30 November 2014

 Birthdays
Dylan Cash b. 1994 (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Dylan Smith b. 1992 (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
Adelaide Clemens b. 1989 (Vampire, X-Men: Origins)
Sydney White b. 1991 (Young Dracula, The Sarah Jane Chronicles)
Kaley Cuoco b. 1985 (The Big Bang Theory, Charmed, 10.5, The Nightmare Room, Virtuosity)
Omahyra b. 1984 (X-Men: Last Stand)
Gael Garcia Bernal b. 1978 (Vamps, Blindness)
Jordan Belfi b. 1978 (Surrogates, Smallville, Buffy, Power Rangers Time Force, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Christopher John Fields b. 1976 (Boogeyman 2, Perversions of Science, Apollo 13, Witch Hunt, Stargate, Jurassic Park, Alien³, Jacob’s Ladder)
Nimrod Antal b. 1973 (director, Predators)
Jessalyn Gilsig b. 1971 (Heroes, Destination: Infestation, Haunted, Seven Days)
Perrey Reeves b. 1970 (Sliders, Escape to Witch Mountain [1995], The X Files, Child’s Play 3, The Flash [1990])
Michelle Burke b. 1970 (Sliders, Tales from the Crypt, Coneheads)
Walter Jones b. 1970 (House of the Dead 2, Good vs Evil, Buffy, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Space Cases, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
Marc Forster b. 1969 (director, World War Z)
Justin Lazard b. 1967 (Universal Soldier: The Return, Welcome to Paradox, Species II)
Ryan Murphy b. 1965 (writer, American Horror Story)
Ben Stiller b. 1965 (Night at the Museum, The Watch, Mystery Men)
Andrew Tiernan b. 1965 (Merlin [2012], Doctor Who, The Quatermass Experiment [2005], Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Space Precinct)
Richard Brake b. 1964 (Game of Thrones, Thor: The Dark World, Halloween II [2009], Doom, Batman Begins)
David Yates b. 1963 (director, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Parts I & II, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
Cherie Currie b. 1959 (Hansel & Gretl: Warriors of Witchcraft, Twilight Zone: The Movie)
Nancy Everhard b. 1957 (Charmed, Time Trax, Lois & Clark, DeepStar Six, The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, The Punisher, Knight Rider)
Colin Mochrie b. 1957 (Dark Rising: Warrior of Worlds, Annedroids, Spacehunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone)
Stephen Dillane b. 1956 (Game of Thrones)
Brett Stimely b. 1955 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Watchmen)
Mandy Patinkin b. 1952 (Dead Like Me, Alien Nation, The Princess Bride, Alien Nation)
Henry Selick b. 1952 (director, Coraline, Monkeybone, James and the Giant Peach, The Nightmare Before Christmas)
June Chadwick b. 1951 (V, Forbidden World)
Chris Claremont b. 1950 (writer, X-Men, Wild Cards)
Nicholas Woodeson b. 1949 (John Carter)
Billy Drago b. 1945 (Children of the Corn: Genesis, Supernatural, Zombie Hunters, The Hills Have Eyes [2006], Seven Mummies, Demon Hunter, Charmed, Mysterious Skin, The X Files, Lunarcop, Vamp, Automan)
William Dear b. 1944 (director, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Harry and the Hendersons, Amazing Stories, Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann)
Sally Douglas b. 1941 died September 2001 (Witchfinder General)
Ridley Scott b. 1937 (director, The Martian, Prometheus, Legend, Blade Runner, Alien)
Rex Reason b. 1928 (This Island Earth, The Creature Walks Among Us)
Robert Guillaume b. 1927 (Alchemy, The Meteor Man)
Richard Crenna b. 1926 died 17 January 2003 (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [TV 1997], Leviathan, Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell, The Evil)
Jay Overholts b. 1922 died 25 April 1966 (eight episodes of the original Twilight Zone)
Efrem Zimbalist Jr. b. 1918 died 2 May 2014 (The Visitor, Babylon 5)
Michael Gwynn b. 1916 died 29 January 1976 (Scars of Dracula, Jason and the Argonauts, Village of the Damned, The Revenge of Frankenstein)
Mark Twain b. 1835 died 21 April 1910 (author, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court, The Mysterious Stranger)
Jonathan Swift b. 1667 died 19 October 1745 (author, Gulliver’s Travels)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year it was Kaley Cuoco, this year it's Stephen Dillane as Stannis Baratheon from Game of Thrones. Next year, Mandy Patinkin from The Princess Bride is on the inside track, but if I'm in a mood for a creepy Oh That Guy, Billy Drago might also make the grade. As for fabulous babes other than ms. Cuoco, June Chadwick's role on V might be considered iconic.

2. Forget spotting the Canadians today. There are three and none of them have work on the usual Canuck genre TV shows. They are the director William Dear, comic actor Colin Mochrie (born in Scotland, raised in Canada, and actress Jessalyn Gilsig.

3. What kind of cruel parents name a kid Nimrod? Nimrod Antal is Hungarian. I would guess the name sounds less silly in that language.

4. Jay Overholts, not an Oh That Guy. Overholtz was on eight Twilight Zones, always as a supporting player. That accounts for more than half his screen appearances anywhere. He acted from 1959 to 1962 and died in 1966. He's a trivia answer, not a recognizable face.

5. Hey... no Star Trek! It's rare but it happens.

6. Wow, Mark Twain and Jonathan Swift. Any other really famous people born this day? I think Winston Churchill qualifies and his name was listed on the Internet Speculative Fiction Database for an alternate history, but I didn't include him here.

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

Predictor: Trio: Rebels in the New World, Book 4: The Hidden Evil, written by R. A. Montgomery, Published 1990.

Prediction: The United States signed a disarmament treaty in 1995, but hid six bombs. In 2015, after a nuclear holocaust, the young heroes struggle for possession of the weapons which have been secreted away, aided by aliens from a flying saucer.

Reality: We have a lot more than six bombs, and way too many of them can be classified under Crumbling Infrastructure. As for a 2015 nuclear holocaust, I would bet against it, especially since if I bet it was going to happen, there's a good chance I wouldn't survive to collect.

Once again, thanks to professor Paul Brians for his nuclear fiction database.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Since the Atlantic hurricane season ends on November 30, we will look in on the prediction made this year to see how accurate it was.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!