25 November 2014

 Birthdays
Katie Cassidy b. 1986 (Arrow, The Flash, A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], Supernatural, Click)
Haley Webb b. 1985 (Beauty and the Beast, Teen Wolf)
Jordon Lawson b. 1982 (Rise of the Dinosaurs, Silent Night, Zombie Night, LG15: The Resistance, Lost, The Rage: Carrie 2)
Joel Kinnaman b. 1979 (RoboCop)
Jerry Ferrara b. 1979 (7500, Battleship)
Marianthi Evans b. 1977 (Defiance, Witchslayer Gretl)
Kristian Nairn b. 1975 (Game of Thrones)
Kenneth Mitchell b. 1974 (Astronaut Wives Club, Haven, Grimm, Meteor, Jericho, Odyssey 5)
Stefanie von Pfetten b. 1973 (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Odysseus: Voyage to the Underworld, Eureka, Battlestar Galactica, Andromeda, Jeremiah, Strange Frequency 1 & 2, Seven Days, First Wave)
Eddie Steeples b. 1973 (Zombie Apocalypse)
Christina Applegate b. 1971 (Prince Charming, Nowhere, Mars Attacks!, Amazing Stories, Jaws of Satan)
Jill Hennessy b. 1968 (Komodo, RoboCop 3, War of the Worlds [TV], Deadly Nightmares)
Matthew Sharp b. 1968 (10.5, Cypher, X-Men)
Joher Coleman b. 1968 (Earth Girls Are Easy)
Billy Burke b. 1966 (Revolution, Twilight Saga, Fringe, Komodo, VR.5, Deep Space Nine)
Dougray Scott b. 1965 (Hemlock Grove, Doctor Who, Sinbad [2012], The Day of the Triffids [2009], Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [2008 TV], Perfect Creature, Arabian Nights, Deep Impact, Highlander [TV])
Kevin Chamberlin b. 1963 (Heroes)
Darlanne Flugel b. 1958 (Pet Sematary II, Twilight Zone [1986], Battle Beyond the Stars)
Bruce Hopkins b. 1955 (Lord of the Rings, Cleopatra 2525, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena)
Mark Frost b. 1953 (writer, Fantastic Four, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Charlaine Harris b. 1951 (author, The Sookie Stackhouse Omnibus)
Kathy Silva b. 1948 (Soylent Green)
Joyce Cohen b. 1948 (Independence Day)
Tracey Walter b. 1947 (Mighty Joe Young [1998], Independence Day, Ultraman: The Ultimate Hero, Star Trek: The Next Generation, She Wolf of London, Not of This World, Freddy’s Nightmares, Alien Nation, Batman, ALF, Timestalkers, Amazing Stories, Conan the Destroyer, Timerider: The Adventures of Lyle Swann, The Hand)
Jeff Doucette b. 1947 (Earth Fall, Dollhouse, Invasion, Carnivale, The Tick, Bedazzled, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Babylon 5: The River of Souls, Weird Science [TV], Mom and Dad Save the World, Harry and the Hendersons [TV], They Came from Outer Space, ALF, Alien Nation, Martians Go Home, Splash, Brave New World, Fairy Tales)
John Larroquette b. 1947 (Almost Human, Southland Tales, The Tenth Kingdom, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Cat People, Mork & Mindy, Altered States)
Michael Feast b. 1946 (Sleepy Hollow [1999])
Mary Jo Deschanel b. 1945 (Amazing Stories, 2010, The Right Stuff)
Paul Copley b. 1944 (Torchwood, The Worst Witch, A Christmas Carol [1977 TV])
Beverly Washburn b. 1943 (Spider Baby, Star Trek, Superman and the Mole-Men)
Matt Clark b, 1936 (Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Lois & Clark, Back to the Future Part III, Buckaroo Banzai, The Terminal Man)
Kathryn Grant b. 1933 (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad)
Jeffrey Hunter b. 1926 died 27 May 1969 (Star Trek, The Green Hornet, Dimension 5)
Poul Anderson b. 1926 died 31 July 2001 (author, The Technic History series, Hoka, Tales of Known Space)
Noel Neill b. 1920 (Superman Returns, Superboy, Superman, Adventures of Superman, Invasion USA)
Ricardo Montalban b. 1920 died 14/1/2009 (Spy Kids, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Wonder Woman, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Alice Through the Looking Glass [1966])
Shelagh Fraser b. 1920 died 29 August 2000 (Star Wars, The Body Stealers, The Witches)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, Ricardo Montalban. This year, Kristian Nairn, best known to fans as Hodor on Game of Thrones. Next year is wide open, and in age spans all the way from Joel Kinnaman, the new RoboCop, to Shelagh Frasier as Aunt Baru from Star Wars and...

2. Wait, she's alive? Noel Neill, who played Lois Lane in the TV versions of Superman was born in 1920 and she is still with us. She could easily get the nod in 2015, both iconic and a fabulous babe.

3. Five Canadians to spot. Getting all five is next to impossible, but I'll give you all a shot at it. They are born between 1965 and 1980, which narrows it down, but some have almost no tell-tale credits.

4. The Oh That Guys. Both Tracey Walter and Jeff Doucette turn 67 today, both of them have about 150 credits on imdb.com and it's a good bet you know their faces. John Larroquette, also turning 67, has about 100 credits, but I consider him a TV star instead of an Oh That Guy because of his time on Night Court.

5. Two others who deserve the Picture Slot. This day is an embarrassment of riches. Because I'm a Star Trek nerd, Jeffrey Hunter could be there. Because I'm a Harryhausen nerd, Kathryn Grant could get the nod.

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

Predictor: FM-2030 in his manifesto Up-Wing Priorities, published 1982

Prediction: We now want to design all areas of our evolution. We want biological freedoms. We want the freedom to spread out across the Universe. We want each of us to be alive a hundred years from now - a thousand years - a million - forever.

We want to spread a daring new optimism crystallizing from the obvious fact that for the first time in all the eons of life we are no longer blackholed within this microplanet - no longer trapped within fragile terminal bodies - that we are emerging as a triumphant new species - extraterrestrial and immortal.

We want to spread a new optimism and self-confidence stemming from the glaring fact that we who launch probes into interstellar reaches - we who flash signals to other beings across the Milky Way - we who decode light streaming in from the outbanks of the Universe over ten billion light-years away - can surely now mobilize our genius to accomplish anything.

We want to spread a new awareness that from here on we are resigned to nothing - consider no problems irreversible - no goals unattainable.

We want to spread the awareness that we are at lift off to a beautiful new age. There is a new Hope in the world.

Reality: As I typed this, in my mind I heard Steve Martin singing "It's Impossible... to suck a Cadillac through a straw, it's just impossible." The distances of space are still daunting. Our lifespans are increasing some, but 100 is still rare and 1,000 is, well, impossible. Maybe we will be able to transmit our consciousness into machines that can be maintained indefinitely, but that's a very big maybe. Old FroMo was a snake oil salesman, and this quote here is the last dregs of the bottle. Next Tuesday, somebody else gets the Tuesday slot. I'm not going to miss him as much as I miss John Elfreth Watkins or Robert A. Heinlein, but his nonsense, neologisms and no comma punctuation were at least entertaining.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another exciting chapter of our story of the wonders of 2011 as seen from 1911.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!