13 April 2015

Birthdays
Hannah Marks b. 1993 (The Amazing Spider-Man, Grimm, FlashForward)
Allison Williams b. 1988 (Peter Pan Live!)
Courtney Peldon b. 1981 (Star Trek: Renegades, InAlienable, Third Rock from the Sun, Deep Space Nine, The Visitor, Lois & Clark, Harry and the Hendersons [TV])
Kyle Howard b. 1978 (Robo Warriors)
Glenn Howerton b. 1976 (Serenity)
Jonathan Brandis b. 1976 died 12 November 2003 (SeaQuest 2032, It, The Flash [1990], The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, The Munsters Today, Alien Nation [TV])
Bokeem Wodbine b. 1973 (Riddick, The Host, Total Recall [2012], Blade: The Series, The X-Files)
Marci T. House b. 1972 (iZombie, Godzilla [2014], Lost Girl, Fringe, V, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Caprica, Battlestar Galatica, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The X Files: I Want to Believe, Reaper, Smallville)
Rick Schroder b. 1970 (No Ordinary Family, Journey to the Center of the Earth [TV], The Andromeda Strain [2008])
Harold Pruett b. 1969 died 21 February 2002 (Embrace of the Vampire, Wonder Woman)
Andrew Plevin b. 1968 (Inception, Witchville, Blood: The Last Vampire, Batman Begins)
Simon Paisley Day b. 1967 (Space Race, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf)
Page Hannah b. 1964 (Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Freddy’s Nightmares)
Richard Joseph Paul b. 1962 (666 Park Avenue, Oblivion 1 and 2, Knight Rider 2010)
Erick Avari b. 1952 (Grimm, Warehouse 13, InAlienable, Flight of the Living Dead, Dark Matter, Heroes, Daredevil, The X-Files, Star Trek: Enterprise, Planet of the Apes [2001], Stargate SG-1, The Mummy, Babylon 5, Lois & Clark, VR.5, Deep Space Nine, Stargate, SeaQuest 2032, Star Trek: Next Generation)
Peter Davison b. 1951 (Doctor Who, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy [TV], The Tomorrow People)
John Furey b. 1951 (Earth: Final Conflict, Friday the 13th Part 2, Logan’s Run [TV])
Ron Perlman b. 1950 (Hellboy, Pacific Rim, Conan the Barbarian [2011], Season of the Witch, The Devil’s Tomb, I Sell the Dead, Mutant Chronicles, Outlander, Absolon, Star Trek: Nemesis, Blade, The Tick [TV], Charmed, Alien Resurrection, Perversions of Science, Highlander [TV], The Island of Dr. Moreau [1996], The Adventure of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, The City of Lost Children, Beauty and the Beast, The Ice Pirates, Quest for Fire)
William Sadler b. 1950 (The Flash [2014], From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], Iron Man 3, 666 Park Avenue, Fringe, The Mist, Wonderfalls, Roswell, Deep Space Nine, RocketMan, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Bordello of Blood, The Omen [TV], Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Project X)
Tony Dow b. 1945 (director, Crusade, Deep Space Nine, Honey I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Babylon 5, Swamp Thing [TV], Harry and the Hendersons)
Paul Sorvino b. 1939 (Hybrids, Airship Dracula, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Witches to the North, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Rocketeer, The Stuff)
Edward Fox b. 1937 (Lost in Space [1998], Gulliver’s Travels [1996 TV])
Lyle Waggoner b. 1935 (Wizards of the Demon Sword, Mork & Mindy, Wonder Woman, Time Express, Journey to the Center of Time, Lost in Space [1967])
Doug McGrath b. 1935 (Ghosts of Mars, The Rocketeer, Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Incredible Hulk, The Starlost)
Joyce Meadows b. 1933 (Lois & Clark, Men Into Space, The Brain from Planet Arous)
Mari Blanchard b. 1923 died 10 May 1970 (Son of Sinbad, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars)
Howard Keel b. 1919 died 7 November 2004 (The Day of the Triffids)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Peter Davison as The Doctor and Ron Perlman, though not for any particular role. The list is chock full of good actors but light on movie stars, the only one I'd count is Howard Keel and I'm not sure his role in Day of the Triffids counts as iconic. So the competition for the Picture Slot today was between Lyle Waggoner on Wonder Woman, Paul Sorvino on Star Trek and two Oh That Guys, William Sadler and our winner Erick Avari. I was torn between his roles in The Mummy, Stargate and Planet of the Apes or on one of many TV shows, so I put up this publicity still from his website.

2. Canadians, faux and real. The two people born in Canada of Doug McGrath and Joyce Meadows and neither of them are hanging Vancouver hoping to get cast. Marci T. House, whose resume looks as Canadian as all get out, was born in Chicago and I can't find any evidence online that she moved to Canada, though it seems awfully likely given her work.

3. Nepotism more or less. Page Hannah is the younger sister of Darryl Hannah. She only did a little acting and then married music producer Lou Adler, the guy who sits with Jack Nicholson at the Laker games.

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

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Before 2000, doctors will be able to write prescriptions for sexual pleasure.

Reality: OMNI was thinking about L-dopa, which increases in some men and women. But the percentages are too low for general use - about 50% of men and about 20% of women are sexually stimulated by L-dopa - and instead we have Viagra, which did hit the market in 1998, so I'm going to give some points for this one.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from John Langdon-Davies 1936 book A Short History of the Future. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!