Mars Curiosity landed 2012
Olivia Holt b. 1997 (Girl vs. Monster)
Ryan McDonald b. 1984 (Warehouse 13, Fringe, 2012)
Jesse Williams b. 1981 (The Cabin in the Woods)
Sophia Winkleman b. 1980 (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Victor Cruz b. 1980 (Gotham, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Fringe)
Paul Kasey b. 1973 (Doctor Who, Being Human, The Sarah Jane Chronicles, Inkheart, Torchwood, 28 Days Later…, Blade II)
James Gunn b. 1970 (director, Guardians of the Galaxy, Slither [2006])
Jonathan Silverman (Jekyll, 12:01)
Mark Strong b. 1963 (John Carter, Green Lantern, Kick-Ass, Babylon A.D., Stardust)
Tawny Kitaen b. 1961 (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, They Came from Outer Space, Witchboard)
Maureen McCormick b. 1956 (I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched)
Natalie Trundy b. 1940 (Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Twilight Zone)
Larry Elmore b. 1948 (artist)
Alan Howard b. 1937 (Lord of the Rings)
John Saxon b. 1935 (From Dusk Till Dawn, Hellmaster, My Mom’s a Werewolf, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Prisoners of the Lost Universe, Battle Beyond the Stars, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Strange New World, Planet Earth, The Time Tunnel, Queen of Blood, Blood Beast from Outer Space)
Zakes Mokae b. 1934 died 11 September 2009 (The X Files, Waterworld, Outbreak, Vampire in Brooklyn, Knight Rider)
Joan Weldon b. 1933 (Them!)
Neil Armstrong b. 1930 died 25 August 2012 (first man to walk on the moon)
Don Matheson b.1929 died 29 June 2014 (Dragonflight, Alice in Wonderland [1985], Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space)
Parley Baer b. 1914 died 22 November 2002 (Star Trek: Voyager, Roswell, Quantum Leap, Time Trackers, Twilight Zone [1986], The Incredible Hulk, Project U.F.O., Bewitched, Land of the Giants, I Dream of Jeannie, The Addams Family, My Favorite Martian, My Living Doll, The Outer Limits, The Brass Bottle)
Reginald Owen b. 1887 died 5 November 1972 (Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Bewitched, Mary Poppins, A Christmas Carol [1938])
Since astronauts are trump this year, the Picture Slot decision was easy. If Neil Armstrong is removed from contention, my idiosyncratic top four would be Mark Strong (the closest we have to a 21st Century movie star on the list), John Saxon (not quite a movie star in his day, more of a TV/b-movie star), Parley Baer (a TV Oh That Guy whose 271 credits span from I Love Lucy to Star Trek: Voyager) and Reginald Owen (still my favorite live action version of Scrooge).
Many happy returns to the living on our list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Movies released
Rise of the Planet of the Apes released 2011
Prediction: As of August 5, 1969, the population of the world as been reduced to 3,000.
Reality: I'd say this is an odd little story by PKD, but almost all of his stuff is odd. The title is clearly a tweak of A.E. van Vogt's earlier novel The World of Null-A, a writer many people in sci-fi hated but Dick considered him an important influence. The basic plot is that people with no empathy make a concerted effort to locate others with no empathy and plan to make an improved world by wiping everybody else out.
This, of course, is nothing like the world we live in, unless you look at it through an odd lens, and then it does start to look like our world. This can be said of nearly all of the stories of PKD, a writer whose ideas linger in the brain long after the story is finished.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
More random guesses from Herman Kahn.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
I am kind of surprised John Saxon doesn't have more genre credits.
ReplyDeleteAstronauts are trump this year, but Curiosity would have been the perfect fit for a bonus Picture Slot today. Even though NASA is overjoyed to have seen it outlive its projected lifespan, that's still a failed prediction.
ReplyDelete