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April 1
The Foot in Mouth Award is given annually to those who test the bounds of modern English through their language. Although the award was first given in 1993, special acknowledgement had been given in 1991 to a Quayle with a big tent; most recipients have also highlighted as baby-kissers or ball-chasers. Rhodri Morgan (pictured) said his 1998 award "made [his] name", and has gone on to make no change for another award. A silver stone received the nod for finding light in the deepness, while a brown shadow was recognised for contributions to economics. Other recipients have literally been given the award for Campbell's Pasta, knowing, reading signs, and being inexperienced yet experienced, a fire-friendly mitt, or a giraffe called a snake. In 2008 a special life-time achievement award was given to a talking bush for "services to gobbledygook", including succinct odes to hope and belief. (Full list...)
April 8
Peter Sellers's career on radio, film, television and record lasted from 1948 until his death in 1980. Sellers made his debut on the radio broadcast ShowTime in 1948, followed by appearances on a number of radio programmes, notably the BBC Radio comedy series The Goon Show. He started his film career in the 1950s, and appeared in over fifty films, including Dr. Strangelove, Lolita and the Pink Panther series; at the peak of his career he was one of the most popular stars at the British box office. Sellers's versatility enabled him to portray a wide range of comic characters using different accents and guises, and he would often assume multiple roles within the same film. While best known for his film and radio work, Sellers also made a number of television appearances, in character roles and for interviews and advertisements. His stage appearances were few, largely because he had been unhappy with the touring he had done as a child with his family. During his career he also released a number of albums containing sketches and comic songs; the songs were undertaken in a variety of comic characters. (Full list...)
April 15
The first of the James Bond novels and short stories was published in April 1953. The central character, James Bond, is a British Secret Service agent; he was created by journalist and author Ian Fleming and first appeared in the novel Casino Royale. The books are set in a contemporary period, between May 1951 and February 1964. Fleming went on to write a total of twelve novels and two collections of short stories. Since Fleming's death in 1964, a number of other authors have written continuation works. The first of these was Kingsley Amis, writing under the pseudonym of "Robert Markham", who produced one novel. John Pearson then wrote a fictional biography of Bond in 1973 before Christopher Wood wrote two novelizations later that decade. John Gardner wrote fourteen novels and two novelizations between 1981 and 1996. After he retired, Raymond Benson wrote six Bond novels, three novelizations and three short stories between 1996 and 2002. After a hiatus of six years, Sebastian Faulks wrote a further novel, which was released on the 100th anniversary of Fleming's birth. This was followed in 2011 by a novel by Jeffery Deaver. (Full list...)
April 22
The Grammy Award for Best Native American Music Album was an award presented at the Grammy Awards to recording artists for quality albums in the Native American music genre. The honor was first presented to Tom Bee and Douglas Spotted Eagle at the 2001 Grammy Awards as the producers of the compilation album Gathering of Nations Pow Wow. In 2011, the category was eliminated along with thirty others due to a major overhaul by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences; Native American works are now eligible for the Best Regional Roots Music Album category. As performing artists, Bill Miller and Mary Youngblood (pictured) share the record for the most wins in this category, with two each. Thomas Wasinger holds the record for the most wins as a producer, with three. (Full list...)
April 29
Fourteen awards from thirty-three nominations have been received by Ivy Queen, a Puerto Rican singer-songwriter and record producer, for her contributions to the music industry, in the genres of Latin reggaetón, hip hop, and bachata. In 2006, Ivy Queen received the first Premio Juventud "Diva Award", which honored the singer for her musical career. In 2009, "Dime" became her most nominated work at the Billboard Latin Music Award ceremony, where she was awarded both "Hot Latin Song of the Year, Female" and "Tropical Airplay Song of the Year, Female" out of five total nominations. It also received an American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers for "Urban Song of the Year". She has been given the "Award-Winning Song" award for "Cuéntale", "Te He Querido, Te He Llorado", "Dime", and, most recently in 2012, "La Vida Es Así" at the Broadcast Music, Inc. awards. (Full list...)