Tuesday, June 9, 2015

9 June 2015

Birthdays
Danielle Chuchran b. 1993 (SAGA: Curse of the Shadow, Snow Beast)
Lauren Socha b. 1990 (Misfits)
Logan Browning b. 1989 (Powers)
Mae Whitman b. 1988 (Boogeyman 2, Bionic Woman, Phil of the Future, Independence Day)
Colin Theys b. 1985 (director, Banshee, Alien Opponent, Remains, Dead Souls)
Natalie Portman b. 1981 (Thor, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, V for Vendetta, Star Wars, Mars Attacks!)
Michaela Conlin b. 1978 (Enchanted)
Katharine Cullen b. 1975 (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, The Girl from Tomorrow)
Haley Peterson b. 1968 (Cyborg)
Gloria Reuben b. 1964 (Mr. Robot, Falling Skies, Timecop, The Flash [1991])
Johnny Depp b. 1963 (Pirates of the Caribbean, Into the Woods, Alice in Wonderland, Transcendence, Dark Shadows [2012], The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, From Hell, Sleepy Hollow, The Astronaut’s Wife, Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Edward Scissorhands, A Nightmare on Elm Street)
David Koepp b. 1963 (writer, Snow White and the Huntsman 2, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Zathura: A Space Adventure, War of the Worlds, Spider-Man, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Jurassic Park, Death Becomes Her, The Shadow)
Megan Edwards b. 1963 (Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Rodman Flender b. 1962 (director, Idle Hands, Millennium, Dark Skies, Tales from the Crypt, Leprechaun 2, The Unborn)
Michael J. Fox b. 1961 (Clone High, Mars Attacks!, Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories, Tales from the Crypt, Back to the Future, Teen Wolf)
Kelly Connell b. 1956 (Spider-Man 2, K-PAX, Early Edition, Sliders, Buffy, Star Trek: Voyager, Eerie, Indiana)
Mark Jeffrey Miller b. 1953 (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Constantine, Sleepy Hollow, Revolution, Black Knight, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles )
James Newton Howard b. 1951 (composer/orchestrator, Maleficent, The Hunger Games, After Earth, Snow White and the Huntsman, Green Lantern, The Dark Knight, Signs, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, The Devil’s Advocate, Waterworld, Outbreak, Twilight Zone: The Movie)
David Troughton b. 1950 (The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, Doctor Who)
Joe Haldeman b. 1943 (author, won 1976 Hugo and Nebula for The Forever War, won 1990 Nebula for the novella The Hemingway Hoax, won 1993 Nebula for the short story Graves, won 1999 Hugo and Nebula for Forever Peace, won 2006 Nebula for Camouflage)
Joe Santos b. 1931 (The Postman, Quantum Leap, Twilight Zone [1986], The Greatest American Hero)
Joan Marshall b. 1931 died 28 June 1992 (Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Men Into Space)
Lin Carter b. 1930 died 7 February 1988 (author, Callisto, Conan)
Leo Summers b. 1925 died 1 April 1985 (artist)
Keith Laumer b. 1925 died 23 January 1993 (author, Imperium, Retief)
Gerd Oswald b. 1919 died 22 May 1989 (director, Twilight Zone [1985], Star Trek, Out Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Robert Cummings b. 1919 died 2 December 1990 (Bewitched, My Living Doll, Twilight Zone)
Rosa Turich b. 1903 died 20 November 1998 (Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Keith Laumer because I loved his character Retief and Natalie Portman because I am a heterosexual male. Not wanting to repeat myself, the two best choices remaining are Johnny Depp and the winner, Michael J. Fox from Back to the Future.

2. Spot the Canadians. Neither Canadian on our list stayed in Canada long. One is our Picture Slotter Mr. Fox and the other is Gloria Reuben.

3. Nepotism FTW. David Troughton has had a very successful career, but it is worth noting his first big break was on Doctor Who in 1972, after his dad's tenure as The Doctor.

4. The Guy at the Door. Regular readers know the drill. On today's list, 1931 is the year that separates the living from the dead. While Joan Marshal was born on this day in 1931 and is dead, Oh That Guy actor Joe Santos is the oldest living person on our list and everyone younger than him is still alive. This is more like a demographic fluke than it is an ominous portent, but in any case, I like to wish the person in this situation a special wish for many more happy birthdays to come.


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

Movie released
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier released, 1989  

Predictor: Oxford University researcher Tipu Aziz, quoted in 2008

Prediction: By 2015, micro-computers in the brain with a range of applications could be self-powered and controlled by hand-held transmitters.

Reality: As of 2015, this is still Ray Kurzweil level stuff, which means it hasn't happened yet and it's possible it never will.

Never to be Forgotten: Mary Ellen Trainor 1950-2015

The actress Mary Ellen Trainor, who was for a time married to director Robert Zemeckis, has died at the age of 64. Seen here in a still from one of the Die Hard films (she was in all of them), her genre credits include Roswell, Congo, Death Becomes Her, Back to the Future II, Ghostbusters 2, Tales from the Crypt, Scrooged, The Monster Squad and Amazing Stories.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Mary Ellen Trainor, from a fan. She is never to be forgotten. 
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Wednesdays belong to our sensible pal George Sutherland, predicting 20th Century inventions in 1901.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!


2 comments:

  1. Micahel J. Fox Much as I love him, I applaud this typo.

    I am amazed that your predictor managed to punt the brain-computers so badly from seven years in the past. Kurzweil paid him off, I'll bet.... but I confess I look forward to having my iPod in my brain.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for catching it. I hang my head in shame.

      Delete

Traveler! Have you news... FROM THE FUTURE?