This week in entertainment history: 9/21/23

On Sept. 18, 1998, “Rush Hour”, starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, was released. In this film, we see the daughter of a Chinese diplomat get kidnapped whilst in Los Angeles, to which he calls upon Hong Kong Detective Inspector Lee (Jackie Chan) to help the FBI find his daughter. However, the FBI has no interest in working with Lee, so they give him to the LAPD, who appoints witty Detective James Carter (Chris Tucker) to keep an eye on him. Despite their dislike for one another, Lee and Carter decide to cooperate in order to crack the case on their own after discovering that the FBI and police have abandoned them. In 1999, Chan and Tucker won Best Duo at the MTV Movie and TV Awards.

Sept. 20, 1999, Dick Wolf’s golden child, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” , starring Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni, premiered on NBC. Since its debut in 1999, “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” has accrued a staggering 173 award nominations and 57 wins, this including actors/actresses winning awards and the show itself, according to IMDb. Mariska Hargitay has won only one Emmy while receiving eight total nominations, according to the Emmys website.

Also on Sept. 20, this time in 1969, in a private setting, Beatles guitarist John Lennon announced to Paul McCartney and Ringo Star that he was leaving the band. The moment the Beatles ceased performing live shows in August 1966, the seeds of their breakup were planted. While Sgt. Pepper marked the pinnacle of their musical careers, the four Beatles were no longer as dependent on one another as they were during Beatlemania, which allowed them to pursue separate hobbies. The most famous of these relationships being between Lennon and Japanese star Yoko Ono, who many Beatles fans say drove a wedge between Lennon and the rest of the group.

On a much gloomier day in history, Sept. 22, 1997, British singer/songwriter Elton John released his song titled “Candle in the Wind 1997”. John and songwriting partner Bernie Taupin rewrote this song as a tribute to the then recent passing of Diana, Princess of Wales. The original opening lyrics being “Goodbye Norma Jeane, though I never knew you at all,” originally written in tribute to Marilyn Monroe, was changed to “goodbye England’s rose. May you ever grow in our hearts.” He sang this at the funeral of the Princess of Wales. The English pop icon had to fight to be allowed to perform at Diana’s funeral. For permission to have British singer Elton John perform a rendition of his classic song “Candle in the Wind” during Princess Diana’s funeral, the Dean of Westminster personally wrote to Buckingham Palace, according to CNN. At the 40th Grammy Awards presentation in 1998, John’s 1997 rendition earned him the Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance, according to Fandom.