Otis Redding’s Death / “Avatar,” debuts - This Day in History – Dec 10th

Singer, Songwriter, Otis Redding dies in a plane crash

Back in 1967, a plane crash took the life of 26-year-old, soul singer, Otis Redding known for his first and only #1 hit which was awarded posthumously, "Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay."  The private plane that carried Mr. Redding and seven other men would crash into the cold waters of the small a small lake in Madison, WI.

Mr. Redding’s career was about to go to a higher level before his untimely death.  According to history.com, “In the six months leading up to his death, Otis Redding had gone from one great success to another. In June, Aretha Franklin had taken a cover version of his song "Respect" all the way to #1 on the pop charts. Later that same month, the adulation of the young audience of rock fans at the Monterey International Pop Festival had transformed him into an icon of the blossoming counterculture thanks to his blistering, now-legendary live performance there. But if Otis Redding was only beginning to gain momentum within the largely white mainstream in 1967, he was already a giant in the world of soul music.”

Special note: One person survived the plane crash according to chanel3000.com, it was one of Otis Redding’s musicians, Ben Cauley who was 20 at the time of this plane crash in the icy water of Minnesota’s Lake Monona.

Hollywood Director, James Cameron debuts “Avatar,”

Back in 2009, the movie director of the top grossing movie of all time, “Titanic,” scored another successful endeavor with the futuristic, 3-D science-fiction story, “Avatar.”  This movie would win three Academy Awards for art direction, cinematography and visual effects for Cameron.  This movies starred and actors Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana and Sam Worthington. 

Cameron wrote the script for this movie 17 years ago back in 1994 but could not get it completed because the special affects specialist had not yet advanced to the demands of Cameron’s vision of his story, so he worked on “Titanic,” instead.  Special note: James Cameron has had other successful movies such as “Terminator,” “True Lies,” “Aliens” and “The Abyss.”

According to history.com the movie is, “Set in the year 2154, “Avatar” tells the story of disabled ex-Marine Jake Sully, who is recruited to help conquer and colonize Pandora, a faraway moon that is home to a mineral deposit coveted by people on Earth, whose energy resources are almost depleted. Pandora is inhabited by the Na’vi, a group of nature-loving, blue-skinned, half-alien/half-human creatures intent on protecting their own eco-system. (Cameron hired a linguist to create a unique language for the Na’vi.) Using an avatar to explore Pandora because the air there is toxic to humans, Jake falls in love with a Na’vi princess and goes native, eventually working to save the Na’vi from the human colonists.”

All History facts provided from the link below:

http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/soul-legend-otis-redding-dies-in-a-plane-crash-near-madison-wisconsin?catId=13