21 June 2015

Birthdays
Brian Sites b. 1983 (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
Benjamin Walker b. 1982 (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)
Chris Pratt b. 1979 (Jurassic World, Guardian of the Galaxy, Her, Jennifer’s Body, Path of Destruction)
Garikayi Mutambirwa b. 1978 (Legend of Souls, Jeepers Creepers II, Clockstoppers, Angel, Seven Days)
Erica Durance b. 1978 (Painkillers, Smallville, The Butterfly Effect 2, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, House of the Dead)
Will Thorp b. 1977 (Doctor Who)
Maggie Siff b. 1974 (The Fifth Wave, Push)
Natasha Beaumont b. 1974 (Inception, The Lost World, Farscape)
Juliette Lewis b. 1973 (From Dusk Till Dawn, Strange Days, My Stepmother Is an Alien, Meet the Hollowheads)
Carrie Preston b. 1967 (True Blood, Lost, The Stepford Wives [2004], Wonderfalls)
Lana Wachowski b. 1965 (director, Sense8, Jupiter Ascending, Cloud Atlas, Speed Racer, The Matrix)
David Morrissey b. 1964 (The Walking Dead, Extant, Earthbound, The Water Horse, Doctor Who, The Reaping)
Doug Savant b. 1964 (Firefly, Godzilla [1998], Teen Wolf)
Sammi Davis b. 1964 (Lost, Lair of the White Worm)
Josh Pais b. 1964 (The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Deep Space Nine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1990])
Eric Douglas b. 1958 died 6 July 2004 (Tales from the Crypt, The Golden Child)
Berkeley Breathed b. 1957 (writer, Mars Needs Moms)
Robert Pastorelli b. 1954 died 8 March 2004 (Modern Vampires, Beauty and the Beast [1980s], Twilight Zone [1985], Knight Rider, Tucker’s Witch)
Michael Bowen b. 1953 (Revolution, Lost, The X-Files, Night of the Comet)
Robyn Douglass b. 1953 (Galactica 1980)
Rachel Winfree b. 1952 (Roswell, Donnie Darko, The X Files, Lois & Clark)
Michael Gross b. 1947 (Tremors [TV and film], The Hunger, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court)
Meredith Baxter b. 1947 (The Cat Creature)
Tony Scott b. 1944 died 19 August 2012 (director, The Hunger [1990s TV and 1983 movie])
Joe Flaherty b. 1941 (Maniac Mansion, Back to the Beanstalk, Back to the Future Part II, Innerspace, Deadly Nightmares, Dave Thomas: The Incredible Time Travels of Henry Osgood)
Lyman Ward b. 1941 (Black Scorpion [TV], Independence Day, Weird Science [TV], Sleepwalkers, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Battlestar Galactica [1979], Man from Atlantis)
Mariette Hartley b. 1940 (Conan [TV], Encino Man, The Incredible Hulk, Logan’s Run [TV], Genesis II, Mystery in Dracula’s Castle, Earth II, The Return of Count Yorga, Star Trek, Twilight Zone)
Ron Ely b. 1938 (Superboy, Wonder Woman)
Monte Markham b. 1935 (Fringe, Millennium Man, Deep Space Nine, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, The Incredible Hulk, Beyond Westworld, The Invisible Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, Project X)
Bernie Kopell b. 1933 (The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park, Charmed, Bug Buster, Charmed, The Charmings, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian)
Maureen Stapleton b. 1925 died 13 March 2006 (Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Cocoon, The Electric Grandmother)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, it was David Morrissey from The Walking Dead and director Lana Wachowski. I could have gone old school with Mariette Hartley from Star Trek, but I went instead with the third youngest person on today's list Chris Pratt, who in just a couple years now has two iconic genre roles.

2. Things I learned today.
The nice thing: Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter share the exact same birthday, both turning 68 today and good on 'em.


The not nice thing: Robert Pastorelli was a "Wait... he's dead?" guy for me, dying very young. His best known role is as Eldon on Murphy Brown.

Neither nice nor not: Joe Flaherty was born in Pittsburgh, PA. He must have had a Canadian work visa for at least part of his career, but I can find no evidence he ever had Canadian citizenship.


3. Spot the Canadians! There are two today. Lyman Ward works mainly south of the border, Erica Durance works mainly north.


4, Nepotism, not a win. While I didn't know Robert Pastorelli was dead until I did research today, I was aware of the early death of Eric Douglas, son of Kirk Douglas. Very sad story.

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

Movies released
World War Z released, 2013
Monsters University released, 2013
Minority Report released 2002

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in his 1957 book The Door Into Summer

Prediction: I’m going to tell you because it can’t hurt anything… it’s time travel, all right, but it’s not practical. You can’t use it.”

Reality: As reality, time travel isn't happening, but I did like the version Heinlein created for this story. The impractical thing was that you couldn't be sure whether you were moving forward in time or backward. As Heinlein put it "Point in the direction of the future." Instead, time travel sent some stuff forward and the rest backward when used.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Monday rolls around again, which means another dip into The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

2 May 2015

 Birthdays
Megan McKinnon b. 1996 (Alien Agenda: Project Grey, The Last Mimzy)
Kay Panabaker b. 1990 (No Ordinary Family, Phil of the Future, Angel)
Thomas McDonell b. 1986 (The 100, Dark Shadows [2012], The Forbidden Kingdom)
Michael Caloz b. 1985 (Screamers, The Lifeforce Experiment)
Lauren Eckstrom b. 1984 (Star Kid)
Robert Buckley b. 1981 (iZombie, 666 Park Avenue)
Alicia Ziegler b. 1981 (Rise of the Dinosaurs, Lake Placid 2)
Finlay Robertson b. 1975 (Cockneys vs Zombies, Doctor Who, Lexx)
Matt Berry b. 1974 (Snow White and the Huntsman, Moon, Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace)
Jarred Blancard b. 1973 (The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Saban’s Ninja Turtles, Millennium, It)
Dwayne Johnson b. 1972 (Hercules [2014], G.I. Joe; Retaliation, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island, Tooth Fairy, Race to Witch Mountain, Southland Tales, The Scorpion King, The Mummy Returns, Star Trek: Voyager)
Maetrix Fitten b. 1972 (Hancock)
Katherine Willis b. 1971 (Resurrection, Revolution, Sin City, The Faculty)
Karel Dobry b. 1969 (Children of Dune, Dune)
Ari Lehman b. 1965 (Friday the 13th)
Brad Wright b. 1961 (writer, Stargate, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Odyssey, Highlander [TV], Forever Knight)
Brian Tochi b. 1959 (Starship Troopers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Twilight Zone [1985], Wonder Woman, Project U.F.O., Space Academy, The Omega Man, Star Trek)
Christine Baranski b. 1952 (Into the Woods, The Big Bang Theory, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Addams Family Values)
David Suchet b. 1946 (Dracula [TV 2006], Wing Commander, Harry and the Hendersons)
Lesley Gore b. 1946 died 16 February 2015 (Batman)
Regina Carrol b. 1943 died 4 November 1992 (Doctor Dracula, Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Brain of Blood)
Jo Ann Pflug b. 1940 (Knight Rider, Gemini Man, Cyborg 2087)
Don Marshall b. 1936 (The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Bionic Woman, The Thing with Two Heads, Land of the Giants, Mr. Terrific, Star Trek)
Bruce Glover b. 1932 (Die Hard Dracula, Warlock: The Armageddon, Battlestar Galactica, The Six Million Dollar Man, My Favorite Martian, Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster)
Philip Bruns b. 1931 died 8 February 2012 (Digital Man, Love Bites, Return of the Living Dead II, Amazing Stories, Twilight Zone [1985], The Six Million Dollar Man)
John Neville b. 1925 died 19 November 2011 (Odyssey 5, The X Files, The Fifth Element, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Journey to the Center of the Earth, The Adventures of Baron Munchausen)
Roscoe Lee Browne b. 1925 died 11 April 2007 (Swamp Thing [TV], Moon 44, Space, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Logan’s Run, Planet of the Apes [TV], The Invaders)
Theodore Bikel b. 1924 (Babylon 5, The Burning Zone, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beauty and the Beast [TV], Knight Rider, The Amazing Spider-Man [TV], Twilight Zone)
Edward E. “Doc” Smith b. 1890 died 31 August 1965 (author, Lensman, Subspace, The Galaxy Primes)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Back in 2013, the birthday list was empty so the Picture Slot was Iron Man because of the movie release from 2008. In 2014, I went with Don Marshall from Land of the Giants. If my choice was just based on iconic among the people remaining, I'd probably have chosen John Neville as Baron Munchausen, but the Picture Slot has been very 20th Century this week, so instead I've got Dwayne Johnson as the Scorpion King.

2. Spot the Canadians. Plenty of Canadians to choose from today. The oldest, writer Brad Wright, has the easiest credit list to spot as Canadian. The other three, Jared Blancard, Michael Maloz and Megan McKinnon, are not quite as obvious.

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

Movies released
X2:X-Men United released, 2003
Iron Man released, 2008
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 released, 2014
The Avengers: Age of Ultron released, 2015

Obviously, Marvel Studios thinks May 2nd is lucky or something.

Predictor: James Tiptree Jr., A.K.A. Alice Bradley Sheldon, in the 1972 story The Man Who Walked Home

Prediction: On 2 May 1989, the Bonneville labs are transformed into high energy plasma, which rapidly becomes airborne, radiating seismic and atmospheric events.

Reality: The story is about time travel and the explosion causes the main character to become unstuck in time. We don't have time travel yet, another one of those fun sci-fi plot devices that takes unfathomable amounts of energy to achieve, assuming it is even possible.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another interruption in the weekly schedule for an exact date prediction from a movie.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

 

26 October 2014

Birthdays
Morgan Saylor b. 1994 (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant)
Hal Ozsan b. 1976 (True Blood, Beauty and the Beast [2012], Cybergeddon Zips, Supernatural, Kyle XY, Roswell, FreakyLinks)
Mahesh Jadu b. 1982 (I, Frankenstein)
Wendy Clarice Jordan b. 1977 (Jurassic World)
Rosemary DeWitt b. 1973 (The Watch)
Seth MacFarlane b. 1973 (Ted, FlashForward, Tooth Fairy, Star Trek:Enterprise)
Chris Burns b. 1973 (The Walking Dead, Zombieland, Return of the Jackalope) Rupert Wyatt b. 1972 (director, Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
Lisa Ryder b. 1970 (Alphas, Andromeda, Jason X, Total Recall 2070, Earth: Final Conflict, Forever Knight)
Trevor White b. 1970 (World War Z, The Dark Knight Rises, Strange Frequency)
Robert Maillet b. 1969 (The Strain, Dark Rising: Warrior of Worlds, Hercules [2014], Haven, Septic Man, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Pacific Rim, S.W.I.T.C.H., A Little Bit Zombie, Immortals, Merlin, Monster Brawl, Lexx)
David Eick b. 1968 (producer, Touch, Caprica, Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman, Them [2007 TV movie], Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, M.A.N.T.I.S., The Incredible Hulk)
Steve Valentine b. 1966 (The Big Bang Theory, Beauty and the Beast [2014], Supernatural, Warehouse 13, Wizards of Wavertly Place: The Movie, Spider-Man 3, FreakyLinks, Charmed, Good vs. Evil, Don't Look Under the Bed, Mars Attacks!)
Kelly Rowan b. 1965 (Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh, Hook, War of the Worlds [TV])
Tom Cavanaugh b.1963 (The Flash, Snow 2: Brain Freeze, Beyond Reality)
Cary Elwes b. 1962 (Wonder Woman, The X Files, Shadow of the Vampire, From the Earth to the Moon, Ella Enchanted, Dracula [1992], The Princess Bride, The Bride)
Dylan McDermott b. 1961 (Automata, American Horror Story)
Patrick Breen b. 1960 (Cirque du Freak: The Vampire's Assistant, Galaxy Quest, Men in Black, Angel, The Tick)
Ingrid Anderson b. 1960 (Hercules [1983])
Julie Dawn Cole b. 1957 (Galloping Galaxies!, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
Rita Wilson b. 1956 (From the Earth to the Moon, Teen Witch, The Day It Came to Earth)
Roger Allam b. 1953 (V for Vendetta, Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones, Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Speed Racer)
Rondi Reed b. 1952 (The Astronaut's Wife)
Bob Hoskins b. 1942 died 29 April 2014 (Snow White and the Huntsman, Neverland, Doomsday, Wind in the Willows, Son of the Mask, The Lost World, Super Mario Bros., Hook, Brazil, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Kenneth Johnson b. 1942 (writer, V, Alien Nation, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, Steel, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Tilo Pruckner b. 1940 (Iron Sky, The NeverEnding Story)
Mary Black b. 1935 (Leprechaun: Origins, Man of Steel, The Beast of Bottomless Lake, Supernatural, Slither, The Fog, Elf, Dead Like Me, Level 9)
Ivor Francis b. 1918 died 22 October 1896 (Alien Zone, Man From Atlantis, The Six Million Dollar Man, Dark Shadows, I Dream of Jeannie)
Jackie Coogan b. 1914 died 1 March 1984 (The Addams Family, I Dream of Jeannie, The Space Children)
Fred Graham b. 1908 died 10 October 1979 (The Giant Gila Monster)

The Picture Slot this year is Cary Elwes from The Princess Bride, one of the best dialogue movies made in my lifetime. Last year I used Jackie Coogan as Uncle Fester and next year it's a toss-up between the late Bob Hoskins and Julie Dawn Cole as Veruca Salt in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Spot the Canadian is way too tough today, as some non-Canadians show up in multiple Canuck productions and some Canadian show up in very few. The correct answers are Lisa Ryder, Trevor White, Robert Maillet, Kelly Rowan, Mary Black and Ivor Francis. Hal Ozan and Steve Valentine are not Canadian. As I wrote, this one was too tough.

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

Movies released
Cloud Atlas released, 2012

Predictor: Back to the Future, released 3 July 1985

Prediction: On 26 October 1985, Marty McFly takes Dr. Emmett Brown’s time machine back to 5 November 1955.

Reality: This movie was technically predicting the future, but only three months ahead. As you probably know, mankind has not ironed out all the bugs in the flux capacitor.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The weekly schedule returns tomorrow, just in time for anther prediction from the OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

26 October 2013

Birthdays
Seth MacFarlane b. 1973 (Ted, Fututrama, Star Trek:Enterprise)
Rupert Wyatt b. 1973 (director, Rise of the Planet of the Apes)
David Eick b. 1968 (producer, Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Cary Elwes b. 1962 (The X Files, From the Earth to the Moon, Ella Enchanted, Dracula [1992])
Patrick Breen b. 1960 (Galaxy Quest, Men in Black, Angel)
Julie Dawn Cole b. 1957 (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
Roger Allan b. 1953 (V for Vendetta, Pirates of the Caribbean, Game of Thrones)
Bob Hoskins b. 1942 (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Brazil)
Kenneth Johnson b. 1942 (writer, V, Alien Nation, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Jackie Coogan b. 1914 died 1 March 1984 (The Addams Family)
Fred Graham b. 1908 died 10 October 1979 (The Giant Gila Monster)

Long list of birthdays today, folks on both sides of the camera. Though there are better known names, my feeling was that for genre work, it was either Uncle Fester or Veruca Salt. I flipped a coin.

I'd also like to give a shout out to Kenneth Johnson. If filmed sci-fi was just going to be space stories, it would eventually start feeling "all the same". He had big success with The Six Million Dollar Man and The Bionic Woman, and in terms of influence on today's entertainment industry, The Incredible Hulk was the first successful transfer of a Marvel Comics character to the screen. These days, Marvel dominates DC, but back in the 1970s, Marvel had nothing that could compare to the successes of Batman or Wonder Woman on TV or the big screen success of Superman that would come out a year after The Incredible Hulk.

Many happy returns to the living on this list. 

Movies released
Cloud Atlas, released 2012

People mock M. Night Shyamalan for the big drop-off in quality and fan interest in his movies since The Sixth Sense and Signs, and rightly so. But when it comes to putting butts in seats, the Wachowskis post-Matrix career is actually worse.

Just sayin'.
 

Prediction: On 26 October 1985, Dr. Emmet Smith is attacked by terrorist and Marty McFly escapes by taking the time traveling DeLorean back to Nov. 5, 1955.

Predictor: Back to the Future, released 3 July 1985

Reality: This movie was technically predicting the future, but only three months ahead. As you probably know, mankind has not ironed out all the bugs in the flux capacitor. And regardless of the era, a DeLorean is going to stand out like a sore thumb.

Looking on day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

One last prediction from Back to the Future, Part II, then we return to our regular weekly schedule.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE! 

3 September 2013

Birthdays
Garrett Hedlund b. 1984 (Tron, Eragon)
Clare Kramer b. 1974 (Buffy)
Merritt Butrick b. 1959 (Star Trek II and III, Star Trek: The Next Generation) died 3/17/1989
Valerie Perrine b. 1942 (Superman I and II, Slaughterhouse Five)

Today the Picture Slot goes to Clare Kramer playong Glory, the Big Bad on Season 5 of Buffy. I might switch it up next year to Valerie Perrine or even Merritt Butrick, who went to school in Marin County with my younger sisters.

Many happy returns to the living on the list.

Prediction: In 1999, Dr. Samuel Beckett finds a way to travel in time, inhabiting the bodies of others in the past.

Predictor: The TV show Quantum Leap, first airing in March 1989

Reality: Of course, we can't time travel yet, and certainly not like it was done on this show. We also haven't perfected hologram technology, a favorite gimmick in sci-fi TV and films from The Next Generation on. It should also be noted that the show is generally a nostalgia trip for baby boomers, as almost all the jumps are between the end of World War II to the end of the 1980s, never leaping into the future, not even into the 1990s beyond the air date of the show.

The only thing close to real in show is Al's hand held computer. The state of the art cellphones now are getting pretty darned good, but of course a 1999 cell phone was nothing like this.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from our new Wednesday regular T. Baron Russell, looking into the century ahead from his vantage point in Edwardian London.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

29 June 2013

Birthday
Ray Harryhausen b. 1920 died 5/5/2013

Regular readers will know I wrote an appreciation of Harryhausen  when he died, but besides his work with stop-motion animation, he did a lot to improve the state of the art with moving mattes, which he used to have giants and little people interact. In Jason and the Argonauts, the most action packed scene of this kind is when Poseidon protects the Argo from being destroyed by crashing rocks, the ship sailing under the giant god's outstretched arm. For me, the most memorable scene is Jason visiting the gods on Mount Olympus, and the conversation between tiny Jason and the awe-inspiring goddess Hera, Honor Blackman filling out a titanic toga like nobody's business.

IBIMB, as the young people say.

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

It could be argued that Ted is just a comedy, but I consider the fantasy element strong enough to place it in the genre category.

Prediction:1978: Traveling to the future, the time travelers endanger a mission to Mars.

Predictor: The Time Tunnel, aired in 1966

Reality: The show is part of the era when optimism for space travel was at its peak. NASA was sending people into space preparing for the moon landing. It was hard to foresee that the moon missions after Neil Armstrong's first step would feel like weaker and weaker sequels diluting the franchise.

Not unlike Shrek.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!


A prediction from James Blish about the future of religion.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

2 June 2013

Birthdays
Jewel Staite b. 1982
Morena Baccarin b. 1979
Dominic Cooper b. 1978
Zachary Quinto b. 1977
Danny Strong b. 1974
Anthony Montgomery b. 1971

Lots of birthdays today, all but one on the low side of 40. There's a Whedonverse triple (Staite and Baccarin from Firefly/Serenity, Strong from Buffy), a pair from Star Trek (Quinto as the new Spock, Montgomery was Ensign Mayweather on Enterprise) and Cooper played Tony Stark's dad Howard in the Captain America movie.

All the actresses on Firefly were/are pretty, but they glammed up Morena Baccarin like crazy. It definitely worked, at least for me. I was always looking at her when she was on screen.

Cos she's purdy!

Prediction: In 1968, a secret government operation creates a time travel portal.

Predictor: The Time Tunnel, premiering in 1966

Reality: It's an Irwin Allen show. Reality ain't in it, mate. (Forgive me. I'm in the middle of re-reading Patrick O'Brian.)

As you might remember if you saw it, Robert Colbert and James Darren were thrown around in time and space and there was a control room in charge of finding them. Like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, the cast was still very Caucasian, but at least there was one female regular, Lee Meriwether. It would be two more years before an Irwin Allen show had an integrated cast. (To be fair, Lost in Space had both males and females, but it was supposed to be a family unit more than a work situation.)

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from the pages of Popular Mechanics, not always accurate but often with terrific illustrations.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

5 January 2013

Birthdays
January Jones b. 1978
Clancy Brown b. 1959 

There will be a lot of birthdays of artists with a connection to fantasy and sci-fi celebrated here on the blog and actors are going to outnumber writers and directors because movies and TV shows hire more actors than directors or writers. As much as I love Clancy Brown's work, when it came to a picture of him or a picture of January Jones from X-Men: First Class, I did not have a tough time choosing.


Being a heterosexual male did have some bearing on my decision.

The date is 5 January, 1900.

H.G. Wells, known to his friends as George, makes his first trip INTO THE FUTURE in his time machine.

from The Time Machine, released 17 August 1960

I love predictions that give exact dates. This isn't exactly a prediction, since the movie is released in 1960 and the first scenes take place in 1900, but in any time travel movie, we are allowed the Dr. Who Rule, better known as:

Timey wimey wibbly wobbly.

Accuracy: Sorry, we didn't actually invent time travel in the Victorian era.

This movie will get another exact date prediction later in the year, on its release date of the 17th of August, to be exact. It really does look INTO THE FUTURE, at least from the vantage point of 1960, and it's a doozy of an apocalypse.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Man travels the depths of interstellar space... in 1997? Well, perhaps only in The Twilight Zone.

Join me then... IN THE FUTURE!