Michael Jai White b. 1967 (The Dark Knight, Spawn)
Vanessa Angel b. 1966 (Weird Science, Stargate SG-1, PuppetMaster vs. Demonic Toys)
Daniel Waters b. 1962 (writer, Demolition Man, Batman Returns)
Neil Gaiman b. 1960
(won 2002 Hugo and 2003 Nebula for American Gods)
(won 2009 Hugo for The Graveyard Book)
Roland Emmerich b. 1955 (director, Universal Solider, Stargate, Independence Day, Godzilla, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012)
Roy Scheider b. 1932 died 10 February 2008 (2010, SeaQuest 2032)
Richard Burton b. 1925 died 10 November 1984 (1984, The Exorcist II)
Russell Johnson b. 1924 (This Island Earth, It Came From Outer Space, The Twilight Zone)
Claude Rains b. 1889 died 30 May 1967 (The Invisible Man)
Interesting mix of folks on both sides of the camera today. Russell Johnson is best known as The Professor on Gilligan's Island, the last male actor surviving from the cast. (Tina Louise and Dawn Wells are both still alive.) Roland Emmerich has promised that he'll never make another sci-fi film, so we have that going for us. The three deceased actors, Roy Scheider, Richard Burton and Claude Rains, all had long and distinguished careers with just a few roles in genre. While Vanessa Angel easily meets the Pretty Girl = Picture Slot criterion, instead we get a picture of the unkempt hair and pale visage of Neil Gaiman because... fanboy.
Many happy returns of the day to all the living on our list.
Prediction: In October 2002, a second wave of settlers comes to Mars, mostly city dwellers in contrast to the largely rural first wave.
Predictor: Ray Bradbury in The Martian Chronicles, published 1950
Reality: This is another of those one page chapters in The Martian Chronicles, a quick exercise in prose style that Bradbury loved to write.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
A 1965 Senate subcommittee predicts a worker's paradise in the year 2000.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
I enjoyed "American Gods" but couldn't help wondering whether Gaiman was influenced by Douglas Adams's "The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul."
ReplyDeleteI read his new book The Ocean at the End of the Lane this year. Very good. I might get his kid's book Fortunately The Milk for my grand-niece when she is old enough.
DeleteI am glad that the day I checked your site, it happened to feature The Martian Chronicles! That tale left an impression on me as a kid. Keep up the interesting posts! - Sincerely, your friend from Portal.
ReplyDeleteHi, Rachel! Thanks for stopping by. Bradbury's The Martian Chronicles is a regular Sunday feature, so there should be posts about chapters of his well into 2014.
DeleteHope to see you soon.