23 July 2015

Birthdays

Daniel Radcliffe b. 1989 (Victor Frankenstein [2015], Horns, Harry Potter)
Pippa Bennett-Warner b. 1988 (Doctor Who)
Reece Ritchie b. 1986 (Hercules [2014], Atlantis: End of the World, Birth of a Legend, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, 10,000 BC)
Paul Wesley b. 1982 (The Vampire Diaries, Fallen, Smallville, Minority Report)
Tom Mison b. 1982 (Sleepy Hollow)
Kathryn Hahn b. 1974 (Tomorrowland, The Last Mimzy)
Stephanie March b. 1974 (The Invention of Lying, Early Edition)
Charisma Carpenter b. 1970 (Haunted High, Supernatural, Legend of the Seeker, Charmed, Angel, Buffy, Strange Frequency)
Marlon Wayans b. 1972 (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Dungeons & Dragons)
Bill Chott b. 1969 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Invader ZIM, Dude, Where’s My Car?, Galaxy Quest, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Shawn Levy b. 1968 (director, Night at the Museum, Real Steel, First Wave, The Journey of Allen Strange)
Philip Seymour Hoffman b. 1967 died 2 February 2014 (Hunger Games, The Invention of Lying)
Eriq La Salle b. 1962 (Under the Dome, Mega Fault, Quantum Leap, Jacob’s Ladder)
Rob Stewart b. 1961 (Dark Matter, Defiance, Beauty and the Beast [2013], Lost Girl, The Good Witch, ReGenesis, Jake 2.0, The Adventures of Sinbad, Highlander)
Woody Harrelson b. 1961 (The Hunger Games, 2012, Zombieland, A Scanner Darkly)
Diane Robin b. 1956 (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Brimstone, The Relic, RoboCop)
Edie McClurg b. 1951 (Flubber [1997], Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Homeboys in Outer Space, A.J.’s Time Travelers, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Small Wonder, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Incredible Hulk, Carrie)
Belinda Montgomery b. 1950 (TRON: Legacy, Man from Atlantis, The Sixth Sense [1972])
Larry Manetti b. 1947 (Monster Makers, Quantum Leap, Swamp Thing, Tales from the Darkside, Battlestar Galactica)
Marianne Gordon b. 1946 (The Being, Rosemary’s Baby, Mr. Terrific)
Ronny Cox b. 1938 (Age of Dinosaurs, Stargate SG-1, Deep Blue Sea, From the Earth to the Moon, Time Trax, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain America [1990], Total Recall, Martians Go Home, RoboCop)
C.M. Kornbluth b. 1923 died 21 March 1958 (author, The Space Merchants [with Frederik Pohl])
Virgil Finlay b. 1914 died 18 January 1971 (artist)
Julie Mitchum b. 1914 died 21 February 2003 (House on Haunted Hill)
Coral Browne b. 1913 died 29 May 1991 (Dreamchild, Time Express, Theatre of Blood)
Michael Wilding b. 1912 died 8 July 1979 (Frankenstein: The True Story)
Arthur Treacher b. 1894 died 14 December 1975 (Mary Poppins)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Not surprisingly, the Picture Slot in 2013 went to Daniel Radcliffe, the most iconic actor on the list by a bunch. In 2014, I went with an illustration from Virgil Findlay, one of the great sci-fi and fantasy illustrators from the Golden Age of magazine illustration. This year, it's Tom Mison, Ichabod Crane from TV's version of Sleepy Hollow. While not as iconic as the other gentlemen, it should be noted that he is famous for work he is doing right damn now, which cannot be said for Radcliffe or Findlay.

2. Spot the Canadians! Today's three Canadians are all born before 1970. Actor Rob Stewart has that certain Canadian whiff on his resume, actress Belinda Montgomery does not. Director Shawn Levy does a lot of work south of the border and he garners hate from fans at levels to rival Joel Schumacher. I barely knew who this guy was before this morning.

3. Nepotism more or less. Julie Mitchum was the older sister of Robert Mitchum. His career hit the heights, hers didn't. Coral Browne got plenty of work on stage and screen, but most of her genre work is due to her husband Vincent Price.

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

Predictor: Dean Ing in Wild Country, published 1985

Prediction: The third volume in the Ted Quantill trilogy (the first volume is Systemic Shock, the second Single Combat). In 2006 Ring cities have been built around ruined metropolises. Essentially a crime adventure story involving heroin smuggling and the development of a matter synthesizer. Little is said about the nuclear war.

Reality: My source The Experts Speak has dried up, but it did give a good run and pointed to John Langdon-Davies and Morris L. Ernst, so no regret there. The new Thursday regular is a familar one, the nuclear holocaust database of Professor Paul Brians. Much like The Experts Speak, the "reality" section will be "Umm... no." This is not a problem as far as I'm concerned. Predictions with dates before 2020 that can be verified or falsified are the meat of this blog, and I'm glad to find them anywhere I can.

 Never to be Forgotten: Al Checco 1925-2015 A week ago I reported on British character actor Aubrey Morris passing away, and Al Checco is now the fifth familiar (or semi-familiar) face to die in that span of time. He had 95 credits on imdb.com from the 1950s to the 2000s, mostly but not all on TV. The genre credits are Knight Rider, Pete’s Dragon, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Far Out Space Nuts, The Terminal Man, The Reluctant Astronaut, Batman, Mr. Terrific, The Munsters, The Incredible Mr. Limpet and Tales of Tomorrow.

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

BLOG NEWS! Today is my 1,000th post. For a blogger, that's not an enormous number, but I have to admit to a certain pride.

Make that pride and trepidation.

As I said up in the prediction section, this blog lives on predictions that can be verified or falsified, and I am running out. I'd like to make it to the end of the year, so my new policy is just birthday, no predictions on the weekends. I do have a source that is going to help me get through November easily, but getting to November is the tough task. I don't like repeating prediction for the most part, but I might bring back one early predictor (hint for the regulars: man-crush) just to get the blog to the end of November, or better still, the end of the year. Beyond that, I make no promises. 

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

More early 20th Century cheese from H.G. Wells.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

28 December 2014

Birthdays
Mackenzie Rosman b. 1989 (Ghost Shark, Fading of the Cries, The Tomb)
Andrew Jenkins b. 1988 (Supernatural, Stormworld, Zombie Punch)
Thomas Dekker b. 1987 (Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2, A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Heroes, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Star Trek: Generations, Village of the Damned, Star Trek: Voyager)
Hannah Toiton b. 1987 (Penny Dreadful, Sinbad, The Lost Future, Genie in the House)
Adam Gregory b. 1987 (Dystopia: 2013, 17 Again, The Wizards of Waverly Place)
Beau Garrett b. 1982 (TRON: Legacy, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Unearthed)
Sienna Miller b. 1981 (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Stardust)
Vanessa Ferlito b. 1980 (Spider-Man 2)
Bree Williamson b. 1979 (Haven, Mutant X, Odyssey 5, Earth: Final Conflict)
Noomi Rapace b. 1979 (Prometheus 1 and 2)
Joe Manganiello b. 1976 (True Blood, Spider-Man 1 and 3)
Brendan Hines b. 1976 (The Middleman, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Angel)
Seth Meyers b. 1973 (Journey to the Center of the Earth)
Elaine Hendrix b. 1970 (Kids vs. Monsters, Futurestates, The Chronicle, The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas)
Josephine Byrnes b. 1966 (The Matrix Reloaded, The Lost World [2001 TV], Thunderstone)
Terri Garber b. 1960 (SnakeHead Swamp, Quantum Leap, Twilight Zone [1988])
Phil Abrams b. 1959 (The Big Bang Theory, Lost, The Island, Birds of Prey, Roswell, The X-Files)
Denzel Washington b. 1954 (The Book of Eli, Virtuosity, Heart Condition)
Dame Maggie Smith b. 1934 (Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee Returns, From Time to Time, The Secret Garden, Hook, Clash of the Titans)
Nichelle Nichols b. 1933 (The Cabonauts, Heroes, Surge of Power, Good vs Evil, The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, Star Trek, The Supernaturals)
Martin Milner b. 1931 (RoboCop [TV], 13 Ghosts, Twilight Zone, On the Threshold of Space)
Pamela Duncan b. 1924 died 11 November 2005 (The Undead, Attack of the Crab Monsters, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger)
Andrew Duggan b. 1923 died 15 May 1988 (A Return to Salem’s Lot, Frankenstein Island, Wonder Woman, A Fire in the Sky, The Time Machine [1978 TV Movie], The Bionic Woman, It Lives Again, Project U.F.O., It’s Alive, The Invaders, The Incredible Mr. Limpet)
Stan Lee b. 1922 (Marvel Comics)
Kim Chan b. 1917 died 5 October 2008 (The Fifth Element, Robot in the Family)
Charles Maxwell b. 1913 died 7 August 1993 (Star Trek, My Favorite Martian, World of Giants, Adventures of Superman)
Lew Ayres b. 1908 died 30 December 1996 (Donovan’s Brain, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, The Questor Tapes, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Damien: Omen II, Battlestar Galactica)
F.W. Murnau b. 1888 died 11 March 1931 (director, Nosferatu)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Yesterday, I whined that there weren't a lot of iconic people whose birthday was two days after Christmas. I'm not whining today. Last year used Nichelle Nichols, absolutely iconic and a fabulous babe to boot and none could say nay. (Fun fact to know and tell: At 16, she was a singer with the Duke Ellington orchestra.) This year, I give a tip of the hat to the oldest living birthday boy here, Stan Lee, now 92 and looking pretty darned good. As for next year, I would argue Dame Maggie Smith from Harry Potter is the most iconic person I haven't used yet, but that means shutting out A-list movie star Denzel Washington. The list also has two great Oh That Guys, Andrew Duggan and Lew Ayres. I wouldn't be adverse to using a poster of Nosferatu to honor F.W. Murnau and among the younger folk,  I'd say Joe Manganiello from True Blood is most iconic.

2. Spot the Canadians! There are two. I give the hint that they are both born after 1975.

 Best wishes to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
 

Predictor: Leonard Fischer in Let Out the Beast, published in 1950 by News Stand Library, Toronto.

Prediction: In 1963 a worldwide drought causes a famine, leading to a nuclear war in 1965 between the superstates of Americanada and Europasia. The novel focuses almost exclusively on a reporter and his fiance, struggling to survive in the devastated urban landscape. As the title indicates, the book's theme is the gradual emergence of the bestial nature of the protagonist as civilization crumbles. Beginning as a decent, heroic defender of pure womanhood, he evolves into the notorious leader of a marauding tribe devoted to rape and pillage. After his first wife dies (he later acquires five), he turns savage and is hunted down by an armed expedition seeking to reestablish civilization. At the end of the novel he is depicted as apelike. The narrative does not conclude with his death, however. Even this relentlessly grim tale ends on a hopeful note by depicting a peace loving group led by a kindly old guru, the reporter's former editor, who used to write bloodthirsty editorials advocating war.

Reality: Ooh, we could play Spot the Canadian publisher, but I gave too much of a spoiler. Why don't we ever have post-apocalyptic heaven-holes, places where folks figure out they can live together and be decent to one another? Ah, well, such is life.

As regular readers will know when the plot summaries are this detailed, I nicked this prediction from Professor Paul Brians great nuclear holocaust database. I still have plenty more of his work, but I'm going give the blog a little rest from the weekly doom and gloom, though I will be bringing it back by and by. As of next Sunday, we will have a new Sunday regular predictor who is, in fact, a previous regular everyone will recognize.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's Monday yet again, and I get the treat of dipping into the OMNI Future Almanac to see what they thought life in the early 21st Century would look like.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

14 December 2014

Birthdays
Max Topplin b. 1989 (Carrie [2013], Dead Before Dawn 3D, Please Kill Mr. Know It All, Todd and the Book of Pure Evil, Haven, Fringe, The Incredible Hulk [2008])
Vanessa Hudgens b. 1988 (Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Sucker Punch, Beastly)
Joe Rokicki b. 1985 (Jack Frost)
Sophie Monk b. 1979 (Click, Monster!)
Patrick O’Brien Dempsey b. 1978 (Thor)
Martin Christopher b. 1977 (Fringe, Sanctuary, Stargate, Supernatural, Painkiller Jane, Eureka, Night at the Museum)
KaDee Strickland b. 1975 (The Grudge, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, The Stepford Wives [2004], The Sixth Sense [1999])
Thuy Trang b. 1973 died 3 September 2001 (The Crow: City of Angels, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
Miranda Hart b. 1972 (Hyperdrive)
Michael Stoyanov b. 1970 (Space Station 76, The Dark Knight, Mom and Dad Save the World, Quantum Leap, Hard Time on Planet Earth)
Archie Kao b. 1969 (The Hill Have Eyes II, Power Rangers Lost Galaxy)
Natascha McElhone b. 1969 (The Truman Show, Solaris, Feardotcom)
Ted Raimi b. 1965 (Attack of the 50ft Cheerleader, Legend of the Seeker, Supernatural, Planet Raptor, Spider-Man, The Man with the Screaming Brain, Odyssey 5, Invader ZIM, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Apollo 11 [TV], American Gothic, SeaQuest 2032, Army of Darkness, Candyman, Darkman, ALF, Alien Nation, Evil Dead I and II, Shocker)
Peter Murnik b. 1965 (Touch, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Armageddon, Quantum Leap)
Rebecca Gibney b. 1964 (Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Salem’s Lot [2004], Farscape, The Lost World, Sabrina, Down Under, Time Trax)
Don Franklin b. 1960 (Journeyman, Seven Days, Asteroid, SeaQuest 2032, Somewhere in Time)
Debbie Lee Carrington b. 1959 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Mighty Joe Young [1998], Perversions of Science, Men in Black, Mom and Dad Save the World, Batman Returns, Total Recall, Spaced Invaders, Harry and the Hendersons, Howard the Duck, Invaders From Mars, Amazing Stories, Earthlings, Return of the Jedi)
Celia Weston b. 1951 (American Horror Story, Under the Dome, The Invasion, The Village, Hulk, K-PAX)
Paul Zaloom b. 1951 (Beakman’s World)
Vicki Michelle b. 1950 (C.O.O.L.I.O. Time Travel Gangster, Queen Kong, Space: 1999, Virgin Witch)
Dee Wallace b. 1948 (Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard, Grimm, Robocroc, My Stepbrother is a Vampire!?!, Aliens from Uranus, Warehouse 13, Soupernatural, The House of the Devil, Halloween [2007], Abominable, The Frighteners, Alligator II: The Mutation, Critters, The Twilight Zone [1985], Cujo, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Howling, Man from Atlantis, The Hills Have Eyes, The Stepford Wives)
Lynn Marie Stewart b. 1946 (Here Come the Munsters, Pee-Wee’s Playhouse)
Patty Duke b. 1946 (Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby, The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], Journey to the Unknown, 4D Man)
Stewart Brand b. 1938 (writer, Space Colonies, The Media Lab)
Lee Remick b. 1935 died 2 July 1991 (Faerie Tale Theatre, The Medusa Touch, The Omen, Damn Yankees! [1967 TV Movie])
Lewis Arquette b. 1935 died 10 February 2001 (Little Nicky, Babylon 5, SeaQuest 2032, Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman [1993], Tales from the Crypt, Quantum Leap, ALF, The Incredible Hulk, Man From Atlantis)
George Furth b. 1932 died 11 August 2008 (The Munsters Today, The Man with Two Brains, Megaforce, Sleeper, I Dream of Jeannie, Batman)
Joe Brooks b. 1923 died 5 December 2007 (Gremlins, Exo-Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, Batman, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, The Munsters)
Elyse Knox b. 1917 died 15 February 2012 (The Mummy’s Tomb)
Laurence Naismith b. 1908 died 5 June 1992 (Scrooge [1970], The Valley of Gwangi, The Invaders, Camelot, Jason and the Argonauts, Village of the Damned, Vampire Over London)
Frances Bavier b. 1902 died 6 December 1986 (The Day the Earth Stood Still)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, I had a picture of Natascha McElhone because... purdy. This year I'd like to give props to Dee Wallace, also purdy and the owner of a remarkable career. She has 211 credits on imdb.com and only a handful are voice work. She did have a few years as a regular on a few TV shows, but none of them were long lasting hits. It's not impossible for an actress to start working in her twenties and keep working into her sixties, but most who have accomplished that became stars like Meryl Streep or Bernadette Peters. Dee Wallace has done it the hard way, role by role, sometimes in big budget stuff, sometimes in small. Good on ya, Dee.

Next year, I can't say who will be in the Picture Slot. If I'm in an Oh That Guy mood, Ted Raimi is possible, if I want another fabulous babe I might sneak in Vanessa Hudgens from the quickly forgotten Sucker Punch, or I might go Oh That Girl and fabulous babe with Debbie Lee Carrington, one of the best known little person actresses.


2. Wait... she's dead? I had Lee Remick's name on last year's list but I failed to mark down that she died over twenty years ago. If I ever knew it - and I'm an obit fan, so I should have known it - the fact completely slipped my mind.

3. Spot the Canadians! There are two. I'll give the hint that both were born after 1975. Good luck.

4. Hey... no Star Trek! It does happen, but not that often. In just over two months of noting the Star Trek free days, this is the seventh.

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

Movies released
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey released, 2012
I Am Legend released, 2007
King Kong released, 2005

 

Predictor: Philip K. Dick in Breakfast at Twilight, published first in the July 1954 issue of Amazing Stories

Prediction: A family has been bounced forward in time seven years to 1980 to a U.S. devastated by a nuclear war and invaded by Russian troops. The holocaust has gradually evolved out of a series of conflicts beginning with the Korean War. Russian robot-controlled bombardments are systematically destroying the entire country. When the family's house is bombed they are bounced back into their own time, but realize it is futile to warn their disbelieving contemporaries of the war they know is coming.

Reality: Once again, the vast majority of nuclear war stories I have found come from Paul Brians' great database and I thank him yet again.All I will add to the synopsis Professor Brians wrote is that as usual, PKD loves to play around with questions about the natural of reality.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another Monday, another dip into the gift that keeps on giving, The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
  

23 November 2014

Birthdays
Lucas Grabeel b. 1984 (I Kissed a Vampire, Halloweentown High)
Ricky White b. 1981 (The 100)
Kelly Brook b. 1979 (Metal Hurlant Chronicles, Piranha 3D, Fishtales, Smallville)
Lateef Crowder b. 1977 (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Tekken, The Book of Eli, Heroes)
Lisa Arch b. 1971 (Charmed, The X Files)
Chris Hardwick b. 1971 (Video Game High School, The Talking Dead, Halloween II, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
Oded Fehr b. 1970 (Resident Evil, V, The Mummy, Charmed)
Salli Richardson-Whitfield b. 1967 (Eureka, I Am Legend, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Stargate SG-1, Deep Space Nine, Space Rangers)
Brennan Brown b. 1968 (Beauty and the Beast, Sleepy Hollow)
Vincent Cassel b. 1966 (Beauty and the Beast [2014 France])
Don Frye b. 1965 (Godzilla: Final Wars)
Maxwell Caulfield b. 1959 (Nightmare City 2035, Oblivion 2: Backlash, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, The Supernaturals, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Dominique Dunne b. 1959 died 4 November 1982 (Poltergeist)
Sue Giosa b. 1953 (After the Wizard, Beauty and the Beast [1988 TV], America 3000)
Carl Gabriel Yorke b. 1952 (Sliders, Apollo 13, Ghost in the Machine)
David Rappaport b. 1951 died 2 May 1990 (The Wizard, Amazing Stories, Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, The Bride, Time Bandits)
Peter Maloney b. 1944 (Gotham, K-PAX, Thinner, Robot in the Family, The Thing [1982], Revenge of the Stepford Wives, The Amityville Horror)
Susan Anspach b. 1942 (Deadly Nightmares, Space, The Devil and Max Devlin)
Franco Nero b. 1941 (Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, Deadly Nightmares, The War of the Planets)
Steve Landesberg b. 1936 died 20 December 2010 (Harry and the Hendersons)
Tom Neyman b. 1935 (Manos: The Hands of Fate)
Robert Towne b. 1934 (writer, Orca, The Tomb of Ligeia, The Outer Limits)
Robert Easton b. 1930 died 16 December 2011 (Horrorween, Lost, Needful Things, Pet Sematary II, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered County, The Bionic Woman, The Giant Spider Invasion, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Touch of Satan, My Mother the Car, Lost in Space, The Munsters, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Neanderthal Man, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Adventures of Superman)
Paul Richards b. 1924 died 10 December 1974 (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, ‘Way Out, The Unknown Terror)
Paula Raymond b. 1924 died 31 December 2003 (Blood of Dracula’s Castle, Hand of Death, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms)
John Newland b. 1917 died 10 January 2000 (director, Star Trek)
Michael Gough b. 1916 died 17 March 2011 (Batman, Sleepy Hollow [1999 film], The Little Vampire, A Christmas Carol [1984 TV], Doctor Who, Blakes 7, The Boys from Brazil, Moonbase 3, Trog, Alice in Wonderland [1966 TV], Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors, They Came From Beyond Space, Phantom of the Opera, Horror of Dracula, The Man in the White Suit)
John Dehner b. 1915 died 4 February 1992 (Creator, The Right Stuff, The Boys from Brazil, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Day of the Dolphin, Slaughterhouse-Five, The Immortal, Land of the Giants, Captain Nice, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Twilight Zone, Aladdin and his Lamp)
Ellen Drew b. 1915 died 3 December 2003 (Isle of the Dead)
Victor Jory b. 1902 died 12 February 1982 (Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, The Green Hornet, Cat-Women of the Moon, The Shadow [1940 serial])
Boris Karloff b. 1887 died 2 February 1969 (Alien Terror, Isle of the Snake People, How the Grinch Stole Christmas!, Monster of Terror, The Comedy of Terrors, Black Sabbath, The Terror, The Raven, Corridors of Blood, Frankenstein – 1970, Voodoo Island, The Island Monster, Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Abbott and Costello Meet the Killer, Boris Karloff, Isle of the Dead, The Body Snatcher, House of Frankenstein, The Boogie Man Will Get You, The Ape, The Son of Frankenstein, The Walking Dead, The Invisible Ray, The Raven, Bride of Frankenstein, The Black Cat, The Mask of Fu Manchu, The Mummy, Frankenstein)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year it was Boris Karloff and he's iconic enough I could have said he gets the Picture Slot for every November 23rd, but being a huge Twilight Zone fan, I instead went with the great Oh That Guy John Dehner, standing across the bar from Stanley Adams in the episode Mr. Garrity and the Graves. Dehner has 285 credits on imdb.com. I admit my geezerhood, but it would be hard for me to put any of the living actors today in the Picture Slot next year, with the possible exception of Tom Neyman, who played The Master in "Manos": The Hands of Fate. I wish I could come up with an excuse to use a picture of Kelly Brook because... purdy, but not iconic in genre.

2. Wait... he's dead? Steve Landesberg. I did not get the memo. Except for Jack Soo, most of the cast from Barney Miller is still alive, including Abe Vigoda. This one definitely surprised me this morning.

3. Wait... he wrote genre? Robert Towne was one of the great screenwriters of the 1970s (Chinatown, Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait), but he also wrote genre back in the 1960s. I didn't know that until this morning.

4. Living Canadian free. No Canadians to spot today. It's rare, but it happens.

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

Predictor: Peter Dagmar in The Sands of Time, published 1963

Prediction: In this time-travel story, people from the future seek to destroy a supercomputer which was built by the surviving crews aboard nuclear submarines in the wake of a devastating global firestorm caused by nuclear war in 2016. A reactor disaster of 2015 is also mentioned.

Reality: Wait, they go back to destroy a supercomputer that was built after the war, but they don't try to stop the war itself? Weird priorities.

As usual, I learned about this prediction from Paul Brians great nuclear fiction database, and once again I thank him.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

How about a fabulous babe from Star Trek in the Picture Slot? The proposal is passed by proclamation.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

16 November 2014

Birthdays
Noah Gray-Cabey b. 1995 (Heroes, Lady in the Water)
Kimberly J. Brown b. 1984 (Halloweentown)
Michael Faustino b. 1979 (A Gnome named Gnorm, Alien Nation [TV], The Monster Squad)
Maggie Gyllenhall b. 1977 (Nanny McPhee Returns, The Dark Knight, Donnie Darko)
Gigi Edgley b. 1977 (Quantum Apocalypse, Farscape, BeastMaster, The Lost World [TV])
Missi Pyle b. 1972 (Captain Fantastic, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Warehouse 13, Heroes, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Tick, Roswell, Galaxy Quest)
Martha Plimpton b. 1970 (Fringe, Surface)
James Parks b. 1968 (True Blood, Jericho, Threshold, House of the Dead 2, Star Trek: Enterprise, Stargate SG-1, Crocodile 2: Death Swamp, The X-Files, Buffy, House of Frankenstein [1997 TV movie], Apollo 11, Alien Nation: The Enemy Within, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5, Space: Above and Beyond)
Tammy Lauren b. 1968 (Wishmaster, Deadly Nightmares, The Stepford Children, Mork & Mindy)
Lisa Bonet b. 1967 (Angel Heart, Tales from the Darkside)
Dean McDermott b. 1966 (Earth: Final Conflict, WW 3, My Secret Identity, Friday’s Curse, Graveyard Shift II)
Mark Benton b. 1965 (The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Doctor Who, Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible)
Harry Lennix b. 1964 (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Man of Steel, Dollhouse, The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded)
Marg Helgenberger b. 1958 (Species I & II, The Tommyknockers, The Hidden Room, Tales from the Crypt)
Dan Shor b. 1956 (The X Files, Star Trek: Voyager, Doppleganger, Solar Crisis, Beauty and the Beast, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, TRON)
Griff Rhys Jones b. 1953 (Aladdin [TV movie], Jack and Beanstalk [1998 TV], The Adventures of Pinocchio, Morons from Outer Space)
Miguel Sandoval b. 1951 (Oculus, Real Steel, The X Files, House of Frankenstein [1997 TV movie], Lois & Clark, Jurassic Park, Beauty and the Beast [1990 TV], Howard the Duck, Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, Voyagers!)
David Leisure b. 1950 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Perversions of Science, Lois & Clark, Goddess of Love, ALF)
Barbara Leigh b. 1946 (Mistress of the Apes, The Incredible Hulk, Terminal Island)
Steve Railsback b. 1945 (Plaguers, King of the Lost World, Supernatural, Charmed, The X Files, Alligator II: The Mutation, Twilight Zone [1986], Lifeforce, Deadly Nightmares, Escape 2000)
Guy Stockwell b. 1934 died 6 February 2002 (Quantum Leap, Werewolf [TV], Knight Rider, Ark II, It’s Alive, Land of the Giants)
Clu Gulager b. 1928 (Piranha 3DD, Teen Vamp, The Hidden, The Offspring, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Return of the Living Dead, Space, Automan, Mystery in Dracula’s Castle)
Barbara Payton b. 1927 died 8 May 1967 (Bride of the Gorilla)
Jose Saramago b. 1922 died 18 June 2010 (author, Blindness)
Royal Dano b. 1922 died 15 May 1994 (The Dark Half, Spaced Invaders, Ghoulies II, Killer Klowns from Outer Space, House II: The Second Story, Amazing Stories, The Right Stuff, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Planet of the Apes [1974 TV], Moon of the Wolf, Lost in Space, 7 Faces of Dr. Lao)
Ellen Albertini Dow b. 1913 (The Invited, Good vs Evil, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Carnival of Souls, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Space Case, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Freddy’s Nightmares, Beauty and the Beast [1987 TV], Munchies, Twilight Zone [1986])
Burgess Meredith b. 1907 died 9 September 1997 (Faerie Tale Theatre, Clash of the Titans, The Manitou, The Amazing Captain Nemo, The Sentinel [1977], Beware! The Blob, Batman, The Invaders, The Twilight Zone)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year it was Burgess Meredith from one of his Twilight Zone appearances, this year it Gigi Edgley from Farscape. Next year, I'm not sure, but Missy Pyle from Galaxy Quest is certainly in the mix.

2. Actor note, the 1st: Ellen Albertini Dow. Yes, she was born in 1913 and yes, she is still with us, bless her. 102 credits on imdb.com and she didn't start working in front of the camera until the 1980s.

3. Actor note, the 2nd: Steve Railsback. On film, he's played Ed Gein and Charles Manson. One of his biggest budget films is The Stunt Man, where he plays a fugitive who does stunts for director Peter O'Toole. Casting directors sure think he looks criminal, but he's a senior citizen now and his rap sheet is... zero. Good on ya, Mr. Railsback.

4. Actor's notes, the 3rd: The Oh That Guys. Royal Dano, a great tall odd looking Oh That Guy. Clu Gulager, an Oh That Cowboy. Miguel Sandoval, an Oh That Hispanic Gentleman. David Leisure, an Oh That Joe Isuzu. James Parks, a craggy faced Oh That Guy who has been in a lot of stuff I've seen, but hasn't quite made an impression on me.

5. The unspottable Canadian. Dean McDermott was born in Canada, but he works out of Los Angeles. He is best known for his real life role as Tori Spelling's creepy husband.

6. Actor note, the last: Harry Lennix, mensch. I've like the work Harry Lennix has done on screen, but my favorite story was when Stephen Colbert did the comedy routine at the White House Correspondent's Dinner. Colbert scorched the media, but afterwards everyone was being civil to him. It was his friend Lennix who heard what people were actually saying behind Colbert's back, pulled him aside and said. "These people are all phonies. C'mon, let's get out of here." Good on ya, Harry.

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


Movies released
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone released 2001
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2 released 2012
 

Predictor:Larry S. Todd, The Warbots, published in Galaxy magazine, October 1968.

Prediction: Describes a series of increasingly formidable robot-like fighting machines, the earliest of which detonates an atomic bomb when attacked. It is used in China in the year 2000.

Reality: Again, it's nuclear fiction, so my thanks go to Paul Brians and his great database.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The 36th anniversary of an unforgettable TV special. Many have tried to forget, but none have yet succeeded.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

9 November 2014

Birthdays
Analeigh Tipton b. 1988 (Lucy, Warm Bodies, The Green Hornet [2011], The Big Bang Theory)
Vanessa Lachey b. 1980 (Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer)
Scottie Thompson b. 1981 (Skyline, Star Trek [2009 movie])
Cory Hardrict b. 1979 (Transcendence, Warm Bodies, Battle Los Angeles, Heroes, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, Creature Unknown, Angel)
Nick Lachey b. 1973 (Rise: Blood Hunter, Bewitched, Charmed)
Allison Court b. 1973 (Haven, The Twilight Zone [1989])
Gabrielle Miller b. 1973 (Lost Girl, Alienated, Jake 2.0, Jeremiah, The Immortal, The First Wave, the New Addams Family, Welcome to Paradox, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Stargate SG-1, The X-Files, Sliders, Highlander, M.A.N.T.I.S.)
Eric Dane b. 1972 (The Last Ship, X-Men; The Last Stand, Charmed)
Jason Antoon b. 1971 (No Ordinary Family, Vamped Out, The Lost Room, Minority Report)
Lori Lively b. 1966 (I Kissed a Vampire, Sandman, Free Enterprise, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Disaster in Time, Dead Space, Night of the Creeps)
Robert Duncan McNeill b. 1964 (Infested, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Master of the Universe, Twilight Zone [1985])
Teryl Rothery b. 1962 (Arrow, R.L. Stine's The Haunting Hour, Caprica, Alice [2009 TV], Smallville, Kyle XY, Eureka, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Dead Like Me, Jeremiah, Threshold [2003 TV movie], Sabrina the Teenage Witch in Friends Forever, So Weird, Warriors of Virtue, The X-Files, M.A.N.T.I.S.)
Karen Dotrice b. 1955 (Voyagers!, The Gnome-Mobile, Mary Poppins)
Lou Ferrigno b. 1951 (Star Trek Continues, The Avengers, Soupernatural, The Incredible Hulk [2008 movie and 1982 TV], Hulk [2003], Black Scorpion, Conan, Frogtown II, Sinbad of the Seven Seas, The Adventures of Hercules II, Hercules)
Robert David Hall b. 1947 (Starship Troopers, Mann & Machine)
Charles Robinson b. 1945 (Charmed, Carnivale, Beowulf, Project: ALF)
Carl Sagan b.1934 died 20 December 1996 (author, Contact)
Louise Troy b. 1933 died 5 May 1994 (Ghostbusters II)
Robert Gillespie b. 1933 (At the Earth’s Core, Doomwatch, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed)
Severn Darden b. 1929 died 27 May 1995 (Beauty and the Beast [1989 TV], Faerie Tale Theatre, Saturday the 14th, Beyond Westworld, Salvage 1, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Ghost Busters [1975 TV], Wonder Woman, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Werewolves on Wheels, I Dream of Jeannie)
Alan Caillou b. 1914 died 1 October 2006 (The Ice Pirates, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Quark, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Questor Tapes, Journey to the Center of the Earth [1959])
Robert Douglas b. 1909 died 11 January 1999 (director, Man from Atlantis, Future Cop, Shazam!, The Immortal, The Invaders, Lost in Space)
Ed Wynn b. 1886 died 19 June 1966 (The Gnome-Mobile, Mary Poppins, Twilight Zone, Son of Flubber, Babes in Toyland, the Absent Minded Professor, Cinderfella, Miracle on 34th Street [1959 TV movie])

Today, the Picture Slot decision is trimmed down to just a few. Last year, it was Carl Sagan. This year, it's Robert Duncan McNeil from Star Trek: Voyager, the youngest person on the list to have what I consider an iconic role. Next year, it's Lou Ferrigno all hulked out or Ed Wynn from Twilight Zone on Mary Poppins.

There are three Canadians to spot, but one I think is too tricky because of so few roles. I'll give you Allison Court, the other two should take no clues from me whatsoever. Answer in the comments by noon Pacific time.

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

Predictor: Hawksley, Humphrey and Simon Holberton in Dragon Strike: The Millennium War, published 1997 in London.

Prediction: In February 2001, China seizes the Paracel and Spratley Islands in the South China Sea in an attempt to secure rich oil fields, and then begins to move on the Philippines and threaten Japan's trade routes. Fierce resistance from Vietnam, backed by France, proves surprisingly effective. When Japan's attempt to call on the U.S. for help is rejected, partly because racist Americans have little sympathy for them, the Japanese reveal that they have been building nuclear weapons for some time, and explode one underground to demonstrate their willingness to defend themselves against China. The reactions of all the nuclear nations are discussed in this work, unusual in dealing with proliferation. As part of a complex chain of escalation, the Chinese send nuclear-armed submarines against the U.S., allowing one to be discovered the better to use the second as a threat. The relative helplessness of missile defences against sub-based missiles is discussed. The last quarter of the novel features a good deal of nuclear brinksmanship, with detailed discussion of the inadequacy and futility of civil defence in both the U.S. and Britain. Though an actual nuclear exchange is finally averted, China then attempts to invade Taiwan, but is repelled successfully, thanks to U.S.-supplied arms and fierce resistance. More scenario than novel, complete with endnotes, a timeline, and an index, characters in this book are lucky if they have names--personalities are out of the question. The narrative reads like a set of war-gaming instructions, punctuated by detailed commentary on the state of the relevant stock exchanges (U.S. interests are represented by the price-per-share of Boeing). The Japanese exchange is being cleverly manipulated by the Chinese to yield them huge returns at the end of the war so that even though China has been forced to retreat and has gained none of its obvious war aims, it has earned so much through financial wizardry that it is able to finance a superior military which will be able to threaten the world more seriously next time. None of the countries involved seems to have any regulatory mechanisms in place to prevent their open markets from being used as weapons of war. The novel almost suggests that the entire war has been a feint to conceal this financial coup.

Reality: Regular readers will known that a prediction that has so many spoilers from a book comes from Professor Paul Brians' great nuclear holocaust fiction website, and once again I thank him for it. One of Dale Brown's predictions also included the Chinese taking over the Spratley Islands in one of his slightly futuristic war novels. Invading Taiwan has not been mentioned yet.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another Monday, another dip into the OMNI Future Almanac, the early bright spot in my Monday mornings.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

2 November 2014

 Birthdays
Brandon Soo Hoo b. 1995 (From Dusk Till Dawn [2014 TV] , Ender’s Game, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)
Katelyn Tarver b. 1989 (No Ordinary Family)
Lindze Letherman b. 1988 (Clockstoppers, Bicentennial Man, Seven Days)
Brian Sutherland b. 1984 (Glitch, The Collectibles, Grimm)
Christopher Fennell b. 1983 (The X Files, American Gothic)
Katharine Isabelle b. 1981 (Being Human, Eve of Destruction, Vampire, Ogre, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1, Earthsea, Smallville, Freddy vs. Jason, Carrie [2002 TV], Meteors, The Immortal, Ginger Snaps 1 and 2, First Wave, The X Files, The Ray Bradbury Theatre)
Jon M. Chu b. 1979 (director, G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
Whit Hertford b. 1978 (Dreamworld, Jurassic Park, The Addams Family [1991], The Munsters Today [1990], A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, Twilight Zone [1986], Poltergeist II)
Jason Cerbone b. 1977 (Cloverfield)
Danny Cooksey b. 1975 (Invader ZIM, Mom and Dad Save the World, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Mac and Me, Werewolf, Twilight Zone [1985])
Marisol Nichols b. 1973 (The Gates, Charmed)
Gabe Khouth b. 1972 (Once Upon a Time, Fringe, Supernatural, Andromeda, It)
Jaume Balaguero b. 1968 (writer, [Rec], Quarantine, Fragile)
David Schwimmer b. 1966 (John Carter, Wolf)
Lauren Velez b. 1965 (Strange World)
Donna Spangler b. 1962 (Space Girls in Beverly Hills, Dinosaur Valley Girls, Earth Girls Are Easy)
Janet Gunn b. 1961 (Carnosaur 3: Primal Species, Space: Above and Beyond, Super Force)
Peter Mulan b. 1959 (Hercules, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Children of Men)
Michael Bailey Smith b. 1957 (Blood Shot, The Hills Have Eyes I and II [2006 and 2007], Monster Man, Men in Black II, Charmed, Roswell, Buffy, Seven Days, The X-Files, My Favorite Martian [1999], Conan, Star Trek: Voyager, Space Marines, Babylon 5, The Fantastic Four [1994], A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child)
Dale Brown b. 1956 (writer, Sky Masters, Day of the Cheetah, Shadow Command)
Peter Atkins b. 1955 (writer, Hellraiser)
David Andrews b. 1952 (World War Z, Revolution, Stargate SG-1, Surface, Star Trek: Enterprise, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, From the Earth to the Moon, Apollo 13, Mann & Machine, Graveyard Shift, Cherry 2000, A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Lois McMaster Bujold b. 1949 (won 1989 Nebula for Falling Free, won 1991 Hugo for The Vor Game, won 1992 Hugo for Barrayar, won 1995 Hugo for Mirror Dance, won 2004 Hugo and Nebula for Paladin of Souls)
Jerry Wasserman b. 1945 (Doomsday Prophecy, Watchmen, Alien Trespass, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, The Butterfly Effect 2, Final Days of Planet Earth, Smallville, I, Robot, Stargate SG-1, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Taken, Mysterious Ways, Dark Angel, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Deadlocked: Escape from Zone 14, Cyberjack, The X-Files, M.A.N.T.I.S., Red Scorpion 2, The Fly II, Deadly Nightmares)
Jack Starret b. 1936 died 27 March 1989 (Nightwish, Knight Rider)
Terry Richards b. 1932 died 14 June 2014 (Space Precinct, Red Sonja, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Flash Gordon, Blakes 7)
Rachel (Judith) Ames b. 1929 (When Worlds Collide)
Steve Ditko b. 1927 (writer/artist, The Sinister Six, Dr. Strange, Spider-Man, Justice League, Iron Man [1966 TV])
Warren Stevens b. 1919 died 27 March 2012 (Twilight Zone [1986 and 1962], Wonder Woman, The Amazing Captain Nemo, Star Trek, Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Cyborg 2087, The Time Tunnel, The Outer Limits, Forbidden Planet)
Burt Lancaster b. 1913 died 20 October 1994 (Island of Dr. Moreau [1977], Twilight’s Last Gleaming)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. I'm a geezer, as regular readers are already aware, and I don't pay the same rapt attention to pop culture now as I did when I was younger. This birthday list is a perfect example of my geezerdom, because nobody on it less than fifty years old has a chance for the Picture Slot this year or probably even next year. Among the younger set, David Schwimmer is a TV star, but his genre roles are not iconic. Going much younger, Katharine Isabelle was the star of the werewolf movie Ginger Snaps, but the movie means nothing to me. So last year, before I had done as much research, I went with Warren Stevens from his role on Star Trek and this year, an illustration of Doctor Strange by Steve Ditko. I'm glad Mr. Ditko is still alive to see his creations become some of the most popular films of all time and I will admit that even if the reviews stink, I'll probably see Doctor Strange starring Benedict Cumberbatch in the theater. No idea who gets the slot next year, but damn Lois McMaster Bujold has a lot of awards.

2. Spot the Canadians! There are two actual Canucks, though several actors have roles in the well known Canadian productions. See if you can find those who will Stand on Guard for The True North Brave and Free and separate them from the sneaky Yankee carpetbaggers.

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


Movies Released
Wreck-It Ralph released, 2012
Monsters, Inc. released, 2001

Predictor: William Nolan and George Clayton Johnson in Logan's Run published by Dial, New York in 1967

Prediction: Although the cover of the book mentions the twenty-third century as the novel's setting, the only date given in the text is 2072, which seems more probable. A youth rebellion in the year 2000 led to the dropping of a tactical bomb on the Smithsonian Institution (the area has been rendered tropical by the lingering radiation stored in tidal salts under Washington, D.C.). Aside from this one inexplicable act, no nuclear weapons were used. Young people prevailed in their war with older people, but, then faced with an overpopulation problem, they instituted a bizarre regime in which everyone is killed at age twenty-one. Those who try to escape this fate are called "runners"; the plot concerns a police agent who becomes a runner himself. Society is ruled over by a supercomputer called "The Thinker." The hero defeats The Thinker and flees with his lover to a space station near Mars which provides sanctuary. A typical crackpot dystopia crossed with a Wizard of Oz-like quest story, loaded with inconsistencies. The novel is more violent, more sexual, and more varied in setting than the 1976 film based on it. The paperback edition contains colored stills from the movie.

Reality: Regular readers will know that when I have a prediction this detailed, I have likely nicked it from Paul Brians' great nuclear war literature website. I agree with Brians that a youth rebellion dropping a nuke on the Smithsonian is inexplicable. As for a society with no one older than 21, I don't know who would have the technical know-how to fix The Thinker when it broke down, and I'm sure everyone agrees the damn thing will break down.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The regular schedule is broken with a prediction from 1935 about 1936. Not our future, but it was futuristic when it was written.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

12 October 2014

Birthdays
Nicholas Elia b. 1997 (Eureka, Supernatural, Speed Racer, White Noise)
Josh Hutcherson b. 1992 (The Hunger Games, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Bridge to Terabithia, Zathura: A Space Adventure)
Eleanor Columbus b. 1989 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Tyler Blackburn b. 1986 (Brave New World)
Marcus T. Paulk b. 1986 (The Nightmare Room, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Dion Johnstone b. 1975 (Defiance, The X Files: I Want to Believe, The Core, Stargate SG-1, Jeremiah, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show)
Kate Beahan b. 1974 (The Matrix Revolutions, Farscape, Strange Planet)
Kirk Cameron b. 1970 (Left Behind, Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land, Beyond Witch Mountain)
Hugh Jackman b. 1968 (Pan, X-Men, The Prestige, Van Helsing, Real Steel)
Mark Donovan b. 1968 (The World’s End, Shaun of the Dead, Cyberon)
Jonathan Crombie b. 1966 (Earth : Final Conflict, Deadly Nightmares)
Dave Legeno b. 1963 died 6 July 2014 (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Snow White and the Huntsman, Batman Begins)
JoAnn Willette b. 1963 (Tales from the Darkside, Amazing Stories, Twilight Zone [1986], A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Real Genius)
Deborah Foreman b. 1962 (Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Lobster Man from Mars, Destroyer, Waxwork)
Carlos Bernard b. 1962 (Ghost Storm, Alien Raiders, 10.5: Apocalypse, Babylon 5: A Call to Arms, NightMan)
Richard Genelle b. 1961 died 30 December 2008 (Power Rangers)
Hiroyki Sanada b. 1960 (Extant, Helix, The Wolverine. Lost, Ringu, Super Electric Bioman, Message from Outer Space)
Julie Bell b. 1958 (illustrator)
Michael Bofshever b. 1953 (Roswell, Star Trek: Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, True Blood)
Susan Anton b. 1950 (Out of This World, Quantum Leap, Making Mr. Right)
Randy Stuart b.1924 died 20 July 1996 (The Incredible Shrinking Man)
Lock Martin b. 1916 died 19 January 1959 (Invaders from Mars, The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Aleister Crowley b. 1875 died 1 December 1947 (author, Atlantis, the Lost Continent)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year it was Hugh Jackman, the one A-List movie star with a birthday today and this year it's Lock Martin, the big guy who was in the Gort suit in the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. Listed at over seven and a half feet tall, Martin had a lot of the health problems often associated with being very tall, including problems with the joints. Moving around in the suit was very difficult for him and carrying another human was out of the question. When Gort carries Patricia Neal in one scene and Michael Rennie in another, the weight of those actors was supported by wires. It should be noted that two of the most famous tall actors, Ted Cassidy and Richard Kiel, were "only" an inch or two over seven foot and not as frail, capable at their peak of doing at least some of their own stunts, like the knife fight in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and Kiel's fight scenes in the James Bond films.

As for next year, if I decide not to go back to Hugh Jackman, the most iconic roles left are young Josh Hutcherson in The Hunger Games and the lovely Randy Stuart in The Incredible Shrinking Man.

2. Spot the Canadians! There are three today, one with a lot of roles and rather obvious, the others with less but still with tell-tale resumes.  

3. The guy I just don't like. Kirk Cameron, way too proud of being an ignoramus. While I don't accept any religion's definition of God, I'm not keen on the people known as "the new atheists", notably Sam Harris, Bill Maher and Richard Dawkins. (Stephen Fry is an atheist as well, but somehow he is nicer about it.) On the other hand, the anti-atheists like Kirk Cameron and Kevin Sorbo are just embarrassingly dumb and vicious.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list (with one exception) and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

 

Predictor: Ruchir Joshi in The Last Jet Engine Laugh, published in 2001 by Flamingo, London.

Prediction: As part of the futuristic frame-story of this complex novel about an Indian photographer it is mentioned in passing that in 2012 a terrorist nuclear bomb destroyed South Bombay, prompting a rogue Indian missile to retaliate with a bomb against Karachi. Both sides have been forced into nuclear disarmament by international pressures, but continue their conflict by conventional means.

Reality: Yet again, thanks to Professor Paul Brians for his exhaustive compendium of nuclear war fiction.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

As usual, this blog welcomes you to the working week with a selection from the 1980s classic The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

5 October 2014

Birthdays
Karen Cabrera b. 1995 (State of Desolation)
Wesley Morgan b. 1990 (Kick-Ass 2, Falling Skies)
Glenn McMillan b. 1984 (Power Rangers, Zenon; Z3)
Tiana Benjamin b. 1984 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Jesse Eisenberg b. 1983 (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Zombieland, The Village)
Noot Seear b. 1983 (The Twilight Saga: New Moon)
Noah Segan b. 1983 (Looper, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Visitation)
Kate Winslet b. 1975 (Insurgent, Divergent, Contagion, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court)
Parminder Nagra b. 1975 (Ella Enchanted)
Valerie Vernon b. 1975 (Power Rangers)
Douglas Emerson b. 1974 (The Blob, Small Wonder, Twilight Zone [1986])
Ehren Kruger b. 1972 (writer, Transformers, Tin Man, The Brothers Grimm, The Ring)
Josie Bissett b. 1970 (The Sky’s on Fire, Quantum Leap)
Jenna Russell b. 1967 (Into the Woods [2011], Doctor Who)
Guy Pearce b. 1967 (Iron Man 3, Prometheus, The Time Machine)
Daniel Baldwin b. 1960 (Grimm, Born of Earth, Vegas Vampires, The Beach Party at the Threshold of Hell, The Invader, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, Vampires)
Bernie Mac b. 1957 died 9 August 2008 (Transformers)
Neil De Grasse Tyson b. 1958 (Nova)
Clive Barker b. 1952 (writer, Hellraiser, Candyman, Nightbreed)
Duncan Regehr b. 1952 (Flying Virus, Deep Space Nine, Timemaster, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Earth Star Voyager, V, Wizards and Warriors, The Greatest American Hero)
Karen Allen b. 1951 (Raiders of the Lost Ark, Scrooged, Star Man, Terminus)
Jeff Conaway b. 1950 died 27 May 2011 (Babylon 5, 2002: The Rape of Eden, Freddy’s Nightmares, Tales from the Darkside, Wizards and Warriors, Pete’s Dragon)
Sal Viscuso b. 1948 (Lois & Clark, Spaceballs, Amazing Stories)
Peter Brown b. 1935 (Babylon 5, The Aurora Encounter, Knight Rider, Manimal, The Girl, the Gold Watch & Everything, Project U.F.O., Salvage 1, Wonder Woman, Piranha)
Diane Cilento b. 1933 died 6 October 2011 (The Wicker Man, Z.P.G.)
Skip Homeier b. 1930 (The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, Project U.F.O., The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Addams Family, The Outer Limits)
Glynis Johns b. 1923 (Batman, Mary Poppins, The Thief of Bagdad)
Woodrow Parfrey b. 1922 died 29 July 1984 (Mr. Merlin, Time Express, Planet of the Apes [TV and movie]], The Girl with Something Extra, I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space, Batman, My Favorite Martian, The Munsters, ‘Way Out)
Donald Pleasence b. 1919 died 2 February 1995 (Guinevere, Vampire in Venice, Phenomena, Frankenstein’s Great Aunt Tillie, Dracula [1979], Escape to Witch Mountain, The Mutations, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1973], The Pied Piper, THX 1138, Halloween, Escape from New York, Fantastic Voyage, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Alice Through the Looking Box, 1984 [1956], Nineteen Eighty-Four [TV 1954])
John Hoyt b. 1905 died 15 September 1991 (Battlestar Galactica, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Planet of the Apes, Flesh Gordon, Mr. Terrific, The Time Tunnel, The Munsters, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits, The Time Travelers, X: The Man with the X-Ray Eyes, The Twilight Zone, Star Trek, The Attack of the Puppet People, Lost Continent)

Last year, the Picture Slot was Neil De Grasse Tyson and this year it's Donald Pleasence. The choices most likely to make me feel like a geezer are choosing a still from an original Twilight Zone or Star Trek episode or choosing the oldest actor on the list. Those feelings worked against John Hoyt today, who definitely has an iconic Twilight Zone role. To be honest, picking Pleasence is just as much of a geezer move, but I always liked him. The blank look he has in the picture could say so much.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
  
Movies released
Frankenweenie released, 2012

Predictor: M. John Harrison in The Centauri Device, published by Doubleday, 1974.

Prediction: A space adventure set long after the Rat Bomb wars of 2003-15 destroyed most of Earth, leaving mostly Jews and Arabs to inherit the planet and its space colonies. The story concerns the race to seize the superweapon of the title on the planet Centauri, even more devastated by an atomic war. The hero sets off the device to prevent others from using it, but in the process destroys both Earth and Centauri entirely. An epilogue indicates that civilization continues on other worlds.

Reality: The description is once again lifted from Prof. Paul Brians' nuclear holocaust fiction website and I thank him for it. I admit here that I've never read any of Harrison's stuff, but a nice blurb from Iain M. Banks is high praise indeed. This plot doesn't sound great; maybe I'll try something else of his.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

OMNI Future Almanac. Enough said.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

28 September 2014

Birthdays
Skye McCole Bartusiak b. 1992 died 19 July 2014 (Lost, Firestarter 2: Rekindled, The Darkling, Storm of the Century)
Keir Gilchrist b. 1992 (Delete, Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray, ReGenesis)
Kirsten Prout b. 1990 (Twilight, Kyle XY, Meteor Storm, Elektra, Stargate SG-1, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Jeremiah, Mindstorm, First Wave)
Matt Cohen b. 1982 (Supernatural)
Lucas Bryant b. 1978 (Haven, Beauty and the Beast [2013], Odyssey 5)
Karan Ashley b. 1975 (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
J. Trevor Edmund b. 1969 (Return of the Living Dead III, Frogs!, Alien Nation [TV])
Naomi Watts b. 1968 (Allegiant, Insurgent, King Kong, The Ring, Sleepwalkers, Tank Girl)
Mira Sorvino b. 1967 (Intruders, Falling Skies, Space Warriors, Mimic, The Stuff)
Maria Canals-Barrera b. 1966 (Wizards of Waverly Place)
Arie Verveen b. 1966 (Sin City)
Bellina Logan b. 1966 (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, Jacob’s Ladder)
Christopher Evan Welch b. 1965 died 2 December 2013 (War of the Worlds, The Stepford Wives [2004])
Janeane Garafalo b. 1964 (Werewolf Bitches from Outer Space, Southland Tales, What Planet Are You From?, Mystery Men)
Susan Walters b. 1963 (Teen Wolf [2014 TV], Star-Crossed, The Vampire Diaries, Carnivale, I Married a Monster)
Sylvia Kristel b. 1952 died 18 October 2012 (Dracula’s Widow)
John Sayles b. 1950 (writer, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Piranha, Brother From Another Planet, The Secret of Roan Inish, Clan of the Cave Bear, The Howling, Battle Beyond the Stars, Alligator)
Michael Flynn b. 1947 (Lightspeed, Halloweentown High, The Darkling, Asteroid, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers, Werewolf)
Jeffrey Jones b. 1946 (10.0 Earthquake, Dr. Dolittle 2, Sleepy Hollow [1999 movie], Invader ZIM, Tales from the Crypt, Amazing Stories, Howard the Duck, The Twilight Zone, Beetlejuice, Transylvania 6-5000)
Herbert Jefferson Jr. b 1946 (Star Trek: Renegades, Apollo 13, Outbreak, Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land, Knight Rider, World War III, Battlestar Galactica [1979], The Bionic Woman, The Immortal)
Fiona Lewis b. 1946 (Innerspace, Strange Invaders, The Fury, Tintorera: Killer Shark, Bram Stoker’s Dracula [TV 1974], Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Fearless Vampire Killers)
J.T. Walsh b. 1943 died 27 Feb. 1998 (Pleasantville, Dark Skies, The X Files, Lois & Clark, Needful Things)
Marshall Bell b. 1942 (Stargate: Atlantis, The Astronaut Farmer, God vs Evil, Sliders, Virus, W.E.I.R.D. World, The Puppet Masters, The X Files, Tales from the Crypt, Total Recall, Starship Troopers, Hard Time on Planet Earth, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
Ronald Lacey b. 1935 died 15 May 1991 (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Raider of the Lost Ark, Red Sonja, Buckaroo Banzai, Blakes 7, The Last Days of Man on Earth, The Fearless Vampire Killers)
Janet Munro b. 1934 Died 6 December 1972 (Darby O’Gill and the Little People, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, The Crawling Eye)
Ralph Ahn b. 1926 (Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace)
William Windom b.1923 died 16 August 2012 (The Attack of the Fifty Foot Woman [1993 TV], Space Rage, Automan, The Greatest American Hero, The Bionic Woman, The Girl with Something Extra, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, The Invaders, Star Trek, Twilight Zone)
Peter Finch b. 1916 died 14 January 1977 (First Men in the Moon)
Prosper Mérimée b. 1803 died 23 September 1870 (Le Venus d’Ille, Lokis, La Chambre bleue)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, before I had done as much research as I do now, I went with Ronald Lacey, the Nazi agent whose face melts off in Raiders of the Lost Ark. This year, I went with fabulous babe Naomi Watts in a tender scene from Peter Jackson's King Kong. With this birthday list, we need something nice start things off, because this one is rough. 

2. What's that smell? Yeah, that's the smell of death around you. William Windom lived well into his 80s, Prosper Mérimée died at 66, not a bad run back in the 19th Century, but all the rest of the deceased died young, and that's Peter Finch (60), Janet Munro (38), Ronald Lacey (55), J.T. Walsh (54), Sylvia Kristel (60), Christopher Evan Welch (48) and Skye McCole Bartusiak (21). I can't think of any single day list this bad before and I hope I don't have to type another before next September 28th.

3. So much respect. John Sayles, one of the few truly independent filmmakers in the world. He goes off and writes scripts like The Spiderwick Chronicles, Piranha, Clan of the Cave Bear, The Howling, Battle Beyond the Stars and Alligator so he can fund his writer/director stuff himself, free from studio control. He's made several of my favorite movies of the past thirty years, including Brother from Another Planet, Matewan , Eight Men Out, Passion Fish, Lone Star, Men with Guns, Limbo, Sunshine State, Casa de los babys and Honeydripper. There's no one quite like him.

4. The Oh That Guys. I guess William Windom might have been an Oh That Guy, but I would put him at the "Hey, it's Abe Vigoda!" level of fame, since he had a couple sitcoms in the 1960s and a regular recurring role on Murder She Wrote. Of the rest, I would say Jeffrey Jones might be close to that level as well, but I might only think that way because I loved Deadwood so much. I would put Ronald Lacey, Marshall Bell and J.T. Walsh at the Oh That Guy level of recognition for sure.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories and I hope I don't see so many of you on any list soon.

Movies released
Looper released, 2012  
 

Predictor: Attitude by A. Neale McDougall, published 1970 by Vantage in New York.

Prediction: This preachy novel alternates between lectures to young students about the past and the love stories of the same students. A war which began in the year 2000 killed half of Earth's population and began a century-long dark age which had some salutary effects: the "holocaust . . . burned away all of the economic rot, cancelled all the bad debts!" Modern America is a debilitated remnant of the old American civilization, and is contrasted with the idyllic Federation of thirteen Asian states where much of the novel is set. A subplot deals with the struggles of a young male to overcome his tendency toward violence and learn how to love. America is diagnosed as having destroyed itself through its bad attitude--hence the title.

Reality: Regular readers will recognize a summary of a plot like this is lifted from Paul Brians' excellent catalog of nuclear holocaust fiction, and once again I thank him for compiling it. The only positive thing to say here is that in reality, we have avoided a big nuclear war - and so far even a small one since Nagasaki - and that great shared dread of the 20th Century is no longer in the back of everyone's mind.

In this post, you have to cherish the tiny bits of good news where you can find them, I guess.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another dip into the nearly inexhaustible pool of predictions that is known as The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

31 August 2014

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…)
Mike Erwin b. 1978 (The Vampire Diaries, Hulk)
Marc Webb b. 1974 (director, The Amazing Spider-Man 1 and 2)
Chris Tucker b. 1972 (The Fifth Element, The Meteor Man)
Zack Ward b. 1970 (Save the Supers, Warehouse 13, Dollhouse, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Transformers, Lost, Charmed, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Freddy vs. Jason, Sliders, Forever Knight, Maniac Mansion)
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)
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)
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 Stan Bug, Twilight Zone)
Frederic March b. 1897 died 14 April 1975 (I Married a Witch, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)

There are some well known names on the list, though not all have iconic genre roles. I was having difficulty picking a face, so I decided to go with an illustration from Roger Dean, best known for his albums covers for Yes. Dean is currently suing James Cameron, claiming the director copied ideas from his paintings for the look of Avatar. Cameron has already won several lawsuits in relation to his big hit movie. I'm not a lawyer, but I think Dean has a point. For me, the real crime is that Cameron is talking about making three sequels, slated to be released 2016, 2017 and 2018. Unfortunately, there is no legal recourse against this travesty.

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

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

Predictor: Daventry, Leonard. A Man of Double Deed. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1965. New York: Berkley, 1967.

Prediction: A century after the Atomic Disaster of 1990, a cruel, technically sophisticated culture is deteriorating, as young people commit murders, seemingly at random. Games patterned after the ancient Roman model are popular, and actual war games for violent citizens are being arranged. A typical old-fashioned dystopia, with loveless free sex, synthetic food, and casual interplanetary travel. Unusual in depicting homosexuality as common. The author is British.

Reality: As usual, when the prediction looks like a plot summary, I'm lifting info from Professor Paul Brians' nuclear fiction website. I have to say I love the one-two punch of the last two sentences.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A new month begins and we get a return visit from an old friend.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

 

10 August 2014

Birthdays
Ah-sung Ko b. 1992 (Snowpiercer, The Host)
Lucas Till b. 1990 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, All Superheroes Must Die, X-Men: First Class, Battle Los Angeles, Dance of the Dead)
Devon Aoki b. 1982 (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Undead, Mutant Chronicles, Sin City)
Roxanne McKee b. 1980 (Dominion, The Legend of Hercules, Game of Thrones)
JoAnna Garcia Swisher b. 1979 (Once Upon a Time, The Astronaut Wives Club, From the Earth to the Moon, SeaQuest 2032, Superboy)
Joanna Baclaso b. 1976 (Lost Girl, Dude, Where’s My Car?, Forever Knight)
Rick Otto b. 1973 (Teen Wolf [TV], The Walking Dead, Dollhouse, Phantoms)
Justin Theroux b. 1971 (The Leftovers)
Claudia Christian b. 1965 (Runestone, Grimm, Starhyke, The Haunting of Hell House, Babylon 5, Highlander [TV], Lancelot: Guardian of Time, Space Rangers, Quantum Leap, The Hidden)
Eric Thal b. 1965 (The Puppet Masters)
Beverly Randolph b. 1964 (The Return of the Living Dead)
Suzanne Collins b. 1962 (author, The Hunger Games)
Antonio Banderas b. 1960 (Spy Kids 1, 2 and 3, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles)
Rosanna Arquette b. 1959 (Eastwick)
Don Swayze b. 1958 (Blood Type, True Blood, Charmed, Carnivale, Tremors [TV], The X Files, Lois & Clark, Beach Babes from Beyond)
Rick Overton b. 1954 (True Blood, COPS: Skyrim, Cloverfield, The Astronaut Farmer, Lost, Eight Legged Freaks, Charmed, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Lois & Clark, Groundhog Day, The Rocketeer, Earth Girls Are Easy, Traxx, Willow, Amazing Stories)
Diane Venora b. 1952 (Threshold, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, Wolfen)
Kate O’Mara b. 1939 died 30 March 2014 (Doctor Who, The Horror of Frankenstein, The Vampire Lovers)
Murray Melvin b. 1932 (Torchwood, Starhunter, Alice in Wonderland [1999 TV])
Lynn Cohen b. 1933 (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire)
Martha Hyer b. 1924 died May 31 2014 (Bewitched, First Men in the Moon, Mistress of the World, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars)
Jeff Corey b. 1914 died 16 August 2002 (Charmed, Brimstone, Perversions of Science, Babylon 5, Beauty and the Beast, War of the Worlds [1988], Starman, Faerie Tales Theatre, Manimal, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Battle Beyond the Stars, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, The Outer Limits, Superman and the Mole-Men, The Next Voice You Hear…, Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man)
Richard Reeves b. 1912 died 17 March 1967 (Mr. Terrific, I Dream of Jeannie, Billy the Kid Versus Dracula, The Addams Family, Batman, The Munsters, My Favorite Martian, Adventures of Superman, Target Earth)
Curt Siodmak b. 1902 died 2 September 2000 (author, Donovan’s Brain)
Jack Haley b. 1898 died 6 June 1979 (The Wizard of Oz)

Last year, the Picture Slot went to Claudia Christian from Babylon 5. This year it goes to Oh That Guy actor Jeff Corey, who had a guest shot on Babylon 5 and about a jillion other TV shows as well as some famous big budget movies. The picture I used is from his role on The Outer Limits. If I decide not to have a different picture next year, Jack Haley from The Wizard of Oz is the odds-on front runner. Antonio Banderas is the biggest movie star on the list, but he is best known in live action films from his non-genre roles.

Most interesting tidbit (for me) in today's research: I can be accused of being stuck in the past, but I think of Rick Overton as a stand up comedian. In point of fact, he puts food on the table by being an Oh That Guy actor with 147 acting credits on imdb.com. A lot of people with that many do a lot of voice work, but Overton works more in front of the camera. I've seen a lot of his work and I never put him in the Oh That Guy category until today.

As my father is fond of saying, you learn something new every day... if you aren't careful.

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

 Predictor: Robert Conquest in his 1955 novel A World of Difference

Prediction: A nuclear war in the 1980s has caused little immediate damage except when fusion bombs punctured the shield over Tiflis and killed all its inhabitants. A form of limited war was waged in which cities were warned in advance that they would be attacked, the people evacuated, and the cities were then sown with radioactive dust. More people died of starvation than of direct effects of the bombs during the war. There have been mass liquidations and deportations. Manufacturing--largely automated--has been moved underground. There are few people left (London is the second largest city with thirty thousand people), but they maintain an advanced technology. There are several subplots, but the main plot concerns a scheme by ruthless Marxists to overthrow the government which has subjected many of their number to psychological reconditioning. At the novel's climax, a plot to wreck the Earth with cobalt bombs is thwarted.

Reality: As usual, the spoiler filled summary is from the valuable website runs by professor Paul Brians. In the real 1980s, there were some actual real ruthless Marxists, but today, most people called Marxists just want to bring the tax rates on higher incomes back to the levels seen under Bill Clinton.

Never to be Forgotten: Charles Keating 1941-2014

For Americans of a certain age, the name Charles Keating means the thief who ran a savings and loan, making himself feel better by giving the money he stole to Mother Teresa. This Charles Keating is an actor born in London who worked first in England in shows like Brideshead Revisited and Edward and Mrs. Simpson, then came to the U.S. and appeared on several soap operas including All My Children, Another World and As the World Turns. But he is remembered here because he played Zeus on both Hercules: The Legendary Journeys and Xena: Warrior Princess.

By coincidence, the criminal Charles Keating also died this year.

Best wishes to the family and friends of the actor Charles Keating, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's time for that Monday morning sci-fi pick me up, another prediction from The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

  

27 July 2014

Birthdays
Ashlyn Sanchez b. 1996 (The Happening, Charmed)
Indiana Evans b. 1990 (Arctic Blast, H2O: Just Add Water)
Lou Taylor Pucci b. 1985 (Evil Dead [2013], Carriers, Southland Tales)
Blair Redford b. 1983 (Beauty and the Beast [TV], FlashForward, The Day the Earth Stood Still [2008], Dance of the Dead, Voodoo Moon)
Jonathan Rhys Meyers b. 1977 (The Mortal Instruments, Dracula [TV])
Maya Rudolph b. 1972 (Idiocracy, Gattaca)
Takako Fuji b. 1972 (The Grudge)
Nikolaj Coster-Waldau b. 1970 (Game of Thrones, Oblivion)
Paul Levesque a.k.a. Triple H b. 1969 (Blade: Trinity)
Bryan Fuller b. 1969 (writer, Mockingbird Lane, Heroes, Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, Wonderfalls, Carrie [TV movie 2002], Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine)
Julian McMahon b. 1968 (Fantastic Four, Premonition, Charmed)
Cliff Curtis b. 1968 (The Last Airbender, 10,000 BC, Virus, Mysterious Island [TV], Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Roxanne Hart b. 1952 (Meteorites!, Highlander)
Simon Jones b. 1950 (Spectropia, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy [2005 and 1981], Twelve Monkeys, Brazil)
Maury Chaykin b. 1949 died 27 July 2010 (Blindness, Eureka, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, Lexx, Mister Destiny, Twilight Zone [1989], Def-Con 4, WarGames)
Rade Serbedzija b. 1946 (The Legend of Hercules, X-Men: First Class, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Fallen [TV mini-series], Surface, The Fog, Batman Begins, Space Cowboys, Mighty Joe Young [1998])
John Pleshette b. 1942 (American Horror Story, Good vs Evil, Lois & Clark, Beauty and the Beast [1990])
Lanny Flaherty b. 1942 (Men in Black 3, Signs, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2, Waterworld)
Robert Gunner b. 1931 (Planet of the Apes, The Green Hornet)
Keenan Wynn b. 1916 died 14 October 1986 (Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star, Black Moon Rising, Manimal, The Greatest American Hero, The Clonus Horror, The Lucifer Complex, Piranha, The Bionic Woman, Laserblast, The Devil’s Rain, The Girl with Something Extra, Son of Flubber, The Absent-Minded Professor, Twilight Zone)

Last year, the Picture Slot belonged to Jaime Lannister, this year it's Arthur Dent. There were other possible choices, like Keenan Wynn from the original Twilight Zone. Mr. Wynn's name on the list brings up the question to which I do not have a complete answer, which is "Exactly WHY isn't Dr. Strangelove counted as genre?"

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

Movies released
Planet of the Apes [reboot] released 27 July 2001
 

Predictor: Carl L. Biemiller's Escape From The Crater, published 1974

Prediction: A "Crio" (a person cryogenically preserved by freezing at death) from 1999 is revived and provides them with essential knowledge to bring about a reconciliation between the otter people and normal humanity. He also tells them of a savage war of consumers against conservationists which caused such devastation to civilization that humanity was forced to adopt ecologically sound measures involuntarily.

Reality: Ecologically sound measures adopted involuntarily? How could that ever happen? Humans are always careful about the world they will leave behind for future generations. I do like the split between "the otter people" and "normal humanity".

As always, a thanks to professor Paul Brians and his nuclear holocaust fiction database.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

That happy break in the day every Monday, The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!