Saturday, March 28, 2015

28 March 2015

Birthdays
Jenna Berman b. 1990 (iZombie, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn)
Jimmy Wong b. 1987 (Misscliks D&D Demigods, Video Game High School, John Dies at the End, The Guild)
Michael Wayans b. 1985 (Blankman)
Gareth David-Lloyd b. 1981 (Enoch the Traveler, Warehouse 13, Red Faction: Origins, Torchwood, Doctor Who)
Annie Wersching b. 1977 (The Vampire Diaries, Extant, Revolution, Touch, No Ordinary Family, Journeyman, Supernatural, Charmed, Angel, Birds of Prey, Star Trek: Enterprise)
Richard Kelly b. 1975 (writer/director, The Box, Southland Tales, Donnie Darko)
Shanna Moakler b. 1975 (Timecop, Lois & Clark)
Nick Frost b. 1972 (Syrenia, Doctor Who, The World’s End, Snow White and the Huntsman, Paul, Hyperdrive, Shaun of the Dead)
Vince Vaughn b. 1970 (The Watch, The Cell, The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
Brett Ratner b. 1969 (director, Hercules [2014], X-Men: The Last Stand)
Max Perlich b. 1968 (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Charmed, Dinocroc, Buffy, The Butcher’s Wife)
Darcy Laurie b. 1966 (Strange Empire, Arrow, Continuum, Supernatural, Fringe, V, Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Stargate SG-1, The Chronicles of Riddick, Jeremiah, Dark Angel, The Chronicle, Atomic Train, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The X-Files, Highlander: The Final Dimension, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven)
Orla Brady b. 1961 (Doctor Who, Fringe, Sinbad [2012], The Deep, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns)
Chris Barrie b. 1960 (Red Dwarf, Lara Croft)
Stephen Ure b. 1958 (The Hobbit, Legend of the Seeker, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, Xena, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Reba McEntire b. 1955 (Tremors)
Jason Robards III b. 1949 (They Live)
Dianne Wiest b. 1948 (Category 6: Day of Destruction, The 10th Kingdom, Practical Magic, Edward Scissorhands, The Lost Boys, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
Conchata Ferrell b. 1943 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, K-PAX, Buffy, Edward Scissorhands, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Mike Newell b. 1942 (director, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Jeff Burton b. 1924 died 18 January 1988 (Bewitched, Batman, Planet of the Apes)
Frank Lovejoy b. 1912 died 2 October 1962 (House of Wax)
Charles Starrett b. 1903 died 22 March 1986 (The Mask of Fu Manchu)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. The previous Picture Slotter was Chris Barrie from Red Dwarf. This year, the competition was between Reba McEntire is her first role in Tremors and the winner Nick Frost, pictured here with Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead, which still gets my vote for funniest zombie movie.

2. Spot the Canadians. Darcy Laurie has a typical Canadian resume, and sure enough he is. Jenna Berman is also Canadian, but it's not quite as obvious.

3. The Guy at the Door. As will happen from time to time, the deceased are all at the bottom of the list and the oldest person alive gets the title of The Guy at the Door. Today it's director Mike Newell, who is only in his early seventies. Here's hoping Mr. Newell lives long and prospers.

4. Nepotism FTW. Not sure if it's exactly a "win", but Jason Robards III had a brief career in movies.

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

Movie released 
G.I. Joe: Retaliation released, 2013
  
Predictor: Walter Wellman (1858-1934), journalist and explorer, predicting the world of the 20th Century in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in 1893

Prediction: The speeds of trains will climb to 80 to 100 miles per hour, and within 10 years, some electrical railways will achieve 150 miles per hour in ease and comfort. Railways in the western hemisphere will stretch from Alaska to Patagonia.

Man will be able to extract magnetism from the earth and convert it into electricity.

Heavier than air navigation will be solved in the next century.

The greatest advance will be elevated electric trains over the main thoroughfares of the great cities, at once beautiful and practical, keeping the rain and snow off the pedestrians below and keeping the street from being covered in mud.

Reality: Wellman scores a lot of points here, not just for the uncomfortable clothes, magnificent mustache and the pince nez. Predicting airplanes in 1893 is very bold indeed. So is extracting magnetism from the earth, one of those sources of energy we aren't even close to tapping. The major thing he misses in his prediction is the automobile, which is a less bold prediction than the airplane, since Benz had a patent in Germany in 1886. He loses points for the 150 mph electrical railway by 1903 and tapping the magnetic field of the earth, but still, a solid performance.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Let's see what Robert A. Heinlein has to say about the second half of the 20th Century, shall we?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

2 comments:

  1. "still gets my vote for funniest zombie movie."

    And there's some...heh...stiff competition. I also rather liked Cockneys vs. Zombies, because the theme song "Head to Head (with the undead)" sounds like an Ian Dury song.....

    ReplyDelete
  2. He also rather loses a point for predicting elevated electric trains as "Beautiful", but still a quite impressive batting average. Yay!

    ReplyDelete

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