme Music was because stock music was poorly-served and complacent by old-school attitudes.

Primetime Productions, which published the Match Music label, was purchased by BMG in April 1997, which was also the reason that both Russell Emanuel and Dolphin Taylor founded Extreme Music.

Extreme Music's X-Series (XCD) serves as its front-of-house contemporary pop music label; its own Ultimate Classix (XCL) features most cues performed by the Royal Philharmonic Orehestra.

Remote Control, led by Hans Zimmer and Jay Rifkin, teamed up with Extreme Music, led by Russell Emanuel and Dolphin Taylor, to launch the Directors Cuts sub-label in 2001.

Directors Cuts is Extreme Music's orchestral and electro-orchestral vanguard label being powered by iconic and world-famous Hollywood blockbuster film music composers.

Extreme Music was sold to Viacom in 2005, and then Sony/ATV Music Publishing in 2008.

Instead of the usual stock music soundalikes, both Russell Emanuel and Dolphin Taylor embarked on music from established and emerging artists at a high-quality level at Extreme Music.

Like Immediate Music, Extreme Music is a stock music innovator, both of which elevated this field's quality and perception.

Both Immediate Music and Extreme Music turned stock music from generic into creative in media.

Non-Stop Music produces original music pieces, jingles and packages, many of them featured in film trailers, television and commercials, some performed by the Utah Symphony.

Douglas A. Wood is one of the Studio G composers, but also founded his own stock music label called Omnimusic, which Studio G formerly distributed in the United Kingdom.

John K. Manchester composed cues for Omnimusic before founding his own music company in 1993.

Besides both Chappell and Parry, The Music People Ltd. was the Canadian distributor for stock music labels, including KPM, Bruton, etc.

Reliable Source Music (RSM) is also a prominent stock music label based in the UK.

Wayne Bickerton, who worked with his songwriting partner Tony Waddington, served as the managing director of the Reliable Source Music (RSM) label until his death.

Moving over to the 1980's decade, music technology has seen major innnovations.

Dave Smith's MIDI invention became a method for film scores in digital, but also stock music.

In addition, the Synclavier and the Fairlight CMI have both pioneered the digital sampling trend.

But the earliest models from E-mu and Akai first caught on and became studio staples in stock music.

Sound Ideas and Westar Music are Canadian companies specializing in royalty-free music and sound effects.

Brian Nimens is the driving force behind both Sound Ideas and Westar Music.

Not confined to sound effects, Sound Ideas is also involved with stock music through the royalty-free model.

In addition, Sound Ideas and Westar are also Canada's distributors for De Wolfe and Beatbox.

The Turner Broadcast Music Library uses music sourced within the Turner networks and is exclusively distributed by Sound Ideas.

Hennie Bekker and Greg Kavanaugh, both musicians from Canadian techno music band BKS, are also involved with stock music through Network Music, Parry Music and Sound Ideas.

In 1985, stock music labels, like De Wolfe, KPM, Sonoton, FirstCom and Omnimusic, were among the first to have their music released on compact discs (CDs).

De Wolfe released a collection of six CDs in 1985, being the world's first digital stock music label.

KPM and Sonoton are also among the first stock music labels released on CD, besides De Wolfe.

FirstCom and Omnimusic are among the first American-based stock music labels to have their music released on CD in 1985.

Launched as a 4-track studio in 1978, Sound Ideas is a pioneer in sound effects.

The Series 1000, initially produced on reel-to-reel tape because the audio was superior to vinyl record albums, made the transition to CD, the first sound effects album to do so.

Royalty-free music is done using workflows, like those based on computers, MIDI or a real orchestra.

Hi-Q is a stock music library produced and distributed by Capitol Records.

William Loose and John Seely, who served as the co-architects of the Hi-Q stock music library from Capitol Records, were replaced by Ole Georg and Ib Glindemann in the 1960's.

Born in Denmark, Ole Georg coined the production music term.

Capitol Production Music is the new name for the Hi-Q stock music library from Capitol Records.

Media Music and Media Music: The Professional are sub-labels being included in Capitol's stock music division, both created during Ole Georg's tenure.

Ole Georg Music (OGM) is the current name for Capitol Production Music.

Ever since the late-1920's advent of talkies, many stock music labels have used recorded music from different eras and genres.

For the corporate/industrial genre, especially in news and current affairs, stock music incorporates the sounds of technology like the teletype or Morse code.

Plus, the corporate/industrial genre in stock music uses a modern and cinematic orchestral feel, which combines grand orchestral arrangements with industrial and corporate settings in a modern age.

For stock music albums released in CDs, they provide advantages, notably improved audio quality and durability, compared to previous formats, like vinyl, LPs and magnetic tapes.

Before the KPM 1000 Series, stock music largely used traditional music, notably orchestral and jazz.

Since the KPM 1000 Series, from the mid-1960's until the early-1980's, the typical styles used in stock music were top forty fare à la funk, laid-back fare à la Henry Mancini and electronica.

In addition, stock music composers created soundalikes of the the mainstream top forty songs à la funk and Hollywood-like film scores used in low-budget films and television.

For larger stock music labels protected by copyright, they make copyrighted pieces.

With the production music industry experiencing proliferation in recent years, along with increasing competition, smaller stock music labels evolve the royalty-free music model.

Most of the samples being used in stock music tracks à la funk are also being used by rhythm & blues and hip-hop artists.

With the 2002 merger of Zomba and BMG, BMG Zomba Production Music was formed as well.

Some of the best stock music labels under the BMG Zomba Production Music group include Network Music, Killer Tracks, FirstCom, Chappell, Atmosphere, Koka, Match, etc.

Not long after, before 2008, BMG Music Publishing, which included BMG Zomba Production Music, became integrated with Universal Music Publishing, becoming Universal Production Music.

Universal Music Group, not confined to stock music, features singers such as Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.

SmartSound combines the catalogues sourced from Sound Ideas, Westar, The Music Bakery and Killer Tracks.

BackTraxx is a stock music label from Digital Juice.

While the first BackTraxx library used tracks sourced from River City Sound Productions, the second BackTraxx library used tracks sourced from Fresh Music.

Production Garden Music is based in San Antonio, Texas.

In the 1990's, companies began to sell compact discs filled with royalty-free material; at the end of this decade, composers shifted towards a workflow based on computers.

Pro Tools is one of the computer-based digital audio workstations.

Not confined to non-stock music, Pro Tools is also in stock music.

Andy Mark had been a co-founder of the PMA since its inception in 1997; his legacy has persisted and grown through the eponymous awards: the Mark Awards.

Some other PMA founders, besides Andy Mark, include Michael Dowdle, Dain Blair, Randy Wachtler, Ron Mendelsohn, Norman Chesky, Joseph Saba and Ivy Tombak.

The Mark Awards, named after Andy Mark, are honours by the PMA.

Gerhard Narholz was inducted into the first ever PMA Hall of Fame for his efforts in developing stock music's innovations through Sonoton, which celebrated its golden anniversary.

Peter Cox was inducted into the second ever PMA Hall of Fame for his stock music contributions, and especially his work with both KPM/EMI and West One.

Romano di Bari was inducted into the third PMA Hall of Fame for his contributions to the stock music scene in Italy through Flippermusic in 2017.

Sam Trust and Jim Long were respectively inducted into the PMA Hall of Fame in the late-2010's era.

Doug Wood was inducted into the PMA Hall of Fame in 2021 for his contributions to the stock music business, especially his work with both Studio G and Omnimusic.

An F.R. David collaborator, whose last name is Leibovitz, was inducted into the PMA Hall of Fame in 2022 for his own stock music efforts, especially his work with his Cezame and Koka labels.

Cassie Lord was inducted into the PMA Hall of Fame for her efforts in stock music, including (but not limited to) working with APM and her own 5 Alarm Music (APM's rival), the first woman to do so.

Andy Mark, who served as PMA co-founder and the namesake of the Mark Awards, was posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame on the 10th anniversary of this awards ceremony in the mid-2020's.

Dain Blair was inducted into the PMA Hall of Fame in 2025 for his stock music efforts, especially his work with Groove Addicts (now GrooveWorx).

NBC Saturday Night at the Movies

NBC Saturday Night at the Movies was television's first anthology series to air relatively recent films coming from major Hollywood studios in colour.

During television's early stages, major Hollywood studios did not release their films on television.

Instead, films shown on television during its early stages were typically low-budget B movies or older monochrome academy ratio films that have already lost their value in theatres.

By the 1950's decade, movies were on local television stations or during non-primetime line-ups.

Famous Film Festival and Hollywood Film Theatre are movie series on ABC in the 1950's decade.

While Famous Film Festival presented British films made during and after WWII, Hollywood Film Theatre presented some pre-1948 films by RKO.

RKO sold some pre-1948 films to ABC, while others were syndicated to local television stations.

Together, Famous Film Festival and Hollywood Film Theatre, both on ABC in the 1950's, aired films lasting 90 minutes, which meant some have to be severely either edited or aired in 2 parts.

NBC Saturday Night at the Movies was the first network movie anthology series to run two hours (or occasionally longer), so that almost all films can be aired on one night.

From its September 1961 premiere to its October 1978 end, NBC Saturday Night at the Movies was a showcase for recently-released colour films from major Hollywood studios.

Before NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, films on television were low-budget and monochrome.

However, with NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, viewers at homes enjoyed recently-released colour films from major Hollywood studios unavailable at the time on television.

The September 1961 launch of NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, in particular with the rise of colour television, enhanced the cinematic experience at home.

In addition, the huge popularity of some network movie anthology series on television, including NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, offered a windfall to the film studios.

Even before it became widespread, NBC actively promoted colour programming and was a pioneer in bringing colour to television.

Colour television offers a more vibrant and visually appealing experience that mirrors the cinema.

Don Stanley was the main announcer of NBC Saturday Night at the Movies and recorded the opening credits and bumpers at NBC Colour City Studios.

The first three seasons of NBC Saturday Night at the Movies began with a Marilyn Monroe film being released in the 1950's decade.

How to Marry a Millionaire, the first movie being shot on CinemaScope, was also the first colour and CinemaScope film on primetime television, just before Marilyn Monroe's death.

In addition, How to Marry a Millionaire was the first film on NBC Saturday Night at the Movies.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was the first film of the second NBC Saturday Night at the Movies season.

Plus, on television's NBC Saturday Night at the Movies, Gentlemen Prefer Blondes was a tribute to the recently-deceased Marilyn Monroe, whose pink dress and Diamonds number have been iconic.

The Seven Year Itch, noted for its sexy scene, where Marilyn Monroe's white dress is lifted by a breeze from a subway grate, was the first film in the third NBC Saturday Night at the Movies season.

In addition to the films that started the first three NBC Saturday Night at the Movies seasons, the other Marilyn Monroe films include Niagara, Point of No Return and Let's Make Love.

The ABC Sunday Night Movie, which started to air on a regular basis in the mid-1960's, was the new name for its short-lived and irregular Hollywood Special series.

CBS, meanwhile, jumped on the bandwagon of both NBC Saturday Night at the Movies and the ABC Sunday Night Movie with The CBS Thursday Night Movies.

Unlike both NBC and ABC, CBS delayed running feature-length films at the behest of its hierarchy.

James T. Aubrey was an opponent of the plan for CBS to launch a movie series.

With James T. Aubrey's departure, CBS was given the go-ahead to launch The CBS Thursday Night Movies in the mid-1960's or before 1966.

After 10 years, CBS decided to move its movie series to Friday nights in 1975.

Archie Comics

Archie Comics is a famous comic book publisher, named after its main character Archie Andrews.

Besides the eponymous Archie Andrews, the other members of his own core group (and Archie Comics overall) include Jughead Jones, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge and Reggie Mantle.

Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Josie and the Pussycats, Cheryl Blossom, Katy Keene, Ethel Muggs, Moose Mason, Midge Klump, Chuck Clayton and Nancy Woods are also Archie Comics characters.

John L. Goldwater and Bob Montana are creators of the Archie Comics stable, with Dan DeCarlo as the modernizer.

For Betty Cooper, she is the quintessential girl next door/tomboy in the Archie Comics stable.

Plus, Betty Cooper's clothes are casual and sporty, featuring outfits like t-shirts, jeans and cheerleading uniforms.

In addition, Betty Cooper has her distinctive ponytail hair.

Some female Archie characters, like Veronica Lodge and Katy Keene, are fashionistas.

Cheryl Blossom is a provocative and glamorous fashionista, with her long fiery red hair.

The real name for Sabrina the Teenage Witch is Sabrina Spellman.

Josie, Valerie and Melody are the core members of the fictional and eponymous Josie and the Pussycats rock music band.

Inspirations for female characters in Archie Comics include Veronica Lake.

During the era of both Marilyn Monroe and Jayne Mansfield, Dan DeCarlo modernized many female Archie Comics characters to reflect their styles.

Before Dan DeCarlo's work, Archie Comics uses Bob Montana's caricatured and dated look.

With Dan DeCarlo's work, the Archie Comics look is modern and clean, with a subtle, sexy and flirty charm.

Hollywood in Vienna

Hollywood in Vienna is an annual film music gala honouring music composers whose work has left a lasting mark on film music, held at the Vienna Concert Hall.

Since its inception, Hollywood in Vienna has honoured many composers, including Max Steiner, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Arnold Schoenberg and others.

Plus, the Hollywood in Vienna gala commemorates composers who emigrated from Vienna in the 20th century to establish the classic Hollywood sound.

The Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award is given at the annual Hollywood in Vienna gala.

John Barry earned the first Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award in 2009, while Howard Shore earned the second Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award in 2010.

Alan Silvestri earned the third Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award and Lalo Schifrin won the fourth Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award, both in the early-2010's period.

James Horner, Randy Newman, James Newton Howard and Alexandre Desplat respectively earned the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Awards in the mid-2010's period.

Plus, Danny Elfman, Hans Zimmer and Gabriel Yared respectively earned the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Awards in the late-2010's.

The most recent Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award, originally to be presented in 2020, but delayed to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, went to Alan Menken. 

Incidentally, Randy Newman won the Max Steiner Film Music Achievement Award in 2014, with his cousin and fellow film music composer David Newman as conductor.

David Newman's father Alfred Newman was Max Steiner's colleague.

Plus, the Newmans come from Eastern Europe (specifically Russia), which makes Austria a gateway to this region.

Video formats

Quadruplex videotape is the first practical and commercially successful videotape format, whereas the Ampex VRX-1000 is the first commercially successful videotape recorder.

Television programming, which is being recorded on tape, provides more schedule flexibility, but also attracts famous celebrities untied to live broadcasts.

Kinescope is the process used to film the television screen, but it is cumbersome and expensive; both quadruplex and the Ampex VRX-1000 are solutions to these limitations.

With both quadruplex and the Ampex VRX-1000, television quality improved.

For Type C videotape, it is smaller, easier to operate and provides slightly higher video quality than quadruplex.

Plus, Type C videotape has functions that quadruplex has not, like still and slow-motion playback.

Whereas Type C videotape was successfully used in both the United States and the United Kingdom, Type B was utilized in mainland Europe.

Responding to both the quadruplex format and the Ampex VRX-1000 recorder, JVC developed its own two-head videotape recorder in the late-1950's and, by 1960, a colour version.

JVC also created the DV220, once its standard VTR, in the mid-1960's.

In 1969, JVC joined forces with Matsushita Electric (which formerly held a majority stake in JVC) and Sony to build a video recording standard for the Japanese consumer.

U-matic is the result of these efforts made by JVC, Matsushita Electric and Sony.

For U-matic, it is among the earliest video formats to use a cassette with the videotape being enclosed inside, replacing the bulky reel-to-reel/open-reel systems made earlier.

This innovative design made for U-matic made video recording more portable and easier to handle.

Key successes for this U-matic format came from industrial and educational markets and the electronic news gathering (ENG) process, as well as professional, non-broadcast video production.

Soon after the U-matic release, all of its three developers began working on new consumer-grade video recording formats of their own.

For instance, Sony started working on Betamax, Matsushita on VX, JVC on the CR-6060.

Cartrivision is the first home video format to have prerecorded tapes (specifically feature-length motion pictures) for consumer rental.

Avco, which gained a foothold in the film industry in the late-1960's with Embassy Pictures, also ran its subsidiary Cartridge Television Inc. (CTI), which produced the innovative Cartrivision format.

The film catalog for this Cartrivision format came from its parent company Avco Embassy Pictures, but from major Hollywood studios as well, including 20th Century-Fox, Columbia and others.

June 1972 to July 1973 was the period from which Cartivision was available for consumer rental.

Many factors caused Cartrivision's own demise, including high costs, inconvenient mailing and rental processes, large-sized machines and technical issues.

Despite its failures, Cartrivision paved the way for the VCR revolution.

Philips designed the Video Cassette Recording (VCR) format in 1972.

JVC's own VHS format was released in Japan, one year after Betamax's 1975 release, and in the United States in August 1977.

VHS won the videotape format war over Betamax, becoming the most popular media format for VCRs.

Star Wars

Star Wars is one of the most successful media franchises in the world. Having originated in films since May 1977, its influence currently spans from television to merchandise.

The guiding spirit/mastermind of the Star Wars franchise is George Lucas and his company Lucasfilm.

Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, C-3PO, R2-D2, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Chewbacca, Yoda, Darth Vader and Palpatine/Darth Sidious are iconic characters of the original Star Wars trilogy.

For the original Star Wars trilogy, the Rebel Alliance is an organization that uses freedom, democracy, justice, peace, goodwill and resilience, all positive values.

Conversely, the Galactic Empire represents evil, fear, tyranny and military might, all negative values.

Key figures of the the Rebel Alliance include Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia

Palpatine/Darth Sidious leads the Galactic Empire as its emperor, with Darth Vader as his enforcer.

The Death Star is a superweapon being constructed by the Galactic Empire, as featured in the original Star Wars trilogy.

Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) serves as the main visual effects house for the Star Wars franchise.

Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher and Alec Guinness are live-action actors in the original Star Wars trilogy.

David Prowse is the physical actor inside the Darth Vader suit for the original Star Wars trilogy; James Earl Jones provides the iconic voice.

Anthony Daniels portrays (and provides the voice for) C-3PO, with Kenny Baker portraying R2-D2 in Star Wars.

George Lucas, an Old Hollywood admirer, insisted that the extended 1954 version of Alfred Newman's iconic and world-famous 20th Century-Fox fanfare be used to begin the first Star Wars film.

John Williams is the composer of the iconic and world-famous Star Wars theme tune in the same B-flat major key as the 20th Century-Fox fanfare by his friend and mentor Alfred Newman.

The London Symphony Orchestra performed the score for the first two Star Wars film series from 1977 until 2005 overall.

What launched this long tenure of the London Symphony Orchestra as the performer of the score of the first six Star Wars films is the connection that both André Previn and Lionel Newman facilitated.

Lionel Newman, who is Alfred Newman's slightly younger brother, suggested the usage of the London Symphony Orchestra, once led by André Previn, to John Williams.

Recorded at Anvil Studio in Denham, under the performance of the London Symphony Orchestra, the score for the first Star Wars film by John Williams was recorded by Eric Tomlinson.

For John Williams, his work on the Star Wars franchise marked a revival of the symphonic film music tradition, departing from the pop, jazz and experimental-infused film scores of the time.

Meco's disco version of the Star Wars theme, composed by John Williams, is also a successful tune.

Suzy Rice designed the iconic and world-famous Star Wars logo.

Dan Perri, with Saul Bass serving as his mentor, created the equally-iconic and world-famous opening crawl for the Star Wars franchise, with Suzy Rice's logo included at the start of each film.

The inspiration for this iconic and famous Star Wars opening crawl comes from the Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers film serials that George Lucas loved.

For its original trilogy starting in 1977, the Star Wars franchise has innovations in special effects.

In 1975, with him needing a special effects team for Star Wars after 20th Century-Fox's in-house visual effects department closed, George Lucas founded his own company based in Van Nuys.

Seeing this location as light industrial, George Lucas named his company Industrial Light and Magic.

George Lucas first approached Douglas Trumbull to lead the special effects team for Star Wars.

However, Douglas Trumbull declined to do special effects for Star Wars due to other commitments and instead recommended his assistant John Dykstra to take his place.

John Dykstra created the Dykstraflex, the first motion control camera controlled by a digital computer.

Before the Dykstraflex, special effects shots were often static with locked-off cameras.

The Dykstraflex means that special effects shots feature dynamic and seamless camera movements, all adding fluidity, realism and excitement to them.

VistaVision is a widescreen film format that Industrial Light and Magic had used to film special effects shots of the original Star Wars trilogy.

Some of the iconic and world-famous catchphrases that come from the original trilogy of the Star Wars franchise include "May the Force be with you" and "I am your father."