22 February 2015

Birthdays
Bryce Hodgson b. 1989 (Falling Skies, The Tomorrow People, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, X-Men 2, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Jeremiah, Stargate SG-1)
Colton James b. 1988 (Supernatural, The X-Files, The Cell, Sliders, House of Frankenstein [1997 TV], The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
Miko Hughes b. 1986 (The New Adventures of Pinkgirl and The Scone, Clockstoppers, Roswell, Spawn, Apollo 13, Natural Selection, Out of This World, Pet Sematary)
Josh Helman b. 1986 (Mad Max: Fury Road, X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Zach Roerig b. 1985 (The Vampire Diaries)
Jodie-Amy Rivera b. 1984 (Hocus Pocus)
Dichen Lachman b. 1982 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The 100, Being Human, Torchwood, The Guild, Dollhouse, Tyrannosaurus Azteca, Aquamarine)
Elodie Yung b. 1981 (G.I, Joe: Retaliation)
Adrienne Pickering b. 1981 (Knowing)
Daniel Cudmore b. 1981 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Twilight Saga, Fringe, Revolution, Stargate: SG-1, Merlin and the Book of Beasts)
Drew Barrymore b. 1975 (Donnie Darko, Batman Forever, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Babes in Toyland, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Cat’s Eye, Firestarter, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, Altered States)
Craig Warnock b. 1970 (Time Bandits)
Joe Holt b. 1970 (Supernatural, Lake Placid 2, K-PAX)
Thomas Jane b. 1969 (The Punisher, Mutant Chronicles, Dreamcatcher, Deep Blue Sea, The Crow: City of Angels, Buffy the Vampire Slayer [movie], She-Wolf of London)
Jeri Ryan b. 1968 (Helix, Warehouse 13, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, Star Trek: Voyager, Dracula 2000, Dark Skies, Time Trax, The Flash)
Rachel Dratch b. 1966 (Click)
Steve Spiers b. 1965 (Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Inkheart, Eragon, Doctor Who, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Doctor Who, Star Wars: Episode I - Not Typing the Title)
Brian Anthony Wilson b. 1960 (Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard, Apocalypse Kiss, Limitless, The Happening, Shadow: Dead Riot, The Postman)
Kyle MacLachlan b, 1959 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Believe, Mysterious Island, The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, The Invisible Man [TV movie], Roswell, Tales from the Crypt, The Hidden, Dune)
Gillian Barber b. 1958 (Witches of East End, 2012, Reaper, Supernatural, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, The 4400, Smallville, Stargate SG-1, Mysterious Ways, The Immortal, The 6th Day, The New Addams Family, First Wave, Millennium, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The X Files, Sliders, Jumanji, Needful Things )
Robert Bathurst b. 1957 (Dracula [2013 TV], Whoops Apocalypse, Red Dwarf)
Nigel Planer b. 1953 (The Color of Magic, Hogfather, Brazil)
Ellen Greene b. 1951 (The Walking Dead, Heroes, The X-Files, Little Shop of Horrors)
Julie Walters b. 1950 (Harry Potter, Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood)
John Ashton b. 1948 (King Kong Lives, The Twilight Zone [1985], The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, Wonder Woman)
Bridget Turner b. 1939 died 27 December 2014 (The Color of Magic, Doctor Who, Hogfather)
Barry Dennen b. 1938 (Weird Science, They Came from Outer Space, The Munsters Today, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Tales from the Darkside, Amazing Stories, Superman III, Shock Treatment, The Shining, Wonder Woman, Monster Squad, Batman)
Joanna Russ b. 1937 died 29 April 2011 (author, Alyx series, The Female Man)
Elizabeth MacRae b. 1936 (Alien Zone, I Dream of Jeannie, The Incredible Mr. Limpet)
James Hong b. 1929 (R.I.P.D., The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Big Bang Theory, Charmed, Blade Runner, The X-Files, Tank Girl, Lois & Clark, The Shadow, Merlin, War of the Worlds [TV], Big Trouble in Little China, Manimal, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Outer Limits, Godzilla [1956])
Paul Dooley b. 1928 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Edward Gorey b. 1925 died 15 April 2000 (illustrator)
Reed Crandall b. 1917 died 13 September 1982 (illustrator, John Carter of Mars)
Dan Seymour b. 1915 died 25 May 1993 (Escape to With Mountain, Batman, My Mother the Car, My Favorite Martian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Return of the Fly, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, Adventures of Superman)
Vaughn Taylor b. 1911 died 26 April 1983 (Bewitched, The Invaders, My Favorite Martian, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone, The Wizard of Baghdad)
Sir John Mills b. 1908 died 23 April 2005 (Frankenstein [1992 TV], Quatermass, Dr. Strange)
Dwight Frye b. 1899 died 7 November 1943 (Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Vampire Bat, Frankenstein, Dracula)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Previous Picture Slotters have been the fabulous Jeri Ryan and the great character actor James Hong. There are a lot of good choices, but if I restrict our candidates to folks near the top of the bill, the contenders are Ellen Greene from Little Shop of Horrors, Drew Barrymore from E.T., Thomas Jane from The Punisher and the winner, Kyle MacLachlan from Dune. If I didn't go with that restriction, I would also consider character actor from the Universal horror movies Dwight Frye, illustrator Edward Gorey, Julie Walters from Harry Potter, Steve Spiers, a great British menacing thug and fabulous babe Dichen Lachmann from several Whedonverse series.

2. Spot the Canadians! Bryce Hodgson was born in Canada, but Colton James was not. James worked on casting Supernatural, but I find no info about him getting Canadian citizenship. Gillian Barber was born in the U.K., but moved to Vancouver.


3. When you are the first in a dynasty, it's not really nepotism, is it? Sir John Mills is the father of Juliet Mills and Hayley Mills

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

 

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein from the 1956 book The Door Into Summer.

Prediction: I had an idea for a gadget, a drafting machine, to be operated by an electric typewriter… This gizmo would let [engineers] sit down in a big easy chair and tap keys and have the picture unfold on an easel above the keyboard.

Reality: Heinlein is predicting what we know call Computer Aided Design or CAD for short and he thinks it will exist by 1970. Wikipedia gives the start of the technology as the mid-1970s, so I'm going give this full marks and it gets put in the Sensible Bob category. As much fun as it can be to mock Heinlein, fair is fair.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

FiveThirtyEight.com has their predictions for the acting Oscars, Best Picture and Best Director. Let's come back tomorrow and see how they did.
 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!