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!

28 January 2015

Birthdays
Ariel Winter b. 1998 (Speed Racer, Jericho)
Will Poulter b. 1993 (The Maze Runner, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
Calum Worthy b. 1991 (Caprica, Stormworld, Smallville, Supernatural, Kyle XY, Stargate: Atlantis, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Mysterious Ways)
Alexandra Krosney b. 1988 (iZombie, Lost)
Elijah Wood b. 1981 (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Sin City, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Spy Kids, The Faculty, Deep Impact, Back to the Future Part II)
Rosamund Pike b. 1979 (The World’s End, Wrath of the Titans, Surrogates, Doom)
Crystal Dawne b. 1977 (War of the Worlds)
Lee Ingleby b. 1976 (Sinbad [2012 TV], Being Human, First Men in the Moon [2010 TV], Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban)
Ty Olsson b. 1974 (Nerds and Monsters, Supernatural, Twilight, Arrow, Falling Skies, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Eureka, V, 2012, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Flash Gordon [TV], Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, X-Men 2, Jeremiah, Dark Angel, Lake Placid, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], The X-Files)
Melody Perkins b. 1974 (Power Rangers, Planet of the Apes, Charmed, NightMan)
Gillian Vigman b. 1972 (Supernatural, Dragonfly)
Ashley Artus b. 1971 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Tales from the Crypt, Judge Dredd)
Kathryn Morris b. 1969 (Paycheck, Minority Report, A.I Artificial Intelligence, Hell Swarm, Xena: Warrior Princess, Poltergeist: The Legacy, W.E.I.R.D. World)
Lynda Boyd b. 1965 (Supernatural, Hot Tub Time Machine, Sanctuary, Smallville, Level 9, Mysterious Ways, Mission to Mars, So Weird, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Millennium, The X Files, Highlander [TV])
Keith Hamilton Cobb b. 1962 (Andromeda, BeastMaster [2000 TV], Total Recall 2070)
Frank Darabont b. 1959 (writer/director, The Walking Dead, The Green Mile, The Mist, Frankenstein [1994], Tales from the Crypt, The Fly II, The Blob [1988], A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors)
Harley Jane Kozak b. 1957 (Stargate SG-1, Dark Planet, The Android Affair, The Hidden Room, Arachnophobia)
Susan Howard b. 1944 (The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], The Immortal, Land of the Giants, I Dream of Jeannie, Star Trek)
John Beck b. 1943 (Dark Planet, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Audrey Rose, Sleeper, Cyborg 2087, Rollerball, The Time Machine [1978])
Lewis Wilson b. 1920 died 9 August 2000 (Batman [1943])
John Banner b. 1919 died 28 January 1973 (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Adventures of Superman, Topper [1955], Rocky Jones, Space Ranger)

Notes on the birthday list. 
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot was given to Elijah Wood, clearly iconic as Frodo, and John Beck, iconic to a geezer like me as Moonpie from Rollerball. (While his iconic status in genre may be debatable, Beck is undeniably in the 1970s Porn-stache Hall of Fame.) With those two off the list, the choice is not as easy. John Banner is likely the best known face other than Elijah Wood, but he is known as Sgt. Schultz from Hogan's Heroes, which isn't genre. Lewis Wilson was Batman in the 1943 serial, so he was a possibility, but I went with Susan Howard, best known for her role on Dallas, in her one appearance on the original Star Trek as a Klingon officer. I could also have gone with a poster of The Walking Dead to honor Frank Darabont, but this week has been short on fabulous babes.

2. Canuck Swarm! Oh so many Canadians, though one, Crystal Dawne, has done so little work her resume does not give her nationality away. As for the others, just appearing on Supernatural is not enough, and Gillian Vigman is in fact born in New Jersey. But showing up on both Smallville and Supernatural is usually a dead giveaway, and in fact all the actors here with those credits - Lynda Boyd, Ty Olsson and Calum Worthy - were born in The Great White North.

3. The Guy at the Door. Every birthday list has its quirks, and today's demographic oddness is the long stretch between the late Lewis Wilson, born in 1920, and the next youngest person, John Beck born in 1943. Moonpie is the oldest person on today's list who is still alive, which makes him The Guy at the Door at the tender age of 72. I always feel a little morbid pointing this out, and I always give a special best birthday wish to anyone who has this odd distinction.

4. MST3K, thanks to ZRMcD for spotting it. The TV series Rocky Jones, Space Ranger had a few episodes lumped together into Crash of the Moons, which got the Best Brains treatment, so John Banner's participation means we use the label, and thanks to Zombie Rotten McDonald for pointing it out.

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

 

Predictor: George Sutherland in the 1901 book Twentieth Century Inventions: A Forecast

Prediction: The petroleum engine, as applied to the automobile, does its work in a series of jerks which provide for the unequal degrees of power required to cope with the unevenness of a road. As against this, however, there are certain grave defects, due mainly to the use of highly inflammable oils vaporized at high temperatures; and these have impressed a large proportion of engineers with a belief that, in the long run, either electricity or steam will win the day.

Reality: Longtime readers will know that I form strong opinions about our regular predictors. Some I love, most notably my man crush John Elfreth Watkins, and others I dislike, including Ray Kurzweil and the unlamented FM-2030, a.k.a. FroMo, short for Frozen Moron.

About some things Sutherland will be very prescient and on other occasions, such as today, he will be dead wrong. I will never make fun of Sutherland. He was a serious, well informed engineer and understood what was the state of the art in 1901. He thinks in terms of evolutionary steps and his errors in prediction stem from an inability or possibly an unwillingness to see many revolutionary developments that are just a few years away.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another clunker from The Experts Speak.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
 

25 October 2014

Birthdays
Conchita Campbell b. 1995 (The 4400, Supernatural, Zixx: Level Two)
Will Harris b. 1986 (Galyntine, In Time, Sky High)
John Robinson b. 1985 (Something Wicked, Transformers)
Mehcad Brooks b. 1980 (Creature, True Blood, Dollhouse)
Sarah Thompson b. 1979 (Angel, FreakyLinks)
Mariana Klaveno b. 1979 (True Blood)
Michael Weston b. 1973 (Coma [2012 TV], Gamer, Supernatural, Evil Alien Conquerors, Wishcraft, NightMan)
Persia White b. 1972 (The Vampire Diaries, Angel, Buffy, Weird Science [TV], Last Action Hero)
Craig Robinson b. 1971 (Rapture-Palooza, This is the End, Hot Tub Time Machine 1 & 2, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian)
Michael Soltis b. 1971 (Fringe, 10.5, X-Men 2, Smallville, Taken, Stargate SG-1)
Adam Goldberg b. 1970 (Christmas on Mars, Frankenstein [2004 TV], The Prophecy)
Michael Boatman b. 1964 (Warehouse 13, Quantum Leap)
Melinda McGraw b. 1963 (The Dark Knight, Journey Man, The X Files, House of Frankenstein)
Tracy Nelson b. 1963 (My Stepbrother is a Vampire!?!)
Darlene Vogel b. 1962 (Farscape, Back to the Future Part II)
Gale Anne Hurd b. 1955 (producer, The Walking Dead, Punisher, The Coven, Hulk, AEon Flux, Armageddon, Terminator, Tremors, Alien Nation, Aliens, The Abyss)
Glynis Barber b. 1955 (Highlander: The Return, The Apocalypse Watch, Red Dwarf, Blakes 7)
John Matuszak b. 1950 died 17 June 1989 (The Princess and the Dwarf, Superboy, The Charmings, The Ice Pirates, Caveman)
Mark L. Taylor b. 1950 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Harry and the Hendersons [TV], Alien Nation [TV], Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Innerspace, Star Trek: Voyager, Arachnophobia, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone [1986], V: The Final Battle)
Leigh Christian b. 1945 (The Six Million Dollar Man, Beyond Atlantis)
Anthony Franciosa b. 1928 died 19 January 2006 (Twilight Zone [1989], Earth II)
Peter Dennis b. 1933 (Star Trek: Voyager)
Marion Ross b. 1928 (Colossus: The Forbin Project, The Outer Limits)
Billy Barty b.1924 died 23 December 2000 (The Munsters Today, Lobster Man from Mars, Willow, Masters of the Universe, Snow White, Rumpelstiltskin, Star Fairies, Legend, Dr. Shrinker, The Lost Saucer, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, The Undead, The Bride of Frankenstein)

Whit Bissell b. 1909 died 5 March 1996 (Project U.F.O., The Bionic Woman, Land of the Giants, The Invaders, I Dream of Jeannie, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits, Men Into Space, Monster on the Campus, The Time Machine, Soylent Green, The Incredible Hulk [TV], The Time Tunnel, Star Trek, I Was a Teenage Frankenstein, I Was a Teenage Werewolf, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Atomic Kid, Target Earth, Creature From the Black Lagoon)
Leo G. Carroll b. 1886 died 16 October 1972 (Tarantula, Topper, A Christmas Carol)

Last years Picture Slot was Sarah Thompson as Eve on Angel, because I'm a Whedonverse nerd and she's a Fabulous Babe to boot. This year, I went with Oh That Guy extraordinaire Whit Bissell. Next year is a toss-up, but the character actor choices are the most likely, John Matuszak, Mark L. Taylor, Billy Barty or Leo G. Carroll.

Many actors on the list have credits in Canadian produced genre TV, but there is only one native Canadian on the list to spot. Answer in the comments.
 

 Five fun facts from 2015!

Predictor: Back to the Future, Part II released 22 March 1989

Prediction: In 2015, there will be a massive number of TV channels to chose from.

Reality: People really do have TV screens that big in their houses, though splitting into six sub-screens is not very common. The screen at the upper right is not just some smutty addition by an Internet photoshopper, that was really one of the options Marty could have chosen. While this is a comedy and many predictions were just there to be amusing, this one is pretty close to right on the money.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to the Future week ends with a date from the first film.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

24 October 2014

Birthdays
Eliza Taylor b. 1989 (The 100)
Daniel and Joshua Shalikar b. 1988 (Honey, I Blew Up the Kid)
Lincoln Lewis b. 1987 (After Earth, Aquamarine)
Oliver Jackson-Cohen b. 1986 (Dracula [2013 TV])
Tim Pocock b. 1985 (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Alycia Purrott b. 1983 (Supernatural, Power Rangers S.P.D.)
Katie McGrath b. 1983 (Jurassic World, Dracula [TV 2013], Merlin, Labyrinth [2012 TV])
Jemima Rooper b. 1981 (Atlantis [2013 TV], Frankenstein’s Wedding… Live in Leeds, A Sound of Thunder)
Dave Callahan b. 1977 (writer, Doom, Godzilla)
Amy Bailey b. 1975 (Dominion [2014], Supercollider, Boogeyman [2012 TV], Alice in Wonderland [2010])
James Babson b. 1974 (Solomon Kane, Hellboy, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Children of Dune)
Catherine Sutherland b. 1974 (The Cell, Power Rangers)
Burgess Jenkins b. 1973 (Revolution, Coma, Vault of Darkness)
Raelee Hill b.1972 (Superman Returns, Farscape, The Lost World [TV], BeastMaster [TV])
Raul Esparza b. 1970 (666 Park Avenue, My Soul to Take)
Jacqueline McKenzie b. 1967 (The 4400, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Deep Blue Sea)
Rick Ravenello b. 1967 (Doomsday Prophecy, Smallville, Seven Days, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield, Creature, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Doomsday Rock, Stargate SG-1)
Conrad Pla b. 1966 (Riddick, Alphas, ReGenesis, Mutant X, Lathe Of Heaven, Odyssey 5, Relic Hunter)
BD Wong b. 1960 (Jurassic World, Awake, The X Files, Jurassic Park)
Brad Johnson b. 1959 (Left Behind: World at War, Riverworld, Alien Siege, The Robinsons: Lost in Space, Mysterious Ways, Philadelphia Experiment II)
Douglas Brian and Steven M. Martin b. 1954 (The Addams Family, Addams Family Values)
Martin Campbell b. 1943 (director, Green Lantern)
F. Murray Abraham b. 1939 (Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale, Carnera: The Walking Mountain, Thir13en Ghosts , The Darkling, Muppets from Space, Star Trek: Insurrection, Last Action Hero, Journey to the Center of the Earth [1993 TV], BloodMonkey, Shark Swarm, Mimic)
S. William Hinzman b. 1936 died 5 February 2012 (Mimesis, It Came from Trafalgar, FleshEater, Night of the Living Dead)
John Winston b. 1933 (Max Headroom, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel)
Maggie Pierce b. 1931 died 5 April 2010 (My Mother the Car, My Favorite Martian, Tales of Terror)
Clifford Rose b. 1929 (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Doctor Who, Once Upon a Time [1973 TV])
Bob Kane b. 1915 died 3 November 1998 (artist, Batman)
Merian C. Cooper b. 1893 died 21 April 1973 (writer, King Kong, Mighty Joe Young)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. This list skews fairly young today and quite often, the younger actors do not have what I consider to be iconic roles. But Daniel and Joshua Shalikar The Kid in Honey, I Blew Up the Kid and Raelee Hill might have a chance next year because of my fondness for Farscape. Last year I used John Winston as Lt. Kyle, but this year it's S. William Hinzman in the role role that defined his career, Zombie from Night of the Living Dead. (Not much of a spoiler alert: He kills Barbara's boyfriend in the first scene.) I chose Mr. Hinzman because... well, I think regular readers will know why.

2. F. Murray Abraham: Not as sucky as I thought. Back on a previous blog, I had a competition for which good actor's career sunk the most and F. Murray Abraham won, largely on the fact he was in BloodMonkey and Shark Swarm. But apart from those two credits, there's not a lot more slumming in zero budget films for him. In the past few years, he's back to being in major motion pictures like Inside Llewyn Davis and The Grand Budapest Hotel and TV shows like Homeland and The Good Wife. My guess is he was really hard up for cash but got over it.  Good on ya, Mr. Abraham. 

3. Spot the Canadians! There are two, one who was born in the Great White North and another who emigrated. Answers in the comments.

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

 Five fun facts from 2015!

Predictor: Back to the Future, Part II released 22 March 1989



Prediction: Jaws 19 is promoted with a holographic shark that needs no projector.

Reality: Of course, Jaws 19 is a gag, so I won't grade down on that "prediction". As for the technology, it doesn't exist yet and if it ever does, the skins on the polygons will be way better.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Still using Back to the Future, Part II for a last prediction this year.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

23 October 2014

Birthdays
Taylor Spreitler b. 1993 (Category 5)
Brett DelBuono b. 1992 (Let Me In)
Sophie Oda b. 1991 (The Big Bang Theory)
Amandia Stenberg b. 1998 (Sleepy Hollow, The Hunger Games)
Jessica Stroup b. 1986 (Ted, True Blood, Reaper, The Hills Have Eyes II, Vampire Bats)
Briana Evigan b. 1986 (S. Darko)
Masiela Lusha b. 1985 (Dragonfyre, Blood: The Last Vampire)
Bradley Pierce b. 1982 (Star Trek: Voyager, Doom Runners, The Borrowers, Jumanji, Lois & Clark)
Olatunde Osunsanmi b. 1977 (director, Dark Moon, Falling Skies, The Fourth Kind)
Ryan Reynolds b. 1976 (R.I.P.D., Ted, Green Lantern, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Amityville Horror, Blade: Trinity, Big Monster on Campus, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, The X Files)
Kate del Castillo b. 1972 (Grimm)
Grant Imahara b. 1970 (Star Trek Continues, Caper, Team Unicorn, Eureka, The League of S.T.E.A.M., The Guild)
Steve Wilder b. 1970 (Iron Man 3, Charmed, The Journey: Absolution)
Brooke Theiss b. 1969 (Catwoman, They Came from Outer Space, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master)
Travis Davis b. 1968 died 12 October 2009 (The Big Bang Theory, Friday the 13th [2009], The Chronicle, Space Marines)
Eric Shanower b. 1963 (writer, The Oz universe)
Beatie Edney b. 1962 (Highlander: Endgame, Highlander)
Sam Raimi b. 1959 (director, Oz the Great and Powerful, Drag Me to Hell, Spider-Man 1, 2& 3, Army of Darkness, Darkman, Evil Dead II, The Evil Dead; producer, Xena, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Legend of the Seeker)
‘Weird Al’ Yankovic b. 1959 (Halloween 2 [2009], Amazing Stories)
Dwight Yoakum b. 1956 (Under the Dome, Roswell)
Graeme Revell b. 1955 (composer, Gotham, Riddick, AEon Flux, The Fog, Sin City, Pitch Black, Grindhouse, Freddy vs. Jason, Daredevil, Lara Croft, Red Planet, Dune, Titan A.E., Bride of Chucky, The Crow: City of Angels, From Dusk Till Dawn, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, Tank Girl, Until the End of the World, Child’s Play 2)
Ang Lee b. 1954 (director, Hulk)
Ira Steven Behr b. 1953 (producer, Outlander, Alphas, The 4400, Dark Angel, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Michael Rupert b. 1951 (A Boy and His Dog)
Jason Bostwick b. 1943 (Mutant Species, Future Zone, My Science Project, TRON, Shazam!)
Michael Crichton b. 1942 died 4 November 2008 (writer, Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, Congo, Runaway, Looker, Coma, Westworld)
Stanley Anderson b. 1939 (S1m0ne, Roswell, Spider-Man, The X Files, Armageddon, The Shining [1997 TV], RoboCop 3)
Philip Kaufman b. 1936 (director, Invasion of the Body Snatchers[1978], writer, Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Right Stuff)
Diana Dors b. 1931 died 4 May 1984 (Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1980 TV], Hammer House of Horror, Theatre of Blood, The Amazing Mr. Blunden)
Ted Manson b. 1926 died 1 June 2008 (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Larry Ward b. 1924 died 2/15/1985 (voice of Jabba the Hutt and Greedo, both uncredited)
Frank Sutton b. 1923 died 28 June 1974 (The Satan Bug, The Twilight Zone, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet)
Harold P. Warren b. 1923 died 26 December 1985 (actor/writer/director, Manos: The Hands of Fate)
Coleen Gray b. 1922 (The Sixth Sense, The Phantom Planet, The Leech Woman, The Vampire)
James Daly b. 1918 died 3 July 1978 (Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, The Invaders, Twilight Zone)
Hayden Rorke b.1910 died 19 August 1987 (Wonder Woman, I Dream of Jeannie, Twilight Zone)
Una O’Connor b. 1880 died 4 February 1959 (The Canterville Ghost, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Invisible Man)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year I had Greedo from Star Wars in honor of the late Larry Ward. This year it's the title shot from "Manos", The Hands of Fate, with Joel and the bots in the foreground, in honor of the film maker, the late Harold P. Warren. This was not the worst movie MST3K ever made fun of, but it's probably in the top ten. If you question whether MST3K should count as iconic, please don't bring it up in the comments. I've always thought so highly of you and this would spoil it.

As for next year, I might go with Ryan Reynolds from one of the big budget stinkers he's made, but it's more likely to be one of the now deceased actors and a role from 1960s TV, like James Daly or Hayden Rorke.

2. I'll be glad when you're dead, you rascal you. I am truly glad Michael Crichton is dead. I enjoyed his not very scientific thrillers like The Andromeda Strain and Jurassic Park, but late in life he became a strident climate change denier. It was a very disappointing end to his career and I got the feeling the only way he was going to stop embarrassing himself was to die.

He did. I'm glad. I wrote it and I'm not taking it back.

3. Spot the Canadian. Not super obvious, but I think some will get it anyway.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories, with the exception of Michael Chrichton.
 

Five fun facts from 2015!

Predictor: Back to the Future, Part II released 22 March 1989

Prediction: Lawyers are abolished! (Click on picture for larger readable version.

Reality: Back to the Future, Part II is an action comedy and the idea of lawyers being abolished is played as a joke and to speed up the plot. Similarly, the hand held roofie was an easy way to write an extra character out of several scenes where the writers didn't see how to use her.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another Back to the Future prediction.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

22 October 2014

Birthdays
Jonathan Lipnicki b. 1990 (The Little Vampire, Meego)
Kyle Gallner b. 1986 (The Walking Dead, A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], Jennifer’s Body, Smallville, The Haunting in Connecticut)
John Boyd b. 1981 (Touch, Fringe, Lady in the Water)
Michael Fishman b. 1981 (A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Little Bigfoot 2: The Journey Home)
Layla Roberts b. 1974 (Beowulf [1999], Armageddon)
Saffron Burrows b. 1972 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Perfect Creature, Deep Blue Sea, Wing Commander, Welcome II the Terrordome)
Spike Jonze b. 1969 (director, Her, Where the Wild Things Are, Being John Malkovich)
Jay Johnston b. 1968 (Men in Black II, Bicentennial Man, Jack Frost)
Valeria Golino b. 1965 (Escape from L.A.)
Suzanne Snyder b. 1962 (Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Return of the Living Dead II, Amazing Stories, Weird Science, The Last Starfighter)
Bill Condon b. 1955 (director, Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Parts 1 & 2, The Others, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh)
Jeff Goldblum b. 1952 (Cats & Dogs, Independence Day, Jurassic Park, Earth Girls are Easy, The Fly, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Transylvania 6-5000, Faerie Tale Theatre, Buckaroo Banzai, The Right Stuff, Threshold, Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1978])
John Howard b. 1952 (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Girl from Tomorrow)
Christopher Curry b. 1948 (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek: Voyager, Starship Troopers, Babylon 5, Quantum Leap, C.H.U.D.)
Annette Funicello b. 1942 died 8 April 2013 (Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, The Monkey’s Uncle, Babes in Toyland, The Shaggy Dog)
Jim Baen b.1943 died 28 June 2006 (editor, publisher, founder of Baen Books)
Catherine Deneuve b. 1943 (The Hunger, Donkey Skin, The Creatures)
Charles Keating b. 1941 died 9 August 2014 (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena)
Tony Roberts b. 1939 (Amityville 3-D)
Christopher Lloyd b. 1938 (Zodiac: Signs of the Apocalypse, Piranha 3DD, Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, The Witches of Oz, Fringe, Piranha 3D, Jack and the Beanstalk [2010], Knights of Bloodsteel, Tremors [TV], The Tick [2001], It Came from the Sky, Alice in Wonderland [TV 1999], My Favorite Martian [1999], Angels in the Outfield, The Addams Family [and Values], Back to the Future I, II & III, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Amazing Stories, Buckaroo Banzai, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock)
Derek Jacobi b. 1938 (Cinderella [2015], The Golden Compass, Doctor Who, Underworld, Nanny McPhee, Jason and the Argonauts [2000 TV], The Medusa Touch)
Gary Vinson b. 1936 died 15 October 1984 (The Incredible Hulk, The Munsters’ Revenge, Battlestar Galactica, The Next Step Beyond, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Invisible Boy)
Sheila Allen b. 1932 died 13 October 2011 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, The Prisoner, Children of the Damned)
Barboura Morris b. 1932 died 23 October 1975 (The Dunwich Horror, X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, The Wasp Woman, A Bucket of Blood, Teenage Cave Man)
James Grout b. 1927 died 24 June 2012 (Cyberzone, The Abominable Dr. Phibes)
Doris Lessing b. 1919 died 17 November 2013 (author, Children of Violence, Canopus in Argos)
Joan Fontaine b. 1917 died 15 December 2013 (The Witches, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Sidney Miller b. 1916 died 19 January 2004 (director, Mr. Terrific, The Addams Family, My Mother the Car, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian, The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock)
William F. Claxton b. 1914 died 11 February 1996 (director, The Canterville Ghost, The Night of the Lepus, Twilight Zone)
John Zaremba b. 1908 died 15 December 1986 (The Time Machine [1978 TV movie], Land of the Giants, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Munsters, Twilight Zone, Moon Pilot, Men Into Space, Frankenstein’s Daughter, The Night the World Exploded, Earth vs. Flying Saucers, 20 Million Miles to Earth, The Magnetic Monster)
Constance Bennett b. 1904 died 24 July 1965 (Topper [1937])

Nice long list today, plenty of choices for iconic roles. Christopher Lloyd had the Picture Slot last year and I could have picked him again since it's Back to the Future 2015 week, but we'll get enough pictures of him in the predictions. Did you know he has 191 credits on imdb.com?I knew he was prolific, but dayam! His co-birthday boy Derek Jacobi may be my favorite actor on the list, but iconic in genre... not so much. Jeff Goldblum has lots of iconic choices and is the front runner for next year, though if I get in a Oh That Guy mood, John Zaremba is a great Oh That Bald Guy for people my age.

But with all that hemming and hawing done, you are looking at a picture of Catherine Deneuve from The Hunger because... I am a heterosexual male.

We get a day off from Spot the Canadian! We are Canadian free, believe it or not.

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

Five fun facts from 2015!
 
Predictor: Back to the Future, Part II released 22 March 1989

Prediction: The weather will be controlled to the exact minute.

Reality: Oh, sure... humans screwing with the weather. It's more like it's always been, the weather screwing with humans, and it looks like the weather wants to play rougher.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from Back to the Future, Part II which I'm sure we'll see in about a year. (Not.)

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

21 October 2014

Birthdays
Mark Rendall b. 1988 (30 Days of Night, Time Warp Trio, ReGenesis, Tales from the Neverending Story)
Alex Kew b. 1986 (My Parents are Aliens)
Charlotte Sullivan b. 1983 (The Colony, Alice [2009], Smallville)
Matt Dallas b. 1982 (Life Tracker, Eastwick, Kyle XY, Way if the Vampire)
Will Estes b. 1978 (The Dark Knight Rises, Meego, Harry and the Hendersons [TV])
Nakia Burrise b. 1974 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Power Rangers)
Sasha Roiz b. 1973 (The Day After Tomorrow, Grimm, Warehouse 13, Caprica, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Land of the Dead, Mutant X)
Melora Walters b. 1960 (The Butterfly Effect, Twice Upon a Time)
Ken Watanabe b. 1959 (Godzilla, Inception, Batman Begins, Space Travelers)
Carrie Fisher b. 1956 (Big Bang Theory, Smallville, Hook, Drop Dead Fred, The Time Guardian, Amazing Stories, Frankenstein [1984 TV], Thumbelina, Star Wars)
Catherine Hardwicke b. 1955 (director, Twilight)
Tom Everett b. 1948 (FlashForward, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Journeyman, Space: Above and Beyond, Eerie, Indiana, Quantum Leap, Max Headroom, Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Automan)
Everett McGill b. 1945 (Jekyll Island, Werewolf, Silver Bullet, Quest for Fire, Dune)
Paula Kelly b. 1943 (Peter Pan [1976 TV], Soylent Green, The Andromeda Strain)
Julie Parrish b. 1940 died 1 October 2003 (Captain Nice, Star Trek)
Jack Taylor b. 1936 (Conan the Barbarian, The Vampire’s Night Orgy, Horror of the Zombies, Female Vampire, Doctor Jekyll y el Hombre Loco, Count Dracula [1970], Succubus)
Ursula K. LeGuin b. 1929 (won 1970 Nebula and Hugo for The Left Hand of Darkness, won 1975 Nebula and Hugo for The Dispossessed, won 1991 Nebula for Tehanu: The Last Book of Earthsea, won 2009 Nebula for Powers)
Leonard Rossiter b. 1926 died 5 October 1984 (Alice in Wonderland [1985 TV], 2001: A Space Odyssey)

A relatively short list today and for iconic people to put in the Picture Slot, I count three: Last year's winner Carrie Fisher, this year's winner Ursula K. LeGuin and the front runner for next year, Ken Watanabe. (If I was younger, I might include Matt Dallas, star of Kyle XY.) There are three Canadians to spot and Matt Dallas isn't one of them.

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

 

Predictor: Harold Camping

Prediction: On 21 October 2011, the world is destroyed five months after the righteous have been taken bodily into heaven.

Reality: This is the last time I will take the corpse of Dr. Harold Camping out of the ground and give it some well-deserved abuse. There have been several people who have predicted the end of the world, missed the date and tried again. Camping is the only one I know of who made a bigger media splash after he struck out a few times.

I am mystified by the folks who swallow this stuff. While it does not rise to the level of a mathematical proof, the inductive evidence is overwhelmingly convincing that we are all going to die. There are some folks who would prefer to believe "OMG! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!" for reasons unclear to me.

While the cliche is that "sex sells", we see that in politics, "fear sells". A tweet from Gallup this week stated that 16% of Americans believe that either they or a family member will die of Ebola. To me, that seems every bit as dumb as believing in The Rapture, but I don't live in their world and I'm not constantly flooded with the fearmongering. I have breakfast a few times a month at a diner near my house that has CNN on a big TV. While not as scaremongering as Fox News, CNN still wants to keep its viewers alarmed and worried about the world. 30 minutes of CNN every month is more than enough for me, thanks very much.

 

Splash illustration for the rest of October: This is the date, except no substitutes. One year from today, Doc Brown, accompanied by Marty McFly and his girlfriend, travel from 1985 to Oct. 21, 2015. The idea in the first two films is that we get three snapshots at intervals of 30 years, 1955, 1985 and 2015. For the rest of the week, we will get predictions from Back to the Future Part 2 and one from Back to the Future.

Oops, I spoiled my INTO THE FUTURE and IN THE FUTURE gag. Obviously, I have to plan ahead.

I promise to do so... IN THE FUTURE!

17 September 2014

Birthdays
Ella Purnell b. 1996 (Maleficent, Kick-Ass 2, Intruders)
Augustus Prew b. 1987 (Kick-Ass 2)
Neill Blomkamp b. 1979 (director, Elysium, District 9)
Ian Whyte b. 1971 (Hercules, Game of Thrones, Clash of the Titans, Prometheus, Solomon Kane, Dragonball: Evolution, Aliens vs. Predator 1 & 2, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Malik Yoba b. 1967 (Alphas)
Tracy Dali b. 1966 (Paranormal Movie, Space Girls in Beverly Hills, The Scorpion King, Encino Man, Back to the Future Part II)
Bryan Singer b. 1965 (director, X-Men, Jack the Giant Slayer, Mockingbird Lane, Superman Returns)
Kyle Chandler b. 1965 (Super 8, The Day the Earth Stood Still [2008], King Kong [2005], Freddy’s Nightmares)
James Urbaniak b. 1963 (Teen Wolf [TV], Futuremanity, The Venture Brothers, Futurestates, Wizards of Waverly Place, The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
William Shockley b. 1963 (Quantum Leap, Alien Nation [TV], Freddy’s Nightmares, RoboCop)
Dustin Nguyen b. 1962 (VR.5, SeaQuest 2032, Highlander [TV], Earth Angel)
Paul Feig b. 1962 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Zombie High)
Keith Cooke b. 1959 (Mortal Combat: Annihilation)
Aaron Lustig b. 1956 (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Day After Tomorrow, Charmed, Star Trek: Enterprise, Bedazzled, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Brimstone, The Relic, Pinocchio’s Revenge, Star Trek: Voyager, The Shadow, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Quantum Leap, Edward Scissorhands, Darkman, ALF, Alien Nation [TV], Ghostbusters II)
Tim Burd b. 1955 (Saw II through IV, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Mutant X, Odyssey 5, TekWar, Deadly Nightmares)
Cassandra Peterson b. 1951 (Elvira)
John Ritter b. 1948 died 11 September 2003 (Terror Tract, It Came From the Sky, Buffy, It)
Bruce Spence b. 1945 (I, Frankenstein, The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Legend of the Seeker, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Peter Pan [2003], The Matrix Revolutions, Farscape, Queen of the Damned, BeastMaster [TV], Dark City, The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas, Halfway across the Galaxy and Turn Left, Hercules Returns, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior, The Cars That Eat People)
Paul Benedict b. 1938 died 1 December 2008 (Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman[1993], the Twilight Zone [1987], The Addams Family, The Man With Two Brains)
David Huddleston b. 1930 (Jericho, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Capricorn One, The Sixth Sense [TV], Bewitched)
Roddy McDowall b. 1928 died 3 October 1998 (The Second Jungle Book: Mowgli & Baloo, The Alien Within, Quantum Leap, Earth Angel, Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Fright Night 1 and 2, The Wizard, Alice in Wonderland [1985 TV], Small& Frye, The Martian Chronicles, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Thief of Baghdad [1978 TY], Wonder Woman, The Cat from Outer Space, Laserblast, The Fantastic Journey, Embryo, Planet of the Apes [4 movies and the TV show], Journey to the Unknown, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Topper Returns [TV movie], It!, The Invaders, Batman, Twilight Zone)
Ib Melchoir b. 1917 (writer, Death Race, Planet of the Vampires, The Outer Limits, The Time Travelers, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Angry Red Planet, Men Into Space, Reptilitcus)

Last year I used James Urbaniak as Doc Venture and this year it came down to three choices: Roddy McDwall, Elvira and Bruce Spence. I chose Bruce Spence because I love Dark City so much.

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

 Predictor: Uncredited writer in The New York World, March 1911 in a piece called One Hundred Years Hence

Prediction:Feb. 1, 2011. Seven o’clock in the morning. The closed shutter prolongs the night. John Smith sleeps peacefully. Suddenly at his bedside the clapper of the phonograph-alarm trembles and produces sweetly harmonious sounds.

John opens his eyes. Reaching out his hand, he presses an electric button. Automatically the shutters open. The Window closes and the sunlight pours into the room.

John Smith’s chamber is furnished with taste and even with a certain amount of luxury, not because he is rich, but that in the 21st Century luxury costs little and no one is poor. The brass bed is no longer that heap of blankets, feathers, wool and hair against which hygienists used to rail. A metal mattress supports pneumatic cushions inflated with air, the temperature of which is regulated at pleasure. All is ready for his toilet and bath.

Through the room the air circulates freely, ceaselessly renewed by ingenious mechanism. Within the walls conduits of water, warmed by a central furnace, distribute everywhere equal heat in the cold season. In summer the same conduits serve to cool the air.

Mr. Smith, who lives on the forty-fifth floor of One Hundred Eighteenth Avenue, New York, has not yet risen. He is talking to the table beside his bed.

“I want a cup of synthetic cocoa, very hot.” he says.

In a few minutes the table opens and the aromatic breakfast appears before the eyes of the hungry man. This is no magic table; no spirit concealed in it. It is simply provided with a microphone by means of which Mr. Smith expresses his wants to the officials of the public alimentation service, which has its branches on the ground floor of every house of any importance.

Why drinking his chemically produced cocoa Mr. Smith listens to the morning papers. Every house with ‘modern conveniences’ communicates with a central information bureau which gives it at all hours the news. Slip a small coin into a slot and a speaking trumpet is uncovered, which at once begins in a sonorous voice to recite the telegrams of the night, the news items, the political news, the stock quotations, literary and dramatic criticisms. When Mr. Smith has heard enough of one article he presses an electric button and the voice tells him something else. This continues until his toilet is through.

Something of a dandy, Mr. Smith is dressed in a full tunic in the Grecian style, which sets off his powerful and youthful figure and allows perfect ease of movement. His shoes are polished by electric buttons.

Reality: Here's our new Wednesday regular and I would say he's pretty darned good. Let's go from beginning to end.

1. Alarm clock radios, not alarm clock phonographs. In 1911, radio is still pretty much wireless telegraphy instead of sound broadcasting.

2. Pneumatic cushion beds. They exist but they aren't the standard.

3. Central air and central heating. Not with water in the walls, but these do exist now.

4. Calling for food from a central kitchen in your apartment building, sent automatically. This is not the case. We don't have a "public alimentation service", though Starbucks seems like it in some cities.

5. Synthetic cocoa. There are a LOT more chemicals in food now than there were in 2011. In later predictions, our new guy will go off the deep end, but there is synthetic cocoa, though many of us wish there wasn't.

6. "Listening" to the morning paper. This is kind of like news radio, right? Notice this is the only section where our newspaper guy thinks about how Mr. Smith will pay for something. We don't get to fast forward through radio, but we can do it online. Once again, he couldn't know the technology, but he's not far off.

7. Guys don't wear tunics. Your legs should be really good to think about wearing a tunic. 

Never to be Forgotten:
Darrell Zwerling 1929-2014

Today we have two obits. Darrell Zwerling is best known as the water commissioner Mulray in Chinatown, but he is remembered here for roles in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Capricorn One and Doc Savage: Man of Bronze, where he is the not dead guy on the right. He kind of looks like Allan Arbus, the guy who played the psychiatrist on M*A*S*H, but obviously those are two different  guys.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Darrell Zwerling, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.  
 

Never to be Forgotten:
John Bardon 1939-2014

The other obit is for the British actor John Bardon, best known for East Enders. His genre credits include Polterguests, Gulliver’s Travels [TV] and One of our Dinosaurs is Missing.

Best wishes to the family and friends of John Bardon, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We interrupt the regular schedule for a prediction from a movie... starring Doug McClure!

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

15 September 2014

 Birthdays
Matt Shively b. 1990 (Teen Wolf, Paranormal Activity 4)
Chloe Dykstra b. 1988 (COPS: Skyrim, Drag Me to Hell, Wizards of Waverly Place, Spider-Man 2)
Jonathan Liebesman b. 1976 (director, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014], Wrath of the Titans, Battle Los Angeles, Darkness Falls)
Tom Hardy b. 1977 (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, Sucker Punch, A for Andromeda, Minotaur)
Marcus Shirock b. 1975 (Hercules Reborn, Bermuda Tentacles, Android Cop, Angel, Charmed)
Danny Nucci b. 1968 (Arrow, Monster Heroes, Firestarter 2: Rekindled, Quantum Leap, The Twilight Zone [1986])
Kenneth Hite b. 1965 (writer, Lost in Lovecraft)
Steven R. Monroe b. 1964 (director, End of the World, Jabberwock, Mongolian Death Worm, Ice Twisters, Wyvern, Ogre, Sasquatch Mountain, It Waits)
Philip Paley b. 1963 (Land of the Lost)
Colin McFarlane b. 1961 (Hounded, Torchwood, Hyperdrive, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight)
Oren Aviv b. 1961 (National Treasure, RocketMan)
Ed Solomon b. 1960 (writer, Venom, What Planet Are You From?, Men In Black, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure)
Wendie Jo Sperber b. 1958 died 29 November 2005 (Back to the Future)
Barry Shabaka Henley b. 1954 (Carrie [2013], Flash-Forward, Heroes, Fallen)
Sabina Franklin b. 1954 (The Worst Witch, Blakes 7)
John Reynolds b. 1941 died 16 October 1966 (Manos: The Hands of Fate)
Tommy Lee Jones b. 1946 (Captain America, Men In Black, Small Soldiers, Batman Forever)
Shelby Leverington b. 1946 (The Island, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone [1985], Cloak & Dagger)
Roy Brocksmith b. 1945 died 16 December 2001 (Babylon 5, Kull the Conqueror, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Lois & Clark, Good & Evil, Eerie, Indiana, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Arachnophobia, Total Recall, Martians Go Home, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Wizard, Wolfen)
Norman Spinrad b. 1940 (writer, Star Trek, Bug Jack Barron, The Iron Dream)
Henry Darrow b. 1933 (NightMan, Babylon 5, Star Trek: Voyager, Time Trax, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Knight Rider, Beyond the Universe, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Halloween with the New Addams Family, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Invisible Man [1975 TV], Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits)
Henry Silva b. 1928 (Cyborg – Il guerriero d'acciaio, Escape from the Bronx, Alligator, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Quark, The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits)
Jackie Cooper b. 1922 died 3 May 2011 (Superman, The Invisible Man [1975], The Astronaut, Twilight Zone)
Joseph Pevney b. 1911 died 18 May 2008 (director, The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek, The Munsters, Bewitched, Destination Space)
Fay Wray b. 1907 died 8 August 2004 (King Kong, The Vampire Bat, Doctor X)
Tom Conway b. 1904 died 22 April 1967 (The Atomic Submarine, Voodoo Woman, The She-Creature, Bride of the Gorilla, Cat People)
James Fenimore Cooper b. 1789 died 14 September 1851 (The Monikins)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The stars. Tom Hardy and Tommy Lee Jones are movies stars as we speak, but we should also note that Jackie Cooper was the biggest child star in the world before Shirley Temple came along and he parlayed that into a long and successful career.

2. The Picture Slot. Fay Wray, the original scream queen. Certainly iconic, obviously a fabulous babe. I don't even mind being called a geezer for choosing her, and a dirty old geezer at that. We shouldn't forget Fay Wray.

3. The Oh That Guys. I have to admit a little confusion between Henry Silva and Henry Darrow. Silva has the Mediterranean last name, but Darrow was the Latin Lover in the 1960s. Darrow is classically handsome, while Silva reminds me of the Tom Waits lyric "My friends say I'm ugly, I got a masculine face." Also, Silva had the lead role in a movie titled Johnny Cool. How cool is that? (Rhetorical question. Obviously extremely cool.)

4. Die young much? John Reynolds played Torgo in Manos: The Hands of Fate and died shortly after in his twenties. (Because I'm an MST3K fan, I consider Torgo iconic.) Wendy Jo Sperber was in her forties, Roy Brocksmith (definitely an Oh That Chubby Guy) was in his fifties. Tom Conway was in his early sixties, but that wasn't that rare back in the mid-century.

5. Die old much? In contrast, both Joseph Pevney and Fay Wray were 96 when they died. That's extra innings for anyone who isn't a tortoise.

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: Pulsed electromagnetic therapy will be widely used for repairing broken bones, burns and bedsores. There is research that makes it hopeful that it might cure cancer, heal damaged nerves and increasing the rate of learning.

Reality: Used more in Europe than in the United States, the main uses are for bone repair and trauma, with some hope it may be useful in treatment of depression. As for cancer, repairing nerves and speeding up learning, the Wikipedia article makes no mention of these uses.

Never to be Forgotten:
Angus Lennie 1930-2014

Scottish actor Angus Lennie, best known to audiences both in the U.S. and the U.K. as Ives the Mole in The Great Escape, died yesterday in a nursing home. He also had several roles on long-running TV shows in Britain including Monarch of the Glen, but he is remembered here for roles on Doctor Who, Project Luna, One of our Dinosaurs is Missing and the TV version of The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, in which he played Mr. Tumnus.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Angus Lennie, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Ah, Tuesdays! That happy day each week when we take out FM-2030's frozen corpse and kick it around for a few hours. Good times.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

27 August 2014

 Birthdays
Cainan Wiebe b. 1995 (Once Upon a Time, Falling Skies, Sucker Punch, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, Supernatural, Tin Man, Sanctuary, The 4400, Dead Like Me)
Alexa Vega b. 1988 (The Tomorrow People, The Devil’s Carnival, Spy Kids, Repo! The Genetic Opera, NetForce)
Patrick J. Adams b. 1981 (Orphan Black, Rosemary’s Baby [2014], FlashForward, Lost)
Aaron Paul b. 1979 (Birds of Prey, The X Files, K-PAX, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Diana Scarwid b. 1955 (Heroes, Lost, Wonderfalls, From the Earth to the Moon, The X Files, Strange Invaders)
Reece Shearsmith b. 1969 (An Adventure in Space and Time, The First Men in the Moon [2010 TV], Shaun of the Dead)
Clare Stansfield b. 1964 (Xena, Steel, The X Files, The Flash)
Dean Devlin b. 1962 (producer, The Librarian, Eight Legged Freaks, Godzilla [1998], Independence Day, Stargate)
Peter Stormare b. 1953 (Arrow, The Zero Theorem, Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, The Brothers Grimm, The Tuxedo, Armageddon, Minority Report, The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
Paul Rubens b. 1952 (Area 57, Mystery Men, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Batman Returns, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Gary Imhoff b. 1952 (Carnivale, The Green Mile, Buffy, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Charles Fleischer b. 1950 (Black Scorpion, Lois & Clark, Back to the Future Part II, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Knight Rider, A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Captain Kidd Brewer Jr. b. 1948 died 22 May 1990 (The Abyss, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning)
Barbara Bach b. 1947 (Caveman, The Great Alligator, The Humanoid, Screamers)
G. W. Bailey b. 1944 (Mannequin, Short Circuit, Runaway)
Ira Levin b. 1929 died 12 November 2007 (writer, Rosemary’s Baby, The Stepford Wives, The Boys from Brazil)
Hoke Howell b. 1929 died 9 May 1997 (Alien Species, Wizards of the Demon Sword, Alienator, The Greatest American Hero, Humanoids from the Deep, Project U.F.O., Kingdom of the Spiders, Bewitched, Lost in Space, The Munsters, My Living Doll)

Some good actors on the list, but few who are best known for genre. I think the most iconic from genre would be Roger Rabbit or Pee-Wee Herman if we stretch a little bit, but I was in a fabulous babe mood and went with Barbara Bach from Caveman. Complaints can be logged in the comments section.

Logged, noted and ignored.

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

Predictor: Herman Kahn in the 1972 book Things to Come, published by the Hudson Institute.


Prediction: In 1985, the political system will still be a system of nations with little political unity.

Reality: In the era Kahn is predicting, NATO and the Soviet bloc certainly show political unity. More than that, OPEC made its power felt in the 1970s in a big way, but it is never mentioned in his book. In his defense, Kahn might argue that the first two show military unity and the last economic unity, but he can't because he's dead, so the grade stands. Not mentioning OPEC is a big goose egg.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The weekly schedule is interrupted for a prediction from a movie

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

5 July 2014

Birthdays
Ryan Hansen b. 1981 (G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Power Rangers Wild Force)
Eva Green b. 1980 (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Dark Shadows, Camelot, Perfect Sense, Clone, The Golden Compass)
Jillian Armenante b. 1968 (The Dark Knight Rises, The Guild, Dollhouse, The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Claudia Wells b. 1966 (Starship: Rising, Alien Armageddon, Back to the Future)
Ronald D. Moore b. 1964 (writer, Battlestar Galactica, Carnivale, Roswell, Good vs Evil, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: The Next Generations)
Pruitt Taylor Vince b. 1960 (True Blood, Beautiful Creatures Mysterious Island, The Walking Dead, Creature, The Cell, The X-Files, Highlander [TV], Quantum Leap, Jacob's Ladder)
Lewis Herthum b. 1956 (Sleepy Hollow, True Blood, Tekken, The Mist, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Tomorrow Man)
Don Stark b. 1954 (John Carter, Stargate SG-1, Dark Skies, Earth Minus Zero, Star Trek: First Contact, Deep Space Nine, Liquid Dreams, Beauty and the Beast [TV], The Charmings, The Twilight Zone [1986])
Huey Lewis b. 1950 (Sphere, Back to the Future)
William Hootkins b. 1948 died 23 October 2005 (The Omega Code, The Island of Dr. Moreau [1996], The Tomorrow People [1994], Batman [1989], Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Haunted Honeymoon, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Flash Gordon, Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, Twilight's Last Gleaming)
Shirley Knight b. 1936 (VR.5, The Invaders, The Outer Limits)
John Wood b. 1930 died 6 August 2011 (The Little Vampire, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Ladyhawke, WarGames)
Katherine Helmond b. 1928 (True Blood, Brazil, Time Bandits, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Warren Oates b. 1928 died 3 April 1982 (Lost in Space, The Outer Limits, The Twilight Zone)
Ward Costello b. 1919 died 4 June 2009 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Project X, Firefox, Return to Witch Mountain, Terror from the Year 5000)
Jean Cocteau b. 1889 died 11 October 1963 (writer/director, Beauty and the Beast)

A lot of actors on our list today are best known for roles outside genre, notably Don Stark from That 70s Show, Katherine Helmond from Soap and Warren Oates from Dillinger and Stripes. For iconic in genre, my choice this fifth of July is William Hootkins from the first Star Wars. As much deserved grief as Lucas gets for the silly names in the sequels, the very first movie in the series featured a fat guy cleverly named Porkins and not surprisingly, his fate was to get blowed up, blowed up real good.

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

Predictor: The Reverend John Philip Newman (1826-1899), known popularly as "Grant's Pastor", on the occasion of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in 1893

Prediction: The Methodist Church will maintain its dominant position among American denominations by returning to the Wesley liturgy, but it will not rejoin the Episcopalian Church.

Reality: Newman was right about the splitters not returning to the Episcopalian fold, but missed the whole shrinking of Mainline Protestant influence in the United States that started in the 1960s and continues to this day.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Is tomorrow Sunday? Long weekends get my time sense all screwy. But yes, it is Sunday and yes, it's time for another nuclear war.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

22 June 2014

Birthdays
Portia Doubleday b. 1988 (Her, Carrie [2013], Legend of the Mummy)
Joe Dempsie b. 1987 (Game of Thrones, Merlin, Doctor Who)
Douglas Smith b. 1985 (Antiviral, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The X-Files)
Lindsay Ridgeway b. 1985 (Star Trek: Voyager)
Stephanie Jacobsen b. 1980 (Star-Crossed, Quantum Apocalypse, The Devil’s Tomb, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Battlestar Galactica, Farscape)
Donald Faison b. 1974 (Kick-Ass 2, Skyline, Clone High, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch)
Mary Lynn Rajskub b. 1971 (Safety Not Guaranteed, Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Michael Trucco b. 1970 (V [2010], Meteor Storm, Battlestar Galactica, The Big Bang Theory, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Charmed)
James McCauley b. 1966 (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, True Blood, I am Legend)
J.J. Cohen b. 1965 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Back to the Future, V [1985])
Bruce Campbell b. 1958 (Spider-Man, Alien Apocalypse, Sky High, Man with the Screaming Brain, Terminal Invasion, Bubba Ho-Tep, Timequest, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena, The X-Files, Weird Science [TV], Assault on Dome 4, Escape from L.A., American Gothic, Lois & Clark, Congo, Army of Darkness, Mindwarp, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Darkman, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Moontrap, The Evil Dead I and II)
Tim Russ b. 1956 (Star Trek: Voyager, Asteroid vs. Earth, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari [2006], Star Trek: Generations, SeaQuest2032, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Journey to the Center of the Earth [1993], Eve of Destruction, Alien Nation, Beauty and the Beast, The Twilight Zone, Spaceballs, Timestalkers, Starman [TV], Amazing Stories)
Graham Greene b. 1952 (Twilight Saga, Phil the Alien, Big Wolf on Campus, The Green Mile, Poltergeist: The Legacy)
Meryl Streep b. 1949 (Into the Woods, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Defending Your Life, Death Becomes Her, Alice at the Palace)
Lindsay Wagner b. 1949 (Warehouse 13, Alphas, A Light in the Forest, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man)
David L. Lander b. 1947 (Zoom, Black Scorpion, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, The Tick, Homeboys in Outer Space, Freddy’s Nightmares, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Octavia E. Butler b. 1947 died 2/24/2006 (won 2000 Nebula for Parable of the Talents)
Michael Lerner b. 1941 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Tale of the Mummy, Godzilla [1998], Omen IV: The Awakening, Amazing Stories, Strange Invaders, Wonder Woman)
Kris Kristofferson b. 1936 (Blade, Planet of the Apes, NetForce, Millennium)
Amrish Puri b. 1932 died 12 January 2005 (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Ralph Waite b. 1928 died 13 February 2014 (Carnivale, Timequest, Time Trax)
H. Rider Haggard b. 1856 died 14 May 1925 (author, She)

I love a good same day birthday pair and Meryl Streep and Lindsay Wagner certainly qualify. (David L. Lander and Octavia Butler... not so much. People with fond memories of Squiggy who read black feminist sci-fi are few and far between.) On this blog, Wagner would trump Streep because Lindsay's most famous role is genre and iconic, though Meryl is easily the biggest movie star on this list. She has made and still makes a lot of "Oscar bait" films, and the Academy voters have not shown a lot of love for genre over the years, with a few exceptions like Cliff Robertson in Charly and Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight Returns.

After all that, it's Bruce Campbell and his BOOMSTICK in the Picture Slot because... reasons.

One last comment on the birthday list today. I'm embarrassed that I only know Tim Russ from Star Trek: Voyager, because he has a long Oh That Guy career before that role.

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

Predictor: Margaret Thatcher, October 26, 1969

Prediction: "No woman will be Prime Minister or Chancellor or Foreign Secretary – not the top jobs. Anyway, I wouldn’t want to be Prime minister; you have to give yourself 100 per cent."

Reality: The blog welcomes our new prediction source, The Experts Speak by Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky. As you might expect, the short answer for the Reality section is going to be "nope", but I did find one about prices that could almost be counted as true if the Consumer Price Index is factored in. Today's prediction, while it does not have the usually required date attached, gets the nod because of the added dimension of irony.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Monday's a fun day for me, because I get to open up the OMNI Future Almanac to some random page and see what they thought would happen by some date that's usually already passed by now.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

9 June 2014

 Birthdays
Mae Whitman b. 1988 (Boogeyman 2, Bionic Woman, Phil of the Future, Independence Day)
Natalie Portman b. 1981 (Thor, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, V for Vendetta, Star Wars, Mars Attacks!)
Katharine Cullen b. 1975 (Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, The Girl from Tomorrow)
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)
Michael J. Fox b. 1961 (Mars Attacks!, Shelley Duvall’s Bedtime Stories, Tales from the Crypt, Back to the Future, Teen Wolf)
James Newton Howard b. 1951 (composer/orchestrator, The Dark Knight, Signs, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Unbreakable, The Sixth Sense, The Devil’s Advocate, Waterworld, Outbreak, Twilight Zone: The Movie)
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)
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)

The obvious choices for the Picture Slot: Natalie Portman (last year's featured artist), Johnny Depp, Michael J. Fox.

Somewhat less obvious choices: multiple award winning author Joe Haldeman, Joan Marshall because she was on the original Star Trek (attorney prosecuting Kirk in Court Martial, Elisha Cook Jr. was the defense)

My choice: A cover from a Retief novel by Keith Laumer. I loved the Retief novels when I was younger, but the covers have nothing to do with the character. Retief is a low level diplomat from earth. There's always some screw-up in relations with aliens and he always fixes it because though he is unassuming in his work, he's the smartest guy in the room. He's like an intergalactic Jeeves, though in Jeeves fictional world everyone knows and appreciates how clever he is. Almost always someone else take the credit for what Retief accomplishes.

I love Retief and Jeeves, but if forced to choose, I love Jeeves more, even before Stephen Fry played him. Jeeves should be older and smaller and balder than Fry, but Fry and Laurie were perfect together in that series.

Side note on the dead: Jeez, our dead birthday folk sure died young. Nobody made it to 70 and Carter and Summers didn't make it to 60.

Many happy returns to the living and to the dead, thanks for the memories and you all left the party too soon.

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

Sex chip drawn by Matt Collins from Scientific American, 20 April 2009

Predictor: Professor Tipu Aziz of Oxford, quoted in The Australian on 22 December 2008

Prediction: In ten years' time (by 2018), people will have chips implanted in their brains that will simulate sex. Moreover, by 2015 there will be multiple implanted chip designs with a variety of applications.

Reality: Oh, yeah, there's an app for that. It should be noted that the movie Back to the Future: Part 2 also said there would be chips implanted in people's brains by 2015. Heck, there are enough glitches with FitBit, I don't see how anyone's going to go for chip implants directly into the brain. It should be noted that modern pacemakers are small computers and they work very well, but that not the same as directly into the brain. We still only understand the merest rudiments of how the brain works.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Geoffrey Hoyle takes us to the exciting world of 2010.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

31 May 2014

Birthdays
Richard Riddell b. 1984 (Penny Dreadful, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Merlin)
Colin Farrell b. 1976 (Total Recall [2012], The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Fright Night, Minority Report, Daredevil)
Lea Thompson b. 1961 (Left Behind, Back to the Future, SpaceCamp, Howard the Duck)
Chris Elliott b. 1960 (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Groundhog Day, The Abyss, Hyperspace)
Tommy Hinkley b. 1960 (Angel, The Little Vampire, Star Trek: Generations, Watchers II, Something is Out There, The Terror Within)
Kyle Secor b. 1957 (American Horror Story, A Wrinkle in Time [TV], Eerie, Indiana)
Nikolai Sotirov b. 1956 (The Legend of Hercules [2014], Annihilation Earth, Star Runners, Boogeyman 3, Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, Dracula Rising)
Gregory Harrison b. 1950 (Galaxy Beat, Logan’s Run [TV], Wonder Woman)
Tom Berenger b. 1949 (Inception, Nightmares & Dreamscapes)
Jim Hutton b. 1934 died 2 June 1979 (Twilight Zone)
Clint Eastwood b. 1930 (Space Cowboys, Firefox, Tarantula, Revenge of the Creature)
Menahem Golan b. 1929 (producer, American Cyborg: Steel Warrior, Prison Planet, Captain America [1990], Night of the Living Dead [1990], Cyborg, Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Journey to the Center of the Earth [1988], Alien from L.A., Masters of the Universe, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Beauty and the Beast, Invaders from Mars, America 3000, Lifeforce)
Denholm Elliot b. 1922 died 6 October 1992 (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Underworld [1985], Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Boys from Brazil, The House That Dripped Blood, Mystery and Imagination [TV], The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Don Ameche b. 1908 died 6 December 1993 (Cocoon, Harry and the Hendersons)
Madge Blake b. 1899 died 19 February 1969 (Batman, Bewitched, The Addams Family)
George R. Stewart b. 1895 died 22 August 1980 (author, Earth Abides)

Madge Blake, Aunt Harriet from Batman, gets the nod in The Picture Slot today, yet another sign that this blog is written by a geezer. (I have to say, the room is certainly spacious enough for a stately manor, but couldn't a millionaire afford to by nicer furniture?) While Clint Eastwood is the biggest star on the list, his roles in the early sci-fi films are so short that if you blink you'll miss him. I also picked around in Menahem Golan's list of films. I wasn't aware that Superman IV was produced by Golan, since I didn't watch after the second one. It gives an idea of how far the franchise had fallen.

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

Predictor: author George Alfred Townsend (1841-1914), in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition

Prediction: Federalism must prevail. The citizens of wayward and poorer states will come in like the prodigal son. Excessive wealth ought to be taxed in its full proportion, but not more. For if you remove the stimulus of wealth, America is nothing.

We must nourish our peasantry, including our eight million blacks, for an empire without servants might almost be without homes or utensils.

Women's great triumph will be not to need the ballot, since their husbands already have the franchise. Perhaps old maids might be allowed to vote.

The federal government ought to be a strong power in our railways and ought to own the telegraphs. The world is interested in our becoming not a Christian so much as a humane and scientific empire.

Reality: Um... white male privilege much, George? Reading about four paragraphs is enough to make a person of nearly any political persuasion want to sock him in the nose.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Keeping an eye on a sports prediction made earlier this year.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!