Scarlett Johansson b. 1984 (Iron Man, The Avengers, Eight Legged Freaks)
Mark Ruffalo b. 1967 (The Avengers, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Blindness)
Jamie Lee Curtis b. 1958 (Halloween, Virus)
Roy Thomas b. 1940 (Marvel Comics)
Terry Gilliam b. 1940 (director, Brazil, Time Bandits, 12 Monkeys)
Robert Vaughn b, 1932 (Battle Beyond the Stars, Superman III)
A lot of star power on the birthday list today. For people about my age, the only name that might need even a little explaining is Roy Thomas, who was the second in command as a writer and editor at Marvel Comics in the 1960s and 1970s.
Regular readers will not need any explanation as to who got the Picture Slot.
Many happy returns to all our birthday boys and girls.
Movies released
Star Trek: First Contact released, 1996
Back to the Future: Part II released, 1989
Back to the Future: Part II is full of predictions, but I use them near the anniversary of the date when Marty and Doc go to 2015, which is October 21.
Accept no substitutes.
Prediction: “Anyone who thinks the ANC is going to run South Africa is living in cloud cuckoo land.”
Predictor: Margaret Thatcher, 1987
Reality: TED Talks have been around since 1984, but Margaret Thatcher was never invited. Instead, this quote went up on the board during a 2009 talk by Ian Goldin about globalization that had no useful predictions of his own, but instead had a quote by the Iron Lady that served two purposes.
1) Reminding us that predictions about big changes are hard and
2) Anyone with a functioning brain stem can remember that conservatives may say they aren't racist, but they never have a problem with it when there's a buck to be made.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Saturday means a return to 1893, and this week it means we will hear from a feminist titan of industry.
Bet you thought they didn't exist in the 19th Century. I was a little surprised myself.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
TED Talks have been around since 1984
ReplyDeleteThat surprises me.
but Margaret Thatcher was never invited.
TED standards seem to have declined.
Now that I have researched TED talks for a few weeks, I have been completely disabused of the idea that these things are "cool" in any way.
DeleteSince it is Terry Gilliam's birthday I have to add that not only was Thatcher wrong about the ANC and many, many other things but the humorless besom also profaned the Dead Parrot sketch in 1990. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ6TgaPJcR0
ReplyDeleteAsking people to watch this reveals a cruel streak I had not seen before in you.
DeleteI did not and could not watch the entire thing but I did notice how incredibly stone faced she was and how the laughter seemed forced.
Delete