27 June 2014

 Birthdays
Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter) b. 1989
Ed Westwick b. 1987 (S. Darko, Children of Men)
Sam Claflin b. 1986 (The Hunger Games, Snow White and the Huntsman, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Lost Future)
Drake Bell b. 1986 (I [Heart] Vampires, Dragonworld: The Legend Continues)
Courtney Ford b. 1978 (True Blood, The Big Bang Theory, The Vampire Diaries, Alien Raiders)
Tobey Maguire b. 1975 (Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3, Pleasantville, Eerie, Indiana)
Christian Kane b. 1974 (Angel)
J.J. Abrams b. 1966 (writer/director, Star Wars: Episode VII, Fringe, Star Trek, Super 8, Lost, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Armageddon)
Isabelle Adjani b. 1955 (Nosferatu the Vampire)
Ken Marshall b. 1950 (Deep Space Nine, Quantum Leap, Krull)
James Naughton b. 1950 (Hologram Man, Weird Science [TV], V, The Incredible Hulk, Future Cop, Planet of the Apes [TV], The Sixth Sense [TV], Shazam!)
Paul Koslo b. 1944 (Stargate SG-1, The Flash, Xtro II, Solar Crisis, Robot Jox, Misfits of Science, The Greatest American Hero, The Incredible Hulk, Galactica 1980, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Omega Man)
Billy Curtis b. 1909 died 9 November 1988 (The Twilight Zone [1986], Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Batman, The Angry Red Planet, Adventures of Superman, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Jungle Moon Men, Superman and the Mole Men, The Wizard of Oz)
John McIntire b. 1907 died 30 January 1991 (The Incredible Hulk, Twilight Zone)

Last year, I featured a picture of Matthew Lewis as Neville Longbottom from the Harry Potter series. This year it's Tobey Maguire as Spider-Man. Unless I go Whedonverse nerd and pick Christian Kane next year, the other big name on the list is J.J. Abrams. My problem with Abrams is so much of his work has been so disappointing, especially if we add in the stuff he's produced. Putting both Star Wars and Star Trek in his hands looks like a mistake to me. Just sayin'.

A note on our two deceased birthday boys. Billy Curtis was a little person actor, and though he was uncredited in both, he was in The Wizard of Oz and Star Trek. John McIntire did lots and lots of westerns, most notably Wagon Train, but anyone who made an appearance on the original Twilight Zone will get a mention on this blog.

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

Movies released
WALL-E released, 2008

THREE DAYS OF BLADE RUNNER!

Predictor: The movie Blade Runner, released 25 June 1982.

Prediction: In 2019, there will be sex robots.

Reality: Okay, now we are getting somewhere! I don't believe flying cars or off-world colonies are coming soon, but sex robots! Granted, two out of three of them are going to try to kill you, but this is the sort of risk that early adopters of technology have to get used to.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We interrupt the schedule once again to get a testable prediction from some know-it-all prat named Matthew Hubbard.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
  

18 November 2013

Birthdays
Noah Ringer b. 1997 (The Last Airbender, Cowboys & Aliens)
Jake Abel b. 1987 (Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, I Am Number Four, Supernatural)
Robert Kazinsky b. 1983 (True Blood, Pacific Rim)
Peta Wilson b. 1970 (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Superman Returns)
Owen Wilson b. 1968 (Night at the Museum)
Tim Guinee b. 1962 (Brave New World, Blade, Strange World, Stargate SG-1, Iron Man, Revolution)
Alan Moore b. 1953 (author, Watchmen, V for Vendetta, From Hell)
Michael Swanwick b. 1950 (won 1992 Nebula for Stations of the Tide)
Eric Pierpont b. 1950 (Alien Nation, Star Trek, Babylon 5)
Alan Dean Foster b. 1946 (novelizations of Star Trek, Star Wars, Alien, Alien Nation and many more)
David Hemmings b. 1941 died 3 December 2003 (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
Margaret Atwood b. 1939 (The Handmaid’s Tale, Oryx and Crake)
Alan Shepard b. 1923 died 21 July 1998

On today's list, the people born before 1960 are predominantly writers, including Margaret Atwood in the Picture Slot, and all the people born after 1960 are actors. Next year, I'll probably be making a decision between the writer Alan Moore and the astronaut Alan Shepard. 

Movies released
The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1 released 2011
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire released, 2005
Star Trek: Generations released 1994
Cherry 2000 released 1988
 

Prediction: 2017: Female robots called gynoids are perfect replacements for wives.

Predictor: Cherry 2000 released 1988

Reality: The most common complaint about living in the present that should be "the future" by now is no flying cars or jetpacks, but sex robots are a pretty common idea in sci-fi, regardless of the sexist content. (Besides the orgasmatron in Woody Allen's Sleeper which worked for males and females, there are only a few sci-fi plots that included sexual satisfaction machines designed for women, and several are mentioned bu my ever alert readers in the comment section.) And unlike Blade Runner, where there was about a two out of three chance the sex robot would try to kill you, they seemed to have worked that bug out of the system in Cherry 2000, the machine in question played by the lovely Pamela Gidley.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The 68th anniversary of the most influential unfulfilled prediction of modern times.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!