26 February 2015

Birthdays
Taylor Dooley b. 1993 (Monster Night, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D)
Max Lloyd-Jones b. 1991 (iZombie, Teen Wolf [2014], Supernatural)
Teresa Palmer b. 1986 (Parts Per Billion, Warm Bodies, I Am Number Four, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Grudge 2)
Shiloh Fernandez b. 1985 (Evil Dead, Red Riding Hood, Deadgirl, Jericho)
James Wan b. 1977 (director, Insidious, The Conjuring, Dead Silence, Saw)
Drew Goddard b. 1975 (writer, Daredevil [2015 TV], World War Z, The Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield, Lost, Angel, Buffy)
Meeno Peluce b. 1970 (Manimal, Voyagers!, World War III, The Amityville Horror, The Incredible Hulk)
Ed Quinn b. 1968 (Eureka, Behemoth, True Blood, House of the Dead 2)
Ross Partridge b. 1968 (The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Quantum Leap, The Flash [1991 TV])
Jennifer Grant b. 1966 (Time Trax)
Marc Dacascos b. 1964 (Mortal Kombat: Legacy [TV], Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight, Wolvesbayne, Stargate: Atlantis, Solar Attack, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven [TV], The Island of Dr, Moreau, Tales from the Crypt, The Flash [1990 TV])
Chase Masterson b. 1963 (The Flash [2015], Manticore, Creature Unknown, Terminal Invasion, Deep Space Nine, Digital Man, Sliders)
Greg Germann b. 1958 (Eureka, Child’s Play 2)
Jonathan Schmock b. 1956 (Big Bang Theory, Star Trek: Enterprise. They Came from Outer Space [TV], ALF)
Barbara Niven b. 1953 (Charmed, I Married a Monster, Humanoids from the Deep)
Marta Kristen b. 1945 (Lost in Space [1998 and 1965], Battle Beyond the Stars, Project U.F.O.)
Bill Duke b. 1943 (director, Twilight Zone [1987], Starman [TV]; actor, Battledogs, X-Men: The Last Stand, Battlestar Galactica, Predator)
Tony Selby b. 1938 (Cockneys vs Zombies, Doctor Who, Superman, Witchfinder General)
Cliff Osmond b. 1937 died 22 December 2012 (Knight Rider, The Invisible Man [1975], The Six Million Dollar Man, Invasion of the Bee Girls, Land of the Giants, Batman, My Living Doll, Twilight Zone)
Jane Wagner b. 1935 (writer, The Incredible Shrinking Woman)
Godfrey Cambridge b. 1933 died 29 November 1976 (Beware! The Blob)
Lawrence Montaigne b. 1931 (Escape to Witch Mountain, Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Batman, The Time Tunnel)
Tony Randall b. 1920 died 17 May 2004 (The Seven Faces of Dr, Lao, The Brass Bottle)
Mason Adams b. 1919 died 26 April 2005 (From the Earth to the Moon, Not of this Earth, Toy Soldiers, Omen III: The Final Conflict, Revenge of the Stepford Wives)
Theodore Sturgeon b 1918 died 8 may 1985 (writer, More Than Human, Amok Time)
Robert Alda b. 1914 died 3 May 1986 (Beyond Westworld, The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, The Amazing Spider-Man [1978], The Invisible Man [1975])
Dane Clark b. 1912 died 11 February 1998 (The Twilight Zone)
Dub Taylor b. 1907 died 3 October 1994 (Back to the Future III, Starman [1987 TV], Creature from Black Lake, Mr. Terrific, My Favorite Martian, Twilight Zone, Them!)
William Frawley b. 1887 died 3 March 1966 (My Living Doll, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. A lot of well known names on today's list, especially in the crowd born before World War II, but for iconic in genre, my top three would be Marta Kristen from Lost in Space, who had the Picture Slot last year, Lawrence Montaigne as Stonn from Amok Time and Chase Masterson as the Bajoran dabo girl Leeta. And somehow I chose the fabulous babe. What an odd coincidence.

2. Nepotism, definitely and maybe. The nepotism today is definitely old school, though one case is stronger than the others. Jennifer Grant is the daughter of Dyan Cannon and Cary Grant. Barbara Niven had a career as an actress when she married David Niven, Jr., so I don't know how much the name helped. Robert Alda is the dad of Alan Alda, but he had a career long before Alan did. The only dad I can think of who I would definitely count as a beneficiary of nepotism is Rance Howard.

3. Stuff you learn when you do research. On imdb.com, every blurb gives one production the actor/writer/director/whatever was associated with. Sometimes those productions are genre and I obviously put them on the list, unless it turns out to be direct to video. Other actors are familiar names to me and I check them just to make sure. For example, today I clicked on Jackie Gleason and he had no genre work I could find. On the other hand, I added William Frawley, Dub Taylor, Robert Alda, Mason Adams and Godfrey Cambridge without knowing for sure they did any genre when I clicked on their names.

4. Spot the British Canadian! Max Lloyd-Jones was born in England, but moved to Vancouver to find work. If I was a young actor today, I'd certainly consider that possibility.

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

Predictor: Richard Nixon on 15 October 1965

Prediction: If the United States gives up in Vietnam, the Pacific Ocean will become a Red Sea.

Reality: There was a lot of doom and gloom predicted about what failure in Vietnam would mean, but much of it, like this Nixon quote, was remarkably overblown. We lost and the world didn't collapse. Maybe it wasn't as strategically important as we were lead to believe.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We hear again from H.G. Wells, though we'll leave the racist crap alone for a week.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!