Paul Bettany b. 1971
Harlan Ellison b. 1934 (Winner of eight and a half Hugo awards and four Nebulas)
Sir Christopher Lee b. 1922
Mr. Bettany has had a very nice career in film so far, thank you very much, but his largest claim to fame in genre is as the voice of Jarvis in the Iron Man and Marvel's The Avengers movies. Mr. Ellison could easily argue his importance in science fiction and hence his natural right to The Picture Slot,and I would expect his argument to be equal parts persuasive and vitriolic. But as of this year, having two posts back to back with pictures of Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, the great stars of the Hammer horror films of the 1950s and 1960s, was just too tempting.
Many happy returns to all the gentlemen on this list.
And to Mr. Ellison as well.
In the year 2000!
Prediction: Over 1000 people will live and work on the moon, according to NASA predictions, a slight majority of them female.
Published in: OMNI Future Almanac in 1982
Reality: NASA can be forgiven some exuberance in the early 1980s, since the Space Shuttle had given them some momentum for funding they hadn't seen since the Apollo program had faded out in the early 1970s. But we aren't on the moon and it is not a certainty we will ever go there. Here are the simplest reasons enumerated.
1. Any place that has neither water nor a breathable atmosphere is passively trying to kill all living creatures.
2. Passive or active, no air and no water is a very effective way to kill all living creatures.
3. No one has found a profitable reason to go to the moon. (Okay. This could have been reason # 1 and we could have avoided the other two.)
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Heinlein is now sharing the Tuesday spot with Larry Niven. While I have made my feelings about Ridiculous Bob patently clear, he is head and shoulders above the disgusting and unforgivable scumbag Larry Niven. My reasons for calling Larry Niven a disgusting and unforgivable scumbag will be made patently clear tomorrow.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
This is always an interesting site, more power to you. I like what you say about Harlan Ellison, he certainly has been a testy figure over the years and not without good reason. I may not love the guy but I do respect him. Dangerous Visions was a
ReplyDeletegodsend, it changed how I looked at books forever.
He had a hand in most of my favorites...The Outer Limits, Babylon Five, Star Trek, etc; Now that his health is on the decline I wish him nothing but the best. He and this site have much in common, I may not like it all but I have admiration for both. Keep up the great work Prof!
Hi, Michael. Thanks for stopping by. If you haven't read it already, you might enjoy the article Frank Sinatra Has a Cold by Gay Talese. Mr. Ellison plays a small but pivotal role.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ1003-OCT_SINATRA_rev_