By LEBA HERTZ, San Francisco Chronicle
'Nutcracker' facts and figures
So you think know your "Nutcracker"? Here are some facts, figures and anecdotes about the most famous ballet in the world.
When was the first "Nutcracker"?
Dec. 17, 1892: Reputedly the first performance of the "Nutcracker" at the Mariinsky Theater in St. Petersburg, Russia. Reportedly, it was poorly received by critics and audiences.
Brown proud to play Davis in "The Express"
In "The Express," Rob Brown stars as Syracuse University's Ernie Davis, the first African American Heisman Trophy winner, who died of leukemia a year after wining the honor in 1962.
Movies about college football
"Rudy": (1993) Notre Dame fans love this inspirational film starring Sean Astin as a walk-on who gets his moment on the gridiron.
Heisman winners and Hollywood
Movies about athletes are not unusual, but "The Express" focuses on a fairly exclusive club: Heisman Trophy winners. Since we're talking Hollywood here, we thought we'd put together a list of some of the Heisman champs who have a connection, in one way or another, to the world of motion pictures.
Movie soundtracks have featured ABBA music for decades
With the Friday opening of the movie version of the musical "Mamma Mia!," ABBA once again takes center stage in a movie.Here's a look at some other films in which the music of the '70s and '80s Swedish supergroup played a prominent role.
Talking with 'Mamma's' boy Dominic Cooper
Dominic Cooper has a short resume in theater and film but it is nonetheless impressive, and with his brooding good looks, he just may be the next British heartthrob to make it big in United States.

