13 March 2015

Birthdays
Amir Ali Said b. 1996 (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Kaya Scodelario b. 1992 (Maze Runner, Clash of the Titans, Moon)
George MacKay b. 1992 (Peter Pan [2003])
Harry Melling b. 1989 (Merlin [2010], Harry Potter)
Emile Hirsch b. 1985 (Speed Racer, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Gargantua, Early Edition, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Kindred: the Embraced)
Noel Fisher b. 1984 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014], Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Battle Los Angeles, A Wrinkle in Time, Killer Bees!, Final Destination 2, Andromeda, Ratz)
Rachel Bella b. 1984 (The Ring, Buffy, W.E.I.R.D. World)
April Matson b. 1981 (Kyle XY)
Danny Masterson b. 1976 (Haven, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Strange Frequency, Dracula 2000, The Faculty, Star Kid, Sliders, American Gothic)
Chris Ashworth b. 1975 (Space Warriors, Terminator Salvation, The Lost Room)
Common b. 1972 (Terminator Salvation, Wanted)
Kiara Hunter b. 1972 (Alien Incursion, Stargate SG-1, NightMan, Bordello of Blood, The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, The X Files)
Annabeth Gish b. 1971 (FlashForward, Once Upon a Time, The X-Files, Race to Space, Steel)
Tracy Wells b. 1971 (Gremlins)
Tim Story b. 1970 (director, Fantastic Four, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer)
David Orth b. 1965 (Once Upon a Time, Fringe, 2012, Smallville, Fallen [2006], Supernatural, Stargate: Atlantis, Mutant X, The Lost World, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Total Recall 2070, RoboCop [TV], The Hidden Room, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Deadly Nightmares)
Steve Bacic b. 1965 (The 100, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate: Continuum, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, Flash Gordon [TV], Blade: The Series [TV], Andromeda, X-Men 2, Dark Angel, The 6th Day, BeastMaster [TV], Earth: Final Conflict, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], The X-Files, Highlander [TV], M.A.N.T.I.S.)
John Turk b. 1962 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
Arturo Gil b. 1960 (Deadtime Stories, Saul of the Mole Men, Charmed, Monkeybone, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], Third Rock from the Sun, Leprechaun 2, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Spaceballs)
Bruce Byron b. 1959 (The Mummy Returns, Ghostbusters of East Finchley)
Dana Delany b. 1956 (Battlestar Galactica)
Glenne Headly b. 1955 (Breakfast of Champions, The X Files, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
Robin Duke b. 1954 (Virtual Mom, Multiplicity, Groundhog Day, Maniac Mansion)
Deborah Raffin b. 1953 died 21 November 2012 (The Twilight Zone [1989], Dance of the Dwarfs)
William H. Macy b. 1950 (Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Jurassic Park III, Mystery Men, Pleasantville, WarGames, Somewhere in Time)
Leslie Parrish b. 1935 (Logan’s Run [TV]. The Giant Spider Invasion, Star Trek, Batman, Mission to the Moon)
Joseph Mascolo b. 1935 (The Incredible Hulk)
Grant Woods b. 1932 died 31 October 1968 (The Reluctant Astronaut, Star Trek, The Green Hornet, Batman)
Peter Breck b. 1929 died 6 February 2012 (I Still Dream of Jeannie, The Sword and the Sorcerer, The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Outer Limits, The Crawling Hand)
L. Ron Hubbard b. 1911 died 24 January 1986 (author, Battlefield Earth)
Paul Stewart b. 1908 died 17 February 1986 (The Invisible Man [1975], The Sixth Sense [1972], City Beneath the Sea)
Paul Fix b. 1901 died 14 October 1983 (Battlestar Galactica [1979], The Six Million Dollar Man, Night of the Lepus, Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Dr. Cyclops)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. A long and interesting birthday list today, and as usual, I'm looking for iconic. Last year, I used Leslie Parrish from Star Trek because she's oh so pretty, but I'm trying not to repeat myself as much as possible. Young Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley from Harry Potter would count, but I decided against him. I could go with L. Ron Hubbard, but I want to give that cult leader bastard as little oxygen as possible. Instead I went with William H. Macy as The Shoveler from Mystery Men, a movie often derided that I really enjoyed.

2. Hip deep in Canadians. There are five Canadians on today's list, Robin Duke, Steve Bacic, David Orth, Kiara Hunter and Noel Fisher. If you are fan of SCTV, you probably could have guessed Duke's place of birth and Bacic and Orth have plenty of tell-tale roles, but Hunter and Fisher are not as easy to spot.

3. Wait... she's dead? When I was doing the morning research, I clicked on Deborah Raffin's name not sure whether she did any genre work or not. I was completely unaware she had died of leukemia a few years back. Very sad.

4. MST3K. There are two movies here I know got the Best Brains treatment, The Crawling Hand with Peter Breck and The Giant Spider Invasion with Leslie Parrish.

5. No nepotism here. Annabeth Gish has a famous show business last name, but she is no relation to the silent screen sisters Dorothy and Lillian. 

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

Predictor: H.G. Wells in his 1902 book Anticipations

Prediction: War in the future will be a question of preparation, of long years of foresight and disciplined imagination, there will be no decisive victory, but a vast diffusion of conflict--it will depend less and less on controlling personalities and driving emotions, and more and more upon the intelligence and personal quality of a great number of skilled men.

Reality: I'm giving Herb at least partial credit here, as the big wars of the 20th Century were undertakings much more vast than anything the 19th Century saw, but he has to get marked down for saying there would be no decisive victories.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's a regular Saturday, and we hear from our predicting pals from 1893.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!