Tuesday, June 10, 2014

10 June 2014

 Birthdays
Kelly Vitz b. 1988 (Sky High)
Celina Jade b. 1985 (Arrow)
Shane West b. 1978 (Salem, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Dracula 2000, Sliders, Buffy)
DJ Qualls b. 1978 (Supernatural, The Big Bang Theory, Lost, The Core)
Mike Dopud b. 1968 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Continuum, Man of Steel, Battlestar Galactica, Beauty and the Beast [2012], Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Grimm, Warehouse 13, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Stargate, Smallville, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Supernatural, Journey to the Center of the Earth [TV], Blade: The Series, BloodRayne, Kraken: Tentatcles of the Deep, Jeremiah, Rollerball, Dark Angel, Seven Days, The New Addams Family [TV], Millennium [TV], Futuresport, Welcome to Paradox)
Elizabeth Hurley b. 1965 (Wonder Woman [2011], Bedazzled, My Favorite Martian [1999])
Andrew Niccol b. 1964 (director, The Host, In Time, S1m0ne, Gattaca)
Ben Daniels b. 1964 (Jack the Giant Slayer, Merlin, Doom)
Jeanne Tripplehorn b. 1963 (Timecode, Waterworld)
Carolyn Hennesy b. 1962 (Acting Dead, True Blood, Once Upon a Time, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare)
Timothy Van Patten b. 1959 (director, Game of Thrones)
Robert Clohessy b. 1957 (The Avengers, Lois & Clark)
Frankie Faison b. 1949 (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Messengers, Prey, The Langoliers, Freejack, Maximum Overdrive, C.H.U.D., Cat People)
Mickey Jones b. 1941 (It Came From Outer Space II, Total Recall, Misfits of Science, V, Starman, The Incredible Hulk, Galactica 1980)
Jurgen Prochnow b. 1941 (Wing Commander, Judge Dredd, Terminus, Dune)
Maurice Sendak b. 1928 died 8 May 2012 (author/artist, Where the Wild Things Are)
Lionel Jeffries b. 1926 died 19 February 2010 (Lexx, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, First Men in the Moon, The Revenge of Frankenstein, The Quatermass Xperiment)
Judy Garland b. 1922 died 22 June 1969 (The Wizard of Oz)
Lou Frizzell b. 1929 died 17 June 1979 (Project U.F.O., Devil Dog: The Hound from Hell, Isis)
Robert Cummings b. 1919 died 2 December 1990 (My Living Doll, Bewitched, Twilight Zone)
Robert Eddison b. 1908 died 14 December 1991 (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Storyteller, The Legend of King Arthur [1979], Out of the Unknown)

If the standard for the Picture Slot is being iconic, Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz or an illustration by Maurice Sendak are the two competitors here, and I went with Judy. I loved this movie so much and we had the album of the soundtrack that I played incessantly when I was a kid.  I would easily put it on my list of top musicals and top fantasy films, and I think it's hard not to put it on a top ten list of best films of all time.

A short note on something a little odd on the list. Mike Dopud has been in a jillion productions, several of which I have seen, and he has made close to zero impression on me. I think I might be able to pick him out of a crowd if I watched more Battlestar Galactica, but he isn't nearly as recognizable as several other names on the list, at least for me.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.


Predictor: Geoffrey Hoyle in the 1972 book 2010: Living in the Future

Prediction: While you are at school in one room, your parents may be at work in another. People who do office work do it at home. To keep in close touch with other people in their office they use the vision phone. The vision desk is connected to their firm’s computer, which stores all the office files. With this close contact between everybody in the office, it is easy to work from home.

Wherever people work—in a factory or at home, or whatever else their job might be—they will work for only three days a week. The rest of the week they can do what they like. They can play football, learn a language, or train for a new job.

Reality: In comparison to 1972, more people work at home now than did then and computers are a big part of that, but it's clear Hoyle isn't thinking about personal computers but instead honking big mainframes. As for three days a week of work... who does he think we are, the French?

Frickin' commie.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

June will be our last month hearing from T. Baron Russell, our regular Wednesday contributor ever since we ran out of stuff from John Elfreth Watkins. (sniff.)

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

4 comments:

  1. Mike Dopud has been in a jillion productions

    He certainly is putting in his time, cashin' them checks.

    Boy, he's got a nondescript face though. I feel like the MST 3K guys trying to figure out who Merritt Stone was.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He should probably try out some impressive facial hair stylings.

      Delete
    2. He needs a role where his character does something interesting. But 132 credits, you have to admire the tenacity if nothing else.

      Delete

Traveler! Have you news... FROM THE FUTURE?