31 August 2015

Birthdays
Holly Earl b. 1992 (Dracula: The Dark Prince, Doctor Who, My Hero, Red Dwarf)
Ryan Kelley b. 1986 (Teen Wolf, Ben 10:Alien Swarm, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Smallville)
Leo Bill b. 1980 (Doctor Who, Alice in Wonderland, Jekyll, 28 Days Later…)
Shannon Richardson b. 1979 (The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries)
Mike Erwin b. 1978 (The Vampire Diaries, Hulk)
Sara Ramirez b. 1975 (Spider-Man, Star Patrol)
Marc Webb b. 1974 (director, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2)
Chris Tucker b. 1972 (The Fifth Element, The Meteor Man)
Jason Presson b. 1971 (Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Twilight Zone [1985], Explorers)
Zack Ward b. 1970 (Fallen Cards, Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys, Save the Supers, Warehouse 13, Dollhouse, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Transformers, Lost, Charmed, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Freddy vs. Jason, Sliders, Forever Knight, Maniac Mansion)
Jonathan LaPaglia b. 1969 (Seven Days)
Phina Oruche b. 1969 (Charmed, The Forsaken, FreakyLinks, Restless, Homeboys in Outer Space)
Daniel Bernhardt b. 1965 (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Creature, The Matrix Reloaded, Mortal Kombat: Conquest)
Todd Carty b. 1963 (Krull)
Julie Brown b. 1954 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Alien Avengers II, The Addams Family [1993], Quantum Leap, Earth Girls Are Easy, The Incredible Shrinking Woman)
Dawn Roddenberry b. 1953 (Star Trek)
Lowell Ganz b. 1948 (screenwriter, Robots, Splash)
Roger Dean b. 1944 (artist)
Larry Hankin b. 1940 (Weird Science, Star Trek: Voyager, Lois & Clark, Star Trek: The Next Generation, ALF, Amazing Stories, Faerie Tale Theatre, Doctor Dracula)
Jack Thompson b. 1940 (Man-Thing, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones)
Noble Willingham b. 1931 died 17 January 2004 (Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Tucker’s Witch, The Howling, Man from Atlantis)
James Coburn b.1928 died 18 November 2002 (Faerie Tale Theatre, Looker, Twilight Zone)
Anthony Bate b. 1927 (Ghost Story, The Guardians, The Champions)
Buddy Hackett b. 1924 died 30 June 2003 (Space Patrol, Scrooged, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm)
Herbert Wise b. 1924 died 5 August 2015 (director, The 10th Kingdom, The Woman in Black)
Ed Grady b. 1923 died 10 December 2012 (Surface, Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest, Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice, The Handmaid’s Tale, D.A.R.Y.L., Wolfman)
G.D. Spradlin b. 1920 died 24 July 2011 (Dark Skies, Space, The Greatest American Hero)
Richard Basehart b. 1914 died 17 September 1984 (Mr. Merlin, The Island of Dr, Moreau, Time Travelers, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Satan Bug, Twilight Zone)
Frederic March b. 1897 died 14 April 1975(I Married a Witch, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, it was Richard Basehart - partly because I'm an MST3K freak and Gypsy loved him so - and the artist Roger Dean. The three finalists today were Frederic March from Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Julie Brown from Earth Girls Are Easy and the winner, Chris Tucker from The Fifth Element, the only actor in the film who was as loud as the special effects.

2. Spot the Canadian! If I went to four finalists, I would go Whedonverse nerd and chose Zach Ward from the last episodes of Dollhouse. He is Canadian and likely best known from his role as a bully in A Christmas Story.

3. Nepotism FTW. Dawn Roddenberry. No more need be said.

4. The Guys at the Door. Director Herbert Wise died early this month, and if not for that, he would have been the oldest living person on the list but not the Guy at the Door. With him gone, suddenly 1940 is the cut-off year on this list between the living and the dead, and our two Guys at the Door are Australian actor Jack Thompson, whom I first noticed or his role in Breaker Morant, and Larry Hankin, the guy who played Kramer in the show-within-a-show version of Seinfeld. When this demographic oddity occurs, we wish the Guys at the Door a little extra.

5. The crazy extra. Shannon Richardson is a domestic terrorist who was caught by the FBI for sending letters laced with ricin to President Obama and New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg. She also had minor roles in a few TV shows, but imdb.com gives her name and her picture but does not list her credits. This is odd.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, especially Jack Thompson and Larry Hankin, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: In the early part of the 21st Century, am ultralight airplane will be developed to explore the surface of Mars. Based partly on the U2 spyplanes, it will be capable of flight in Mars' thin atmosphere and will film vast amounts of the red planet's surface.

Reality: Umm... no. No matter how ultralight this thing is, its useful lifetime would be measured in hours, maybe days at the most. If you are going to send something to Mars, more bang for the buck is required.
 

Never to be Forgotten: Wes Craven 1939-2015

Horror director Wes Craven died yesterday at the age of 76. He came up making horror films when Hollywood's worst kept secret was that low budget horror films were enormously profitable. Several horror directors from his era, including John Carpenter, David Lynch, Tobe Hooper and of course Craven himself, were given "auteur" status. The film distributors made sure fans knew the name of the director, hoping that they could build a brand with loyal viewers who knew what they wanted, even if reviewers considered the films beneath contempt. It turns out the distributors were right. (Note: Having a successful film with many sequels is not enough to get this treatment. Sean S. Cunningham wrote and directed the first Friday the 13th, but isn't involved in the later big screen versions. His name is not nearly as well known as those of his contemporaries.)

Craven has three great successes attached to his name: The Hills Have Eyes, A Nightmare on Elm Street and Scream. Other directorial credits include Vampire in Brooklyn, New Nightmare, The People Under the Stairs, Shocker, The Serpent and the Rainbow, The Twilight Zone [1985-6], Deadly Friend and Swamp Thing.

The outpouring of affection for Craven on Twitter was not unlike the love shown for Roddy Piper. My favorite tweet was from John Hodgman, who wrote:


I met Wes Craven in Chicago in 2012 and he could not have been less terrifying. I miss him.

As Vincent Price said, the goal is not to be remembered, but instead to be missed. For Mr. Craven... achievement unlocked.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Wes Craven from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A new month, a new splash illustration, birthdays and predictions galore.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

24 August 2015

Birthdays
Rupert Grint b. 1988 (Harry Potter)
Chad Michael Murray b. 1981 (Agent Carter, Left Behind, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghost of Georgia, House of Wax, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2)
Beth Riesgraf b. 1978 (Caper)
Alex O’Loughlin b. 1976 (Moonlight, The Invisible, Man-Thing)
James D’Arcy b. 1975 (Agent Carter, Jupiter Ascending, Cloud Atlas, Them [2007])
Kwesi Ameyaw b. 1975 (Continuum, Supernatural, Man of Steel, Once Upon a Time, Riverworld, Fringe, Stargate, Kyle XY, Fallen, Eureka, Blade: Trinity, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Jake 2.0, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Dead Like Me, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Jeremiah, Dark Angel, Strange Frequency, The Lone Gunmen, The 6th Day)
Jennifer Lien b. 1974 (Star Trek: Voyager)
Barret Oliver b.1973 (Twilight Zone [1986], Tall Tales & Legends, Cocoon, D.A.R.Y.L., The NeverEnding Story, Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again, Knight Rider, The Incredible Hulk)
Eric Edwards b. 1966 (Blade, Candyman)
Dana Gould b. 1964 (Mystery Men, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Jared Harris b. 1961 (Poltergeist [2015], The Quiet Ones, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Fringe, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Lost in Space [1998], Tall Tale)
Mark Protosevich b. 1961 (writer, Thor, I Am Legend, The Cell)
Steve Guttenberg b. 1958 (Lavalantula, Short Circuit, Cocoon 1 and 2, High Spirits, The Day After, The Boys from Brazil)
Stephen Fry b. 1957 (The Hobbit, The Borrowers, Alice in Wonderland [2010], V for Vendetta, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, MirrorMask, Doctor Who: Death Comes to Time, Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride)
Kevin Dunn b. 1956 (Transformers, Lost, NYPD 2069, Small Soldiers, Godzilla [1998], Ghostbusters II)
Orson Scott Card b. 1951 (won 1986 Hugo and Nebula for Ender’s Game, won 1987 Hugo and Nebula for Speaker for the Dead)
Charles Rocket b. 1949 died 7 October 2005 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Star Patrol, The X-Files, Star Trek: Voyager, Lois & Clark, Hocus Pocus, Quantum Leap, Earth Girls Are Easy, Max Headroom)
Joe Regalbuto b. 1949 (Amazing Stories, Mork & Mindy)
Anne Archer b. 1947 (Nico the Unicorn, The Sixth Sense [1972])
Ronnie Blakley b. 1945 (A Return to Salem’s Lot, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Beyond Westworld)
Castulo Guerra b. 1945 (The Purge: Anarchy, Touch, Invasion, Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, Lois & Clark, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beauty and the Beast [1987], Starman [TV])
Kenny Baker b. 1934 (Star Wars, U.F.O. [1993], Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader [1989], Willow, Labyrinth, Time Bandits, Flash Gordon)
William Morgan Sheppard b. 1932 (April Apocalypse, Mysterious Island, Doctor Who, Legend of the Seeker, Star Trek [2009], Transformers, The Prestige, Charmed, Star Trek: Voyager, Timecop, American Gothic, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Babylon 5, SeaQuest 2032, Needful Things, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Max Headroom, Werewolf, The Day of the Triffids [1981], Hawk the Slayer)
Jimmy Gardner b. 1924 died 3 May 2010 (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, My Hero, The Company of Wolves, Doctor Who, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe [1967], The Curse of the Mummy’s Tomb)
Helena Carter b. 1920 died 11 January 2000 (Invaders from Mars)
James Tiptree, Jr. b 1915 died 19 May 1987 (author, Tales of the Quintana Roo, Up the Walls of the World)
Jorge Luis Borges b. 1899 died 14 June 1986 (author, The Book of Imaginary Beings, Labyrinths)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, I used pictures of Rupert Grint and Barret Oliver. The people I considered today were the authors Orson Scott Card and Jorge Luis Borges, the actress Jennifer Lein and the winner, Kenny Baker, the guy inside R2-D2.

2. Spot the Canadian! I'll give one hint. Today's lone Canadian is less than 50 years old.

3. Nepotism FTW. Jared Harris is the son of Richard Harris.

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: Skies crowded by personal planes, along with increased need for corporate material delivery and energy control, will make civilian aircraft carriers a necessity.

Reality: Yikes! This one is awful. But as I have written before, I kind of love the OMNI Future Almanac because they were not afraid to be bold. After last week's really good prediction about the Internet, we get a complete strikeout like this.

Not that it matters. I still love them.
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Tuesdays belong to Heinlein and his novel The Door Into Summer.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

17 August 2015

Birthdays
Daniel Huttlestone b. 1999 (Into the Woods)
Taissa Farmiga b. 1994 (American Horror Story)
Austin Butler b. 1991 (Arrow, Wizards of Waverly Place, Aliens in the Attic)
Rachel Hurd-Wood b. 1990 (Solomon Kane, Dorian Gray, Peter Pan)
Brady Corbett b. 1988 (Melancholia, Thunderbirds)
Ebon Moss-Bachrach b. 1978 (The Last Ship, Fringe)
Dana Daurey b. 1976 (Bewitched)
Donnie Wahlberg b. 1969 (Saw II, III & IV, The Sixth Sense)
Helen McCrory b. 1968 (Penny Dreadful, Hugo, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Frankenstein [1994])
Andrew Koenig b. 1968 died 14 February 2010 (InAlienable, Deep Space Nine)
David Conrad b. 1967 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Roswell)
Don McKeller b. 1963 (Blindness, eXistenZ, Last Night, RoboCop [TV])
Larry B. Scott b. 1961 (Super Force, Hard Time on Planet Earth, SpaceCamp)
Nicholas Bell b. 1958 (I, Frankenstein, Wicked Science, Attack of the Sabertooth, The Lost World, Chameleon, The Genie from Down Under 2, Dark City, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie, Sky Trackers)
Tim Bagley b. 1957 (Zombieland [TV], Grimm, The Day After Tomorrow, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The X Files, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Gail Berman b. 1956 (producer, Alphas, Angel, Buffy)
Robert Joy b. 1951 (Defiance, Superhero Movie, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, The Hills Have Eyes [2006], Land of the Dead, Star Trek: Voyager, Fallen, The Dark Half, Maniac Mansion, Millennium, Amityville: 3-D)
Jennifer Rhodes b. 1947 (Charmed, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Night of the Demons 2, Quantum Leap)
Shane Briant b. 1946 (Farscape, The Lost World, Chameleon 2 and 3, Time Trax, Hawk the Slayer, Captain Kronos - Vampire Hunter, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, The Picture of Dorian Gray [1973])
Robert De Niro b. 1943 (Stardust, Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Frankenstein [1994], Brazil)
Franco Columbu b. 1941 (The Running Man, The Terminator, Conan the Barbarian)
Floyd 'Red Crow' Westerman b. 1936 died 13 December 2007 (The X Files)
Sandra Harrison b.1935 (Blood of Dracula, Adventures of Superman)
Glenn Corbett b. 1933 died 16 January 1993 (Automan, Land of the Giants, Star Trek)
Harve Bennett b. 1930 (writer, Time Trax, Star Trek II, III, IV and V, The Bionic Woman, The Invisible Man)
Ted Hughes b. 1930 died 29 October 1998 (author, The Iron Giant)
Julianna McCarthy b. 1929 (Deep Space Nine, Starship Troopers, The Frighteners, Dark Shadows [1991], )
Julius Harris b. 1923 died 17 October 2004 (Eerie, Indiana, Darkman, Amazing Stories, The Incredible Hulk, King Kong [1976])
Maureen O’Hara b. 1920 (Bagdad, Sinbad, the Sailor)
Evelyn Ankers b. 1918 died 29 August 1985 (The Invisible Man's Revenge, Son of Dracula, The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man)
John Brahm b. 1983 died 12 October 1982 (director, Twilight Zone, The Outer Limits, The Undying Monster)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. The previous Picture Slot folk are Glenn Corbett from Star Trek and Helen McCrory from Harry Potter. This year, I'm going with one of our two A-list stars (more on the second later in the post) in one of my favorite films Robert DeNiro as Tuttle in Brazil.

2. Spot the Canadians. Robert Joy and Don McKellar, neither easily spotted.

3. Nepotism, not much of a win. We have some siblings, Donnie Wahlberg and Taissa Farmiga, but I'm not sure they count. Poor Andrew Koenig is the son of Walter, but he committed suicide five years ago, so I hesitate to say it's "For The Win".

4. And special birthday wishes to... the other A-List movie star on the list, Maureen O'Hara, the archetype in Hollywood for the redhead who turns strong men into taffy with a glare and a turn of her lovely head. She turns 95 this year and all the rest of us are lucky she decided to come to our world.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, most especially the low flying angel Maureen O'Hara, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

Movies released
ParaNorman released, 2012
The Time Machine released, 1960

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published in 1982

Prediction: Authors will enter their text either on a computer terminal linked by telephone (or other type of cable) to a publisher's central computer. The increasing mechanization of publishing will require that writers buy and use word processors to increase their productivity and have their texts be compatible with publishers' computer systems.

Reality: I don't exactly remember the last time a prediction was so good my first thought was "Well, fucking D'UH!" The thing is, in 1982 this was not a done deal. This prediction gets an unqualified A. I might even look to see if I sill have any gold stars handy.
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The Commie John Langon-Davies has been exhausted and will be replaced by Robert A. Heinlein.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

3 August 2015

Birthdays
Georgina Haig b. 1985 (Once Upon a Time, Fringe)
Max Landis b. 1985 (writer, Victor Frankenstein, Chronicle)
Emily Baldoni b. 1984 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Coherence, Legend of the Seeker)
Jon Foster b. 1984 (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
Kyle Schmid b. 1984 (Being Human, Lost Girl, Arrow, Dead Before Dawn 3D, Smallville, The Covenant, Odyssey 5, My Best Friend is an Alien, Virus)
Evangeline Lilly b. 1979 (Ant-Man, The Hobbit, Real Steel, Lost, Smallville, Freddy vs. Jason)
Tomas Lemarquis b. 1977 (Snowpiercer, Errors of the Human Body)
Franco Castan b. 1977 (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Revolution, Coma [TV mini-series])
Michael Ealy b. 1973 (Almost Human, Underworld: Awakening, FlashForward)
Stephen Graham b. 1973 (Pirates of the Caribbean, Season of the Witch, Inkheart)
Melissa Ponzio b. 1972 (Teen Wolf, The Walking Dead, Touch, The Vampire Diaries)
Brigid Brannagh b. 1972 (Star Trek: Enterprise, Angel, Early Edition, Charmed, Kindred: The Embraced, American Gothic)
Elizabeth Berrington b. 1970 (Doctor Who, Psychoville, Nanny McPhee, The Little Vampire)
Anne Marie DeLuise b. 1969 (Smallville, Sanctuary, The Thaw, Painkiller Jane, Stargate SG-1, Supernatural, Dead Like Me, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Mysterious Ways, Code Name: Eternity, First Wave, Total Recall 2070, Earth: Final Conflict, Highlander: The Raven, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, Side Effects, Darkman II: The Return of Durant)
Asante Jones b. 1968 (Zombie Strippers!, Journeyman)
Luke Massy b. 1966 (Thor, Charmed)
Isaiah Washington b. 1963 (The 100, Bionic Woman [2007], Ghost Ship)
Lisa Ann Walter b. 1963 (War of the Worlds, Bruce Almighty)
Molly Hagan b. 1961 (Navy Seals vs. Zombies, iZombie, Charmed, The Invisible Man, Early Edition, Deep Space Nine, ALF)
John C. McGinley b. 1959 (The Nightmare Room, Target Earth, Highlander II: The Quickening)

John Landis b. 1950 (director, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Innocent Blood, Twilight Zone: The Movie, American Werewolf in London)
Philip Casnoff b. 1949 (Dollhouse, Message from Space)
Phil Rubenstein b. 1940 died 26 June 1992 (RoboCop 2, My Mom’s a Werewolf, ALF, Mannequin, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Knight Rider)
Martin Sheen b. 1940 (The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, The Time Shifters, Total Recall 2070, Babylon 5: River of Souls, Alchemy, Crystal Cave, Project: ALF, Captain Nuke and the Bomber Boys, Roswell [TV Movie], Beyond the Stars, Firestarter, The Dead Zone, The Outer Limits)
Stephen Berkoff b. 1937 (The Frankenstein Chronicles, Witches of East End, Doctor Who, Children of Dune, Deep Space Nine, Space Precinct, Metamorphosis [TV movie], Outland, A Clockwork Orange, UFO, Prehistoric Women)
Gordon Scott b. 1926 died 30 April 2007 (Hercules and the Princess of Troy, Goliath and the Vampires)
Rona Anderson b. 1926 died 23 July 2013 (A Christmas Carol)
James Komack b. 1924 died 24 December 1977 (writer, My Favorite Martian)
Jean Hagen b. 1923 died 29 August 1977 (Panic in Year Zero!)
P.D. James b. 1920 died 27 November 2014 (author, Children of Men)
Alex McCrindle b. 1911 died 20 April 1990 (Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope)
Clifford D. Simak b. 1904 died 25 April1988 (Won 1964 Hugo for Here Gather the Stars)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Evangeline Lilly from Lost and Michael Ealy from Almost Human. Having used two 21st Century productions, I feel free to go a little more old school with Alex McCrindle as General Dodonna from Star Wars.

2. Spot the Canadians! There are three today: Kyle Schmid, Evangeline Lilly and Anne-Marie DeLuise.

3. Nepotism and not. Anne-Marie DeLuise is married to Peter DeLuise and I don't consider that nepotism except in extreme cases. Max Landis is the son of John Landis, that absolutely counts. Brigid Branagh is from San Francisco and is no blood relation to Kenneth Brannagh.


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

Movie released
Total Recall released, 2012

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published in 1982

Prediction: During the 21st Century, many of the responsibilities of traditional schooling will be transferred to parents. The mass availability of video and computer hardware will bring the classroom into the home. The chief purpose of schools and classrooms will be to socialize young people and to introduce them to one another. By necessity, and even without long classroom hours, the worldwide literacy rate will rise.

Reality: They get this right for the wrong reasons today. The increase in home schooling comes from parents who don't want their little angels to learn about evolution, not so much from the technological end. And then there's the rise in literacy, which is completely accurate by all estimates, rising from about 60% to 80% since the early 1980s. 
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We are running out of predictions from our regular Tuesday source, John Langdon-Davies. It's the commie's penultimate guess tomorrow.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

20 July 2015

Birthdays
Julianne Hough b. 1988 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
Osric Chau b. 1986 (The 100, Supernatural, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, 2012)
Martin McCann b. 1983 (Clash of the Titans)
Rory Jennings b. 1983 (Doctor Who, Frankenstein [1994])
Charlie Korsmo b. 1978 (Hook)
Judy Greer b. 1975 (Ant-Man, Jurassic World, Tomorrowland, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, The Big Bang Theory)
Simon Rex b. 1974 (Rise: Blood Hunter)
Omar Epps b. 1973 (Resurrection, Dracula 2000, Breakfast of Champions)
Roberto Orci b. 1973 (writer, Star Trek 3, Van Helsing, Sleepy Hollow, Amazing Spider-Man 2, Star Trek Into Darkness, Fringe, Cowboys & Aliens, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Transformers, The Island, Xena, Hercules)
Sandra Oh b. 1971 (Blindness, Last Night)
Josh Holloway b. 1969 (Lost, Sabretooth, Angel)
Leighanne Littrell b. 1969 (Mortal Kombat: Conquest)
Carlos Saldanha b. 1968 (director, Rio, Ice Age, Robots)
Julian Rhind-Tutt b. 1968 (Lucy, Merlin, Stardust, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)
Reed Diamond b. 1967 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Revolution, Dollhouse, Journeyman, Stargate SG-1, Spider-Man 2, The Huntress)
Rodney Eastman b. 1967 (The X-Files, Millennium, Sliders, Babylon 5, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3 and 4)
Dean Winters b. 1964 (The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Millennium)
Frank Whaley b. 1963 (Under the Dome, Gotham, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Little Monsters)
Adoni Maropis b. 1963 (The Scorpion King, Angel, Mortal Kombat: Conquest)
Jonathon Morris b. 1960 (Full Moon Fright Night, Doctor Who)
Donna Dixon b. 1957 (Twilight Zone: The Movie)
Jeff Rawle b. 1951 (An Adventure in Space and Time, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Doctor Who)
Tantoo Cardinal b. 1950 (Strange Empire, MythQuest)
Naseeruddin Shah b. 1950 (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
Muse Watson b. 1948 (TIMER, Frankenfish, Hollywood Vampyr, The Handmaid’s Tale)
Wendy Richard b. 1943 died 26 February 2009 (No Blade of Grass)
Diana Rigg b. 1938 (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Snow White [1987], The Worst Witch, Theatre of Blood)
Natalie Wood b. 1938 died 29 November 1981 (Brainstorm, Meteor)
Cormac McCarthy b. 1933 (author, The Road)
Sally Ann Howes b. 1930 (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Cinderella [1950 TV])
Patricia Cutts b. 1926 died 6 September 1974 (The Tingler)
Lola Albright b. 1925 (The Incredible Hulk, The Monolith Monsters)
Paul Christian a.k.a. Paul Hubschmid b. 1917 died 31 December 2001 (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms)
John Steadman b. 1909 died 28 January 1993 (The Incredible Hulk, The Hills Have Eyes)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Josh Holloway from Lost and Diana Rigg. To be blunt, the list is not long on iconic actors, but I decided to go Whedonverse nerd and used Reed Diamond as the villain Daniel Whitehall from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

2. Spot the Canadians.  Not very obvious today. Tantoo Cardinal is a First Nations Canadian, and Osric Chau, Sandra Oh and Rodney Eastman.


3. Exact birthday pair.  Natalie Wood and Diana Rigg. Nowhere near as famous as Charles Darwin and Abraham Lincoln, but a lot prettier.

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

Movies released
The Dark Knight Rises released, 2012

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: In the 1990s, children will be diagnosed to find the best times in the day for mental, physical and intellectual activity, based on biological cycles.

Reality: Oooooh, bio-rhythms! I remember when people kinda sorta took this stuff seriously. It's one of those things I'd like to forget to make room for something useful, but I've been using this memory of mine for quite a long time now and I know for sure things don't work like that, sad to say.

Never to be Forgotten: George Coe 1929-2015

Yet another veteran character actor has died, the third in five days. George Coe had a long and interesting career. He was active in the Screen Actors Guild and did a lot of voice-over work. He was listed as one of the Not Ready for Prime Time Players on the very first episode of Saturday Night Live and was used on that show in fake commercials for about a decade. His genre roles include Supernatural, Smallville, The Lone Gunmen, The Omega Code, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Max Headroom, The Entity and The Stepford Wives. While these roles might lead one to believe we have spotted a Canadian, Coe was born south of the border. I wanted to use a picture of him as the leader of the planet on Star Trek: The Next Generation where Riker has screwed up an undercover first contact assignment, but I couldn't find a good quality still.

Best wishes to the family and friends of George Coe, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We get another prediction from our resident Commie, John Langdon-Davies.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

13 July 2015

 Birthdays
Leo Howard b. 1997 (Conan the Barbarian [2011], G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)
Matt Weinberg b. 1990 (FreakyLinks, X-Men)
Colton Haynes b. 1988 (San Andreas, Arrow, Teen Wolf)
Steven R. McQueen b. 1988 (The Vampire Diaries, Piranha 3D, Minutemen, Threshold)
Chris Sheffield b. 1988 (The Last Ship, The Maze Runner, Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
Michael Mando b. 1981 (Orphan Black, The Colony, Lost Girl)
Fran Kranz b. 1981 (Bloodsucking Bastards, The Cabin in the Woods, Dollhouse, The Village, Donnie Darko)
Ashley Scott n. 1977 (Jericho, Lost, Birds of Prey, Dark Angel, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Ken Jeong b. 1969 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Vampires Suck)
Robert Gant b. 1968 (The Tomorrow People)
Peter Buchman b. 1967 (writer, Eragon, Jurassic Park III)
David X. Cohen b. 1966 (writer/producer, Futurama)
Kenny Johnson b. 1963 (Smallville, The Huntress, Blade, Sliders, The Burning Zone)
Michael Jace b. 1962 (Planet of the Apes [2001], Strange Days, Deep Space Nine)
Lance E. Nichols b. 1955 (The Fantastic Four [2015], Left Behind, American Horror Story, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, Creature, Swamp Shark, Green Lantern, Benjamin Button, Charmed, Buffy, Firestarter 2: Rekindled, The Invisible Man, K-PAX, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Alien Nation [TV], Project X, Amazing Stories, Twilight Zone [1985])
Gil Birmingham b. 1953 (Twilight, NightMan, Buffy, House II)
Rosemary Dunsmore b. 1952 (Orphan Black, Red: Werewolf Hunter, Lost Girl, ReGenesis, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Last Exit to Earth, RoboCop [TV], Total Recall [1990], Beauty and the Beast [1989 TV], Twilight Zone [1988])
Cheech Marin b. 1946 (Lost, Planet Terror, Spy Kids, From Dusk Till Dawn, Ghostbusters II)
Harrison Ford b. 1942 (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Age of Adaline, Ender’s Game, Cowboys & Aliens, Blade Runner)
Robert Forster b. 1941 (Heroes, Dragon Wars: D-War, Alligator, The Black Hole)
Sir Patrick Stewart b. 1940 (X-Men, The Wolverine, Ted, Star Trek, Lifeforce, Dune, Excalibur)
David Westburg b. 1940 (The Amazing Captain Nemo, Once Upon a Brothers Grimm, Logan’s Run, Genesis II, Blacula)
Bob Crane b. 1929 died 29 June 1978 (Twilight Zone)
Rene Laloux b. 1929 died 14 March 2004 (director, Gandahar, Time Masters, Fantastic Planet)
Sidney Blackmer b. 1895 died 6 October 1973 (Rosemary’s Baby, The Outer Limits)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot(s). July 13th is one of those fairly easy decisions. You can argue for someone other than Sir Patrick Stewart or Harrison Ford, but I'm not listening. This year, I put them both up. These guys not only represent the two pillars of modern on-screen sci-fi, Star Trek and Star Wars, but they also have other iconic genre roles and successful careers even if you don't count their genre stuff. Nobody else here comes close.

2. Spot the Canadians! Usually, the Supernatural/Smallville daily double tells us we've got Canadians, but today it's the Orphan Black/Lost Girl pairing. Michael Mando and Rosemary Dunsmore are our pals from north of the border.

3. The Guys at the Door. The oldest living guys on the list just turned 75, the aforementioned Sir Patrick Stewart and the hard working David Westburg. While that is way too young to be The Guys at the Door, that's how this randomness works sometimes.

4. Nepotism more of less. Steven R. McQueen is the grandson of Coolest Person Ever Steve McQueen, but he was born eight years after his grand-dad died, so I don't know if it should count as nepotism.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, especially Sir Patrick Stewart and David Westburg, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published in 1982.

Prediction: The most visible educational development of the 1980s will be the widespread introduction of automated teaching devices that marry the medium of the videodisc to the microcomputer. Such systems will permit massive amounts of audio-visual information to be introduced to students at their own rate of learning.

Reality: Picking the laserdisc as the way of the future in 1982 is just as obvious as can be and dead fucking wrong at the same time. If I'm being generous, it's not unlike people thinking the pneumatic tube would be ubiquitous or our sensible friend George Sutherland thinking the internal combustion engine had too many drawbacks to ever be fixed.

But I'm not being generous. I love pneumatic tubes and George Sutherland's mistake are always forgiven, while laserdiscs in particular are complete junk in my book and I have bad memories of Philips deciding (briefly) they were going to enforce the patents they held on the CD-ROM. I'm glad the Internet swept that nonsense away, most especially Philips' blackmail threat.  

Looking on day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

How are you fixed for Commie predictions? Well, even if you are topped off, we get another one tomorrow from John Langdon-Davies, Commie!

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE! 

29 June 2015

 Birthdays
Lorenzo James Henrie b. 193 (Fear the Walking Dead, Star Trek)
Addison Timlin b. 1991 (Fallen [2015], Zero Hour)
Christopher Egan b. 1984 (Dominion, Gothica [TV], Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale [TV], Resident Evil: Extinction, Eragon)
Lily Rabe b. 1982 (American Horror Story)
Sharon Lemelin b. 1979 (Being Human, Zombie Hamlet, Anonymous Rex)
Zuleikha Robinson b. 1977 (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Lost, The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen)
Will Kemp b. 1977 (The Prisoner [2009], Pinocchio [2006 TV], Van Helsing)
Travis Richey b. 1977 (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Robot, Ninja & Gay Guy, Dinocroc vs. Supergator, Cry of the Winged Serpent)
Christy Taylor b. 1974 (Weird Science [TV], Mars: Base One)
Sharon Conley b. 1971 (Constantine, The Hunger Games, Teen Wolf [2011 TV], Green Lantern)
Ilan Mitchell-Smith b. 1969 (Superboy, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Weird Science)
Aleks Paunovic b. 1969 (iZombie, Dead Rising: Watchtower, The 100, Zapped [2014], Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Once Upon a Time, Chupacabra vs. the Alamo, Eve of Destruction, Mortal Combat: Legacy, Smallville, Supernatural, Caprica, Stargate: Atlantis, Bionic Woman, Flash Gordon, Battlestar Galactica, Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep, Eureka, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Mutant X, Andromeda, Stargate SG-1, Jeremiah, Nostradamus, Roswell: The Aliens Attack)
Judith Hoag b. 1968 (Grimm, I am Number Four, Halloweentown, Carnivale, The X-Files, Strange World, Armageddon, The Burning Zone, Quantum Leap, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1990])
Melora Hardin b. 1967 (Zombie Hamlet, Timecop, Things That Go Bump, Lois & Clark, Quantum Leap, Mann & Machine, The Rocketeer)
Kathleen Wilhoite b. 1964 (The 4400, Quantum Leap, Witchboard)
Amanda Donohoe b. 1962 (Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, The Atlantis Conspiracy, Stardust, A Knight in Camelot, The Hidden Room, The Lair of the White Worm)
Sharon Lawrence b. 1961 (The After, Nuclear Family, Atomic Twister, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Star Trek: Voyager)
Maria Conchita Alonzo b. 1957 (Dark Moon Rising, The Dead One, Predator 2, Vampire’s Kiss, The Running Man, Knight Rider)
Michael Whelan b. 1950 (Illustrator)
Fred Grandy b. 1948 (Monster Squad, Death Race 2000)
Brian Herbert b. 1947 (author, Dune universe)
Michael Carter b. 1947 (The Illusionist, The Cloning of Joanna May, Return of the Jedi, An American Werewolf in London, Doctor Who)
Gary Busey b. 1944 (Mansion of Blood, Piranha 3DD, The Gingerdead Man, The Huntress, Jacob Two Two meets The Hooded Fang, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, Predator 2, Silver Bullet)
Soon-Tek Oh b. 1943 (Seven Days, Stargate SG-1, Babylon 5, Time Trax, Highlander [TV], The Final Countdown, Logan’s Run [TV], Earth II, The Invaders)
Corey Allen b. 1934 died 27 June 2010 (director, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Otherworld, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Ian Bannen b. 1928 died 3 November 1999 (The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1980 TV], The Watcher in the Woods)
Dick Martin b. 1927 died 14 February 1990 (illustrator, Oz books)
Ray Harryhausen b. 1920 died 5 May 2013 (visual effects, Clash of the Titans, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The Valley of Gwangi, One Million Years B.C., First Men in the Moon, Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 20 Million Miles to Earth, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Mighty Joe Young)
Bernard Herrmann b. 1911 died 24 December 1975 (composer/conductor, It’s Alive, Fahrenheit 451, Lost in Space, Twilight Zone, Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Slim Pickens b. 1919 died 8 December 1983 (The Howling, The Swarm)
Antoine de Saint-Exupery b. 1900 died 31 July 1944 (author, The Little Prince)

Note on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Let me be as delicate as possible here. We have some actors here the public certainly knows, Gary Busey and Slim Pickens to name just two, but I don't think there's anyone here in front of the camera who is iconic in genre. The previous Picture Slotters were special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen and the Oz illustrator Dick Martin, and this year I go with Michael Whelan, the prolific cover artist for sci-fi and fantasy books.


2. Spot the Canadian! Today there is only one, so I leave it as an exercise for the reader.

3. The Guy at the Door. Oh That Asian Guy Soon Tek Oh turns 72 years old today, which is very young to be the oldest living person on the list. As always when we get this demographic oddity, we send out special wishes for many happy returns to Mr. Oh.

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

Movies released

Ted released 2012
Transformers: Dark of the Moon released 2011
War of the Worlds released 2005

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Within a few years, the city with the most degraded environment will likely be Cubatao, Brazil, located on the coastal lowlands.

Reality: Checking several lists online, Cubatao doesn't get a mention, while New Dehli, Beijing and Ahvaz, Iran are on multiple lists.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We get more Commie tommyrot from John Langdon-Davies.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE! 

22 June 2015

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 (Terminator Genisys, Antiviral, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The X-Files)
Lindsay Ridgeway b. 1985 (Star Trek: Voyager)
Amanda Brooks b. 1981 (Chillerama, Dragon Wars: D-War)
Stephanie Jacobsen b. 1980 (Star-Crossed, Quantum Apocalypse, The Devil’s Tomb, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Battlestar Galactica, Farscape)
Jeff Hephner b. 1975 (Interstellar)
Sarah Edmonson b. 1977 (Continuum, Fringe, The Dead Zone, Andromeda, Stargate SG-1, Vampire High)
Donald Faison b. 1974 (Kick-Ass 2, Skyline, Clone High, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch)
Benz Antoine b. 1972 (Death Race, Gothika, Seven Days, Strange World, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, NightMan, Stargate SG-1, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, Millennium)
Mary Lynn Rajskub b. 1971 (Safety Not Guaranteed, Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Laila Rouass b. 1971 (Conan the Barbarian [2011], The Sarah Jane Adventures, Primeval)
Michael Trucco b. 1970 (V [2010], Meteor Storm, Battlestar Galactica, The Big Bang Theory, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Charmed)
Paula Irvine b. 1968 (Phantasm I, II and III, Doin’ Time on Planet Earth)
James McCauley b. 1966 (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, True Blood, I am Legend)
Uwe Boll b. 1965 (director, Blubberella, Seed, BloodRayne, House of the Dead)
J.J. Cohen b. 1965 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Back to the Future, 976-EVIL, V [1985], Amazing Stories)
Amy Brenneman b. 1964 (The Leftovers, Casper)
Heidi Kozak b. 1963 (Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Twilight Zone [1987])
Catherine Disher b. 1960 (Good Witch, Forever Knight, War of the Worlds [TV])
Bruce Campbell b. 1958 (Ash vs. Evil Dead, Oz the Great and Powerful, 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)
John Murray b. 1958 (Scrooged)
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)
Chris Lemmon b. 1954 (My Dog the Space Traveler, Wishmaster)
Graham Greene b. 1952 (Defiance, 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 24 February 2006 (won 2000 Nebula for Parable of the Talents)
Murphy Dunne b. 1942 (Deadly Swarm, The Mothman Prophecies, Faerie Tale Theatre, Twilight Zone [1985], Space)
Michael Lerner b. 1941 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Kingdom Hospital, My Favorite Martian [1999], Tale of the Mummy, Godzilla [1998], Tales from the Crypt, Omen IV: The Awakening, Amazing Stories, Strange Invaders, Threshold, 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)
Prunella Scales b. 1932 (Wolf, The Boys from Brazil)
Ralph Waite b. 1928 died 13 February 2014 (Carnivale, Timequest, Time Trax)
Richard Eastham b. 1916 died 10 July 2005 (Galactica 1980, Salvage 1, Wonder Woman, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, The Invaders)
H. Rider Haggard b. 1856 died 14 May 1925 (author, She)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slotters were Bruce Campbell and Nebula award winner Octavia E. Butler. There are several good choices even with those two worthies excluded, the best known of whom is clearly Meryl Streep. But in terms of iconic roles in genre, Ms. Streep is probably just on par with her exact same birthday girl Lindsay Wagner. If I was going for the youngest iconic actor, I would have chosen Joe Dempsie as Gendry in Game of Thrones, but the Slot went to Tim Russ as Tuvok, the first black actor to play a recurring role as a Vulcan in the Star Trek universe.

2. Spot the Canadians!  There are five today and as often happens, it's easier to spot the younger ones, though not always. Native American actor Graham Greene would more properly be called a First Nations Canadian, but much of his career took place south of the border. Catherine Disher's resume shows some Canadian tendencies, but not as much as Benz Antoine's or Sarah Edmondson's. And then there's our youngest Canadian Douglas Smith, who does more movie work than Canuck-fi TV shows, so is just as hard to spot as Mr. Greene. Thanks to Art Velasquez for pointing out my earlier error excluding Smith.


3. Nepotism FTW. Two guys born in the 1950s have famous relatives who likely helped their careers. Chris Lemmon is Jack Lemmon's son and John Murray is the least well known of Bill Murray's siblings.

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

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Unmanned aircraft will be used for freight delivery, most especially to remote regions. Using advanced robotic technology not yet available, they will be controlled from the point of origin and unload cargo automatically.

Reality: This one gets full marks since no exact date was given nor was size of the drone specified. The OMNI Future Almanac was not shy about discussing military applications, but none were mentioned in this case, which has to count as an oversight.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's the regular Tuesday schedule, so we get another Commie prediction from John Langdon-Davies, Commie.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

15 June 2015

Birthdays
Rachel Covey b. 1998 (Enchanted)
Ray Santiago b. 1984 (Ash vs. Evil Dead, Suburban Gothic, Touch, In Time)
Elizabeth Reaser b. 1975 (Twilight)
Neil Patrick Harris b. 1973 (American Horror Story, Beastly, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Starship Troopers, Quantum Leap, Purple People Eater)
Greg Vaughan b. 1973 (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Charmed, Buffy)
Poppy Montgomery b. 1972 (Dead Man on Campus, Tammy and the T-Rex)
Jake Busey b. 1971 (From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], Charmed, Jeremiah, Starship Troopers, Contact, The Frighteners)
Ice Cube b. 1969 (Ghosts of Mars)
Courtney Cox b. 1964 (Bedtime Stories, Zoom, Cocoon: The Return, Misfits of Science, Masters of the Universe)
Helen Hunt b. 1963 (Trancers I and II, Project X, The Bionic Woman, Ark II)
Robin Curtis b. 1956 (Space: Above and Beyond, Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek III and IV, Knight Rider)
Polly Draper b. 1955 (The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, Deadly Nightmares, Tales from the Darkside)
Jim Belushi b. 1954 (The Tick, Retroactive, Last Action Hero, Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe, Little Shop of Horrors)
Jim Varney b. 1949 died 10 February 2000 (Wilder Napalm, Dr, Otto and the Riddle of the Gloom Beam)
Rick Rosenthal b. 1949 (director, Beauty and the Beast [2013], Haven, Smallville, Flash Gordon [2007 TV], The Dresden Files, Buffy, Witchblade, Halloween: Resurrection, Early Edition, The Witches of Eastwick [TV], Halloween II)
Nicola Pagett b. 1945 (Frankenstein: The True Story)
Joy Bang b. 1945 (Messiah of Evil, Night of the Cobra Woman)
Neal Adams b. 1941 (artist)
William Newman b. 1934 died 27 May 2015 (The Tick, Angel, VR.5, The Craft, The Stand, Leprechaun, Eerie, Indiana, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Silver Bullet)
Victor Lundin b. 1930 died 29 June 2013 (Babylon 5, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Star Trek, Robinson Crusoe on Mars)
Herschell Gordon Lewis b. 1929 (director, Monster a Go-Go)
Richard Derr b. 1918 died 8 May 1992 (Automan, Project U.F.O., Star Trek, The Outer Limits, The Invisible Avenger, When Worlds Collide)
Henry Slate b. 1910 died 11 August 1996 (The Cat from Outer Space, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Pete’s Dragon)
James Robertson Justice b. 1907 died 2 July 1975 (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Spirits of the Dead, The Face of Fu Manchu)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot was given to Elizabeth Reaser from Twilight and Neil Patrick Harris from Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. This year it goes to Robin Curtis, who took the role of Lt. Saavik away from Kirstie Alley in Star Trek III & IV.

2. Living Canadian Free! Director Rick Rosenthal has a slightly Canadian air to his resume, but he was born here and has never emigrated to the best of my knowledge.

3. MST3K. The one I know for sure is Monster A Go-Go, directed by gore master Herschell Gordon Lewis but not credited to him. Even he had standards, apparently.

4. Brush with greatness and Nepotism FTW. Polly Draper is best known for her work on thirtysomething. I worked at Activision with her younger sister Becky, who I think was the prettier of the two. (Picture Ali McGraw, but 5'11". Certainly made an impression on me.) Their father William Draper was one of the venture capitalists who started Activision, which I'm sure helped Becky get that first step into the door.

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

 Movies released
Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer released, 2007
Batman Begins released, 2005

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: The Caspian and Aral Seas have begun to dry up because the rivers that once flowed into them are being used for irrigation. But the Soviets have the answer: just bring in new water by changing the flow of the Ob and Yenesi rivers and run them through 3,000 kilometers of canals. Environmentalists predict disaster.

Reality: Okay, let's review the truth so far. The Caspian Sea is really big and not dried up. The Aral Sea is just big and it has dried up. The Soviets talked big, but they couldn't back it up. The Ob and Yenesi still flow into the Arctic.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's a Tuesday and barring an interruption, we hear from our grumpy Commie pal John Langdon-Davies.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE! 

8 June 2015

Birthdays
Melanie Tonello b. 1992 (My Babysitter’s a Vampire, Resident Evil: Apocalypse)
Torrey DeVitto b. 1984 (The Vampire Diaries)
Maria Menounos v. 1978 (Paranormal Movie, Knight Rider [2009], Fantastic Four, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Nate Dushku b. 1977 (Dollhouse, Angel, Wolf Girl, Vampire Clan)
Eion Bailey b. 1976 (Once Upon a Time, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Mindhunters, Buffy)
Lexa Doig b.1973 (Continuum, Primeval: New World, Smallville, V, Supernatural, Eureka, Stargate SG-1, The 4400, Andromeda, Jason X, Earth: Final Conflict, TekWar)
Mark Feuerstein b. 1971 (In Your Eyes, Practical Magic)
Matt Kaminsky b. 1971 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Star Trek: Enterprise)
Kelli Williams b. 1970 (Earth 2, Quantum Leap, Beauty and the Beast)
David Sutcliffe b. 1969 (Mega Cyclone, Mutant X, Forever Knight)
Juliana Margulies b. 1966 (The Lost Room, The Mists of Avalon)
Kevin P. Farley b. 1965 (Roswell FM, Project Bigfoot, Paranormal Movie, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Frank Grillo b. 1963 (A Conspiracy on Jekyll Island, The Purge: Anarchy, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Minority Report. Poltergeist: The Legacy)
Anthony Cistaro b. 1963 (Charmed, Witchblade, Angel, The Runestone)
Gary Trousdale b. 1960 (director, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Beauty and the Beast)
Bernard White b. 1959 (Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Touch, Quarantine, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded, The Scorpion King, The X-Files, Knight Rider)
Scott Adams b. 1957 (creator, Dilbert; actor, Babylon 5)
Griffin Dunne b. 1955 (The Android Affair, Amazing Stories, An American Werewolf in London)
Sonia Braga b. 1950 (Warehouse 13, Tales from the Crypt)
Kathy Baker b. 1950 (Edward Scissorhands, Amazing Stories, The Right Stuff)
Jack Sholder b. 1945 (director, Tremors [TV], Arachnid, Mortal Kombat: Conquest [TV], Generation X, The Omen [TV], Tales from the Crypt [TV], 12:01, The Hidden, Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
Colin Baker b. 1943 ( Star Trek Continues, Doctor Who, Blake’s 7)
Jessie Lawrence Ferguson b. 1941 (Swamp Thing [TV], Darkman, Prince of Darkness, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Supernaturals, Buckaroo Banzai, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
Bernie Casey b. 1939 (Vegas Vampires, Babylon 5, Deep Space Nine, Time Trax, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, The Martian Chronicles, Ants, The Man Who Fell to Earth, Dr Black, Mr. Hyde)
James Darren b. 1936 (Deep Space Nine, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Millicent Martin b. 1934 (Return to Halloweentown, Max Headroom)
Joan Rivers b. 1933 died 4 September 2014 (Iron Man 3, Spaceballs)
Dana Wynter b. 1931 died 5 May 2011 (The Questor Tapes, Invasion of the Body Snatchers)
Kate Wilhelm b. 1928 (won 1977 Hugo for Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang)
Charles Tyner b. 1925 (Space, The Incredible Hulk, Evilspeak, Pete’s Dragon)
Myron Healey b. 1923 died 21 December 2005 (RoboCop [TV], Knight Rider, V, The Amazing Spider-Man, The Incredible Hulk, The Incredible Melting Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Land of the Giants, Varan the Unbelievable, Men Into Space, Adventures of Superman, Batman and Robin [1949])
Robert Preston b. 1918 died 21 March 1987 (The Last Starfighter)
George D. Wallace b. 1917 died 22 July 2005 (Minority Report, Buffy, The X-Files, Multiplicity, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Bionic Woman, Planet of the Apes, The Six Million Dollar Man, Forbidden Planet)
Robert F. Young b. 1915 died 22 June 1986 (author, Jonathan and the Space Whale)
John W. Campbell b. 1910 died 11 July 1971 (author, Who Goes There?; editor, Astounding Science Fiction, Analog)
C.C. Beck b. 1910 (creator, Captain Marvel)

Notes from the birthday list.

1. The Picture Slot. Three of the people on this list have already had the Picture Slot. Colin Baker got it for being The Doctor, George D. Wallace got it for being future Xander on Buffy and to distinguish him from other better known George Wallaces and Lexa Doig from Andromeda got it when I misread her birthday in 2013. While several of the writers on the list can be considered iconic, I decided to give the slot to the fabulous Dana Wynter from Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

2. Canadians spotted. We have three Canadians on the list, the most obvious being the lovely Lexa Doig. Melanie Tonello and David Sutcliffe are not quite as obvious.

3. Nepotism FTW. We have two lesser known siblings who have appeared in movies and TV shows where their better known kin were the stars, Nate Dushku and Kevin P. Farley. Griffin Dunne is the son of writer Dominick Dunne, but I can't tell if that was a boon for him early in his career.

4. MST3K. I know The Incredible Melting Man got the treatment, there may be others on the list.

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

Movie released
Prometheus released, 2012

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Highly-specialized security officers will actively try to prevent computer crime, which could become a well-developed criminal art.

Reality: There were already hackers in the early 1980s, so this prediction wasn't a huge stretch, but that does not change the fact this prediction deserves full marks.

Never to be Forgotten: Richard Johnson 1927-2015

British actor Richard Johnson has died at the age of 87. He claims that he was offered the role of James Bond in Dr. No but turned it down. When asked of his opinion of Sean Connery, he felt the Scotsman was miscast, but it worked because the scripts played up the humor. Hard to argue with either of those points. Johnson worked steadily up until last year, much of the work on British television shows.


Mr. Johnson gets the nod on this blog for his roles in Lara Croft: Tomb Raider, Tales from the Crypt, Zombie, Space: 1999 and The Haunting.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A prediction was made last year about 2015 and we are going to check in on it.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

25 May 2015

Birthdays
Markiss McFadden b. 1986 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
Esme Bianco b. 1982 (Game of Thrones, Chemical Wedding)
Brandy Kopp b. 1982 (Goblin, Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate: Atlantis, The 4400, The Butterfly Effect, Strange Frequency)
Kick Gurry b. 1978 (Jupiter Ascending, Edge of Tomorrow, Cybergeddon, Speed Racer)
Cillian Murphy b. 1976 (Transcendence, Batman, In Time, TRON: Legacy, Inception, 28 Days Later...)
Ethan Suplee b. 1976 (Rise of the Zombies, No Ordinary Family, The Butterfly Effect, Evolution, Tales from the Crypt)
Erinn Hayes b. 1976 (The Watch)
Eli Craig b. 1972 (director, Zombieland [TV], Tucker & Dale vs. Evil)
Olivia Spencer b. 1970 (Insurgent, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Halloween II, Dollhouse, Big Bang Theory, Wizards of Waverly Place, Spider-Man, The Chronicle, What Planet Are You From?, Being John Malkovich, The X-Files)
Neil Marshall b. 1970 (director, Game of Thrones, Constantine, Doomsday, The Descent)
Michael Benyaer b. 1970 (The Flash [2014], The Polterguys, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen, Bionic Woman [2007], Eureka, Smallville, Dark Angel, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan)
Jamie Kennedy b. 1970 (Bermuda Tentacles, Eureka, Reaper, Son of the Mask, Strange Frequency, Perversions of Science, V. R. Troopers)
Anne Heche b. 1969 (Toxic Skies, Volcano)
Matthew Borlenghi b. 1967 (A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Cannibal Hookers)
Poppy Z. Brite b. 1967 (writer, The Crow, Lost Souls)
Andrew Fiscella b. 1966 (A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], Quarantine)
Ray Stevenson b. 1964 (Insurgent, Divergent, Thor, The Book of Eli, Punisher: War Zone, G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
Connie Sellecca b. 1955 (Doomsday Rock, The Greatest American Hero, Beyond Westworld, Captain America II: Death Too Soon)
Bob Gale b. 1951 (writer, Back to the Future, Bordello of Blood, Tales from the Crypt, Kolchak: The Night Stalker)
Joe Unger b. 1949 (Carnivale, Night of the Scarecrow, Twilight Zone [1987], UFOria, A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Barry Windsor-Smith b. 1949 (artist, Dr. Strange, Conan the Barbarian)
Karen Valentine b.1947 (Twilight Zone [1989], America 2100, It’s About Time)
Hersha Parady b. 1945 (Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star)
Frank Oz b. 1944 (actor, Star Wars, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Muppets from Space, Labyrinth; director, The Dark Crystal, Little Shop of Horrors, The Indian in the Cupboard, The Stepford Wives [2004])
Sir Ian McKellen b. 1939 (Beauty and the Beast, The Hobbit, X-Men, Lord of the Rings, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, Doctor Who, The Prisoner (reboot), The Golden Compass, Stardust, Neverwas, The Shadow, Last Action Hero, The Keep)
Dixie Carter b. 1939 died 10 April 2010 (The Greatest American Hero)
David Burke b. 1934 (Space Precinct, The Champions)Sarah Marshall b. 1933 died 18 January 2014 (Twilight Zone, Star Trek)
Roger Bowen b. 1932 died 16 February 1996 (Zapped!)
Ann Robinson b. 1929 (War of the Worlds [2005], War of the Worlds (TV), Rocky Jones: Space Ranger, The War of the Worlds [1953])
Claude Akins b. 1926 died 27 January 1994 (Eerie, Indiana, Monster in the Closet, Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo, Tentacles, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Twilight Zone, Adventures of Superman)
Syd Heylen b. 1922 died 4 December 1996 (Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior)
Henry Calvin b. 1918 died 6 October 1975 (Babes in Toyland)
Miles Malleson b. 1888 died 15 March 1969 (First Men in the Moon, The Brides of Dracula, Horror of Dracula, A Christmas Carol [1951], The Man in the White Suit, The Thief of Bagdad)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Sir Ian McKellan and the fabulous Esme Bianco. Not wanting to repeat myself, my top choices were the artist Barry Windsor-Smith, the actor Cillian Murphy and the winner, Frank Oz, the great puppeteer who makes us believe Yoda isn't just a goofy rubber mask with a guy's hand stuck in it. Besides being Mr. Oz's birthday, you'll see a movie was released 32 years ago that also makes this a very fitting choice.

2. Spot the Canadians! There are two Canadians on the list today. The only clue I will give is that both are under 50 years old. Knock yourself out.

3. Wait... they were in genre? The actors whose names I clicked on today without knowing they had genre roles were Roger Bowen from the movie version of MASH, Dixie Carter from Designing Women and Karen Valentine from Room 222.

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

Movies released
MIB 3 released, 2012
Back to the Future: Part III released, 1990
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi released, 1983
Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope released, 1977
 

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Before the close of the century, baseballs will be dyed orange or yellow to increase visibility. Aluminum bats will be allowed in major league baseball.

Reality: It's hard to strike out on just two swings at two pitches, but these predictions did just that. Charlie O. Finley was big on changing the color of the ball, but he never got any other owners to agree. As for aluminum bats, the speed of a solid line drive hit off of one of these bats can be lethal to infielders, especially for first basemen, third basemen and pitchers. The aluminum bat is being phased out of college ball for just this reason.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another pessimistic guess from John Langdon-Davies in 1936.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

18 May 2015

Birthdays
Spencer Breslin b. 1992 (The Happening, Zoom, Wonderfalls)
Luke Kleintank b. 1990 (The Man in the High Castle, No Ordinary Family)
Tabrett Bethell b. 1982 (Legend of the Seeker)
Emmy Robbin b. 1982 (From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], Planet Terror, Sin City)
Eric West b. 1982 (World War Z)
Allen Leech b. 1981 (Primeval)
Matt Long b. 1980 (Helix, Ghost Rider)
Jenn Gotzon b. 1979 (Dragon Day, Hulk)
Saskia Mulder b. 1973 (The Descent)
Cynthia Preston b. 1968 (Ascension, Lost Girl, Carrie [2013], Haven, Andromeda, Relic Hunter, Total Recall 2070, The X-Files)
Nathaniel Parker b. 1962 (Merlin, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Stardust)
Karel Roden b. 1962 (Frankenstein’s Army, Hellboy, Blade II)
Thomas Byrd b. 1960 (Alien Nation [TV], Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Chow Yun-Fat b. 1955 (The Monkey King, Dragonball: Evolution, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End)
Patrick St. Esprit b. 1954 (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, Revolution, Super 8, Journeyman, Tremors [TV], The X Files, Angel, Crusade, Beauty and the Beast [1989 TV], Knight Rider)
Gail Strickland b. 1947 (My Apocalypse, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star, Starflight: The Plane that Couldn’t Land, Dark Shadows)
Hugh Keays-Byrne b. 1947 (Mad Max: Fury Road, Farscape, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Badlands 2005, Mad Max)
Andreas Katsulas b. 1946 died 2 February 2006 (Star Trek: Enterprise, Babylon 5, Millennium, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Death of the Incredible Hulk, Alien Nation [TV], Communion, Max Headroom)
Miriam Margolyes b. 1941 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Merlin, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, The Phoenix and the Carpet, Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, Morons from Outer Space)
Diane McBain b. 1941 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Knight Rider, Land of the Giants, Batman)
Dwayne Hickman b. 1934 (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Dr, Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, Mighty Joe Young, The Boy with Green Hair)
Robert Morse b. 1931 (Here Come the Munsters, Twilight Zone [1985])
Fred Saberhagen b. 1930 died 29 June 2007 (author, Berserker series, Earth’s End)
Pernell Roberts b. 1928 died 24 January 2010 (Man from Atlantis, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Sixth Sense [1972])
Liam Sullivan b. 1923 died 19 April 1998 (Misfits of Science, Logan’s Run [TV], Star Trek, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone, The Magic Sword)
Bill Macy b. 1922 (Millennium, Starman [TV], Tales from the Darkside)
James Donald b. 1917 died 3 August 1993 (Five Million Miles to Earth)
Frank Capra b. 1897 died 3 September 1991 (director, It’s a Wonderful Life)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Andreas Katsulas from Babylon 5, certainly iconic, and Tabrett Bethell from Legend of the Seeker, maybe not as iconic but certainly a fabulous babe. This year it's the late Liam Sullivan from the Plato's Stepchildren episode of the original Star Trek. I'm geezer enough to think any major guest starring role on TOS is iconic. It should also be noted Mr. Sullivan was in The Magic Sword, which got the MST3K treatment.

2. Canadian spotted! Cynthia Preston was born north of the border and she has several roles on genre TV shows produced in Canada.

3. Siblings spotted! Dwayne Hickman is the younger brother of Darryl Hickman. Saskia Mulder is the younger sister of top model Karen Mulder. Spencer Breslin is the older brother of Abigail Breslin. I don't count any of these relationship as actual nepotism, though the Mulder sisters might qualify, given how much more famous Karen is compared to Saskia.

4. Wait... he's alive? I clicked on Bill Macy's name this morning during research, not knowing if he had any genre credits and kinda sorta thinking he wasn't with us any more. Well, he has genre credits and he's still alive at 93. Good on ya, Mr. Macy!

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

Movies released
Shrek the Third released, 2007
Battleship released, 2012

 Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: The only major record in track and field that will likely never be broken is Bob Beamon's remarkable 1968 long jump of 29' 2.5", 8.90 meters using the metric system.

Reality: Beamon jumped nearly two feet farther than any human being had ever jumped before and just for extra drama, he did it at the Mexico City Olympics, by far the biggest world stage for track and field. That said, the record was in fact broken by Mike Powell in 1991with 29' 4.25" or 8.95 meters, in a track meet in Tokyo.

Never to be Forgotten: John Stevenson 1923-2015 Mark Evanier, possibly my favorite writer about show business, wrote a piece on his blog about the death of actor John Stevenson, who died on Friday night after a long battle with Alzheimer's. In the 1960s, he started doing voice work and that became his main source of income from that point on, but he did appear in front of the camera in The Invaders and The Six Million Dollar Man. Longtime readers will know that I often don't include voice work in the credits for people's birthday mentions, not because I think it's not important but because I would be typing for hours with some actor's credits. Of all Stevenson's many credits, the three I consider most culturally significant without regard to genre are Mr. Slate on The Flintstones, Dr. Benton Quest on Jonny Quest and the narrator on the 1960s version of Dragnet.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A report on the predictions from the second round of the NBA playoffs and the predictions for the third round, the conference finals.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
  

27 April 2015

Birthdays
Emily Rios b. 1989 (Grimm, Almost Human)
Jane Hancock b. 1988 (The Flash, Mythos, Fringe)
William Moseley b. 1987 (The Chronicles of Narnia)
Laura Ortiz b. 1987 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Bite Me, Chillerama, The Hills Have Eyes)
Jenna Coleman b. 1986 (Doctor Who, Captain America: The First Avenger)
Jasmine Lowe b. 1986 (The Hunger Games, Vampiro)
Anna Skellern b. 1985 (Camelot, Siren, The Descent: Part 2)
Janet Lopez b. 1985 (Attack of the 30 Foot Chola, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
Francis Capra b. 1983 (The Strain, Touch, Clear Skies 3, Heroes)
Ari Graynor b. 1983 (Fringe)
Brooke Long b. 1980 (Iron Man 2)
Sally Hawkins b. 1976 (Godzilla [2014])
Elle Downs b. 1973 (Hemlock Grove, Cybergeddon, Earth: Final Conflict, 2103: The Deadly Wake)
Andre Gower b. 1973 (10.0 Earthquake, The Monster Squad, The Wizard, Twilight Zone [1985], Knight Rider)
David Lascher b. 1972 (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch)
Mehmet Kurtulus b. 1972 (Equilibrium)
Elizabeth Marmur b. 1970 (Neverwhere, Forever Knight)
Matt Reeves b. 1966 (writer, Let Me In, Future Shock, director, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
Anna Chancellor b. 1965 (Penny Dreadful, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, FairyTale: A True Story, Jupiter Moon)
Lisa Wilcox b. 1964 (Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures [TV], Star Trek: The Next Generation, A Nightmare on Elm Street 4 and 5, Something is Out There)
Russell T. Davies b. 1963 (showrunner, Wizards vs. Aliens, Doctor Who, Torchwood, The Sarah Jane Adventures)
Min-sik Choi b. 1962 (Lucy)
Victoria Price b. 1962 (Edward Scissorhands)
James Le Gros b. 1962 (Phantasm II, *batteries not included, Solarbabies, Near Dark)
Eugenie Bondurant b. 1961 (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2, Sorority House Vampires, Space Truckers, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Sheena Easton b. 1959 (TekWar, Highlander [TV])
Kevin McNally b. 1956 (Supernatural, Pirates of the Caribbean, Demons, Doctor Who)
John Shrapnel b. 1942 (Merlin, Alien Autopsy, The Tenth Kingdom, Invasion: Earth, Space: 1999)
Ned Wynn b. 1941 (The Absent Minded Professor, Son of Flubber)
Judy Carne b. 1939 (I Dream of Jeannie)
Sandy Dennis b. 1937 died 2 March 1992 (976-EVIL)
Casey Kasem b. 1932 died 15 June 2014 (Scooby-Doo, Homeboys in Outer Space, Battle of the Planets, Ghostbusters, Doomsday Machine, The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant, 2000 Years Later)
Robert Donner b. 1931 died 8 June 2006 (Alien Nation: Dark Horizon, Starman [TV], Mork & Mindy, The Incredible Hulk, Damnation Alley, Six Million Dollar Man)
Jack Klugman b. 1922 died 24 December 2012 (I Dream of Jeannie, Twilight Zone)
Colin Gordon b. 1911 died 4 October 1972 (UFO, The Prisoner, Doctor Who, Burn, Witch, Burn, H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man, The Man in the White Suit)
Harry Stockwell b. 1902 died 19 July 1984 (The Werewolf of Washington)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot skewed young with Jenna Coleman from Doctor Who and William Moseley from Chronicles of Narnia. This year, I go unabashedly old school with Jack Klugman from one of his four appearances on the original Twilight Zone series. There are actors and writers whose work I like on the list, but when it comes to iconic, the choices are few.

2. Spot the Canadians. Jane Hancock and Elle Downs work in the Canadian genre industry, though they don't have quite enough credits to make it obvious.

3. Nepotism, but just a little win. Ned Wynn is Keenan Wynn's son. He did a few movies as a young man and decided being in front of the screen wasn't for him. Victoria Price is Vincent Price's daughter. Her only acting credit is in Edward Scissorhands.

4. Wait... they're dead? I did not realize Sandy Dennis died more than twenty years ago. I had Robert Donner listed last year, but I failed to note he was dead. He's probably best known for the recurring role of Exidor on Mork & Mindy.

5. Deserved a Never to be Forgotten. My Bad. When Casey Kasem died last year, I didn't bother looking up his credit list, but I should have. I probably wanted to avoid all the weirdness surrounding his final days. Of course, he was the voice of Shaggy on Scooby-Doo, but he also had on screen performances and guest shots as himself in several genre productions.

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

6. The Gal at the Door. Judy Carne turns 76 this year. It's odd to think of someone like her whose career highlighted her youth and vivacious personality as being the oldest living person on the list, but that is the situation. As always when pointing out this morbid coincidence, the blog offers special birthday wishes to The Gal at the Door.

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

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Dr. Marvin Clein and his graduate student John Keefe produce a computer simulation to predict the top speeds for fastballs thrown by athletes of several heights and weights

6'3", 210 lbs: 105 mph
6'4", 218 lbs: 107 mph
6'5", 227 lbs: 108.5 mph
6'6", 236 lbs: 110 mph
6'8", 255 lbs: 112 mph
6'10", 275 lbs: 115 mph
7'0", 295 lbs: 117 mph


Reality: This prediction scores at least one point because the fastest fastball recorded by radar in major league history is 106 mph by Cuban born Aroldis Chapman, who is 6'4" and 215 lbs. As for bigger guys throwing even faster, that hasn't happened yet. For example, Randy Johnson was 6'10" and could throw 102 mph, but he only weighed 225 lbs. Most of the very tall pitchers had similarly slim builds. A good athlete standing seven feet tall and nearly 300 lbs. is more likely to choose basketball as his sport.

There are two pitchers from earlier eras who allegedly threw faster than Chapman, but were not recorded with radar guns. Nolan Ryan was supposed to have thrown 108 mph and Bob Feller 107 mph. Ryan was list as 6'2" and Feller at 6'0".

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another visit from John Langdon-Davies and his 1936 book A Short History of the Future. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!