Events in Film & Television in 1997

Jan 9 Heart attacks sends singer Frank Sinatra back to hospital

Jan 12 23rd People's Choice Awards: Mel Gibson & Sandra Bullock win (Dramatic Motion Picture) and Tim Allen & Oprah Winfrey win (TV)

Jan 19 54th Golden Globes: The English Patient, Geoffrey Rush, & Brenda Blethyn win

Feb 9 Fox cartoon series "The Simpsons" airs 167th episode; longest-running animated series in cartoon history

Feb 13 47th Berlin International Film Festival: "The People vs. Larry Flynt" wins the Golden Bear

Feb 23 NBC TV shows "Schindler's List" completely uncensored, 65M watch

Mar 10 "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" created by Joss Whedon and starring Sarah Michelle Geller premieres on WB Television Network

Mar 21 Film "Selena" is released based on the life of singer Selena Quintanilla-Pérez, starring Jennifer Lopez in her breakthrough role, directed by Gregory Nava

Mar 22 Andrew Lloyd Webber, Don Black and Christopher Hampton's musical "Sunset Boulevard", based on the film, and starring Glenn Close closes at Minskoff, NYC, after 977 performances and 7 Tony Awards

Mar 24 69th Academy Awards: "The English Patient", Geoffrey Rush and Frances McDormand win

Apr 5 Steve Irwin's "The Crocodile Hunter" debuts

Apr 15 Disaster film "Volcano" directed by Mick Jackson, and starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche premieres in South Korea

Apr 28 Ringo Starr's fourth All-Starr Band debuts in concert; members include: Peter Frampton, Jack Bruce, Gary Brooker, Simon Kirke, and Mark Rivera

Apr 30 42 million watch Ellen DeGeneres publicly declare she is gay

Apr 30 Rock for the Rainforest benefit concert held at Carnegie Hall, NYC; performers include: Sting, Elton John, James Taylor, Stevie Wonder, Lyle Lovett, Bobby McFerrin, Bonnie Raitt, Shawn Colvin and Zucchero

May 2 "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery", starring Mike Myers and Elizabeth Hurley, is released

May 2 Police arrest transsexual prostitute Atisone Seiuli with Eddie Murphy

May 7 Science fiction film "The Fifth Element" written and directed by Luc Besson, starring Bruce Willis and Milla Jovovich is released. Then the most expensive European film ever made.

May 19 "The Lost World: Jurassic Park", directed by Steven Spielberg, and starring Jeff Goldblum and Julianne Moore, premieres in the US

May 21 Emmy 24th Daytime Award presentation - Susan Lucci loses for 17th time

May 24 Actor Tim Allen arrested for drunk driving in Michigan

Jun 1 Revival of Mary Rodgers and Marshall Barer's musical comedy "Once Upon a Mattress", starring Sarah Jessica Parker, closes at Broadhurst Theater NYC after 188 performances

Jun 12 "Batman and Robin" directed by Joel Schumacher, starring George Clooney, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Chris O'Donnell premieres in Los Angeles

Jun 15 British model Naomi Campbell hospitalized due to drug overdose

Jun 27 Glastonbury Festival in Pilton, England opens: The Prodigy, and Radiohead headline; other performers include Smashing Pumpkins, Ray Davies, Van Morrison, Sting, Beck, Phish, and Nanci Griffith

Jul 25 Autumn Jackson, found guilty of trying to extort $40M from Bill Cosby

Aug 4 William Ryan Holt and Michael Mischler are arrested for breaking into Elle MacPherson’s Los Angeles home

Aug 7 Garth Brooks performs a free concert in NYC's Central Park for HBO, later releasing it as Garth: Live from Central Park

Aug 9 "Just to See You Smile" single released by Tim McGraw (Billboard Song of the Year 1998)

Aug 13 Animated TV sitcom "South Park" debuts on Comedy Central

Sep 1 Jerry Lewis' 32nd Muscular Dystrophy telethon raises $50,500,000

Sep 8 TV series "Ally McBeal" starring Calista Flockhart, created by David E. Kelley premieres on Fox in the US

Sep 28 Newscaster David Brinkley, 74, retires after 54 years in broadcasting

Nov 1 "Titanic" directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet premieres at the Tokyo International Film Festival (Academy Awards Best Picture 1998)

Nov 2 Rodgers & Hammerstein's television musical "Cinderella", starring Brandy Norwood, Whitney Houston, and Bernadette Peters premieres on ABC-TV

Nov 5 French court orders producer Jacques Charrier, ex-husband of Brigitte Bardot, to pay the former screen star $8,300 in damages

Nov 7 "Bean" film directed by Mel Smith and starring Rowan Atkinson as Mr. Bean opens in the US

Nov 11 CBS News anchor Dan Rather renews his contract to 2002

Nov 20 Revival of Anton Chekov's stage drama "Ivanov", starring Kevin Kline, opens at Vivian Beaumont Theater, NYC; runs for 51 performances

Dec 8 Revival of Neil Simon's comedy "The Sunshine Boys", starring Jack Klugman and Tony Randell, opens at Lyceum Theater, NYC; runs for 230 performance

Dec 9 "Tomorrow Never Dies", 18th James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh, premieres in London

Dec 14 Revival of Arthur Miller's dramatic play "A View From the Bridge", starring Anthony LaPaglia, Allison Janney, and Brittany Murphy. opens at the Criterion Theater, NYC; runs for 239 performance, wins 2 Tony and 4 Drama Desk Awards

Dec 15 "Spice World" movie directed by Bob Spiers and starring girl pop group the Spice Girls premieres in the UK

Dec 23 "As Good as It Gets" film released written and directed by James L. Brooks, starring Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt

Dec 25 Jerry Seinfeld announces the final season of his TV show "Seinfeld" will air the following year