22 July 2014

 Birthdays
Lauren Bittner b. 1980 (Paranormal Activity 3)
Candace Kroslak b. 1978 (Knight Rider [2008], Planet of the Apes, Demonicus)
Franka Potente b. 1974 (American Horror Story, Run Lola Run)
Colin Ferguson b. 1972 (Caper, Haven, Eureka, Primeval: New World, Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray, Lake Placid 3, The Hunger [TV])
Rhys Ifans b. 1967 (The Amazing Spider-Man, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Nanny McPhee Returns, Little Nicky)
John Leguizamo b. 1964 (Kick-Ass 2, Repo Men, The Happening, Land of the Dead, Super Mario Bros.)
David Spade b. 1964 (ALF, Monsters)
Adam Godley b. 1964 (Powers, Battleship, Dollhouse, The X Files: I Want to Believe, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Nanny McPhee, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Willem Dafoe b. 1955 (John Carter, 4:44 Last Day on Earth, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Daybreakers, Spider-Man, Control, Shadow of the Vampire, eXistenZ, Deadly Nightmares, The Hunger)
Tisa Farrow b. 1951 (Anthropophagus, Hunter of the Apocalypse, Zombie)
Alan Menken b. 1949 (music, Tangled, Hercules, Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Little Shop of Horrors)
Albert Brooks b. 1947 (Defending Your Life, Twilight Zone: The Movie)
J. Kenneth Campbell b. 1947 (The Huntress, Angel, Charmed, The Journey of Alan Strange, NightMan, Mars Attacks!, The Big One: The Great Los Angeles Earthquake, The Abyss, Wonder Woman)
Danny Glover b. 1946 (Toxin, 2047 – Sights of Death, Space Warriors, Touch, 2012, Blindness, Earthsea, Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child, Predator 2, Tall Tales & Legends, Iceman, The Greatest American Hero)
Peter Jason b. 1944 (Robosapien: Rebooted, Planet Raptor, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [2006], Alien Apocalypse, Raptor Island, Carnivale, Ghosts of Mars, Perversions of Science, Escape from L.A., Mortal Kombat, Congo, Village of the Damned, Quantum Leap, Arachnophobia, They Live, Alien Nation, Prince of Darkness, Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star, Amazing Stories, Dreamscape, The Incredible Hulk, The Amazing Captain Nemo, Shadow on the Land, Land of the Giants)
Nick Brimble b. 1944 (Greek Gods and Goddesses: Jason and the Argonauts, Loch Ness, Frankenstein Unbound, Cosmic Princess, Blakes 7, Space: 1999)
Terence Stamp b. 1938 (Smallville, Wanted, Elektra, Red Planet, Star Wars: Episode I – Such a Good Cast Wasted, The Hunger [TV], Alien Nation, The Company of Wolves, Superman I and II, The Thief of Baghdad [TV], HU-Man, The Mind of Mr. Soames)
Louise Fletcher b. 1934 (The Genesis Code, Heroes, Wonderfalls, Deep Space Nine, Brimstone, VR.5, Frankenstein and Me, The Stepford Husbands, Virtuosity, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Tales from the Crypt [TV], Deadly Nightmares, Shadowzone, Twilight Zone [1988], Invaders from Mars, Brainstorm, Strange Invaders, Mama Dracula, Exorcist II: The Heretic)
Perry Lopez b. 1929 died 14 February 2008 (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, Creature from the Black Lagoon)
Orson Bean b. 1928 (Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe, Alien Autopsy, Being John Malkovich, Monsters, Innerspace, Twilight Zone)
James Whale b. 1889 died 29 May 1957 (director, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein)

A long list today and a lot of good choices for the Picture Slot. Last year it was Terence Stamp as Zod, undeniably iconic. Good arguments could be made for Franka Potente, Colin Ferguson, Willem Dafoe, Louise Fletcher, James Whale and because I'm such a geek for the original Star Trek and Twilight Zone, Perry Lopez and Orson Bean. But I woke up this morning in an Oh That Guy mood, so you are looking at Peter Jason, a guy with over 230 credits on imdb.com and about a tenth of those in live action genre films and TV. (I usually don't list voice work, though I make exceptions. With some actors, I could be here until noon just typing.) This still is from the not remarkably good but still remarkably memorable They Live, John Carpenter's idiosyncratic take on an alien invasion.

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

Predictor: Geoffrey Hoyle in the 1972 children's book 2010: Living in the Future, illustrations by Alasdair Anderson

Prediction: It is very easy and cheap to travel by air. The airplanes are very small and very fast. They seat thirty people and fly them through the sky at over 4,000 miles per hour. Seats are not reserved in advance. You just climb aboard. It is just like the town bus service.

Reality: It's hard to get more wrong about a prediction, though Hoyle saves face a little with the final sentence. If he meant smelly, uncomfortable and a keen disregard for schedules, yes, air travel is just like the town bus service.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Hoyle may not be perfect, but he is followed by Herman Kahn in the regular weekly schedule, so he always looks better in retrospect.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!