Music History Events: Movies
January 9, 2004 Miley Cyrus makes her movie debut in Tim Burton's Big Fish, playing 8-year-old Ruthie. She's credited as "Destiny Cyrus."
December 19, 2003 Tori Amos makes her film debut in the Julia Roberts movie Mona Lisa Smile. In her cameo as a '50s big band singer at a wedding reception, she sings the standards "You Belong To Me" and "Murder, He Says," which also appear on the movie's soundtrack.
December 9, 2003 After the runaway success of the bluegrass soundtrack for O Brother Where Art Thou?, producer T Bone Burnett helms another Appalachian-inspired album for the Civil War movie Cold Mountain. Alison Krauss sings the Sting-written "You Will Be My Ain True Love" and "The Scarlet Tide," both of which are nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
June 14, 2002 Moby's "Extreme Ways" plays during the end credits of the action thriller The Bourne Identity. The 18 track goes on to close out every installment in the long-running franchise.
January 12, 2002 Saturday Night Live skewers the uproar over the rumor that 'N Sync will be appearing in the latest installment of the Star Wars franchise, Attack of the Clones. The skit features an over-the-top cameo by the boy band, including Jimmy Fallon as Justin Timberlake, singing their hit "Bye Bye Bye" and a Star Wars-themed ballad about being a "Jedi knight in these Jedi days."
December 21, 2001 The movie How High opens in theaters. The film stars Method Man and Redman as stoners who get into Harvard.
October 26, 2001 The science fiction film Donnie Darko, starring Jake Gyllenhaal as a troubled teen who suffers from hallucinations, premieres in US theaters. The movie features Gary Jules' haunting cover of Tears For Fears' 1982 song "Mad World."More
September 21, 2001 The film Glitter, starring Mariah Carey as a singer looking to make it big, is released in theaters. Carey earns a Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress; her appearances in Precious (2009) and The Butler (2013) get much better receptions.
September 7, 2001 The movie Rock Star, starring Mark Wahlberg as the lead singer of a tribute band who ends up joining his favorite group, hits theaters. A number of musicians have roles in the film, including Stephan Jenkins of Third Eye Blind and Brian Vander Ark of The Verve Pipe, whose song "Colorful" Wahlberg lip-synchs at the end of the film.
June 1, 2001 The movie Moulin Rouge!, directed by Baz Luhrmann, opens in theaters. There's lots of music in the film, including covers of "Nature Boy" by David Bowie, "Diamond Dogs" by Beck, and "Lady Marmalade" by Missy Elliott, Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, and Pink, which goes to #1 in America. Kylie Minogue makes an appearance as the Green Fairy.
May 18, 2001 The movie Shrek is released, reviving the songs "Hallelujah" (sung on the soundtrack by Rufus Wainwright) and "I'm a Believer" (performed by Smash Mouth in the rave-up at the end of the film).
November 17, 2000 Nickelodeon releases the film Rugrats in Paris: The Movie, an event significant in the music world because its soundtrack includes "Who Let The Dogs Out" by Baha Men. The song becomes a worldwide hit, charting in the Top 10 in Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, and the UK. It even becomes the unofficial anthem for New Year's Eve parties going into 2001.
September 11, 2000 Huey Lewis and Gwyneth Paltrow release a cover of Smokey Robinson's "Cruisin'" as a duet. The single reaches #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart for a week and also appears in the 2000 film Duets, which stars the pair.
September 9, 2000 Duets, starring Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis, is released at the Toronto Film Festival. The film is a critical and box-office flop, but Paltrow and Lewis's duet cover of "Cruisin'" reaches #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart.
August 4, 2000 Coyote Ugly, about an aspiring singer-songwriter (Piper Perabo) who takes a job at a bawdy bar, opens in theaters. LeAnn Rimes, who appears in the film, anchors the soundtrack with four new songs, including the theme, "Can't Fight The Moonlight." It's one of the best-selling soundtracks of the '00s.More
November 12, 1999 Kevin Smith's fantasy comedy Dogma premieres, featuring Alanis Morissette as God. She also performs the song "Still" for the movie's soundtrack.
March 31, 1999 The Matrix opens in theaters with a soundtrack featuring Marilyn Manson, Ministry, The Prodigy and Rob Zombie. It establishes industrial music as the sound of simulation theory.
November 30, 1998 Grant Gee's documentary Meeting People Is Easy, which follows Radiohead on their OK Computer tour, is released. The title is an ironic reference to the misanthropic nature of the band.
November 2, 1998 Viewers tune in for part two of The Temptations miniseries on NBC. Based on the autobiography of group founder Otis Williams, the film is a ratings success and is nominated for five Emmys.
November 1, 1998 NBC airs part one of the four-hour miniseries The Temptations based on Otis Williams' autobiography Temptations. Williams, portrayed by Charles Malik Whitfield, is the last surviving member of the group's original line-up, and takes a lot of heat from his former bandmates' families for his version of events.
August 28, 1998 The movie Studio 54, about the legendary New York Disco, opens starring Ryan Phillippe and Mike Myers as the club's owners.
April 10, 1998 The romantic drama City of Angels premieres in theaters, starring Nicolas Cage as an angel who gives up eternal life to be with a mortal woman (Meg Ryan). The soundtrack features Alanis Morissette's "Uninvited" and the Goo Goo Dolls' "Iris." Both songs were written specifically for the film.
November 2, 1997 Brandy becomes the first black Disney princess when she plays Cinderella in the ABC TV movie. Whitney Houston plays her Fairy Godmother.
November 15, 1996 The movie Space Jam, starring Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny, opens in theaters. The soundtrack sells over 6 million copies, thanks mainly to the opening song, "I Believe I Can Fly" by R. Kelly. Other contributors to the soundtrack include Seal, Monica, and Coolio.
August 23, 1996 The movie She's The One, with a soundtrack by Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, opens in theaters. Jennifer Aniston and Edward Burns, who star in the film, appear in the video for "Walls."
July 17, 1996 The song "Key To My Heart" by the R&B trio Choice appears in the movie Kazaam, starring Shaquille O'Neal as a 5,000-year-old genie. Choice quickly disbands but its stand-out singer, Alecia Moore, goes on to greatness as Pink.
May 22, 1996 Mission: Impossible, starring Tom Cruise as superspy Ethan Hunt, debuts in theaters. A reboot of the classic '60s TV series, it features a hit electronic reimagining of Lalo Schifrin's iconic "Burning Fuse" theme from U2's Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen.
February 17, 1995 25 years after agreeing to sing at Marcia Brady's prom, Davy Jones reunites with the Bradys... sort of. Jones and fellow Monkees Peter Tork and Micky Dolenz appear in the spoof The Brady Bunch Movie. Jones performs at the prom again, singing a grungy rendition of "Girl," the same song he sang on the TV show.
October 14, 1994 Pulp Fiction opens in theaters, reviving classic '60s songs such as "Misirlou," "Son Of A Preacher Man" and "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon."
July 6, 1994 The light-hearted drama Forrest Gump hits theaters. Aside from becoming the top-grossing film of the year in North America and winning multiple Academy Awards, the movie spawns a hit soundtrack with songs from Elvis Presley, Three Dog Night, The Doors, The Byrds, The Mamas & the Papas, Buffalo Springfield, and more.More
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