22 May 2015

Birthdays
Molly Ephraim b. 1986 (Paranormal Activity)
Tao Okamoto b. 1985 (Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Wolverine)
Lucy Gordon b. 1980 died 20 May 2009 (Spider-Man 3)
Maggie Q b. 1979 (Insurgent, Divergent, Priest)
Ginnifer Goodwin b. 1978 (Once Upon a Time)
Noa Tisby b. 1977 (Charmed, The Island, The 4400, Star Trek: Enterprise)
A. J. Langer b. 1974 (Poltergeist: The Legacy, Escape from L.A., And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird, The People Under the Stairs)
Sean Gunn b. 1974 (Guardians of the Galaxy, H+, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Specials, Angel, Tromeo and Juliet)
Max Brooks b. 1972 (author, World War Z)
Alison Eastwood b. 1972 (Breakfast of Champions)
Michael Kelly b. 1969 (Man of Steel, Chronicle, The Adjustment Bureau, Fringe, Level 9)
David Holcomb b. 1967 (Spider-Man)
Brooke Smith b. 1967 (American Horror Story)
Mark Christopher Lawrence b. 1964 (Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys, Halloween II, Heroes, The Island, K-PAX, Planet of the Apes, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
James Lorinz b. 1964 (RoboCop 3, Frankenhooker)
David Schneider b. 1963 (28 Days Later…)
Ann Cusack b. 1961 (The Lost Room, Charmed, Star Trek: Enterprise, What Planet Are You From?, From the Earth to the Moon, Multiplicity, Tank Girl)
Gary Kasper b. 1958 (Bigfoot, My Demon Within, Star Trek: Enterprise, Conan, Batman Forever, Harry and the Hendersons [TV], Space, J.O.E. and the Colonel)
Gary Sweet b. 1957 (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
Mike Muscat b. 1952 (Horrorween, Shamelessly She-Hulk, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Last Action Hero, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Starman [TV], The Clan of the Cave Bear)
Thomas Schlamme b. 1950 (director, Invasion)
Cheryl Campbell b. 1949 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)
John Lazar b. 1946 (Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds)
Jack Kehler b. 1946 (The Man in the High Castle, Angel, Men in Black II, The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human, Sliders, Babylon 5, Waterworld, Deep Space Nine, Tales form the Crypt, Mann & Machine, Strange Invaders)
Michael Sarrazin b. 1940 died 17 April 2011 (Feardotcom, Arrival II, Earthquake in New York, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Frankenstein: The True Story)
Paul Winfield b. 1939 died 7 March 2004 (Mars Attacks!, White Dwarf, Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Charmings, The Terminator, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Twilight’s Last Gleaming)
Richard Benjamin b. 1938 (actor, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Saturday the 14th, Love at First Bite, Quark, Westworld; director, My Stepmother is an Alien)
John Nolan b. 1938 (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises, 1990, Doomwatch, The Prisoner)
Frank Converse b. 1938 (VR.5, The Bionic Woman, The Starlost, The Sixth Sense [1972])
Merry Anders b. 1932 died 28 October 2012 (Women of the Prehistoric Planet, The Time Travelers, The Addams Family, Beauty and the Beast [1962])
Michael Constantine b. 1927 (WW 3, Free Spirit, The Powers of Matthew Star, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, The Invaders, My Favorite Martian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone)
Quinn Martin b. 1922 died 5 September 1987 (producer, The Aliens Are Coming, The Mephisto Waltz, The Invaders)
Laurence Olivier b. 1907 died 11 July 1989 (Clash of the Titans, Dracula [1979], The Boys from Brazil)
Arthur Conan Doyle b. 1859 died 7 July 1930 (author, The Lost World)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Paul Winfied from Star Trek: The Next Generation and a poster from the Indiana Jones movie released in 2008. This year I go with Laurence Olivier as Zeus in Clash of the Titans. I want to be clear that putting someone in the Picture Slot is not a sign of approval for their work. Olivier was very pretty when he was young and may have been great on stage, but on film I thought he was way too hammy. I am much keener on his contemporaries like John Gielgud and Ralph Richardson.

2. Nepotism FTW. Allison Eastwood is the most obvious case of nepotism on the list, but imdb.com made a special point to note that Brooke Smith is the daughter of powerful publicist Lois Smith. While not that well known to the general public, it probably helped her get started. Ann Cusack is John Cusack's sister, Richard Benjamin is married to Paula Prentiss and I don't consider either relationship nepotistic.

3. One unspottable Canadian from the Wait... he's dead category. Michael Sarrazin was born north of the border, but his career took off long before the Canadian genre TV industry came into existence. I also have to admit I wasn't completely aware he was gone when I clicked on his imdb.com web page this morning.

4. MST3K. Merry Anders was in Women of the Prehistoric Planet.

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


Movies released 
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull released, 2008
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian released, 2009

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

Prediction: The struggle on the high seas between any two naval powers (except, perhaps, the English and American, who have both quite unparalleled opportunities for coaling) will not last more than a week or so.

Reality: Not even close. Naval struggles in both world wars lasted throughout the duration and the Germans and Japanese held their own for a long time against the British and Americans. While coal was used well into the 20th Century, many vessels ran on gasoline and coaling stations became obsolete.

Big fat goose egg, Herb.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

More incautious optimism from the 1955 book Utopia 1976.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

15 May 2015

 Birthdays
Alexandra Breckinridge b. 1982 (The Walking Dead, True Blood, American Horror Story, Buffy, Charmed, Vampire Clan, Wishcraft)
Alex Burton b. 1981 (X-Men)
Caroline Dhavernas b. 1978 (Devil, Wonderfalls, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne)
David Krumholtz b. 1978 (Forever, This is the End, Serenity, Addams Family Values)
Cyrille Thouvenin b. 1976 (The Happening)
Victor Varnado b. 1969 (The Adventures of Pluto Nash, End of Days)
Brigitte Bako b. 1967 (Irving, Strange Days, Replikator)
Greg Wise b. 1966 (Alice Through the Looking Glass [1978 TV], House of Frankenstein [1997 TV], Tales from the Crypt)
Grant Heslov b. 1963 (The Scorpion King, Bug, The X-Files, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Congo, M.A.N.T.I.S., Harry and the Hendersons, The Twilight Zone [1987])
Jamie Harris b. 1963 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., American Horror Story, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Green Hornet, Night of the Demons, The Prestige, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Highlander [TV])
Brenda Bakke b. 1963 (Supernatural, Dollhouse, Dark Angel, American Gothic, Solar Crisis, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Larry Holden b. 1961 died 13 February 2011 (Batman Begins, Charmed, Timecop , NightMan)
Rob Bowman b. 1960 (director, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Night Stalker, Elektra, The Lone Gunmen, The X-Files, VR.5, M.A.N.T.I.S., Dark Shadows [1991], Star Trek: The Next Generation, Alien Nation [TV], Werewolf)
John Blyth Barrymore b. 1954 (Solar Crisis, Nocturna)
Nicholas Hammond b. 1950 (Stealth, Farscape, The Lost World [TV], 20000 Leagues Under the Sea [1997], The Martian Chronicles, The Amazing Spider-Man, Logan’s Run [TV], The Fantastic Journey)
Malcolm Stewart b. 1948 (Fringe, Moon, Eureka, Kyle XY, Bionic Woman, The 4400, Blade: The Series, The Butterfly Effect 2, Fallen, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Dead Like Me, Stargate SG-1, Dark Angel, Mysterious Ways, Andromeda, First Wave, Seven Days, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Millennium, The X Files, Sliders, Jumanji, M.A.N.T.I.S., Timecop, Twilight Zone [1989])
Lainie Kazan b. 1940 (Red Riding Hood [2006], Tales from the Crypt, Harry and the Hendersons, Amazing Stories, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Ralph Steadman b. 1936 (illustrator)
Joseph Wiseman b. 1918 died 19 October 2009 (The Greatest American Hero, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Twilight Zone)
Andre De Toth b. 1912 died 27 October 2002 (director, House of Wax)
James Mason b. 1909 27 July 1984 (Salem’s Lot [1979], The Boys from Brazil, Frankenstein: The True Story, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [1954])
Joseph Cotten b. 1905 died 6 February 1994 (Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Soylent Green, Baron Blood, Lady Frankenstein, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, City Beneath the Sea, From the Earth to the Moon)
L. Frank Baum b. 1856 died 6 May 1919 (The Oz universe)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Regular readers will know I am keen on iconic pictures and I will admit not every Fox genre show canceled after less than a full season is iconic. (The clear exception: Firefly.) But I am going with a picture of adorable Caroline Dhavernas from Wonderfalls for the following reasons.

a. Adorable Caroline Dhavernas. Look, genre TV without pretty actresses is close to non-existent, but she did a great job as the lead actress. Oh, and by the way, it was Canadian produced and she is Canadian.

b. A theme song by Andy Partridge of XTC.

c. The writing. In some ways it's derivative of Joan of Arcadia, but the idea of little knick-knacks in a Niagara Fall souvenir shop talking to her was a great vehicle for comedy and she got all the laughs written on the page and then some. I still remember her line in an early show, pleading with one of the souvenirs "You can't speak! You don't have vocal chords!" If you haven't seen it, get the DVDs and binge watch. 

2. Spot the Other Canadians! It would be very hard to guess the Canadian-ness of Joseph Wiseman (born too early) and Brigette Bako (not many roles). But Malcolm Stewart has just the kind of credit list that made me start the Spot the Canadian! feature.

3. Nepotism FTW? John Blyth Barrymore is the much older half-brother of Drew Barrymore and their father is John Drew Barrymore. On the Wikipedia page for the Barrymore family, he doesn't even get a separate listing.

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

Movie released
The Matrix Reloaded released, 2003
  

Predictor: H.G. Wells in his 1902 book Anticipations

Prediction: What type of ship may chance to be prevalent when the great naval war comes is hard guessing, but I incline to think that the naval architects of the ablest peoples will concentrate more and more upon speed and upon range and penetration, and, above all, upon precision of fire. I seem to see a light type of ironclad, armoured thickly only over its engines and magazines, murderously equipped, and with a ram--as alert and deadly as a striking snake. In the battles of the open she will have little to fear from the slow fumbling treacheries of the submarine, she will take as little heed of the chance of a torpedo as a barefooted man in battle does of the chance of a fallen dagger in his path.

Reality: For reasons still unclear to me, Wells hated submarines as much as he hated the poor and the Irish. They became much more efficient weapons of war than he ever imagined. (Sorry, unclear pronoun there. I meant submarines, not the Irish peasants.) He also had no idea how deadly airplanes would be and how effective they could be in sinking ships. Not a very good grade here.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

More optimistic (and likely inaccurate) predictions from Morris L. Ernst's book Utopia 1976.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!