19 September 2015

Birthdays
Taylor Geare b. 2001 (Flashforward, Inception)
Katrina Bowden b. 1988 (Piranha 3DD, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil)
Danielle Panabaker b. 1987 (The Flash, Time Lapse, Arrow, Piranha 3DD, Grimm, The Crazies, Sky High)
Kevin Zegers b. 1985 (The Colony, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Vampire, Zoon, Dawn of the Dead, Smallville, Twice in a Lifetime, It Came from the Sky, Nico the Unicorn, Specimen, The X Files)
Lydia Hearst b. 1984 (Cabin Fever: Patient Zero)
Columbus Short b. 1982 (Quarantine, War of the Worlds)
Tanja Reichert b. 1980 (Relic Hunter, Poltergeist: The Legacy)
Adam Dunnells b. 1980 (Mega Shark vs. Kolossus, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., No Ordinary Family)
Jeremy Jordan b. 1973 (Storm of the Century)
Sanaa Lathan b. 1971 (Alien vs. Predator, Blade)
Kim Richards b. 1964 (Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No, Race to Witch Mountain, Project U.F.O., Return from Witch Mountain, The Car, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Picture of Dorian Gray)
Paul McGuigan b. 1963 (director, Victor Frankenstein, Push)
Cheri Oteri b. 1962 (Southland Tales, Inspector Gadget)
Carolyn McCormick b. 1959 (Spectropia, The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Enemy Mine)
Richard Ridings b. 1958 (Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Merlin, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Relic Hunter, Highlander [TV], Red Dwarf, Erik the Viking, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire)
Kevin Hooks b. 1958 (director, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Supernatural, Alphas, Lost, Alien Nation [TV], V; actor, Innerspace )
Rex Smith b. 1955 (The Trial of the Incredible Hulk, Transformations, Faeries Tale Theatre)
David Bamber b. 1954 (Doctor Who)
Allan Havey b. 1954 (The Man in the High Castle, Hancock)
Ernie Sabella b. 1949 (Quantum Leap, Fright Night Part 2)
Jeremy Irons b. 1948 (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Color of Magic, Eragon, The Time Machine)
Tanith Lee b. 1947 died 24 May 2015 (writer, Tales of the Flat Earth, Animal Castle)
Randolph Mantooth b. 1945 (Battlestar Galactica, Project U.F.O.)
Mariangela Melato b. 1941 died 11 January 2013 (Flash Gordon)
Lloyd Haynes b. 1934 died 31 December 1986 (The Green Hornet, Batman, Star Trek)
David McCallum b. 1933 (Jeremiah, Team Knight Rider, VR.5, Babylon 5, SeaQuest 2032, The Watcher in the Woods, The Invisible Man, Frankenstein: The True Story, The Six Million Dollar Man: Wine, Women and War, The Outer Limits)
Antonio Margheriti b. 1930 died 4 Novmeber 2002 (director, Alien from the Deep, Treasure Island in Outer Space, Yor, the Hunter from the Future, Flesh for Frankenstein, Mr. Superinvisible, War of the Planets, Wild, Wild Planet, Assignment: Outer Space)
Kathie Browne b. 1930 died 8 April 2003 (Star Trek, Mr. Terrific, The Brass Bottle, My Favorite Martian)
Mel Stewart b. 1929 died 24 February 2002 (Bride of Re-Animator, Martians Go Home, Dead Heat, The Invisible Woman, Mr. Merlin, The Greatest American Hero, Tabitha)
Adam West b. 1928 (Monster Island, Black Scorpion, An American Vampire Story, Weird Science [TV], The Flash, Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Zombie Nightmare, Time Warp, Warp Speed, Batman, Bewitched, The Outer Limits, Robinson Crusoe on Mars)
William Hickey b. 1927 died 29 June 1997 (Tales from the Darkside: The Movie, Tales from the Crypt, Between Time and Timbuktu)
Rosemary Harris b. 1927 (Radio Free Albemuth, Spider-Man, The Boys from Brazil)
Damon Knight b. 1922 died 15 April 2002 (writer, To Serve Man)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Previous Picture Slotters were Adam West and Kathie Brown, and this year's winner is Carolyn McCormick as Minuet, a character that proved the old phrase "Riker will chase anything in a skirt with a pulse" gave him way too much credit, since she was just a holodeck character.

2. Spot the Canadian! Kevin Zegers has the kind of career the Canadian government hoped they would be able to produce when they required a quota of Canadian born on the shows produced in their country.

3. Nepotism FTW. Lydia Hearst is the daughter of Patty Hearst.

4. MST3K. Adam West was in Zombie Nightmare.

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

The Weekly Soapbox: The Swan Song

This will be the last post on this blog. I have enjoyed myself for the past thirty three months putting the lists and predictions together and making my little comments, but my interest has been waning for some time now. I had hoped to make it through the end of the year or at least to make a month long tribute to Back to the Future II, but I just can't find the time right now. I'm teaching more classes than I have for a while, which is very good for my bank account, but a little bit of a challenge in terms of time management. Not doing the blog will save me about an hour a day in research and writing.

I want to thank all the people who read the blog over the past few years and especially those who took the time to leave comments. We all know the standard Internet warning "Don't read the comments!", but in the successful blogs I've written, the main reason I continued them was because I wanted to read what my commenters would have to say. You guys (and gals) have been great.

I also enjoyed learning new things in my research, like today when I read that Patty Hearst's daughter is a supermodel (who knew?), but as much as I enjoy a good Fun Fact to Know and Tell, time constraints mean our little party is coming to an end.
  
Wishing all my readers safe and happy journeys... IN THE FUTURE!

7 September 2015

Birthdays
Hugh Mitchell b. 1989 (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Evan Rachel Wood b.1987 (Westworld, True Blood, S1m0ne, American Gothic)
Alyssa Diaz b. 1985 (Grimm, The Last Ship, The Vampire Diaries, Revolution, Ben 10: Alien Swarm)
Josh Hammond b. 1979 (Lazarus: Day of the Living Dead, Piranha Sharks, Jeepers Creepers II, Alien Arsenal)
Devon Sawa b. 1978 (Creature of Darkness, Final Destination, Idle Hands)

Oliver Hudson b. 1976 (The Breed, 10.5: Apocalypse)
Noah Huntley b. 1974 (Dracula Untold, Snow White and the Huntsman, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 28 Days Later…, The Omega Code 2, Event Horizon)
Alex Kurtzman b. 1973 (writer, Venom, Van Helsing, Sleepy Hollow, Transformers, Star Trek, Fringe, Cowboys & Aliens, The Island, Xena, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Shannon Elizabeth b. 1973 (Night of the Demons, Cursed, Thir13en Ghosts, Good vs Evil)
Tom Everett Scott b. 1970 (Beauty and the Beast, Race to Witch Mountain, Dead Man on Campus, An American Werewolf in Paris)
Monique Gabriela Curnen b. 1970 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Dark Knight, Journeyman, Anamorph, The Lady in the Water, Angel)
Diane Farr b. 1969 (Collision Earth, Roswell)
Angie Everhart b. 1969 (Bigfoot, Bugs, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Bordello of Blood, Last Action Hero)
Toby Jones b. 1967 (Agent Carter, The Hunger Games, Captain America, Snow White and the Huntsman, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, The Mist [2007])
W. Earl Brown b. 1963 (Knights of Baddassdom, American Horror Story, The X Files, Vanilla Sky, Charmed, Angel, Being John Malkovich, Deep Impact, Project: ALF, Vampire in Brooklyn)
Cliff Simon b. 1962 (Stargate)
Christopher Villiers b. 1960 (Triassic Attack, From Time to Time, Doctor Who, Ultraviolet)
Stewart Finlay-McLennan b. 1957 (Lost, National Treasure, E.A.R.T.H. Force)
Mira Furlan b. 1955 (Space Command Redemption, Lost, Babylon 5)
Doug Bradley b. 1954 (A Vampire’s Tale, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes, Hellraiser, Dominator, Proteus, Nightbreed)
Corbin Bernsen b. 1954 (Vipers, They Are Among Us, Beings, Atomic Twister, Dead Above Ground, Spacejacked, Menno’s Mind, Inhumanoid, Aurora: Operation Intercept, Star Trek: The Next Generation, King Kong [1976])
Michael Emerson b. 1954 (Lost, Saw, The X Files)
Julie Kavner b. 1950 (Click, Revenge of the Stepford Wives)
Susan Blakely b. 1948 (My Mom’s a Werewolf, Twilight Zone [1987], Deadly Nightmares)
Dario Argento b. 1940 (director, The Sandman, Dracula 3D, Phenomena)
John Phillip Law b. 1937 died 13 May 2008 (Alienator, Barbarella, Golden Voyage of Sinbad)
Bruce Gray b. 1936 (Stargate SG-1, Charmed, Star Trek: Enterprise, Cube²: Hypercube, Earth: Final Conflict, Starship Troopers, Babylon 5, RoboCop [TV], Star Trek: The Next Generation, Knight Rider)
Alan Steel b. 1935 died 5 September 2015 (3 Avengers, Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas, Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against Rome, Hercules and the Black Pirates, Hercules and the Masked Rider, Samson and the Slave Queen, Ursus, the Gladiator Rebel, The Fury of Hercules, The Giant of Marathon, Hercules Unchained)
Peter Lawford b. 1923 died 24 December 1984 (Bewitched, The Picture of Dorian Gray, The Canterville Ghost)
Anthony Quayle b. 1913 (Holocaust 2000)
Roy Barcroft b. 1902 died 28 November 1969 (Rosemary’s Baby, Destination Inner Space, Billy the Kid Versus Dracula, Commando Cody, The Adventures of Superman, Zombies of the Stratosphere, Radar Men from the Moon, The Vampire’s Ghost, Flash Gordon)
George Waggner b. 1894 died 11 December 1984 (director, Batman, The Green Hornet, The Wolf Man, Man Made Monster)
Dr. John William Polidori b. 1795 died 24 August 1821 (author, The Vampyre: A Tale)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Quite a few well-known faces on today's list and in previous years I went with fabulous babes Evan Rachel Wood and Mira Furlan. Sad to say, we will have an obit for a fabulous babe down farther in the post, so instead I went with Doug Bradley as Pinhead from the Hellraiser series. 

2. Spot the Canadian! Only one I could find today, Devon Sawa, does not have a resume full of Canuck sci-fi, which makes him hard to spot.

3. Nepotism FTW. Oliver Hudson is the son of Goldie Hawn. 

4. MST3K. Birthday boy Alana Steel passed away two days ago, and some of his Hercules movies were given the treatment.

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

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Just as aircraft will be further enhanced by computer assistance, air traffic control will rely more heavily on computers to keep track of the aircraft in the area.

Reality: There are some things from the past that are more than a little terrifying when you sit down to think about them. The technology available for air traffic control even as recently as thirty years ago was archaic. Suffice it to say, this prediction gets full marks.
 

Never to be Forgotten: Judy Carne 1939-2015

A rough day for those of us who grew up on television in the 1960s. Judy Carne, best known for Love on a Rooftop and Laugh-In, died earlier this month in Northampton, where she was born. She was the first wife of Burt Reynolds. She is remembered here for a role on I Dream of Jeannie.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Judy Carne, from a fan. She is never to be forgotten.

Never to be Forgotten: Martin Milner 1931-2015

Adding to the sad nostalgia for folks of a certain age is the death of Martin Milner, best known for Adam-12, Route 66 and The Sweet Smell of Success. His connections to genre include the TV version of RoboCop, The 1960 movie 13 Ghosts, the 1950 TV series On the Threshold of Space and most memorably for me, an episode of the original Twilight Zone.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from Heinlein's The Door Into Summer.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

5 September 2015

Birthdays
Gage Golightly b. 1993 (Teen Wolf, 5ive Days to Midnight)
Skandar Keynes b. 1991 (The Chronicles of Narnia)
Kat Graham b. 1989 (The Vampire Diaries)
Christina Ulloa b. 1982 (Charmed)
Nan Yu b. 1978 (Speed Racer, My DNA Says I Love You)
Carice Van Houten b. 1976 (Game of Thrones, Intruders, Repo Men, From Time to Time)
Paddy Considine b. 1974 (The World’s End)
Justin Nimmo b. 1974 (Power Rangers in Space, Pleasantville)
Rose MacGowan b. 1973 (Once Upon a Time, Conan the Barbarian [2011], Charmed, Grindhouse, Monkeybone, Encino Man)
Dweezil Zappa b. 1969 (Jack Frost, The Running Man)
Terry Ellis b. 1963 (Batman Forever)
Peter Wingfield b. 1962 (Alphas, Caprica, Stonehenge Apocalypse, 10,000 Days, Highlander [TV], Charmed, Smallville, Catwoman, Andromeda, X-Men 2, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Halloweentown II: Kalabar’s Revenge, Stargate SG-1)
Roberta Weiss b. 1961 (Tales from the Darkside, Deadly Nightmares, The Dead Zone)
Joseph Steven b. 1956 (Star Trek [2009], Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, The Scorpion King, K-PAX)
Michael Keaton b. 1951 (Birdman, RoboCop [2013], Jack Frost, Multiplicity, Batman, Beetlejuice)
Scott H. Reiniger b. 1948 (Dawn of the Dead [2004 and 1978])
Dennis Dugan b. 1946 (The Howling, Unidentified Flying Oddball, The Sixth Sense [1972])
Wim Wenders b. 1942 (director, Nosferatu the Vampire)
Raquel Welch b. 1940 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Lois & Clark, Mork & Mindy, Bedazzled, One Million Years B.C., Fantastic Voyage, Bewitched)
George Lazenby b. 1939 (Team Knight Rider, Superboy, Death Dimension)
William Devane b. 1939 (Interstellar, Leprechaun’s Revenge, The X-Files, Stargate SG-1, The Dark Knight Rises, Race to Space, Hollow Man, Space Cowboys, Timecop, Doomsday Rock, Virus, Timestalkers, Testament)
Alyce Andrece b. 1936 died 14 May 2005 (Star Trek, Batman)
Rhae Andrece b. 1936 died 2 March 2009 (Star Trek, Batman)
Frank Farmer b. 1932 (Ghost Ghirls, Team Knight Rider, The Burning Zone, The Invaders, Babylon 5, Wonder Woman, Capricorn One)
Bob Newhart b. 1929 (The Big Bang Theory, The Librarian, Elf)
Gloria Holden b. 1903 died 22 March 1991 (Dracula’s Daughter)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot was filled by the twins Alyce and Rhae Andrece from the I, Mudd episode of Star Trek and Carice Van Houten from Game of Thrones. I could have gone with Michael Keaton from Batman, but continuing with the fabulous babe theme of previous years, it's Raquel Welch in the fur bikini from One Million Years B.C., possibly the most iconic picture from her career.

2. Not the Canadian and Spot the Canadian! Peter Wingfield has a lot of role in Canadian genre productions, but he was born in Great Britain and I have no information about him becoming a resident alien in Canada. His imdb.com bio is proudest of the fact that he has recently completed his studies to become a medical doctor, and good on him for that. Regular reader Abu Scooter informs me that Roberta Weiss is Canadian, a fact which I miss on the initial post.

Nepotism FTW. Dweezil Zappa.

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

Never to be Forgotten: Alan Steel (a.k.a. Sergio Ciani) 1935-2015

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, Italy cranked out a lot of movies known collectively as "sword and sandal" in an attempt to cash in on the success of Biblical era costume dramas like Spartacus. The hero was always a bodybuilder, playing characters named Hercules, Machiste, Ursus, Goliath or Samson. While many of the bodybuilders like Steve Reeves and Reg Park were Americans, Sergio Ciani, whose screen name was Alan Steel, was born in Rome. While he was not always the lead, he appeared in 3 Avengers, Hercules and the Treasure of the Incas, Hercules Against the Moon Men, Hercules Against Rome, Hercules and the Black Pirates, Hercules and the Masked Rider, Samson and the Slave Queen, Ursus, the Gladiator Rebel, The Fury of Hercules, The Giant of Marathon and Hercules Unchained. Two of these were given the MST3K treatment.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Today's soapbox is postponed a day due to the holiday.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

30 August 2015

Birthdays
Jessica Henwick b. 1992 (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones)
Gaia Weiss b. 1991 (The Legend of Hercules)
Johanna Braddy b. 1987 (Video Game High School, Paranormal Activity 3, The Grudge 3)
Emily Montague b. 1984 (Fright Night)
Max Hoffman b. 1984 (Hook)
Angel Coulby b. 1980 (Merlin, Doctor Who)
Milan Kurspahic b. 1979 (Blubberella, BloodRayne: The Third Reich)
Elden Hanson b. 1977 (Daredevil [TV], The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Rise: Blood Hunter, The Butterfly Effect, Evil Alien Conquerors, Idle Hands, Amazing Stories)
Cameron Diaz b. 1972 (Shrek, The Green Hornet, Minority Report, Vanilla Sky, Being John Malkovich, The Mask)
Michael Chiklis b. 1963 (Gotham, American Horror Story, Fantastic Four, No Ordinary Family, Rise: Blood Hunter, Soldier)
Nelson Ascencio b. 1964 (The Hunger Games, Paul, Birds of Prey)
Ely Puget b. 1961 (Charmed, Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, Dark Shadows [1991])
Frank Conniff b. 1958 (Space Hospital, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Mystery Science Theater 3000, Invader ZIM)
David Paymer b. 1954 (Drag Me to Hell, Mighty Joe Young, Night of the Creeps, Howard the Duck, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Greatest American Hero)
Timothy Bottoms b. 1951 (Realm of the Mole Men, Vampire Bats, The Boy with the X-Ray Eyes, Land of the Lost [1991-2], Freddy’s Nightmares, The Twilight Zone [1988], Mio in the Land of the Faraway, Deadly Nightmares, Invaders From Mars [1986])
Lewis Black b. 1948 (The Big Bang Theory, Jacob’s Ladder)
Peggy Lipton b. 1946 (The Postman, Deadly Nightmares, Purple People Eater, The Invaders, Bewitched)
Elizabeth Ashley b. 1939 (Vampire’s Kiss, Deadly Nightmares, A Fire in the Sky, Coma, The Six Million Dollar Man: Solid Gold Kidnapping)
Don Pedro Colley b. 1938 (Piranha, Space Academy, The Bionic Woman, THX 1138, Beneath the Planet of the Apes)
Peter Cartwright b. 1935 died 18 November 2013 (Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hammer House of Horror)
Bill Daily b. 1927 (Horrorween, Alligator II: The Mutation, The Munsters Today, ALF, Small & Frye, The Powers of Matthew Star, I Dream of Jeannie, My Mother the Car, Bewitched)
Jacqueline Wells b. 1914 died 30 August 2001 (The Black Cat)
Fred MacMurray b. 1908 died 5 November 1991 (The Swarm, Beyond the Bermuda Triangle, Son of Flubber, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Shaggy Dog)
Joan Blondell b. 1906 died 25 December 1979 (The Twilight Zone)
Mary Shelley b. 1797 died 1 February 1851 (author, Frankenstein)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. The previous Picture Slotters were TV's Frank Conniff and Mary Shelley. Going old school the two most iconic are likely Bill Daily from I Dream of Jeannie and Fred MacMurray from the Flubber movies, but instead I went to the young end of the list with Jessica Henwick as Nymeria Sand from Game of Thrones.

'Cos she's purdy.

From the middle of the list, I could have taken Michael Chiklis from Fantastic Four, though that would have been cruel or Cameron Diaz from The Mask. I like Game of Thrones better.

2. Nepotism FTW. Max Hoffman is Dustin's kid, played a role as a child in Hook. This is nepotism plain and simple.

3. What we are missing. No Canadians, no Star Trek.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

OMNI Future Almanac, the Old Faithful of all my prediction sources, starts off another week.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

21 August 2015

Birthdays
Maxim Knight b. 1999 (Falling Skies)
Hayden Panettiere b. 1989 (Heroes, Aliens in the Family)
Robert Knox b. 1989 died 24 May 2008 (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Elarica Gallacher b. 1989 (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince)
Kiami Davael b. 1986 (Conan [1998])
Laura Haddock b. 1985 (SuperBob, Guardians of the Galaxy, Rage of the Yeti, Captain America: The First Avenger)
Alicia Witt b. 1975 (The Librarians, Curse of the Ring, Vanilla Sky, Dune)
Nathan Jones b. 1969 (Mad Max: Fury Road, Conan the Barbarian [2011], Doom Runners)
Carrie-Anne Moss b. 1967 (Jessica Jones, Frankenstein [2015], The Matrix, Red Planet, Matrix [1993], Forever Knight, Deadly Nightmares)
Kim Catrall b. 1956 (Creature, Modern Vampires, Invasion, Split Second, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Big Trouble in Little China, City Limits, Mannequin, Tucker’s Witch, The Incredible Hulk, Logan’s Run [TV])
Loretta Devine b. 1949 (Supernatural, Anna to the Infinite Power)
Walter Williamson b. 1946 (The Omega Code, Babylon 5)
Basil Poledouris b. 1945 died 8 November 2006 (composer, Starship Troopers, RoboCop 3, RoboCop, Cherry 2000, Amerika, Twilight Zone [1985], Conan the Barbarian, Tintorera: Killer Shark)
Peter Weir b. 1944 (director, The Truman Show, The Cars That Eat People)
Clarence Williams III b. 1939 (Millennium, Deep Space Nine, Tales from the Crypt)
Wilt Chamberlain b. 1936 died 12 October 1999 (Conan the Destroyer)
Tony Steedman b. 1927 died 4 February 2001 (Babylon 5, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, Beauty and the Beast, The Charmings)
Jack Weston b. 1924 died 3 May 1996 (Short Circuit 2, The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Twilight Zone, Rod Brown of the Rocket Rangers)
Anthony Boucher b. 1911 died 29 April 1968 (editor, The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Not all that long a list today, but certainly not short on the iconic. Previous Picture Slotters were Carrie-Anne Moss for The Matrix and Kim Catrall from Star Trek, and continuing with the fabulous babe theme, today it's Hayden Panettiere from Heroes.

2. One hard to spot Canadian and an explanation. Carrie-Anne Moss is Canadian. You will see she is in The Matrix and Matrix. The one without the definite article is a 1993 TV show about a hitman that comes back from the dead.

3. MST3K. Usually I look through the credits of the older actors when trying to find movies that got the Best Brains treatment, but of course today the actress that appeared in a movie on that show is Kim Catrall.

Are you singing along with Crow T. Robot in your head right now? Because I am.

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

Predictor: H.G. Wells in his 1901 book Anticipations

Prediction: Every man will be soberly and intelligently setting about the particular thing he has to do [in time of war], even the rich shareholding sort of person, the hereditary mortgager of society, will be given something to do, and if he has learnt nothing else he will serve to tie up parcels of ammunition or pack army sausage. Very probably the best of such people and of the speculative class will have qualified as cyclist marksmen for the front, some of them may even have devoted the leisure of peace to military studies and may be prepared with novel weapons.

Reality: If we have learned anything from reading these gleanings from Anticipations, we have learned that Wells hates a lot of types of people. Here, he is hating on the idle rich and because I share his distaste, I don't mind so much. Still, turning these people into "cyclist marksmen" seems overly cruel, since it seems like a class of soldier who would get slaughtered rather easily on the 20th Century battlefield.
 

Never to be Forgotten: Ellen Albertini Dow 1914-2015 Ellen Albertini Dow died at the age of 101. I am embarrassed to say she died in May and I just noticed, but better late than never. She taught acting and dancing for decades before she went in front of a camera for the first time in the 1980s. Best known as the rapping granny in The Wedding Singer, she is remembered here for 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 and Twilight Zone [1986].

Best wishes to the family and friends of Ellen Albertini Dow, from a fan. She is never to be forgotten.   

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Saturday is the Weekly Soapbox and this week I have a few cheery thoughts about nuclear war.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

19 August 2015

Birthdays
Tristan Lake Leabu b. 1999 (Superman Returns)
Joseph Castanon b. 1997 (Jericho, Click)
Veronica Roth b. 1988 (writer, Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant)
Tammin Sursok b. 1983 (Airship Dracula, Aquamarine)
Tania Nolan b. 1983 (Grayson: Earth One, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Legend of the Seeker)
Mike Moh b. 1983 (True Blood, Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, Kamen Rider: Dragon Knight)
Erika Christensen b. 1982 (FreakyLinks, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Michelle Borth b. 1978 (TiMER, Supernatural, Komodo vs. Cobra)
Callum Blue b. 1977 (Smallville, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Dead Like Me)
Tracie Thoms b. 1975 (Looper, Wonder Woman [2011], Grindhouse, Wonderfalls)
Ahmed Best b. 1973 (The Star Wars prequels)
Matthew Perry b. 1969 (L.A.X. 2194)
Kyra Sedgwick b. 1965 (Gamer, Phenomenon, Amazing Stories)
Kevin Dillon b. 1965 (Tales from the Crypt, The Blob [1988])
John Stamos b. 1963 (Tales from the Crypt, Alice in Wonderland [1985])
Stu “Large” Riley b. 1963 (Kick-Ass, The Adventures of Pluto Nash)
Tony Longo b. 1961 died 21 June 2015 (Hercules in Hollywood, Fangs, The X Files, They Came from Outer Space, Beauty and the Beast [1987], Hell Town, Splash, Small & Frye)
Martin Donovan b. 1957 (Ant-Man, The Lottery, The Haunting in Connecticut, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Dark Shadows [2005])
Adam Arkin b. 1956 (Lake Placid, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Perversions of Science, The Hidden Room, Hard Time on Planet Earth, The Twilight Zone)
Peter Gallagher b. 1955 (The Gathering, House on Haunted Hill, High Spirits)
Jonathan Frakes b. 1952 (Star Trek, Roswell, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Lois & Clark, Twilight Zone [1985])
Randi Oakes b. 1951 (Battlestar Galactica)
Jim Carter b. 1948 (The Golden Compass, The Wind in the Willows [TV], Ella Enchanted, Dinotopia, Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, The Little Vampire, The Witches, The Company of Wolves, Flash Gordon)
Gerald McRaney b. 1947 (Jericho, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Hansel & Gretel, The NeverEnding Story, The Incredible Hulk, The Aliens Are Coming, Logan’s Run [TV], The Brain Machine, The Fantastic Journey, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Christopher Malcolm b. 1946 died 15 February 2014 (Whoops Apocalypse, Labyrinth, Highlander, Superman III, The Empire Strikes Back)
Jill St. John b. 1940 (Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Lost World)
Diana Muldaur b. 1938 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Incredible Hulk, Planet Earth, Star Trek, The Invaders)
L. Q. Jones b. 1927 (Timerider: The Adventures of Lyle Swann, The Incredible Hulk, A Boy and His Dog, My Favorite Martian)
Angus Scrimm b. 1926 (Phantasm, John Dies at the End, The Nightmare Room, FreakyLinks, Munchie, Mindwarp, Subspecies, Transylvania Twist, Chopping Mall, Salvage 1, Project U.F.O.)
William Marshall b. 1924 died 11 June 2003 (Dinosaur Valley Girls, Sorceress, Amazon Women on the Moon, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Scream Blacula Scream, Blacula, Star Trek)
Gene Roddenberry b. 1921 died 24 October 1991 (creator, Star Trek, Andromeda, Planet Earth, The Questor Tapes, Genesis II)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. It's a very Star Trek day. Previous Picture Slotters were Gene Roddenberry and Jonathan Frakes, and Diana Muldaur could be used either from The Original Series or from Next Gen. Angus Scrimm as The Tall Man from Phantasm also counts as iconic, but I instead went with the late William Marshall, not his Star Trek role, but instead as Blacula. I liked this picture because of how much it looks like a frame from a comic book, much in the style of artist Gene Colan.

2. Wait... he's dead? He died in 2014, so I should have given Christopher Malcolm a Never to Be Forgotten post, but his passing escaped my notice. His role best known for is as Eddie's ex-husband Justin, the father of Saffron, on Absolutely Fabulous.

3. Nepotism FTW. Kevin Dillon is the brother of Matt Dillon, a relationship I usually don't count. Adam Arkin is the son of Alan, a relationship I usually do count.  

4. Living Canadian free!  I didn't find anyone from north of the border today. That will happen from time to time.

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

Movies released
Spy Kids: All The Time In The World In 4D released 2011

Predictor: George Sutherland in his 1902 book Twentieth Century Inventions

Prediction: A great advance in economy of fuel will take place when the household coal intended for cooking purposes is ground up together with the proper proportions of certain waste products of chemistry, so as to make a "smouldering mixture" which can be kept regularly supplied to a shallow or thin fire box by pressure applied from beneath or at the parts farthest away from the objects to be heated. An oven, for instance, may be surrounded by a "jacket" filled with ground smouldering mixture having a non-conducting insulator outside and a connection with a chimney. The heat from the fuel is thus kept in close proximity to the objects requiring to be cooked, and comparatively small waste results.

Reality: Sorry, Mr. Sutherland, the winners for cooking fuel are natural gas and electricity. I am not an engineer, but what you are describing sounds way messier than natural gas and a pilot light, though of course, there are risks to have so many pipelines around as well. 

 Never to be Forgotten: Bud Yorkin 1926-2015 Bud Yorkin, a producer and director best known for making TV comedies such as All in the Family, Sanford and Son, What's Happening! and Maude, has died at the age of 89. He is mentioned here because he was an uncredited executive producer of Blade Runner. On imdb.com, his name was also attached to a new Blade Runner project, though it had no date released.

I'll admit I had to think if these two credits were enough to get a mention on a sci-fi blog, but in the end I decided it was worth it, largely on the basis of the importance of Blade Runner. If his one uncredited executive producer credit was for Krull or The Ice Pirates... meh.

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

Never to be Forgotten: Yvonne Craig 1937-2015 While I had to debate the inclusion of Bud Yorkin with myself, when I heard that Yvonne Craig died, there was no debate at all. A classically trained dancer, most of her early career in the 1950s and 1960s was in guest roles on TV shows. (She had six different roles in four years on Dobie Gillis, for example.) She got more exposure in supporting roles in two Elvis Presley movies, It Happened at the World's Fair and Kissin' Cousins.

Her two best known roles are as Marta on Star Trek (pictured here) and Barbara Gordon on Batman. (Genre fans might well count her third most famous role as her part in the awful Mars Needs Women opposite Tommy Kirk.) In interviews, she says she took the role in Batman to avoid being an Oh That Gal; reading the obituaries that have been published, it looks like it worked, as all of them mention that role first.

Miss Craig also tells the story that she is a large part of the reason Eartha Kitt was hired to be Catwoman in the third season. While it can be seen as a blow for racial equality, a major reason from a production standpoint was that if Julie Newmar continued in the role, it would stretch credulity seeing the 5'3" Batgirl kick the ass of 5'11" Catwoman, especially since Miss Newmar also had extensive dance training. It looked like more of a fair fight against the 5'4" Miss Kitt.

I have to admit reading of her death was like being on Count Rugen's torture device from The Princess Bride. It felt like months were taken off my life in the wink of an eye. Part of the horrible surprise was that I assumed she closer to Burt Ward's age, but in fact she was eight years older than him and eight years younger than Adam West. Whatever her age, I naturally had a crush on her when I was a lad and part of my childhood is gone.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Yvonne Craig, from a heartsick fan. She is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Tomorrow, we get more sunny predictions from Morris Ernst in his book Utopia 1976.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

16 August 2015

Birthdays
Cameron Monaghan b. 1993 (Amityville, Gotham, Vampire Academy, Fringe, Click, Threshold)
Evanna Lynch b. 1991 (Sinbad, Harry Potter)
Kevin G. Schmidt b. 1988 (The Butterfly Effect, Taken)
Arden Cho b. 1985 (Teen Wolf, Mega Python vs. Gatoroid)
Agnes Brucker b. 1985 (The Returned, Once Upon a Time, Venom)
Todd Haberkorn b. 1982 (Star Trek Continues, Warehouse 13)
Cam Gigandet b. 1982 (Priest, Pandorum, The Unborn, Twilight)
George Stults b. 1975 (Hydra, Night Skies)
Donovan Leitch Jr. b. 1967 (The Blob)
Andy Milder b. 1965 (Transformers, Star Trek: Voyager, Good vs Evil, Armageddon, From the Earth to the Moon, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Apollo 13)
William Salyers b. 1964 (Bedazzled)
Christine Cavanaugh b. 1963 died 22 December 2014 (Dexter’s Laboratory, The X-Files, Babe)
Steve Carell b. 1962 (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Bewitched [2005])
Elpidia Carillo b. 1961 (Solaris, Predator 1 and 2)
Timothy Hutton b. 1960 (The Last Mimzy, Iceman)
Angela Bassett b. 1958 (American Horror Story, Green Lantern, Supernova, Contact, Strange Days, Vampire in Brooklyn, Innocent Blood, Critters 4, The Flash, Alien Nation [TV])
Laura Innes b. 1957 (Warehouse 13, Awake, The Event, Deep Impact, The Fury)
Jeff Perry b. 1955 (Fringe, Invasion, Lost, American Gothic, The Flash)
Josh Clark b. 1955 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Heroes, Star Trek: Voyager, The Invisible Man, Babylon 5, Millennium, Big, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
James Cameron b. 1954 (director, Avatar, Dark Angel, Terminator 2:Judgment Day, The Abyss, Aliens, The Terminator, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning)
Reginald VelJohnson b. 1952 (Ghostbusters, Wolfen)
Marshall Manesh b. (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, The X Files, Kazaam)
Lesley Ann Warren b. 1946 (Wolf Girl, Faerie Tale Theatre, It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman!)
Bob Balaban b. 1945 (Lady in the Water, Amazing Stories, 2010, Close Encounters of the Third Kind)
Sharon Baird b. 1943 (Ratboy, Land of the Lost, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, Pufnstuf)
Maurice Hurley b. 1939 died 25 February 2015 (writer, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Firebird 2015 AD)
Carole Shelley b. 1939 (Bewitched [2005], Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [1956])
Anita Gillette b. 1936 (Pinocchio [1968 TV])
Donnie Dunagan b. 1934 (Son of Frankenstein)
Sir John Standing b. 1934 (Game of Thrones, V for Vendetta, Lexx, Gulliver’s Travels, Eerie, Indiana, Space: 1999)
Julie Newmar b. 1933 (Oblivion 1 and 2, Deep Space, The Powers of Matthew Star, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Jason of Star Command, The Bionic Woman, Monster Squad, Bewitched, Star Trek, Batman, My Living Doll, Twilight Zone)
Robert Culp b. 1930 died 24 March 2010 (Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Conan [TV], Lois & Clark, The Greatest American Hero, The Outer Limits, Now is Tomorrow)
Ann Blyth b. 1928 (Twilight Zone, Mr. Peabody and the Mermaid)
Lois Nettleton b. 1927 died 18 January 2008 (Babylon 5, The Flash, The Munsters Today, The Bamboo Saucer, Twilight Zone, Captain Video)
Fess Parker b. 1924 died 18 March 2010 (Them!)
Mae Clarke b. 1910 died 29 April 1992 (Batman, Frankenstein)
Glenn Strange b. 1899 died 20 September 1973 (Space Patrol, Master Minds, Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein, House of Dracula, House of Frankenstein, The Monster Maker, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Mad Monster, Flash Gordon)
Hugo Gernsback b. 1884 died 19 August 1967 (editor, Amazing Stories, Wonder Stories)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, I went a little old school with the fabulous Julie Newmar and really old school with Hugo Gernsback. Using the no repeats rule, there were three people I considered: Glenn Strange, the little known actor who took over the role of Frankenstein's monster when Boris Karloff wearied of it, the director James Cameron and the winner, Evanna Lynch, best known as Luna Lovegood from the Harry Potter series


2. Spot the Canadian! James Cameron is Canadian. I've always thought of Canadians as relatively nice and modest people. Maybe they keep that reputation by exporting (or is it deporting?) braggarts like Cameron.

3. Nepotism FTW. Timothy Hutton is the son of actor Jim Hutton. The son's career has eclipse the father's, but I expect it helped early on. Donovan Leitch Jr. is the son of Donovan Leitch Sr. While I'm not sure how much a musician counts as a nepotistic advantage in a career on film, it should be noted his sister Ione Skye also has a career.


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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Monday = OMNI Future Almanac, my steady and reliable source of predictions since the blog began.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

15 August 2015

Birthdays
Jennifer Lawrence b. 1990 (X-Men, Hunger Games)
Emily Kinney b. 1985 (The Flash, Forever, The Walking Dead)
Clinton Aaron b. 1984 (Left Behind, The Appearing)
Natasha Henstridge b. 1974 (Beauty and the Beast [2015], The Secret Circle, Impact, Ghosts of Mars, Jason and the Argonauts [TV 2000], Species I, II & III, Homeboys from Outer Space)
Ben Affleck b. 1972 (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Paycheck, Daredevil, Dogma, Armageddon, Phantoms, Buffy the Vampire Slayer [movie])
Anthony Anderson b. 1970 (Transformers, Alien Avengers)
Debra Messing b. 1968 (The Mothman Prophecies, Prey)
Michael Berresse b. 1964 (Meet Dave, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Andy Forrest b. 1963 (The Future, Carnivale)
Alejandro Gonzalez Iñarritu b. 1963 (writer, Birdman)
David Zayas b. 1962 (Gotham, Grimm, Skyline, Angel)
Zeljko Ivanek b. 1957 (12 Monkeys [TV], True Blood, Revolution, The Event, Heroes, Lost, From the Earth to the Moon, The X-Files)
Tess Harper b. 1950 (Early Edition, The Hidden Room, Twilight Zone [1986], Amityville 3-D, Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land)
Ann Ryerson b. 1949 (Constantine [2005], Minority Report, Friday the 13th Part VI)
Jill Haworth b. 1945 died 3 January 2011 (The Mutations, Horror on Snape Island, Horror House, It!, The Outer Limits)
Nigel Terry b. 1945 died 20 April 2015 (Doctor Who, Highlander [TV], Excalibur)
Barbara Bouchet b. 1943 (Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Lou Perryman b. 1941 died 1 April 2009 (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Poltergeist)
Michael J. Reynolds b. 1939 (Moonshot, Lexx, Earth: Final Conflict, The Lifeforce Experiment, Twilight Zone [1989], Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Plague, The Neptune Factor)
Pat Priest b. 1936 (The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant, Bewitched, The Munsters, My Favorite Martian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Mike Henry b. 1936 (The Six Million Dollar Man, Soylent Green)
Abby Dalton b. 1935 (Cyber Tracker, Viking Women vs. the Sea Serpent)
Jim Dale b. 1935 (Unidentified Flying Oddball, Pete’s Dragon)
Lori Nelson b. 1933 (The Naked Monster, Day the World Ended, Revenge of the Creature)
Janice Rule b. 1931 died 17 October 2003 (The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Twilight Zone, Bell, Book and Candle)
Nicolas Roeg b. 1928 (director, The Witches, The Man Who Fell to Earth)
Mike Connors b. 1925 (Earthlings, Voodoo Woman, The Day the World Ended)
Vincent Beck b. 1924 died 24 July 1984 (The Invisible Man [1975], The Bamboo Saucer, Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians)
Elizabeth Kerr b. 1912 died 13 January 2000 (Mork & Mindy, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Signe Hasso b. 1910 died 7 June 2002 (The Green Hornet, The Outer Limits)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, I went fabulous (and iconic) with Jennifer Lawrence from The Hunger Games and Natasha Henstridge from Species. If I were going to choose a guy instead this year, I could choose Nigel Terry from Excalibur, but he got a picture when he died a few months back. Using Ben Affleck from Daredevil or Vincent Beck from Santa Claus Conquers the Martians would just be cruel, so the best choices for continuing the fabulosity theme are Abby Dalton from Viking Women vs. the Sea Serpent, Pat Priest as Marilyn Munster, Barbara Bouchet as one of the legion of babes Kirk seduced on Star Trek and today's winner, Emily Kinney from The Walking Dead.

2. Wait... he's alive? Years ago, I did a blog on the headlines from the supermarket tabloids and they put a lot of celebrities from the 1960s on the cover with warnings they would be dead soon. They predicted Mike Connors was not long for this world five years ago. This is in keeping with their usual accuracy, which is pretty damned awful. Mike Connors turns 90 and best wishes to him. On a non-genre note, Rose Marie turns 92, though I didn't find a credit for her.

3. MST3K. We've got a mess o' stuff today. I've already mentioned the movies that Abby Dalton and Vincent Beck were in, but there's also Revenge of the Creature with Lori Nelson.

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

Movie released
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension released, 1984

The Weekly Soapbox: Overpopulation

We have had a lot of predictions about population and the majority of them are really about overpopulation or methods that will be used to stop overpopulation.

There are a lot of scary ways to present the numbers. For example, if we start at 1925 and move by 30 year increments, it looks like this.

1925: Just under 2 billion
1955: Just under 3 billion
1985: Just under 5 billion
2015: Just over 7 billion

It may be hard to see any hope in these numbers, but the rate of increase slowed down in the 1960s and is still decreasing. Guys like Paul Ehrlich made their reputation predicting mass starvation as the third world norm, but the percentage of people living in danger of food scarcity has decreased dramatically in the past fifty years.

The true cost of massive number of humans is environmental degradation, which includes our contribution to climate change. Like with overpopulation, we are showing only a minor political will to try to solve the problem. Will climate change be "not as bad as predicted"? Or is it a problem so big, we can't even see the events that will impact us before rising sea levels make a significant change in where humans can live and work?

In something of an ironic twist, the Catholic Church - which made efforts to control overpopulation difficult - is now one of the strongest voices to speak out about capitalism's degradation of the environment, most notably since Pope Francis has been installed.

I usually don't make exact predictions, but when my students are my age in the second half of this century, I think things will be significantly worse than they are now for the majority of people unless serious action is taken soon by governments around the globe.
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Sunday's are birthday list only. It's Julie Newmar's special day, but I've already used her in The Picture Slot. Oh, how I rue the "no repeats" rule. Who will it be instead?
  
Fin out one day from now... IN THE FUTURE!

11 August 2015

Birthdays
Tyne Stecklein b. 1988 (True Blood)
Jemima West b. 1987 (The Mortal Instruments)
Chris Hemsworth b. 1983 (Avengers, Thor, Snow White and the Huntsman, The Cabin in the Woods, Star Trek & Star Trek Into Darkness, Guinevere Jones)
Drew Nelson b. 1979 (The Strain, Lost Girl, Fringe, Supernatural, Smallville, Earth: Final Conflict)
Lynn Adrianna b. 1979 (Chronicles of the Dead, Her)
Anna Gunn b. 1968 (NYPD 2069, Sleepwalkers, Quantum Leap)
Collin Chou b. 1967 (The Forbidden Kingdom, The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded)
Embeth Davidtz b. 1965 (Amazing Spider-Man 1 & 2, Europa Report, Thir13en Ghosts, Bicentennial Man, Fallen, Army of Darkness, Mutator)
Viola Davis b. 1965 (Ender’s Game, The Andromeda Strain [2008], Threshold, Solaris)
Miguel A. Nunez Jr. b. 1964 (The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Scooby-Doo, W.E.I.R.D. World, Carnosaur 2, Babylon 5, Lois & Clark, Twilight Zone [1985], The Return of the Living Dead, Friday the 13th: A New Beginning, Automan)
Elya Baskin b. 1950 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Heroes, Spider-Man 2 & 3, The Invisible Man, VR.5, Quantum Leap, DeepStar Six, 2010)
Adam LeFevre b. 1950 (The Leftovers, The Invasion, Storm of the Century)
Stuart Gordon b. 1947 (director, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Space Truckers, Robot Jox, Dolls, From Beyond, Re-Animator)
Ian McDiarmid b. 1944 (Utopia, Star Wars I, II, III, V & VI, Sleepy Hollow [1999], Dragonslayer)
Laurel Goodwin b. 1942 (Star Trek)
Stuart Rosenberg b. 1927 died 15 March 2007 (director, The Amityville Horror, Twilight Zone)
Charles Cooper b. 1926 died 29 November 2013 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Men Into Space)
Mike Douglas b. 1925 died 11 August 2006 (The Incredible Shrinking Woman)
Arlene Dahl b. 1925 (Journey to the Center of the Earth)
Lloyd Nolan b. 1902 died 27 September 1985 (The Outer Limits)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. It's a short list today and the iconic choices are few. I have no problem justifying the previous choices, Chris Hemsworth as Thor and Ian McDarmid as Palpatine, and with them gone, I think the next most iconic is Embeth Davidtz from Army of Darkness.

And she's purdy.


2. Spot the Canadian. Experienced spotters should have no trouble identifying our lone Canuck today.

3. Not really nepotism. Chris Hemsworth is better known than his brother Liam, but I don't know how many doors opened for either due to this blood relation.

4. Is he a jinx? I blush to note that Ian McDiarmid was in every Star Wars movie except for A New Hope, also known in some circles as The Good One. (I'm keen on Empire as well, though I admit some cheesy aspects.)

5. And since I'm already blushing... Yesterday I said Rhonda Fleming and Maureen O'Hara were the prettiest redheads ever and today is the 90th birthday of Miss Arlene Dahl, a very pretty redhead as well. I do wish Miss Dahl many happy returns, but as Gene Hackman said in Hoosiers "That's my team out on the court."

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

Predictor: John Langdon-Davies in his 1936 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: The highbrow art of our day will have no future save as a historic curiosity, since it has sacrificed everything to a misguided individualism.

Reality: There is more to the book than what I have used, but this is the last of Langdon-Davies' main predictions. I would say highbrow art- has waned in popularity since the 1930s, but it's too much to say there is no future, especially when he said it. Between 1936 and now, there were a lot of classical musicians, opera singers, ballet dancers of both genders, fine artists, playwrights and novelists who were major cultural figures, though I would say that number is dwindling today.   

Never to be Forgotten:  Gerald S. O’Loughlin 1921-2015

American character actor Gerald S. O'Loughlin has died at the age of 93. He was an Oh That Guy, but it might be more accurate to say he was an Oh That Officer for as often as he played cops and military men. (The picture is taken from the series The Rookies, where he was a regular.) For genre roles, he was in The Secret Kingdom, Automan, The Powers of Matthew Star, Twilight’s Last Gleaming and The Green Hornet.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Gerald S. O'Loughlin, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Wednesday means another visit from our sensible friend George Sutherland.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

9 August 2015

Birthdays
Bill Skarsgard b. 1990 (Hemlock Grove)
Adelaide Kane b. 1990 (Teen Wolf, The Purge, Power Rangers R.P.M.)
Anna Kendrick b. 1985 (Into the Woods, Twilight Saga)
Ashley Johnson b. 1983 (The Avengers, Dollhouse, Roswell, Lloyd in Space)
Daniel Henshall b. 1982 (The Babadook)
Alexia Fairbrother b. 1980 (Witches of East End, Continuum, Supernatural, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
Rhona Mitra b. 1976 (The Last Ship, SGU Stargate Universe, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, Doomsday, Hollow Man, Beowulf, Ghostbusters of East Finchley)
James Lafazanos b. 1976 (12 Monkeys [TV], The Time Traveler’s Wife, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Stargate: Atlantis)
Jessica Capshaw b. 1976 (Minority Report)
Anjali Jay b. 1975 (The Age of Adaline, Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Continuum, Supernatural)
Nicola Stapleton b. 1974 (Urban Ghost Story, Simon and the Witch, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel)
Kevin McKidd b. 1973 (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Journeyman, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns)
Liz Vassey b. 1972 (Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, The Tick, The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Superboy)
Ryan Bollman b. 1972 (Star Trek: Voyager, Good vs Evil, The Neverending Story III, Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice, Small Wonder, Starman [TV])
Thomas Lennon b. 1970 (actor, The Dark Knight Rises, Hot Tub Time Machine; writer, Battle of the Smithsonian)
McG b. 1968 (director, Terminator Salvation)
Eric Bana b. 1968 (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Star Trek [2009], Hulk)
Gillian Anderson b. 1968 (Robot Overlords, The X Files)
Josh Cox b. 1965 (Revolution, Thor, A.I. Assault, Babylon 5, Sliders, Quantum Leap, Freddy’s Nightmares)
Amanda Bearse b. 1958 (Here Come the Munsters, Fright Night)
Melanie Griffith b. 1957 (Cherry 2000)
Adam Nimoy b. 1956 (director, The Invisible Man [TV], Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Early Edition, Sliders, Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
John Varley b. 1947 (author, Eight Worlds, Gaean, Slow Apocalypse)
Sam Elliott b. 1944 (Hulk, Frogs, Land of the Giants)
David Steinberg b. 1942 (director, Twilight Zone [1985])
Burton Gilliam b. 1938 (Sliders, Weird Science [TV], The Terror Within II, Back to the Future Part III, Knight Rider, The Girl, the Gold Watch & Dynamite)
Dick Anthony Williams b. 1934 died 16 February 2012 (The X Files, Edward Scissorhands, Space, The Powers of Matthew Star, Omen III: The Final Conflict, Brave New World, Man from Atlantis)
Daniel Keyes b. 1927 died 15 June 2014 (Won 1960 Hugo for the short story Flowers for Algernon and the 1967 Nebula for the novel length version)
John Stevenson b. 1923 died 15 May 2015 (The Six Million Dollar Man, The Invaders)
Robert Aldrich b. 1918 died 5 December 1983 (director, Twilight’s Last Gleaming)
Leo Genn b. 1905 died 26 January 1978 (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [TV movie 1968], The Death Ray of Dr. Mabuse)
P.L. Travers b. 1899 died 23 April 1996 (author, Mary Poppins)
Kathleen Lockhart b. 1894 died 17 February 1978 (A Christmas Carol [1938])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Today has a fabulous babe vibe for me. Previous Picture Slotters were Gillian Anderson - the most obvious choice - and Liz Vassey from the live action version of The Tick. While there are some recognizable actors on the list, I'm going with Anna Kendrick as Cinderella for two strong reasons, she's fabulous and I'm a huge Sondheim nerd.

2. Spot the Canadians! Knowing David Steinberg is Canadian is trivia knowledge and not spottable from this list. James Lafazanos is more spottable and was born north of the border, while Alexia Fairtbrother and Anjali Jay were born elsewhere and moved to Canada, which seems like a fairly obvious career choice nowadays.

3. Nepotism FTW. There's a lot today. Bill Skarsgard is Stellan's son and Alexander's baby brother, Jessica Capshaw is Kate's daughter and Spielberg's step-daughter, I don't have to tell you who Adam Nimoy's dad is, and Melanie Griffith is Tippi Hedren's daughter. You would think being Tippi's kid would be a really good lesson as to why you did not want to be an actress, but I guess the lesson Melanie learned was that her mom was unlucky to get her career ruined by Hitchcock, which was certainly true.

4. The Guy at the Door. The oldest living person on the list today is Burton Gilliam and everyone younger than him is still alive, so he's The Guy at the Door. He did a lot of westerns and has kind of a goofy grin; his best known role is probably in Blazing Saddles.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We will hear from Robert A. Heinlein and his guesses about the inventions of the late 20th Century.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

5 August 2015

Birthdays
Mars Curiosity landed 2012
Maddox Jolie-Pitt b. 2001 (World War Z)
Olivia Holt b. 1997 (Girl vs. Monster)
Ryan McDonald b. 1984 (Warehouse 13, Fringe, 2012, ReGenesis, Halloween: Resurrection)
Jesse Williams b. 1981 (The Cabin in the Woods)
Sophia Winkleman b. 1980 (Red Dwarf, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Victor Cruz b. 1980 (Gotham, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Fringe)
Iddo Goldberg b. 1975 (Salem)
Lori Bagley b. 1973 (The Stepford Wives [2004])
Paul Kasey b. 1973 (Doctor Who, Being Human, The Sarah Jane Chronicles, Inkheart, Torchwood, 28 Days Later…, Blade II)
Darren Shahlavi b. 1972 died 14 January 2015 (Tomorrowland, Once Upon a Time on Wonderland, Continuum, Arrow, Aladdin and the Death Lamp, Mortal Kombat, Red Riding Hood, Watchmen, Bionic Woman [2007], Reaper, Slither, Merlin’s Apprentice, Legion of the Dead)
James Gunn b. 1970 (director, Guardians of the Galaxy, Slither [2006])
Chuck Campbell b. 1969 (Sanctuary, Stargate: Atlantis, Painkiller Jane, Stargate SG-1, Jason X, Earth: Final Conflict)
Jonathan Silverman b. 1966 (Inkubus, Jekyll, 12:01, Death Becomes Her)
Mark Strong b. 1963 (Nosferatu in Love, John Carter, Green Lantern, Kick-Ass, Babylon A.D., Stardust)
Tawny Kitaen b. 1961 (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, They Came from Outer Space, Witchboard)
Vivian Kubrick b. 1960 (The Shining, 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Janet McTeer b. 1961 (Insurgent)
Maureen McCormick b. 1956 (I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched)
Holly Palance b. 1950 (The Omen)
Loni Anderson b. 1945 (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Munchie, Amazing Stories, The Incredible Hulk, The Invisible Man [1975])
Natalie Trundy b. 1940 (Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Twilight Zone)
Larry Elmore b. 1948 (artist)
Jan Francis b. 1947 (Ghostbusters of East Finchley, Aladdin and the Forty Thieves, Dracula [1979])
Alan Howard b. 1937 died 14 February 2015 (Lord of the Rings)
John Saxon b. 1935 (Lancelot: Guardian of Time, From Dusk Till Dawn, Hellmaster, My Mom’s a Werewolf, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Prisoners of the Lost Universe, Battle Beyond the Stars, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Strange New World, Planet Earth, The Time Tunnel, Queen of Blood, Blood Beast from Outer Space)
Zakes Mokae b. 1934 died 11 September 2009 (The X Files, Waterworld, Outbreak, Vampire in Brooklyn, Knight Rider)
Joan Weldon b. 1933 (Them!)
Neil Armstrong b. 1930 died 25 August 2012 (first man to walk on the moon)
Don Matheson b.1929 died 29 June 2014 (Dragonflight, Alice in Wonderland [1985], Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Lost in Space)
Mickey Shaughnessy b. 1920 died 23 July 1985 (Conquest of Space)
Selma Diamond b. 1920 died 13 May 1985 (Twilight Zone: The Movie)
Parley Baer b. 1914 died 22 November 2002 (Star Trek: Voyager, Roswell, Quantum Leap, Time Trackers, Twilight Zone [1986], The Incredible Hulk, Project U.F.O., Bewitched, Land of the Giants, I Dream of Jeannie, The Addams Family, My Favorite Martian, My Living Doll, The Outer Limits, The Brass Bottle)
John Huston b. 1906 died 28 August 1987 (Battle for the Planet of the Apes)
Reginald Owen b. 1887 died 5 November 1972 (Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Bewitched, Mary Poppins, A Christmas Carol [1938])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot was given to Neil Armstrong and The One Ring, voiced by Alan Howard. If I was in the mood to put up an actor, Reginald Owen as Scrooge is the most iconic, and putting up Mark Strong from Green Lantern would just be cruel, but I decided to celebrate the third anniversary of Mars Curiosity, one of the most science fiction-like real events in the past decade.

2. Spot the Canadians! Ryan McDonald and Chuck Campbell are Canadians and their credit lists look Canadian. The late Darren Shahlavi's credits look a little Canadian, but he was born in the U.K. (He also deserved his own Never to be Forgotten, but I didn't see his obit last January.) The unspottable Canadian is Selma Diamond. If I had to guess, I would have assumed she was a Jewish girl from New York.

3. Nepotism FTW. Vivian Kubrick and Maddox Jolie-Pitt are classic cases of nepotism.

4. Stuff didn't expect. Sometimes I see a name on imdb.com that I know and I click through to their credit page just to check, not knowing any genre credits and not expecting anything. That's what I did today with John Huston, Mickey Shaughnessy, Selma Diamond and Loni Anderson. That's a lot of surprises. 

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

Predictor: George Sutherland in Twentieth Century Inventions, published 1902

Prediction: But in electrical house-warming, for which a white heat is not required and in which the necessary protection from the air can be secured by embedding the conveying medium in opaque solid material, the problem becomes much simpler, because strong metallic wires can be used, and they may be enclosed in any kind of cement which does not corrode them and which distributes the heat while refusing to conduct the electric current. A network of wire, crossing and recrossing but always carrying the same current, may be embedded in plaster and a gentle heat may be imparted to the whole mass through the resistance of the wires to the electricity and their contact with the non-conducting material.

Reality: I don't know if this method was ever used, but it seems to me it would be hard pressed to produced enough heat to warm a house in the dead of winter in any cold climate unless the wall would become dangerously hot to the touch. Our undead architect friend would certainly know more than I on this subject.
 

Never to be Forgotten: Lynn Manning 1955-2015

 Los Angeles based actor and playwright Lynn Manning died from liver cancer last week. Manning had a very tough life even before dying so young. His young home life was very chaotic, living in multiple foster homes after his mother nearly killed his stepfather. He was blinded by a gunshot wound when he was 23. He established himself in the Los Angeles theater community and also acted on screen as well. He is mentioned here for a role in the sitcom the Vamps Next Door.

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

Never to be Forgotten: Coleen Gray 1922-2015

Actress Coleen Gray began he film career in the 1940s and was featured in big budget films like Kiss of Death, The Killing and Red River. Later in her career, she got bigger roles in smaller genre productions, most notably The Leech Woman, a film which got the MST3K treatment. Other genre roles include  Tales from the Darkside, The Sixth Sense, The Phantom Planet and The Vampire.

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

Thursday now belongs to our very optimistic pal Morris Ernst in his 1955 book Utopia 1976.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

2 August 2015

Birthdays
Kara and Shelby Hoffman b. 2002(Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events)
Hallie Kate Eisenberg b. 1992 (Bicentennial Man)
Zuleyka Silver b. 1991 (In Time, Touch)
Kerry James b. 1986 (The Boy Who Cried Werewolf, SGU Stargate Universe)
Donna Air b. 1979 (The Mummy Returns)
Ty O’Neal b. 1978 (The Postman)
Sam Worthington b. 1976 (Avatar, Wrath of the Titans, Clash of the Titans, Terminator Salvation)
Edward Furlong b. 1977 (Star Trek: Renegades, The Zombie King, Arachnoquake, The Green Hornet, Night of the Demons, Dark Reel, Warriors of Terra, The Crow - Wicked Prayer, Brainscan, Pet Sematary II, Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
Jacinda Barrett b. 1972 (NightMan, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
James Preston Rogers b. 1972 (Pixels, Alphas, Lost Girl, Death Warrior, Outlander)
Matthew Del Negro b. 1972 (Teen Wolf, Witches of East End, Eastwick, Stargate: Atlantis)
Alice Evans b. 1971 (The Originals, Grimm, The Vampire Diaries, Lost, Highlander [TV])
Tristan Tait b. 1971 (The Dark Knight, 28 Weeks Later, Quantum Leap)
Kevin Smith b. 1970 (writer/director, Moose Jaws, Tusk, Reaper, Dogma)
Regina Russell b. 1965 (The Mummy’s Kiss, Hook)
Mary-Louise Parker b. 1964 (R.I.P.D., The Spiderwyck Chronicles)
Cynthia Stevenson b. 1962 (Sleepy Hollow, Dead Like Me, Neverwas, From the Earth to the Moon, Max Headroom)
Olivier Gruner b. 1960 (Sector 4: Extraction, Re-Generator, One Night, Interceptor Force 1 and 2, Velocity Trap, Mars, Automatic)
Apollonia Kotero b. 1959 (Black Magic Woman, Knight Rider)
Victoria Jackson b. 1959 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The X Files)
Tim Dunigan b. 1955 (They Came from Outer Space, Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Wizards and Warriors)
Ken McLeod b. 1954 (author, The Fall Revolution)
Butch Patrick b. 1953 (Zombie Dream, Young Blood: Evil Intentions, The Munsters, Shazam!, Lidsville, The Phantom Tollbooth, I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian)
Joanna Cassidy b. 1945 (Heroes, Ghosts of Mars, Vampire in Brooklyn, The Tommyknockers, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Blade Runner)
Susan Denberg b. 1944 (Frankenstein Created Woman, Star Trek)
Max Wright b. 1943 (Early Edition, The Stand, From the Earth to the Moon, Quantum Leap, ALF, Misfits of Science, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Isabel Allende b. 1942 (author, The City of the Beasts, The Infinite Plan)
Sandra Ellis Lafferty b. 1940 (Resurrection, The Hunger Games, The Vampire Diaries, The Prophecy 3, Conan [TV], Dark Skies, The Prophecy)
Wes Craven b.1939 (director, Vampire in Brooklyn, New Nightmare, The People Under the Stairs, Shocker, The Serpent and the Rainbow, The Twilight Zone [1985-6], Deadly Friend, Nightmare on Elm Street, The Hills Have Eyes I and II, Swamp Thing)
Peter O’Toole b. 1932 died 15 Dec 2013 (Phantoms, Supergirl, Stardust, Creator, High Spirits, Gulliver’s Travels, Ray Bradbury Theatre)
Bernard L. Kowalski b. 1929 died 26 October 2007 (director, Knight Rider, Sssssss, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Night of the Blood Beast)
Carroll O’Connor b. 1924 died 21 June 2001 (Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits)
Theo Marcuse b. 1920 died 29 November 1967 (Star Trek, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone)
Nehemiah Persoff b. 1919 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Battlestar Galactica, The Bionic Woman, Logan’s Run, Wonder Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Invisible Man, Dracula, Land of the Giants, The Power, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone)
Gary Merrill b. 1915 died 5 March 1990 (Earth II, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Mysterious Island [1961])
Beatrice Straight b. 1914 died 7 April 2001 (Faerie Tale Theatre, Poltergeist, Wonder Woman)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Edward Furlong and Wes Craven. Several good candidates presented themselves today, including Bruce Patrick and Sam Worthington, but I decided to go fabulous and choose Joanna Cassidy from Blade Runner. This is as good a time as any to remind folks that we are only four years away from sex robots according to this film, and while two out of three sex robots want to kill you, early adopters of technology should expect some glitches along the way. As a friend of mine from the old days of programming said, the first Christians get the best lions.

2. Spot the Canadian! Just one today, James Preston Rogers.

3. Not really nepotism. Hallie Kate Eisenberg is the baby sister of Jesse Eisenberg. I only count siblings in very rare circumstances

4. MST3K. I know Attack of the Giant Leeches and Night of the Blood Beast got the Best Brains treatment, not sure about anything else.

5. Wait... he's alive? I didn't know Nehemiah Persoff was still with us. Special birthday best wishes to you, sir.


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


Movie released

Signs released, 2002
  
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

OMNI Future Almanac starts off another week.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

31 July 2015

Birthdays
Alexis Knapp b. 1989 (Vamp U, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief)
Sofia Pernas b. 1989 (Age of the Dragons)
Jessica Williams b. 1989 (Hot Tub Time Machine 2)
Charlie Carver b. 1988 (The Leftovers, Teen Wolf [TV])
Raymond Pickard b. 1982 (The Borrowers, The Canterville Ghost)
Eric Lively b. 1981 (The Butterfly Effect 2)
Harry Potter b. 1980 (wizard)
B.J. Novak b. 1979 (Amazing Spider-Man 2)
Andrea Drepaul b. 1979 (Damien, Beauty and the Beast, Warehouse 13)
James Harvey Ward b. 1978 (The Dark Knight Rises, True Blood, The Vampire Diaries, No Ordinary Family)
Tressa Thomas b. 1978 (Flatliners)
Jayce Bartok b. 1975 (Spider-Man, Aliens in the Family)
Annie Parisse b. 1975 (Fringe, NYPD 2069, National Treasure)
Michael Klesic b. 1975 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Children of Men, Space Cadets, Multiplicity, Weird Science)
Jodi Ann Paterson b. 1975 (Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Emilia Fox b. 1974 (Merlin, Dorian Gray)
Tami Stronach b. 1972 (The NeverEnding Story)
Allison Barron b. 1972 (Harry and the Hendersons, Quantum Leap, Out of This World, Night of the Demons, A Nightmare of Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge)
Christina Cox b. 1971 (Arrow, Elysium, Stargate: Atlantis, The Chronicles of Riddick, Andromeda, Mutant X, Code Name: Eternity, Earth: Final Conflict, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, First Wave, Forever Knight)
Ben Chaplin b. 1970 (Cinderella, The Water Horse, Dorian Gray, The Return of the Borrowers [TV])
Dean Cain b. 1966 (Supergirl, The Black Hole [2015], Smallville, 10.5: Apocalypse, Lost, Futuresport, Lois & Clark)
Jim True-Frost b. 1966 (666 Park Avenue, Fringe, W.E.I.R.D. World)
Pat Finn b. 1965 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Dude, Where’s My Car?, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
J. K. Rowling b. 1965 (won the 2001 Hugo for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Ian Roberts b. 1965 (Infected, Puppet Master X; Axis Rising, Superman Returns)
Kym Malin b. 1962 (Weird Science)
Wesley Snipes b. 1962 (Blade, Futuresport, Demolition Man)
Greg Travis b. 1958 (Halloween II [2009], Night of the Living Dead 3D, Starship Troopers, Humanoids from the Deep, American Gothic, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventures [TV])
Dirk Blocker b. 1957 (The X Files, Quantum Leap, Starman, Poltergeist, Beyond Westworld)
Michael Biehn b. 1956 (Metal Hurlant Chronicles, Planet Terror, The Insatiable, Clockstoppers, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, Asteroid, The Abyss, The Seventh Sign, Aliens, The Terminator, Logan’s Run [TV])
Al Sapienza b. 1956 (Gotham, The Flash [2014], Godzilla [2014 and 1998], The Tomorrow People, Arrow, Fringe, NightMan, Dark Skies, Judge Dredd)
James Read b. 1953 (Charmed, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Star Trek: Voyager, Lois & Clark)
Barry Van Dyke b. 1951 (Light Years Away, She-Wolf of London, The Canterville Ghost, The Powers of Matthew Star, Galactica 1980, Mork & Mindy, Tabitha, Wonder Woman, Gemini Man)
Lane Davies b. 1950 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Babylon 5: In the Beginning, Lois & Clark)
Richard Griffiths b. 1947 died 28 March 2013 (Harry Potter, Hugo, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Whoops Apocalypse, Superman II)
Geraldine Chaplin b. 1944 (The Forbidden Room, Gulliver’s Travels [TV], Z.P.G.)
Sab Shimono b. 1943 (Ben 10: Race Against Time, Southland Tales, Waterworld, The X-Files, The Shadow, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, Max Headroom, Knight Rider)
France Nuyen b. 1939 (Automan, The Six Million Dollar Man, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Dimension 5)
Geoffrey Lewis b. 1935 died 7 April 2015 (Odyssey 5, The X-Files, The Lawnmower Man, Annihilator, Amazing Stories, Night of the Comet, The Amazing Spider-Man [TV], Salem’s Lot, Mork & Mindy, Quark, The Six Million Dollar Man, Ark II)
Ted Cassidy b. 1932 died 16 January 1979 (Man From Atlantis, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, Planet Earth, Genesis II, I Dream of Jeannie, Mr. Terrific, The Addams Family, Jack and the Beanstalk [TV], Star Trek, Batman, Lost in Space)
Don Murray b. 1929 (The Stepford Children, Radioactive Dreams, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes)
Primo Levi b. 1919 died 11 April 1987 (author, The Periodic Table)
Mario Bava b. 1914 died 27 April 1980 (director, Baron Blood, A Bay of Blood, Blood Brides, Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs, Planet of the Vampires, Caltiki, the Immortal Monster, Lust of the Vampire)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot belonged to J.K. Rowling and Ted Cassidy, both easily defended on iconic status. If I was going modern, both Dean Cain and Wesley Snipes are iconic, but both are also jerks in their own way, Cain one of those Fox News jackasses and Snipes a tax evader. So instead it's the lovely France Nuyen from the original Star Trek and I expect very few complaints from heterosexual males.

2. Spot the Canadians! Andrea Drepaul and Christina Cox are today's northern contingent.

3. Nepotism and Not. Folks who know 1960s America TV will know that Dirk Blocker and Barry Van Dyke count as nepotism, Van Dyke a little more than Blocker. Geraldine Chaplin also counts, but Ben Chaplin is not related to Charlie, just to be clear.

4. Harry Potter turns 35 today. I wonder what model of mini-van he drives.


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

Predictor: H.G. Wells in this 1901 book Anticipations

Prediction:But I believe that these prevailing men of the future, like many of the saner men of to-day, having so formulated their fundamental belief, will presume to no knowledge whatever, will presume to no possibility of knowledge of the real being of God. They will have no positive definition of God at all.

Reality: A lot of science fiction writers got it in their heads that the world would become more like the the folks they hang out with and religion would dwindle away.

Mmmm... not so much.
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A new splash illustration goes up tomorrow for the month of August and a few thoughts about those jetpacks and flying cars we were promised.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!