Saturday, August 16, 2014

16 August 2014

 Birthdays
Cameron Monaghan b. 1993 (Amityville, Vampire Academy, Fringe, Click, Threshold)
Evanna Lynch b. 1991 (Sinbad, Harry Potter)
Kevin G. Schmidt b. 1988 (The Butterfly Effect, Taken)
Arden Cho b. 1985 (Teen Wolf, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid)
Todd Haberkorn b. 1982 (Star Trek Continues, Warehouse 13)
Cam Gigandet b. 1982 (Priest, Pandorum, The Unborn, Twilight)
George Stults b. 1975 (Hydra, Night Skies)
Andy Milder b. 1965 (Transformers, Star Trek: Voyager, Good vs Evil, Armageddon, From the Earth to the Moon, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Apollo 13)
Steve Carell b. 1962 (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Bewitched [2005])
Elpidia Carillo b. 1961 (Solaris, Predator 1 and 2)
Timothy Hutton b. 1960 (Iceman)
Angela Bassett b. 1958 (American Horror Story, Green Lantern, Supernova, Contact, Strange Days, Vampire in Brooklyn, Innocent Blood, Critters 4, The Flash, Alien Nation [TV])
Laura Innes b. 1957 (Warehouse 13, Awake, The Event, Deep Impact, The Fury)
Jeff Perry b. 1955 (Fringe, Invasion, Lost, American Gothic, The Flash)
James Cameron b. 1954 (director, Avatar, Dark Angel, Terminator 2:Judgment Day, The Abyss, Aliens, The Terminator, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning)
Reginald VelJohnson b. 1952 (Ghostbusters, Wolfen)
Marshall Manesh b. 1950 (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The X Files, Kazaam)
Lesley Ann Warren b. 1946 (Wolf Girl, Faerie Tale Theatre, It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman!)
Bob Balaban b. 1945 (Lady in the Water, Amazing Stories, 2010, Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Sir John Standing b. 1934 (Game of Thrones, V for Vendetta, Lexx, Gulliver’s Travels, Eerie, Indiana, Space: 1999)
Julie Newmar b. 1933 (Oblivion 1 and 2, Deep Space, The Powers of Matthew Star, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Jason of Star Command, The Bionic Woman, Monster Squad, Bewitched, Star Trek, Batman, My Living Doll, Twilight Zone)
Robert Culp b. 1930 died 24 March 2010 (Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Conan [TV], Lois & Clark, The Greatest American Hero, The Outer Limits, Now is Tomorrow)
Ann Blyth b. 1928 (Twilight Zone, Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid)
Lois Nettleton b. 1927 died 18 January 2008 (Babylon 5, The Flash, The Munsters Today, The Bamboo Saucer, Twilight Zone, Captain Video)
Fess Parker b. 1924 died 18 March 2010 (Them!)
Mae Clarke b. 1910 died 29 April 1992 (Batman, Frankenstein)
Glenn Strange b. 1899 died 20 September 1973 (Space Patrol, Master Minds, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, The Monster Maker, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mad Monster, Flash Gordon)
Hugo Gernsback b. 1884 died 19 August 1967 (editor, Amazing Stories, Wonder Stories)

Last year, the Picture Slot was Julie Newmar. I thought no power on earth could convince me to change, but this is also the birthday of Hugo Gernsback, the creepy thief who was massively influential at the beginning of the sci-fi era and for whom the famous award is named. Don't be surprised if next year the impossibly long stems of Ms. Newmar are once again featured prominently.

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

Predictor: Rafael Joseffy, pianist (1852-1915) predicting what the 20th Century would look like in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago.


Prediction: I do not believe that in the next century, any greater pianists will be heard than some of those who have lived in the Nineteenth Century. I shall not be surprised if, in the next century, the united States stands in the same relation to music which Germany has had for the past 200 years. There will be great composers, artists and singers who will receive generous support from the people.

Yes, I think that the United States in the next century will be the greatest music-loving and music-producing nation on earth.


Reality: This prediction is a little hard to grade. I'm pretty sure Mr. Joseffy would not give the United States much credit for producing Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra, Bob Dylan or Jimi Hendrix. He was interested in classical music and in terms of public interest, the 20th Century was a step backwards compared to the 19th Century. The core of the classical repertoire starts at about the time of Johann Sebastian Bach and stretches to the time of Igor Stravinsky or so, with a strong emphasis on a handful of composers, all of them long dead.

As for no better pianists in the 20th Century vs. the 19th, there wasn't much in the way of recording equipment in the 1800s that can give us a benchmark, so I have to leave the grade for that part of the prediction blank.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

America's predominant military status vanishes in the summer of 2014, and I'm pretty sure Dale Brown will decide what we need is steely nerved pilots flying awesome hardware that is just fantastic at blowing big shit up.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
  

4 comments:

  1. the United States in the next century will be the greatest music-loving and music-producing nation on earth.

    There is some validity to this claim, though. For all the British Invasion awesomeness, in the latter part of the 20th, America really was the top of the heap in the music industry (and we can argue at length that music should not be produced by an industry). Most bands were not considered truly stars until they had broken big in the US. Even the Invasion bands knew they needed to 'take America by storm'.

    Also, perfectly adequate mustache.

    Don't be surprised if next year the impossibly long stems of Ms. Newmar are once again featured prominently.


    There's not even a decent zombie candidate. There is, however, Angela Bassett who kind of qualifies as a bonafide star, don't you think? And her turn on American Horror Story was superb.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Angela Bassett is the biggest star in front of the camera and James Cameron the biggest star behind it on the list, but my jones for Julie Newmar may be hard to deny. Which is why I call it a jones.

      I would agree that in the music people have cared about throughout the 20th Century, from Broadway to pop music to rock and soul and even country music, the U.S. is the big dog. My point is I think Joseffy would be a snob and dismiss it all.

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    2. yeah, I agree that he was being snobby about classical music. But i am going to see Black 47 tonight, so I was feeling generous.

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