16 February 2015

Birthdays
Jimmy ‘Jax’ Pinchak b. 1996 (Ender’s Game,Let Me In)
Mackintosh Muggleton b. 1994 (28 Weeks Later)
Elizabeth Olsen b 1989 (Godzilla [2014])
Agyness Deyn b. 1983 (Clash of the Titans)
Eric Ladin b. 1978 (Surface)
Janet Varney b. 1976 (Warehouse 13, Catwoman)
Mahershala Ali b. 1974 (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Alphas, Predators, The 4400, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Sarah Clarke b. 1972 (The Tomorrow People, Twilight)
Elisabeth Olsen b. 1969 (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Godzilla [2014])
Pasha D. Lychnikoff b. 1967 (The Big Bang Theory, Star Trek [2009], Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystall Skull, Cloverfield)
Christopher Eccleston b. 1964 (The Leftovers, Thor: The Dark World, The Borrowers, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Heroes, Doctor Who, 28 Days Later…, The Others, eXistenZ)
Faran Tahir b, 1963 (Jinn, Elysium, Warehouse 13, Supernatural, Star Trek [2009], Lost, Iron Man, Charmed, Manitcore, FreakyLinks)
Ice-T b. 1958 (Jacob Two-Two Meets the Hooded Fang, Welcome to Paradox, Johnny Mnemonic, Tank Girl)
Lisa Loring b. 1958 (The Addams Family)
LeVar Burton b. 1957 (The Big Bang Theory, Rise of the Zombies, Star Trek, The Supernaturals)
Ardwight Chamberlain b. 1957 (Babylon 5)
Vincent Ward b. 1956 (director, What Dreams May Come; writer, Alien3)
Iain M. Banks b. 1954 died 9 June 2013 (author, The State of the Art, The Hydrogen Sonata, Against a Dark Background)
William Katt b. 1951 (Moon, Earthling, Heroes, The Man From Earth, Gamers, Andromeda, Piranha, The Hunger [TV], The Greatest American Hero, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, Faerie Tale Theatre, Carrie)
Jeremy Bulloch b. 1945 (Starhyke, Star Wars, Doctor Who)
Barry Primus b. 1938 (The X-Files, SeaQuest 2032, SpaceCamp)
Don Knight b. 1933 died 18 August 1997 (The Canterville Ghost, Automan, Manimal, The Powers of Matthew Star, Small & Frye, Voyagers, Swamp Thing, Death in Space, The Immortal, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Munster Go Home! )
Paul Sorensen b. 1926 died 17 July 2008 (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Salvage 1, Escape to Witch Mountain, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Westworld, Bewitched, Land of the Giants, The Invaders, My Favorite Martian, The Satan Bug)
Hugh Beaumont b. 1909 died 14 May 1982 (The Human Duplicators, The Mole People, Topper, Adventures of Superman)
George Woodbridge b. 1907 died 31 March 1973 (Dracula: Prince of Darkness, The Curse of the Werewolf, H.G. Wells' Invisible Man, The Mummy, The Revenge of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Previously, Christopher Eccleston and LeVar Burton were in the Picture Slot. I debated three possible candidates, Lisa Loring from The Addams Family, Ardwright Chamberlain as Kosh from Babylon 5 and the guy I actually chose, William Katt from The Greatest American Hero, who gets the nod for being closest to the top of the bill.

2. Nepotism FTW. Elisabeth Olsen is the younger sister of the Olsen Twins.

3. MST3K. We have a Hugh Beaumont daily double with The Human Duplicators and The Mole People. If there are others I've forgotten, I expect some eagle-eyed commenter will set me straight.

4. The Guy at the Door. Barry Primus is the oldest living person on the list and everyone younger than him is also alive, making him The Guy at the Door. Whenever I notice this morbid coincidence, I always extend special best wishes to the fellow or lady in that position.

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

Movie released
Ghost Rider released, 2007

 

 Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Tomorrow's movie studios will be designed to accommodate the use of computer and video techniques. It is possible that dramatic performances, even actors' lines, will be altered via computer synthesis, yielding a perfect take every time. Actors will be synthesized into backgrounds of locations anywhere in the world. This way, expensive location shooting will be used only infrequently.

Reality: This is a hit and miss prediction, getting a very good handle on what the technology would look like but missing the mark as to the consequences of it. Shooting on location is still very common, but digital techniques are used to transform the locations significantly, either into fantasy setting like Game of Thrones or to make a place look like it did in the past or might look in the future. There are synthesized performances, some very convincing like Gollum and Groot, others disappointing like J** J** B****, the name I refuse to type.

Never to be Forgotten: Louis Jourdan 1921-2015 Louis Jourdan, the dashing French actor best known for the role of Gaston in Gigi, has died at the age of 93. He is remembered on this blog for two roles, one in Swamp Thing and the other when he played Count Dracula in a 1977 TV movie, pictured here.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Louis Jourdan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another view of the 21st Century from W. Warren Wagar.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!