11 June 2014

 Birthdays
Ivana Baquero b. 1994 (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Eugene Simon b. 1992 (House of Anubis, Game of Thrones)
Claire Holt b. 1988 (The Vampire Diaries, H2O: Just Add Water)
Shia LeBeouf b. 1986 (Transformers, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I, Robot, The X-Files)
Joshua Jackson b. 1978 (Fringe, Magic in the Water)
Jane Goldman b. 1979 (screenwriter, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: First Class, Kick-Ass, Stardust)
Peter Dinklage b. 1969 (Game of Thrones, X-Men: Days of Future Past, Knights of Badassdom, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian)
Pamela Gidley b. 1965 (The Little Vampire, Cherry 2000)
Hugh O’Gorman b. 1965 (The 10th Kingdom)
Hugh Laurie b. 1959 (Tomorrowland [2015], Stuart Little, The Borrowers, The Crystal Cube)
Sherman Howard b. 1949 (The Mummy: Secrets of the Medjai, Invader ZIM, Star Trek: Voyager, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Retroactive, The Burning Zone, Deep Space Nine, Sliders, SeaQuest 2032, The Stand, Space Rangers, Superboy, Good & Evil, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, ALF, Dark Angel, Freddy’s Nightmares, Max Headroom, Day of the Dead)
Adrienne Barbeau b. 1945 (Carnivale, The Chronicle, Deep Space Nine, Sliders, Weird Science, Burial of the Rats, Babylon 5, Twilight Zone, Creepshow, Swamp Thing, Escape from New York, The Fog)
Jordan Rhodes b. 1939 (Battlestar Galactica, The Terminal Man, Wonder Woman, The Night Stalker)
Chad Everett b. 1937 died 24 July 2012 (Supernatural, When Time Expires)
Gene Wilder b. 1933 (Alice in Wonderland [1999 TV], Haunted Honeymoon, Young Frankenstein, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)
Ed Bishop b. 1932 died 8 June 2005 (Highlander [TV], Whoops Apocalypse, Saturn 3, 1990, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, The Day After Tomorrow [1976], UFO, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Battle Beneath the Earth, The Mouse on the Moon)
John Bromfield b. 1922 died 18 September 2005 (Curucu, Beast of the Amazon, Revenge of the Creature)
Robert Hutton b. 1920 (Trog, They Came from Beyond Space, The Vulture, The Slime People, Invisible Invaders, The Colossus of New York)
Richard Todd b. 1919 died 3 December 2009 (Doctor Who)
Buddy Baer b. 1915 died 18 July 1986 (Giant from the Unknown, Adventures of Superman, Jack and the Beanstalk [1952])
Dudley Manlove b. 1914 died 17 April 1996 (The Creation of the Humanoids, Plan 9 from Outer Space)
Gerald Mohr b. 1914 died 9 November 1968 (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, Men Into Space, The Angry Red Planet, Invasion U.S.A.)

First, I'd like to apologize to Eugene Simon. He plays Lancel Lannister on Game of Thrones and I can promise he will never be in the Picture Slot, through no fault of his own. I loves me some Peter Dinklage and on any 11th of June when Game of Thrones is in season, it's gonna be a picture of Tyrion.

Like with young Mr. Simon, I can promise that Shia LeBeouf will never be in the Picture Slot, but for this I do not apologize. Mr. LeBeouf is a young man of low morals and awful taste. Not that I feel strongly about this.

If I ever decide to go for a fabulous babe on this date, Pamela Gidley played the sex robot in Cherry 2000 and of course there's Adrienne Barbeau. I can't go wrong with either of them

Yesterday, there was an Oh That Guy actor who I had to admit did not register with me. This is not the case with today's Oh That Guy. Sherman Howard played Lex Luthor on the Superboy TV show, and even though that was well over twenty years ago, that's the first link my brain makes when I see this guy. He also played multiple roles on various incarnations of Star Trek, so genre fans are going to have seen this guy many times.

One more comment on today's list. Because of the increased interest in sci-fi in movies and TV today, it's very common for a lot of actors from the Millennial generation on our list, which is now counted as born after 1982. It's much rarer for us to get a passel of actors born before 1925, but today we hit a mother lode vein of guys from 1950s monster movies. The most interesting biographical tidbits I know about these guys are:

1) Buddy Baer was the brother of Max Baer and both of heavyweight boxers who lost to Joe Louis.
2) Robert Hutton was a cousin to Barbara Hutton, the heiress to the Woolworth fortune. He wasn't a close enough relative to get any of the cash, so he ends up in The Vulture and The Slime People.
3) Dudley Manlove, best known on screen as the main alien Eros in Plan Nine from Outer Space, was awful in front of the camera but had a lovely voice and found steady work as a radio announcer and actor. (Remember when people acted on the radio? If so, you are horribly old.)


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

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in the 1905 book One Hundred Years Hence, The Expectations of an Optimist

Prediction: If we need any motive power other than electricity, or if we need motive power of some other kind to produce electricity, no doubt the explosive recombination of oxygen and hydrogen, controlled by devices developed from existing gas-engines and petrol-engines, will be a starting-point : because coal will, probably before the complete exhaustion of the supply of it, have been found altogether too dirty and unhealthy a thing to use, at all events by way of combustion.

Reality: In 1905, It wasn't exactly clairvoyance to predict how useful gasoline powered engines would become in the future, but this part is certainly true. Sadly, he's wrong so far about the death of coal. We haven't stopped using it, and it is the filthiest of all the fossil fuels. Eventually it will become unprofitable to get the last of it out of the ground, but unless environmental regulations become much stricter, that day looks to be very far in the future.

Farewell to T. Baron Russell: I hate to throw away a wealth of predictions like Russell's book, but this prediction ties him with Heinlein for most predictions used from a single person, and I don't want to put Russell in first place all by himself since he isn't truly sci-fi. (Note that both the OMNI Future Almanac and the 1893 Columbian Exhibition have more predictions that either Russell or Heinlein, but that isn't a single person's work.) I'd like the thank the ghost of Mr. Russell for his very useful book and next Wednesday there will be a new regular predictor.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

An exact date prediction takes precedence over the weekly schedule.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

4 June 2014

 Birthdays
Oona Chaplin b. 1986 (Game of Thrones)
Kerem Brusin b. 1987 (Sharktopus)
T.J. Miller b. 1981 (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Gulliver’s Travels. Cloverfield)
Angelina Jolie b. 1975 (Maleficent, Wanted, Beowulf, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Lara Croft, Cyborg 2)
Theo Rossi b. 1975 (The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Cloverfield, Jericho, Lost)
James Callis b. 1971 (Narcopolis, Caper, Arrow, Eureka, Merlin, FlashForward, Battlestar Galactica, Merlin and the Book of Beasts, Jason and the Argonauts [TV], Arabian Nights [TV])
Noah Wyle b. 1971 (Falling Skies, Lab Rats, The Librarian, Donnie Darko, Guinevere)
Sean Pertwee b. 1964 (Gotham, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, U.F.O., Camelot, Mutant Chronicles, Equilibrium, Tale of the Mummy, Event Horizon)
Lindsay Frost b. 1962 (Lost, The Ring, SeaQuest 2032, Monolith)
Julie White b. 1961 (Transformers, The Astronaut Farmer, War of the Worlds)
Keith David b. 1956 (Cloud Atlas, Animen: The Galactic Battle, Gamer, Superhero Movie, The Chronicles of Riddick, Pitch Black, Armageddon, Volcano, They Live, The Thing)
Parker Stevenson b. 1952 (Legend of the Seeker, Legion, Not of This Earth)
David Yip b. 1951 (Re-Evolution, Spirit Warriors, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Quatermass, Doctor Who)
Bruce Dern b. 1936 (The Hole, The Astronaut Farmer, World Gone Wild, Space, Silent Running, The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant, The Immortal, Land of the Giants, The Outer Limits)
Geoffrey Palmer b. 1927 (Doctor Who [2007 and 1970], Peter Pan, Alice Through the Looking Glass)
Ken Clark b. 1927 died 1 June 2009 (Invasion, 12 to the Moon, Attack of the Giant Leeches, On the Threshold of Space)
Judith Malina b. 1926 (The Addams Family [1991], The Queen of Sheba Meets the Atom Man)
Dennis Weaver b. 1924 died 24 February 2006 (Twilight Zone)
Howard Culver b. 1918 died 4 August 1984 (Halloween II, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Swarm, Project U.F.O., Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Twilight Zone, Space Patrol)
Clara Blandick b. 1880 died 15 April 1962 (The Wizard of Oz)

Last year the Picture Slot went to James Callis, best known for his role on Battlestar Galactica. This year it's Oona Chaplin, Charlie Chaplin's grand-daughter, the wife of Robb Stark on Game of Thrones. A brief word about the other folks with just one credit on the list. Clara Blandick was Auntie Em in The Wizard of Oz, so she has to be here. I saw Dennis Weaver's name in imdb.com and though he did nothing else in genre, he was in a Twilight Zone episode on the original series, and that's also an automatic mention in my book. Kerem Brusin in Sharktopus... okay, that's a little embarrassing.

Movies released
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban released 2004
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan released, 1982
 

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in his 1905 book A Hundred Years Hence

Prediction: Thus, during convalescence, the injured will suffer no discomfort except that of confinement, and our means of amusing the patient by talking machines that will read and sing to him, and the theatroscopes that will project before him moving and coloured pictures of life or the play, will make the sick bed almost a paradise.

Reality: Regular readers will recall that Russell was a condescending jerk about the improvements in medicine last week, but this week he redeems himself with correct predictions about radio and TV in hospital rooms. While Marconi's successful experiments begin in 1901, radio is not a commercial success until after World War I. Russell doesn't identify the technology that will make these wonders possible, but I would still have to give him full marks for a very forward thinking prediction.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Can our pal Lee de Forest get back in the groove he had predicting communication advances? The answer might surprise you! (Practicing my clickbait technique.)

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

 

28 May 2014

Birthdays
Jacob Kogan b. 1995 (The Tomorrow People, Star Trek [reboot])
Carey Mulligan b. 1985 (Never Let Me Go, Doctor Who)
Megalyn Echikunwoke b. 1983 (The 4400, Supernatural, Buffy, Sheena, Creature)
Alexa Davalos b. 1982 (Clash of the Titans, The Mist, The Chronicles of Riddick, Angel)
Monica Keena b. 1979 (Night of the Demons, Freddy vs. Jason, The Devil’s Advocate, Snow White: A Tale of Terror)
Jesse Bradford b. 1979 (Clockstoppers)
Kate Ashfield b. 1972 (Shaun of the Dead)
Glenn Quinn b. 1970 died 3 December 2002 (Angel)
Kylie Minogue b. 1968 (Doctor Who, Street Fighter)
Ashley Laurence b. 1966 (Hellraiser, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Christa Miller b. 1964 (The Andromeda Strain [2008], Clone High)
Julie T. Wallace b. 1961 (Speed Racer, Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible, The Fifth Element, Time Riders)
Townsend Coleman b. 1954 (The Tick)
Sandy Helberg b. 1949 (Mortal Kombat, Spaceballs)
Patricia Quinn b. 1944 (Doctor Who, The Box of Delights, Shock Treatment, Hawk the Slayer, Hammer House of Horror, Beauty and the Beast [TV], The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Zelda Rubenstein b. 1943 died 27 January 2010 (Southland Tales, Wishcraft, Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights, Little Witches, Timemaster, Tales from the Crypt, Teen Witch, Poltergeist)
Shane Rimmer b. 1932 (Dark Shadows [2012], Alien Autopsy, Mee-Shee: The Water Giant, Batman Begins, The War of the Starfighters, Space Truckers, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court, Year of the Comet, Space Police, Morons from Outer Space, Space, The Hunger, Superman II, Warlords of the Deep, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Space: 1999, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Rollerball, UFO, Doctor Who)
Ian Fleming b. 1908 died 12 August 1964 (author, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

If the first criterion is iconic roles, today's Picture Slot belongs to Zelda Rubenstein from the Poltergeist series of movies and TV. But for me, today's list highlighted my fickle relationship with voice acting work. I usually do not list voice work done by actors on my list, though I did include the narration of Thriller by Vincent Price yesterday. Townsend Coleman does a lot of voice work, but because of my particular interests, I only list his favorite role of mine as the lead on The Tick. Shane Rimmer is a Canadian Oh That Guy, but Google says he is best known for his voice work on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Thunderbirds Are Go!, which I didn't list. My rules about voice work are in place mostly to keep from typing all morning, but I readily admit that "rules" is a poor description of how I do the selection process when it comes to voice work and "idiosyncratic pickiness" is a more apt description.

And while on the topic of idiosyncratic behavior, I only include Ian Fleming's name since it has been so long since I used the Flying Cars HELLZ YEAH label.

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

 
Movies released
The Day After Tomorrow released 2004

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred years Hence, published in 1905

Prediction: Every forward step in medicine serves to save alive some weakling that in a less advanced civilisation would die; and these survivors, possibly propagating their species, will have weak descendants, on whom whatever possibility of disease continues to exist will certainly fasten.

Reality: For a guy who calls himself an optimist, Russell is kind of an asshole sometimes. Getting rid of diseases like TB, polio and the childhood ailments like measles and chicken pox hasn't weakened the gene pool, it's just cut down on the amount of random death and disability from an otherwise healthy population. I'm giving zero points for this creepy old fashioned stuff.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We re-arrange the regular weekly schedule for a birthday boy.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

7 May 2014

Birthdays
Maxwell Perry Cotton b. 2000 (Elysium)
Alexander Ludwig b. 1992 (The Hunger Games, Race to Witch Mountain)
Robbie Jarvis b. 1986 (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix)
Carrie Henn b. 1976 (Aliens)
Tracy Lords b. 1968 (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, D.R.E.A.M. Team, Blade, Virtuosity, Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II, Highlander [TV], The Tommyknockers, Super Force, Not of This Earth)
David Franklin b. 1962 (Farscape, Xena: Warrior Princess, The Matrix Reloaded, Time Trax)
Ned Bellamy b. 1957 (Resurrection, Under the Dome, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Twilight, Being John Malkovich, Starman [TV], Twilight Zone [1986], The Greatest American Hero)
John Fleck b. 1951 (True Blood, The World, Star Trek: Enterprise, Carnivale, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Modern Vampires, Millennium, Waterworld, Lois & Clark, Babylon 5: The Gathering, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Mutant on the Bounty, Max Headroom, Howard the Duck, Hard Rock Zombies)
Randall “Tex” Cobb b. 1950 (The X-Files, Highlander [TV])
Lee de Broux b. 1941 (Mars, The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Pumpkinhead, RoboCop, Max Headroom, Voyager from the Unknown, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, The Terminal Man)
Roger Perry b. 1933 (Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Thing with Two Heads, The Return of Count Yorga, Count Yorga, Vampire, The Invaders, Star Trek, The Munsters)
Gene Wolfe b. 1931 (won Nebula for The Claw of the Conciliator)
Darren McGavin b. 1922 died 25 February 2006 (The X-Files, Millennium, Captain America[1990], Firebird 2015 AD, The Martian Chronicles, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Six Million Dollar Man, Mission Mars)
David Tomlinson b. 1917 died 24 June 2000 (Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Mary Poppins)
Ishiro Honda b. 1911 died 28 February 1983 (director, Godzilla [1977], Mecha Godzilla, Ultraman Returns, Godzilla’s Revenge, Yog: Monster from Space, Latitude Zero, Destroy All Monsters, King Kong Escapes, The War of the Gargantuas, Invasion of the Astro Monster, Frankenstein Conquers the World, Ghidorah, Motrha vs. Godzilla, Atrtagon, Matango, Varan, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Gorath, Mothra, Battle in Outer Space, The H-Man, The Mysterians, Rodan, Godzilla, King of the Monsters!, Godzilla [1954])
Val Newton b. 1904 died 14 March 1951 (producer, Isle of the Dead, Cat People, The Curse of the Cat People, I Walked with a Zombie)

I think the best two known names from this list are Tracy Lords and Darren McGavin, both more famous for their work outside of genre. The most important name in genre is likely Ishiro Honda, director of a jillion Japanese monster movies. For my money, the Oh That Guy who could easily be in the Picture Slot is John Fleck, though I also have a soft spot for Randall "Tex" Cobb, mainly for his work in the non-genre Raising Arizona. But in the Picture Slot is Carrie Henn as Newt in Aliens, the only credit on her imdb.com page.

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

Movies released
Iron Man 2 released, 2010
 

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: [T]he chief gift of the sea to the life of the future will be the two gases of which water is composed oxygen and hydrogen : and the other gas, chlorine, which forms half the salt, as well as the metal sodium which forms the other half, will probably have many new uses found for them. Liquefied oxygen will no doubt be our sole disinfectant. It will also replace the poisonous, noisome and destructive bleaching agents used to-day. Hydrogen, the lightest of all gases, will be another staple of commerce. It will (as we have elsewhere seen) probably be the only fuel employed, for its combustion furnishes the greatest heat terrestrially known, and its flame is smokeless and yields no poisonous by-product.

Reality: Not T. Baron's best work. Breaking down the chemical bonds in sea water is not an easy gig. Hydrogen is certainly not "the only fuel employed" and "liquefied oxygen"... is that even a thing? I know liquid oxygen is, but that happens at scary low temperatures and is not used as a cleaning agent. That there are "new uses for sodium and chlorine" gives him some partial credit, but the whiffs on hydrogen and oxygen put this prediction in the "not so good" column.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Lee de Forest returns with another prediction that gets no points for originality and not much for accuracy either.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

30 April 2014

 Birthdays
Dianna Agron b. 1986 (I am Number Four, Heroes)
Gal Gadot b. 1985 (Justice League, Wonder Woman, Batman vs. Superman)
Kirsten Dunst b. 1982 (Melancholia, Spider-Man, The Crow: Salvation, Small Soldiers, Jumanji, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Kunal Nayyar b. 1981 (The Big Bang Theory)
Johnny Galecki b. 1975 (The Big Bang Theory, In Time, Vanilla Sky)
Michael Chaturantabut (Charmed, The Time Machine, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue)
Kevin Sizemore b. 1972 (Resurrection, Under the Dome, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Dollhouse, Supernova)
Adrian Pasdar b. 1965 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Heroes, Near Dark)
Perry King b. 1948 (The Day After Tomorrow, Slaughterhouse-Five)
Lars von Trier b. 1956 (Melancholia, Kingdom Hospital)
Gary Collins b. 1938 died 13 October 2012 (Watcher Reborn, The Fantastic Journey, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Sixth Sense [TV], King Kong vs. Godzilla)
Larry Niven b. 1938 (winner of 1971 Hugo and Nebula for Ringworld)
Cloris Leachman b. 1926 (Lake Placid 2, My Boyfriend’s Back, Hansel and Gretel [1987], Wonder Woman [1975], Young Frankenstein, Twilight Zone)
Al Lewis b. 1923 died 3 February 2006 (The Munsters, Lost in Space)
Phil Brown b. 1916 died 9 February 2006 (Superman, Star Wars: A New Hope, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Journey to the Unknown)
David Manners b. 1901 died 23 December 1998 (The Mummy [1932], Dracula [1931])

Last year I had the guys from The Big Bang Theory in the Picture Slot and there's a good chance they'll be in the slot a year from now. Other iconic choices would be Kirsten Dunst as Mary Jane Watson, Al Lewis as Grandpa Munster and Phil Brown as Uncle Owen in the original Star Wars. But instead, I went with Pretty Girl = Picture Slot and a little controversy, showing this picture of Gal Gadot, who will play Wonder Woman in a series of upcoming films. Ms. Gadot is 5'9" (175 cm), which is certainly tall enough, but fans are quick to point out:

1. She is not blue eyed.
2. To put it politely, she's not Lynda Carter.

As Spike Lee said a few years back, being an actor is not an easy gig. Both the fans and the people who hire you are constantly judging you by your looks, and the situation is more pronounced for women than for men.

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

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in his 1905 book A Hundred Years Hence

Prediction: In the next century all that will be necessary in order to multiply type-matter and illustrations in any number of colours will be to place the original on a pile of paper and expose it to the rays of some source of energy, when the whole matter will be impressed upon every sheet, and this not by any mere contact of type and process-blocks with paper (which involves serious difficulties, owing to the interference of the paper-surface with the grain of the etched " screen ") but by direct action of light, or of some influence taking the place of light, so that perfectly clear pictures will be produced. And news of all sorts will be the subject of this kind of illustration.

Reality: The printing process has gone through a lot of improvement since 1905, but putting an image on paper still requires ink in the vast majority of cases.

Never to be forgotten: Bob Hoskins 1942-2014

The British actor Bob Hoskins has died at the age of 71. I remember seeing him first in The Long Good Friday, a gangster film. I can't recall now if it was Siskel or Ebert who said he looked like a suit filled with bowling balls. He was short and stocky and in a lot of his roles, he was a guy you did not want to mess with. Among his roles in genre productions are Snow White and the Huntsman, Neverland, Doomsday, Wind in the Willows, Son of the Mask, The Lost World, Super Mario Bros., Hook, Brazil and of course Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Even when he played a complete heel, I found myself always wanting to like him.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another visit from Lee de Forest view of 2000 from his 1960 vantage point.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

23 April 2014

Birthdays
Alex Ferris b. 1997 (Eureka, Battlestar Galactica: The Plan, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Smallville, X-Men: The Last Stand, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1)
Jesse Lee Sofer b. 1984 (In Time)
Jamie King b. 1979 (Sin City, The Spirit)
Kal Penn b. 1977 (Superman Returns, Son of the Mask, Angel, Sabina, The Teenage Witch, Buffy)
John Hannah b. 1962 (Atlantis [2013], The Mummy, Carnivale, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [2003], The Mummy and spin-offs)
Jan Hooks b. 1957 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Coneheads, Batman Returns)
Blair Brown b. 1946 (Fringe, Falling Skies, Dark Shadows [TV movie 2005], Smallville, The Astronaut’s Wife, Space, Altered States, Dracula[TV movie 1973])
Lee Majors b. 1939 (Lightspeed, Jake 2.0, The Six Million Dollar Man & spin-offs, Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land)
Alan Oppenheimer b. 1930 (Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Invisible: The Chronicles of Benjamin Knight, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Knight Rider, The Six Million Dollar Man, Westworld, Bewitched, Gammera the Invincible, I Dream of Jeannie)

A very short birthday list today, only nine people. On the plus side, all of them are alive. Yay! Another plus is a two-for-one in the Picture Slot, with Lee Majors, the guy with the most iconic role on the list, and a great "Oh That Guy!" Alan Oppenheimer, who was the second actor to play Dr. Rudy Wells on The Six Million Dollar Man.

Many happy returns to everyone on the list.
 

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: Naturally the bedrooms of the new age will have many amenities lacking to our own. It is not too much to anticipate that we shall have learned enough of plumbing to be able to connect baths, wash-basins and other necessary fittings with the drains without poisoning ourselves, and the inconvenient modern " washstand " with its unreticent adjuncts will decently disappear.

Reality: Yay, indoor plumbing! We fitted the sumbitches with drains and didn't poison ourselves... much. Full points for our pal T. Baron today.

I would also like to point out that the somewhat archaic word unreticent means noisy. I am an unreticent adjunct myself, but I have no intention of disappearing, decently or otherwise.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Dr. Lee de Forest is back, but he's not as good at predicting transportation as he was at communication.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

16 April 2014

 Birthdays
Jordana Beatty b. 1998 (Superman Returns, Legend of the Seeker)
Rhiana Griffith b. 1985 (Pitch Black)
Gina Carano b. 1982 (Almost Human)
Lukas Haas b. 1976 (Touch, Inception, The Twilight Zone, Breakfast of Champions, Mars Attacks!, Solar Babies, Amazing Stories, Testament)
Sean Maher b. 1975 (Arrow, Warehouse 13. Serenity/Firefly)
Karl Yune b. 1975 (Real Steel, Speed Racer, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid)
Peter Billingsley b. 1971 (producer, Iron Man, Zathura)
Jon Cryer b. 1965 (The Outer Limits, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Amazing Stories)
Boyd Banks b. 1964 (Mr. Babysitter’s a Vampire, Lost Girl, Diary of the Dead, The Fountain, Land of the Dead, Phil the Alien, Wonderfalls, Dawn of the Dead)
Ricco Ross b. 1960 (Caper, Bite Me, Hydra, Babylon 5, Highlander, Timelock, Gulliver’s Travels [1996], The Tomorrow People [1992], Doctor Who, Aliens)
Ellen Barkin b. 1954 (Buckaroo Banzai)
Jay O. Sanders b. 1953 (Green Lantern, The Day After Tomorrow)
Billy West b. 1950 (Futurama, 2084, Invader ZIM, Samurai Jack, countless other voice work)
David Graf b. 1950 (Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Lois & Clark, Quantum Leap)
Barry Nelson b. 1919 died 7 April 2007 (The Shining, Battlestar Galactica, Twilight Zone)

If I included all voice work done by actors when making the lists of appearances, I could be typing all morning. But I do make the exception, and voice actor Billy West deserves it. While there have been many animated hit shows this century, I have my personal favorites and Invader ZIM is certainly one of them.

Many happy returns to the living on the list and to Barry Nelson, always glad to include an actor from the original Twilight Zone.


Movies released
Kick-Ass released, 2010

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: Where improved facilities for travel enable men to live at a great distance from their work, the same facilities will enable their wives to do their shopping in the centres of commerce. Consequently, except for a few highly perishable commodities, such as milk, butter and the like, small shopkeepers in residential neighbourhoods will be driven out of business, as they are in fact already being driven out of it in the suburbs and dependencies of all large cities.

Reality: Russell could be docked a point or two for not realizing women would be a major part of the workforce in the 21st Century, but the idea of greater distances to get stuff in the suburbs explains California to a tee. I've only visited a few suburbs in other states and they didn't seem all that different. He also writes about large department stores killing smaller businesses, which of course sounds a lot like Walmart.

Nice job, Mr. Russell.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Breaking up the regular schedule for a prediction from a 1981 Byte magazine cover that is going viral right now.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
   

9 April 2014

 Birthdays
Isaac Hempstead Wright b. 1999 (Game of Thrones)
Elle Fanning b. 1998 (Maleficent, Super 8, The Lost Room)
Kristen Stewart b. 1990 (Snow White and the Huntsman, Twilight, Jumper, Zathura: A Space Adventure)
Lili Mirojnick b. 1984 (Grimm, Cloverfield)
Jay Baruchel b. 1982 (RoboCop, This is the End, Being Human, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, The Worst Witch, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Matthew Blackheart: Monster Smasher)
Cynthia Nixon b. 1966 (The Outer Limits, Addams Family Values, The Manhattan Project)
Mark Pellegrino b. 1965 (The Tomorrow People, Being Human, Revolution, Grimm, Supernatural, Lost, NYPD 2069, Astronauts, The X-Files, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Knight Rider 2010)
Fred Dekker b. 1959 (writer, Star Trek: Enterprise, RoboCop 3, The Monster Squad, House I and II)
Dennis Quaid b. 1954 (Legion, Pandorum, G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra, The Day After Tomorrow, DragonHeart, Wilder Napalm, Innerspace, Dreamscape, The Right Stuff, Jaws 3-D)
Marty Krofft b. 1937 (producer, Land of the Lost, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Wonderbug, Dr, Shrinker, The Krofft Supershow, Far Out Space Nuts, The Lost Saucer, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, H.R. Pufnstuf)
Aubrey Woods b. 1928 died 7 May 2013 (Blakes 7, Z.P.G., Doctor Who, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Abominable Dr. Phibes)
Michael Ward b. 1909 died 8 November 1997 (Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell)

In honor of Game of Thrones coming back on the air, the Picture Slot goes to young Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays Bran Stark. This is a shot from the first episode where we meet the Stark clan, including Jon Snow, also in the picture, Ned Stark's bastard who knows nothing. Quite often, the youngest names on the list have done a lot of work I haven't seen, but the three actors under 30, Wright, Fanning and Stewart, are three of the best known faces on the list, ranking with TV star Cynthia Nixon and movie star Dennis Quaid. Marty Krofft's face isn't well known, but some of his creations will not leave my memory no matter how hard I try.

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

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in One Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: We must have, instead of moving pictures, something which represents all objects as solid. The difference is the difference between an ordinary photograph and a highly-improved stereoscopic picture magnified to life-size. When these advantages are attained it will be possible to represent, exactly as it happened, any event which has been suitably photographed.

Reality: 3-D pictures certainly exist, as do 3-D movies. The most recent development that meets his "any event which has been suitably photographed" criterion is the 360 degree camera work that is used in replays of sporting events, most notably basketball. I give him full marks here. Nicely done, Mr. Russell.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

 Our Thursday regular Lee de Forest moves away from his field of expertise in communications and predicts the future of transportation, with less stellar results.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

2 April 2014

 Birthdays

Jesse Plemons b. 1988 (Battleship, Paul)
Shawn Roberts b. 1984 (Resident Evil, A Little Bit Zombie, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Supernatural, Flash Gordon [TV], Jumper, Diary of the Dead, Skinwalkers, Land of the Dead, Starhunter, Earth: Final Conflict, X-Men, Goosebumps)
Lindy Booth b. 1979 (Supernatural, Kick-Ass 2, Warehouse 13, Category 7: The End of the World, The 4400, Dawn of the Dead, Star Hunter [TV], Odyssey 5, Mutant X, Earth: Final Conflict, Eerie Indiana: The Other Dimension)
Michael Fassbinder b. 1977 (Prometheus, X-Men: Days of Future Past, X-Men: First Class, Jonah Hex, Hex [TV])
Jamison Newlander b. 1970 (The Lost Boys, The Blob)
Clark Gregg b. 1962 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Avengers, Thor, Iron Man, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Kevin Bernhardt b, 1961 (Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, Superboy)
Christopher Meloni b. 1961 (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Man of Steel, True Blood, Carriers, Target Earth, Twelve Monkeys)
Joan D. Vinge b. 1948 (won 1981 Hugo for The Snow Queen)
Linda Hunt b. 1945 (Carnivale, Dragonfly, Third Stone from the Sun, Space Rangers [TV], Dune)
Roshan Seth b. 1942 (Street Fighter, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Dabs Greer b. 1917 died 28 April 2007 (House IV, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Werewolf [TV], Starman [TV], The Greatest American Hero, Shazam! [TV], The Invaders, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, It! The Terror from Beyond Space, Adventures of Superman, The Vampire, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, House of Wax)
Sir Alec Guinness b. 1914 died 8/5/2000 (Star Wars, The Man in the White Suit)
Hans Christian Anderson b. 1805 died 4 August 1875 (author, The Snow Queen)

Sir Alec thought of the role in Star Wars as slumming, but there is no question that if the criterion is iconic, he's the winner on this list. Some second of April in the future I might have Clark Gregg or Michael Fassbinder in the Picture Slot, maybe even Dabs Greer if I'm in an Oh That Guy mood, but it's hard to see Sir Alec's name on the list and give the honor to someone else.

It is an odd coincidence that Joan D. Vinge and Hans Christian Anderson are born on the same day and both wrote famous works entitled The Snow Queen. Anderson wrote a lot of other fairy tales, but since his work is the source material for the movie Frozen, this one might be the best known in 2014.

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

Movies released
Clash of the Titans released, 2010

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in his 1905 book A Hundred Years Hence

Prediction: The news considered most important a hundred years hence will probably be news as to developments of public opinion.

Reality: Since following polling data is one of my other hobbies,  I'm not the most objective judge on this question. I would say it's important but I would shy away from "most important". I give Russell some credit because taking opinion polls back in 1905 was a very difficult task and even the math that makes modern opinion polling possible wasn't fully understood until about World War II. I might not give this prediction an A, but it's certainly no worse than a B.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Lee de Forest visits again, still forecasting advances in communication, his field of expertise.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

12 March 2014

Birthdays
Jaimie Alexander b. 1984 (Thor, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultradome, Kyle XY)
Aaron Eckhart b. 1968 (I, Frankenstein, Battle Los Angeles, The Dark Knight, Paycheck, The Core, Aliens in the Family)
Titus Welliver b. 1961 (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Grimm, Lost, Jericho, Star Trek: Voyager, Total Recall 2070 [TV], The X-Files)
Jason Beghe b. 1960 (X-Men: First Class, The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Alien Nation [TV])
Chris Sanders b. 1960 (writer, The Croods, How to Train Your Dragon, Lilo & Stitch, Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast)
Jim Sharman b. 1945 (director, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Shock Treatment)
Harry Harrison b. 1925 died 15 August 2012 (author, Bill the Galactic Hero, The Stainless Steel Rat, Make Room! Make Room!)
Frank Overton b. 1918 died 24 April 1967 (Star Trek, The Invaders, Twilight Zone)
Alfred Abel b. 1879 died 3 December 1937 (Metropolis)

Last year, the Picture Slot belonged to the very pretty Jaimie Alexander, best known as Sif in the Thor movies, but this year it's the Oh That Guy actor Frank Overton, who besides being on Star Trek and The Twilight Zone (twice) had important supporting roles in big movies like Fail-Safe and To Kill a Mockingbird. Overton died at the age of 49, only about a month after his Star Trek episode aired. (This is the one where Spock and other members of the away team go all hippie/pacifist and Kirk can only break the spell by getting Spock to fight him. The best known line from this episode is Kirk's taunt that Spock belongs in a freak show, "right next to the dog-faced boy".)

I almost went with Alfred Abel, the top-billed actor in Metropolis, but he isn't the most iconic image. He plays the industrialist who runs the show, but the most famous images are the robot Maria, played by Brigette Helm, and the mad scientist, played by Rudolf Klein-Rogge. Both of them are definitely in the running for the Picture Slot on their birthdays.  

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

Movies released
The Andromeda Strain released, 1971
  

Predictor: T. Baron Russell from his 1905 book A Hundred Years Hence

Prediction: (People will see the) eating of dead bodies as very little better than cannibalism. Moreover, the constantly increasing demand of the new age upon bodily and nervous energies will call for nourishment suited to their supply. This, and the tastefulness of second-hand food, will banish all flesh from the bill of fare. Fish will be eaten longer than meat.

Reality: So, Russell not only wanted to get rid of alcohol and make coffee and tea difficult to buy, he was also some militant vegan.

I get the strong feeling if we were alive concurrently, we wouldn't be pals.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Our new Thursday regular Lee de Forest gets another prediction about the year 2000 right from his vantage point in 1960.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

5 March 2014

Birthdays
Jake Lloyd b. 1989 (Star Wars: Episode 1: Don’t Make Me Type the Name)
Riki Lindhome b. 1979 (Big Bang Theory, Buffy)
Jolene Blalock b. 1975 (Legend of the Seeker, Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, Star Trek: Enterprise, Stargate SG-1, Jason and the Argonauts [TV])
Eva Mendes b. 1974 (The Spirit, Holy Motors, Ghost Rider, Mortal Kombat:Conquest [TV])
Matt Lucas b. 1974 (Alice in Wonderland [2010], Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Shaun of the Dead)
Paul Blackthorne b. 1969 (Arrow, Warehouse 13, The Dresden Files)
Aasif Mandvi b. 1966 (The Last Airbender, Jericho, Spider-Man 2)
David Fury b. 1959 (writer/actor, Fringe, Terra Nova, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, Lost, Angel, Buffy)
Adriana Barraza b. 1956 (Thor)
Samantha Eggar b. 1939 (The Astronaut’s Wife, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Demonoid: Messenger of Death, The Brood, Doctor Doolittle [1967])
Dean Stockwell b. 1936 (The Dunwich Horror [2009 and 1970], Battlestar Galactica, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek: Enterprise, Phenomenon: The Lost Archives, CQ, They Nest, Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights, The Langoliers, Lois & Clark, Quantum Leap, The Twilight Zone [1989 and 1962], Dune, The Boy with Green Hair)
James Sikking b. 1934 (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Outland, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, Man From Atlantis, The Terminal Man, Six Million Dollar Man, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, The Invaders, My Favorite Martian, The Outer Limits)

I'll admit it. Yesterday's birthday list was lacking in star power, but today's is much better. Last year, I had Jolene Blalock in the Picture Slot, both a fabulous babe and a regular on a Star Trek series. This year it's Dean Stockwell, a long career, a well-known face and a lot of his most memorable work in genre. I don't know who will get the Picture Slot next year, but it's probably not the youngest person, for reasons I don't think I need to explain.

Many happy returns to everyone on the list, all of whom are still alive. How about that? 
 

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence: The Expectations of an Optimist, published 1905

Prediction: I do not think that people will, within the next hundred years at all events, travel to and from work in flying-machines… But, as a means of amusement, the idea of aerial travel has great promise. Small one-man flying-machines, or the aerial counterpart of tandem bicycles, will no doubt be common enough. We shall fly for pleasure; and just as thousands of working men and women now take a Saturday-afternoon spin on a bicycle, so they will go for a sky-trip, and visit interesting mountain-tops for (non-alcoholic) picnics. The bicycle or the motor-cycle will perhaps be the point of development.

Reality: This week's prediction is very close to one hundred eighty degrees from correct. People do travel to and from work on planes, though few commute every day this way. People do travel by air for fun, but planes aren't much like tandem bicycles or motorcycles with wings. A plane is too expensive for the average working person to have one for weekend joyrides. And then there's Russell's dislike of alcohol, which sneaks into this prediction. Our pal T. Baron also thought eating meat and even drinking coffee and tea would be on the way out by the 21st Century, and on these points he and I part company. In moderation and at their appointed hours, caffeine, animal flesh and alcohol are among mankind's greatest blessings.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The new regular Thursday predictor Lee de Forest shows up for the second time, looking at the 21st Century from his vantage point in 1960.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

26 February 2014

Birthdays
Taylor Dooley b. 1993 (Monster Night, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3-D)
Teresa Palmer b. 1986 (Parts Per Billion, Warm Bodies, I Am Number Four, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, The Grudge 2)
Shiloh Fernandez b. 1985 (Evil Dead, Red Riding Hood, Dead Girl, Jericho)
Drew Goddard b. 1975 (writer, The Cabin in the Woods, Cloverfield, Lost, Angel, Buffy)
Marc Dacascos b. 1964 (Mortal Kombat: Legacy [TV], Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight, Wolvesbayne, The Middleman, Stargate: Atlantis, I am Omega, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven [TV}, The Island of Dr, Moreau, The Flash [TV], The Brotherhood of the Wolf)
Chase Masterson b. 1963 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Digital Man, Sliders)
Marta Kristen b. 1945 (Lost in Space [1998 and 1965], Battle Beyond the Stars, Project U.F.O.)
Lawrence Montaigne b. 1931 (Escape to Witch Mountain, Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Batman, The Time Tunnel)
Tony Randall b. 1920 died 17 May 2004 (The Seven Faces of Dr, Lao, The Brass Bottle)
Mason Adams b. 1919 died 26 April 2005 (From the Earth to the Moon, Not of this Earth, Toy Soldiers, Omen III: The Final Conflict, Revenge of the Stepford Wives)
Theodore Sturgeon b 1918 died 8 may 1985 (author, More Than Human, Amok Time)
Dane Clark b. 1912 died 11 February 1998 (The Twilight Zone)

So, thinking about iconic. Chase Masterson at Leeta or Lawrence Montaigne as Stonn would be easily recognizable, but I take a lot of stills from Star Trek and decided to give the show a day off. I could go with Ted Sturgeon or even Tony Randall from The Seven Faces of Dr. Lao, but instead I chose Marta Kristen from Lost in Space, a show that to its credit had three female characters in the cast, more than any other sci-fi show from the 1960s. To its discredit, those three characters had almost nothing to do, the show devolving into the "Dr. Smith, Will and the Robot Show".

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

  

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published in 1905

Prediction: Canada, for one example, has an area greater than that of the United States, with a population smaller than the population of Greater London. And Canada, endowed as it is with almost every source of wealth, will before long become perhaps the richest country in the world. By this time next century it will also be one of the most populous.

Reality:  Ummm... no.  It's 37th on the most populous country list, just behind Uganda. There are more Californians that there are Canadians. Maybe climate change will warm the place up some, but until that day, way too much of Canada is too cold for most people to want to live there.

In their favor, they are a country rich in natural resources and they have done a great job in hockey, eh? But that tar sand stuff. I wish they would reconsider.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We get a new Thursday regular predictor tomorrow. Who will it be?

To find out, join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

19 February 2014

Birthdays
Luke Pasqualino b. 1989 (Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome)
Arielle Kebbel b. 1985 (The After, The Vampire Diaries, True Blood, Vampires, Suck, The Grudge 2, Aquamarine)
Josh Trank b. 1985 (director, Chronicle, Fantastic Four [2015])
Caroline Chikezie b. 1974 (Supernatural, Torchwood, AEon Flux)
Benicio Del Toro b. 1967 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Thor: The Dark World, The Wolfman, Sin City)
Jessica Tuck b. 1963 (Grimm, True Blood, Super 8, FlashForward, Lois & Clark)
Ray Winstone b. 1957 (Snow White and the Huntsman, Elfie Hopkins: Cannibal Hunter, Hugo, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, The Devil’s Tomb, Beowulf, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
Jeff Daniels b. 1955 (Looper, My Favorite Martian [1999], Pleasantville, Grand Tour: Disaster in Time, Arachnophobia)
David Margulies b. 1937 (Ghostbusters I and II)
John Frankenheimer b. 1930 died 6 July 2002 (director, The Island of Dr. Moreau [1996], Prophecy, Seconds)
Lee Marvin b. 1924 died 29 August 1987 (Twilight Zone)

While Jeff Daniels might be the best known name from the list, I see an interesting pattern with three other well known birthday boys from this day, Lee Marvin, Ray Winstone and Benicio Del Toro, all known for playing tough guy roles. The industry was such back in the day that Lee Marvin could have a long successful career with only two roles in genre productions, both of them on the original Twilight Zone. Winstone is British, and a lot of British actors can avoid being in fantasy or sci-fi if they stay in England and avoid Doctor Who. Almost all of Winstone's genre work is in American productions. Del Toro plays a lot of cops and hoods, but with The Wolfman and definitely with Guardians of the Galaxy, he's shown his willingness to be in sci-fi and fantasy films. (Note that I count Sin City as genre, though imdb.com doesn't. Another Del Toro movie that is on the cusp is Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.)

And after all that exposition, who is in The Picture Slot? Jessica Tuck from True Blood, who plays the vampire who goes on news programs in True Blood. Yep, I went with the fabulous babe. I have no idea who will get the Picture Slot next year.

Many happy returns of the day to all the birthday boys and girls on the list still numbered among the living, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
 

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in his book A Hundred Years Hence: The Expectations of an Optimist, published in 1905

Prediction: We may take it as quite certain that war as an institution will be as obsolete as gladiators in the year 2000. Even if the increasing amenity of the human race did not abolish war, two other things would be certain to do so. One is the enormous development, already clearly in sight, of the means of destruction: the other the revolt of the peoples against the stupendous cost, not merely or chiefly in time of war, but also in time of peace, of modern armaments. The rising tide of educated democracy must inevitably banish war.

Reality: Well, he said he was an optimist right in the title of the book, didn't he? He's making this guess even before the two catastrophes of the World Wars. It's my view that the most important feature of modern history is that the end of World War II is nearly seven decades ago and we haven't had another shooting war between the most industrialized nations of the world. That would be sign we are learning not to use the most horrible weapons we can devise, but it hasn't stopped us from the escalation of "the stupendous cost... of modern armaments", especially in the United States.

My main worry is that so many bad things are fading from living memory, people might decide we can afford to go back to the bad practices of the past. We are definitely seeing this in the dismantling efforts of the social safety net and the attack on Social Security, a program that lifted major percentages of the elderly and disabled out of poverty for decades. I can only hope that no major industrialized nation in the future decides war on another major power. The cost in capital, human lives and environmental damage would be off the charts.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Our new regular predictor on Thursday makes his debut tomorrow. Who will it be and what kind of future will be foretold?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

29 January 2014

Birthdays
Isabel Lucas b. 1985 (Immortals, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Daybreakers)
Justin Hartley b. 1977 (Smallville)
Sara Gilbert b. 1975 (The Big Bang Theory)
Heather Graham b. 1970 (From Hell, Lost in Space [1998])
Sam Trammell b. 1969 (True Blood, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem)
Michael Ferris b. 1961 (writer, Terminator Salvation, Terminator 3, The Net, Catwoman)
Ann Jillian b. 1950 (Twilight Zone)
Marc Singer b. 1948 (V [2011 and 1983 ], Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], Highlander [TV], Beastmaster, Planet of the Apes [TV])
Tom Selleck b, 1945 (Runaway)
Katharine Ross b. 1940 (Donnie Darko, The Final Countdown, The Stepford Wives)
Paddy Chayefsky b. 1923 died 1 August 1981 (author, Altered States)

There are a lot of famous names on the list today who have only one role in genre, including Paddy Chayefsky, Tom Selleck, Ann Jillian and Sara Gilbert. Ms. Jillian was a just a kid when she was on the original Twilight Zone and like with Star Trek, that will always get a mention here. Sara Gilbert is on The Big Bang Theory, one of the shows that I think is worth a label.

But the Picture Slot belongs Marc Singer from The Beastmaster. Even the Wikipedia page for the movie remembers how unavoidable it was on cable TV in the 1980s, when, according to the jokes, TBS stood for "The Beastmaster Station" and HBO was "Hey, Beastmaster's On!" While many of Singer's best known roles are in fantasy and sci-fi, but it should be noted that at the beginning of his career, he was cast in "high brow" television productions like Taming of the Shrew and Cyrano de Bergerac in major roles, Petruchio and Christian respectively.

And then he became the Beastmaster. I'm sure his parents are so proud.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to Paddy Chayefsky... to be honest, I liked Network and Marty better than Altered States.

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: Already the study of the psychical side of man has been the means of extraordinary discoveries. Our knowledge of hypnotism, suggestion, thought-transference and similar psychological wonders, obscured though it has unhappily been by charlatanism and the importation into the subject of irrelevant follies, has great promise for the future man, whose psychical faculties will unquestionably develop at the expense of his animal instincts.

Reality: Russell is not alone in assuming psychic powers will be proven possible in the future. At least he admits there are charlatans in the field, which Heinlein failed to do when he predicted psychics used in the military in the 21st Century back in 1956. I scoff at this prediction, but if The Men Who Stare at Goats is even a little bit true, the Army spent a bunch of cash in this century trying to weaponize people with psychic powers and the Soviets had done likewise last Century.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Asimov still has a few more predictions from 1964 to be discussed, so we hear from him in his regular Thursday slot.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

22 January 2014

 Birthdays
Sami Gayle b. 1996 (Vampire Academy)
Matthew Newton b. 1977 (Queen of the Damned, Farscape, The Lost World[TV])
Balthazar Getty b. 1975 (Feast, Charmed, Judge Dredd)
Olivia d’Abo b. 1969 (Invader ZIM, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Eureka, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Conan the Destroyer) Diane Lane b. 1965 (Man of Steel, Judge Dredd, Jumper)
Linda Blair b. 1959 (The Exorcist, Supernatural, Scream, Repossesed)
Michael Kospa b. 1956 (Arrow, Supernatural, Fringe, Apollo 18, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Watchmen, Eureka, The 4400, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Fantastic Four, Dark Angel, Stargate SG-1, The Outer Limits [1996], The X-Files, Highlander [TV])
John Hurt b. 1940 (Alien, Doctor Who, Harry Potter, Outlander, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, V for Vendetta, Hellboy, Nineteen Eighty-Four)
Bill Bixby b. 1934 died 21 November 1993 (The Incredible Hulk, My Favorite Martian, Twilight Zone)
Piper Laurie b. 1932 (Bad Blood, Dead Like Me, The Faculty, The Twilight Zone, Return to Oz, Carrie)
Robert Halmi Sr. (producer, Riverworld, Flash Gordon [TV], Hogfather, Dinotopia, Jason and the Argonauts [TV], Alice in Wonderland [TV], Gulliver’s Travels [TV])
Robert E. Howard b. 1906 died 11 June 1936 (author, Conan, Kull, Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane)

If I was looking for the best known face on the list, it would depend on the age of the reader. People my age might well choose Bill Bixby, but he's now been dead for 21 years, so younger audiences might only dimly recognize him. John Hurt is another excellent choice for the Picture Slot based on fame, and Linda Blair in her iconic role is another. Any of the actresses qualify using the Pretty Girl = Picture Slot criterion, but after all that, you are now looking at a picture of Robert E. Howard, the pulp fiction writer from the 1920s and 1930s, a man who died at the age of 30 who produced an astonishing number of stories. A lot of his fame now is attributable to a resurgence of interest in his most famous character Conan the Barbarian in the 1960s, some thirty years after he died, when some clever paperback publisher commissioned Frank Frazetta to paint the cover art for Conan and the books flew off of the shelves.

Many happy returns to the living on the list, and to Robert E. Howard and Bill Bixby, thanks for all the memories.
 

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: Although, in some of their characteristics, they will be greatly ameliorated, advertisements may very likely still constitute one ground of discontent with the newspaper of the future.

Reality: Yeah, they are a ground of discontent because they barely exist anymore, especially the classifieds. It would be too much to ask for someone from 1905 to predict the effect of the Internet on daily life 100 years into the future, though E.M. Forster's 1909 science fiction story The Machine Stops has an entity that is at least metaphorically a lot like the Internet today.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Once again, Isaac Asimov is back to tell us about 2014 from his vantage point in 1964.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

8 January 2014

Birthdays
Freddie Stroma b. 1987 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Rachel Nichols b. 1980 (Continuum, Conan the Barbarian, Star Trek, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, The Amityville Horror)
Sarah Polley b. 1979 (The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, eXistenZ, Dawn of the Dead, Mr. Nobody)
Amber Benson b. 1977 (Buffy, Gryphon, Supernatural)
Michelle Forbes b. 1965 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Escape from L.A., Battlestar Galactica, True Blood)
John McTiernan b. 1951 (Director, Predator, Last Action Hero, Rollerball [2002])
David Bowie b. 1947 (The Man Who Fell to Earth, Labyrinth, The Hunger)
Terry Brooks b. 1944 (Shannara series)
Yvette Mimieux b. 1942 (The Time Machine, The Black Hole, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm)
Joan Freeman b. 1942 (Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, Death Moon, Project U.F.O., Land of the Giants, The Outer Limits, Panic in the Year Zero!)
Boris Vallejo b. 1941 (graphic artist)
Roy Kinnear b. 1934 died 20 September 1988 (The Avengers[TV], Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland[1972], Blakes 7)
Kerwin Mathews b. 1926 died 5 July 2007 (The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, Jack the Giant Killer, Octaman, Battle Beneath the Earth, The Boy who Cried Werewolf, Nightmare in Blood)
Jose Ferrer b. 1912 died 26 January 1992 (Dune, The Swarm, Dracula’s Dog, The Amazing Captain Nemo, Exo-Man, The Sentinel)
William Hartnell b. 1908 died 23 April 1975 (Doctor Who)
Gene Roth b. 1903 died 19 July 1976 (Twilight Zone, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Earth vs. the Spider, She Demons, Zombies of Mora Tau, Red Planet Mars, Mysterious Island [1951])

This is a heck of a birthday list. Sci-fi and fantasy from the 1950s to the 2010s is represented. We have the first Doctor Who, one of Ray Harryhausen's favorite leading men, a bona fide rock star, a great comic actor in Roy Kinnear and a whole of actresses younger than I am who qualify for Pretty Girl = Picture Slot. In Jose Ferrer, we have a respected actor whose later career took a turn into the cheese, not unlike the beloved Vincent Price. Our "Oh, That Guy!" representative is Gene Roth, a tall actor who lasted a long time in the business and in later years played cops, military officers and judges a lot. But the slot goes to the lovely Yvette Mimieux, best known in genre for he work in The Time Machine.

To the living, many happy returns of the day and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
 

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: And one thing which the intelligently-elected Parliaments of the new age will assuredly discover is this principle : that it is not good for the State that any one man, or any one associated body of men, should possess an inordinate amount of wealth.

Reality: Well, this presents a problem. It isn't good for the state to have plutocrats, but since Russell specifically requires "intelligently-elected Parliaments", we are very unlikely to see this prediction tested in our lifetimes.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another visit from Isaac Asimov making his forecast for 2014 from 1964.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

1 January 2014

Birthdays
Verne Troyer b. 1969 (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Mighty Joe Young, Men in Black)
Stanley Kamel b. 1943 died 8 April 2008 (Dark Skies [1996], Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Frank Langella b. 1938 (Superman Returns, The Ninth Gate, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Masters of the Universe, Dracula [1979])
Dana Andrews b. 1909 died 17 December 1992 (Twilight Zone, Curse of the Demon)
E.M. Forster b. 1879 died 7 June 1970 (author, The Machine Stops)

Welcome to the future, friends! 2014, oh what wonders await us!

The birthday list is short today and The Picture Slot is given to Frank Langella, who gets my vote as the prettiest Dracula of all time. Dana Andrews had a good career in the movies, but did show up in one low budget 1950s monster movie and also had a role on the original Twilight Zone, which is almost always worth a mention on this blog. E.M. Forster is best known for the book that were turned into movies, including A Passage to India, A Room with a View and Howard's End, but he did write some speculative fiction as well, most notably The Machine Stops in 1909, which is a strong metaphor for what the Internet has become in modern life.

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

Prediction: Account books, invoices, and all similar documents will doubtless be written by a convenient and compendious form of combined calculating machine and typewriter, which we may suppose to be called the numeroscriptor. It will, of course, be capable of writing anywhere on a book or on a loose sheet, on a flat surface or on an irregular one. It will make any kind of calculation required. Even such operations as the weighing and measurement of goods will all be done by automatic machinery, capable of recording without any possibility of error the quantity and values of goods submitted to its operation.

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published in 1905

Reality: Before the Internet showed up, a "combined calculating machine and typewriter" was a very good description of a personal computer, and he's right about the automation of weighing and measuring goods. I'll give him 9.5 of 10 on this one, docking a half point for the awful coined word "numeroscriptor".

This month's splash illustration: Bruno Delussu designs concept cars that definitely have the retrofuture feeling to them. This one is the Bugatti Stratos, a completely impractical contraption that looks so damn cool, I don't even care that you could probably do about $20,000 body damage hitting a pothole. It's just so pretty, isn't it?

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A double dose of our favorite 20th Century muttonchops.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
  

18 December 2013

 Birthdays
Katie Holmes b. 1978 (Batman Begins)
Josh Dallas b. 1981 (Once Upon a Time, Thor, Doctor Who)
Anna Walton b. 1980 (Hellboy II, Mutant Chronicles)
Julian Arahanga b. 1972 (The Matrix, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Victoria Pratt b. 1970 (Mutant X, Cleopatra 2525, Xena)
Casper Van Dien b. 1968 (Dracula 3000, Sleepy Hollow[1999], Starship Troopers)
Brad Pitt b. 1963 (World War Z, Meet Joe Black, Twelve Monkeys, Interview with the Vampire)
Jeff Kober b. 1953 (V, Alien Nation, The X-Files, Tank Girl, Kindred: The Embraced, Charmed, Star Trek: Voyager, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Hills Have Eyes II)
Steven Spielberg b. 1946 (director, War of the Worlds, Minority Report, A.I., Jurassic Park, Raiders of the Lost Ark, E.T., Hook)
Alan Rudolph b. 1943 (director, Breakfast of Champions)
Keith Richards b. 1943 (Pirates of the Caribbean)
Michael Moorcock b. 1939 (writer, Elric of Melnibone)
Alfred Bester b. 1913 died 9/30/1987 (won 1953 Hugo for The Demolished Man)

Wow. That's a heck of a birthday list. There are several choices for Pretty Girls to put in the Picture Slot, Brad Pitt is an honest to Odin A-List actor and we have a bunch of people whose best known role is in a genre film or TV show. But for me, the Picture Slot has to go either to Alfred Bester or the guy you are looking at. I'm old enough to remember when Francis Ford Coppola, George Lucas, Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg were all put in the same category, but as time has progressed, Spielberg and Scorsese continued doing successful and respected work and Lucas and Coppola have faded.

As important as Star Wars and Star Trek are to the progress of science fiction films and TV, Spielberg is both tremendously successful and an artist people take seriously, and the fact that he still champions science fiction film making along side his serious historical dramas shows how integral the genre is to the industry today. Spielberg's sci-fi movies have done as much for the genre as John Ford's best work did for both the success and the status of the Westerns.

Many happy returns of the day to all our birthday boys and girls, and to Alfred Bester, thanks for all the memories.

Movies released
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers released, 2002
Avatar released, 2009

James Cameron may be an egocentric wanker, but he does know how to make a jillion dollar movie. Peter Jackson seems like a nicer fellow, and he also seems to know how to milk a huge sum out of an audience.

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, publish in 1905

Prediction: [I]t may with perfect safety be predicted of the master's cane a hundred years hence that it will be found only in museums, and (whether rightly or wrongly) be regarded as a relic of degrading barbarism. One reason why corporal punishment will have to be abolished is that boys and girls will certainly be educated together instead of apart.

Reality: What I love most about the predictions from before World War I is to be reminded of what life was like back then. Russell gets full marks for this one. There are some who argue today to return to the separation of the genders in the classroom, but corporal punishment when it is discovered is as socially unacceptable as overt racism.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Thursdays belong to our pal Isaac Asimov, bolding gazing at the wonder world of 2014 from his vantage point in 1964.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 
  

11 December 2013

 Birthdays
Hailee Steinfeld b. 1996 (Ender’s Game)
Ashley Hinshaw b. 1988 (Chronicle)
Max Martini b. 1969 (Contact, Pacific Rim)
Gary Dourdan b. 1966 (Alien: Resurrection, Impostor, Lois & Clark)
Ben Browder b. 1962 (Farscape, Stargate: SG-1, Doctor Who)
Teri Garr b. 1947 (Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Young Frankenstein, Star Trek)
Dick Tufeld b. 1926 died 22 January 2012 (Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Vampira b. 1922 Died 19 January 2008 (Plan 9 from Outer Space, The Magic Sword, The Vampira Show)
Marie Windsor b. 1919 died 10 December 2000 (Batman[TV], The Day Mars Invaded Earth, Cat-Women of the Moon)
David McMahon b. 1910 died 27 January 1972 (The Deadly Mantis, It Conquered the World, The Creature Walks Among Us, The War of the Worlds, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Thing from Another World, The Monster That Challenged the World)
Paul Wegener b. 1874 died 13 September 1948 (The Golem)

A dirty secret of the blog exposed! For the most part, I ignore voice work. My exceptions are The Venture Brothers and Futurama and the work I consider iconic. Dick Tufeld's work as the voice of the robot on Lost In Space is iconic in almost everybody's book, even those of us who did not love the show, so he gets the Picture Slot, sitting next to Bob May, the guy who was actually in the costume.

There are other options for the Picture Slot on future December 11 posts, but David McMahon isn't one of them. He showed up in a huge number of films and TV shows, but has more uncredited roles on his imdb.com page than I've seen for anyone. I saw his face and did not have a "oh, that guy" moment. I respect him for his perseverance in the business, but he never caught that one role that made him recognizable. The closest thing would be his role as the Conductor on the TV show The Virginian.

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

Movies released
Star Trek: Insurrection released, 1998

Prediction: We may safely suppose that the ocean ships of a hundred years hence will be driven by energy of some kind transmitted from the shores on either side. It is absolutely unquestionable that no marine engine in the least resembling what we know to-day can meet the requirements of the new age.

The ships of a hundred years hence will not lie in the water. They will tower above the surface, merely skimming it with their keels, and the only engines they will carry will be those which receive and utilise the energy transmitted to them from the power-houses ashore perhaps worked by the force of the very tides of the conquered ocean itself.

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Reality: Oooooh, hovercraft once again! So much fun and strike one!

Also, Russell thinks ships will run on transmitted power, which is not something we've made work wirelessly. I give him some credit for going almost completely sci-fi with this, but this is one of the problems with non-technical people guessing about future technology.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Thursdays belong to Isaac Asimov. Let's see if he can do any better than Russell did today, which is not that hard to do.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!