24 July 2015

Birthdays
Emily Bett Rickards b. 1991 (The Flash, Arrow, Soldiers of the Apocalypse)
Daveigh Chase b. 1990 (S. Darko, Donnie Darko, The Ring, Charmed, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Jeffrey Zubernis b. 1987 (The Sixth Sense)
Mara Wilson b. 1987 (A Simple Wish)
Kyle Morris b. 1984 (Fear Force Five, The Forbidden Dimensions, Night of the Living Dead 3D: Re-Animation)
Anna Paquin b. 1982 (X-Men, True Blood)
Elisabeth Moss b. 1982 (Invasion, Escape to Witch Mountain [1995])
Trevor Matthews b. 1982 (Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer)
Summer Glau b. 1981 (Arrow, Knights of Badassdom, Alphas, The Big Bang Theory, Mammoth, Angel, Dollhouse, Serenity, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The 4400)
Rose Byrne b. 1979 (X-Men: First Class, 28 Weeks Later, Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones)
Laura Fraser b. 1976 (Forever, Vanilla Sky, Neverwhere)
Chad Christ b. 1974 (Gattaca)
Jennifer Lopez b. 1969 (The Cell, Anaconda)
Rick Fox b. 1969 (Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, The Guild, Big Bang Theory, Dollhouse)
Kristin Chenoweth b. 1968 (Bewitched [2005])
Paul Ben-Victor b. 1965 (Daredevil, The Invisible Man [2002], Red Scorpion 2, The X-Files)
Doug Liman b. 1965 (director, Edge of Tomorrow, Jumper)
James Anthony Cotton b. 1956 (Phenomenon)
Janit Baldwin b. 1953 (The Powers of Matthew Star, Phantom of the Paradise)
Fiona Reid b. 1951 (Haven, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Puppets Who Kill, Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins)
Lynda Carter b. 1951 (Smallville, Sky High, Wonder Woman)
Jim Kouf b. 1951 (writer, Grimm, National Treasure, Angel, The Boogens)
Michael Richards b. 1949 (Coneheads, Whoops Apocalypse, Transylvania 6-5000, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Robert Hays b. 1947 (Sharknado 2: The Second One, Superhero Movie, Starman [TV], Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare, Cat’s Eye, The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything, Wonder Woman)
Linda Harrison b. 1945 (Planet of the Apes [2001 and 1968], Cocoon, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Batman)
Chris Sarandon b. 1942 (Charmed, Perversions of Science, The Vampyre Wars, Bordello of Blood, Deep Space Nine, Shatterbrain, Frankenstein [1987], The Princess Bride, Fright Night [1985])
Dan Hedaya b. 1940 (Gotham, Alien: Resurrection, The Addams Family [1991], The Twilight Zone [1985], Buckaroo Banzai, Earthlings, The Hunger)
Mark Goddard b. 1936 (Soupernatural, Lost in Space [1998 and 1965], Strange Invaders)
Ruth Buzzi b. 1936 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Out of This World, They Came from Outer Space, The Munsters Today, My Mom’s a Werewolf, Legends of the Superheroes, Once Upon a Brothers Grimm, The Lost Saucer)
John D. MacDonald b. 1916 died 28 December 1986 (author, The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything)
Shelia Florance b. 1916 died 12 October 1991 (Mad Max)
Sydney Bromley b. 1909 died 14 August 1987 (The NeverEnding Story, Dragonslayer, An American Werewolf in London, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, The Fearless Vampire Killers, Prehistoric Women, Night Creatures, Quatermass and the Pit, Quatermass II, Nineteen Eighty-Four [1954 British version])
Stuart Randall b. 1909 died 22 June 1988 (Indestructible Man, Adventures of Superman)
Lord Dunsany b. 1878 died 25 October 1957 (author, The Gods of Pegana)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Okay, fabulous babes. I have not been intentionally ignoring fabulous babes for the Picture Slot, but I have had only one all month, which is a ridiculously low number. In previous years, the Slot went to the fabulous Lynda Carter and the fabulous Summer Glau, and if I want the most iconic people on the list excluding these two worthies, I'd say it's a contest between Mark Goddard from Lost in Space, Linda Harrison from Planet of the Apes and today's winner Anna Paquin, who has two advantages over Goddard and Harrison, one being a 21st Century pick and the other being she's the actual star of the show.

And, oh yeah, fabulous.

2. Four Canadians, three unspottable. The youngest person on our list today, Emily Bett Rickards, is born north of the border and is featured on two genre shows shot in Canada. Trevor Matthews has only one credit, so it's hard to spot from such minimal evidence. The other two Canadians were born there and moved away at a young age, Anna Paquin and Rick Fox. I know who both of them are, but had no idea they were Canucks. Go figure.

3. The Guy and Gal at the Door, and what I learned today. Today's list has no one who died young and a twenty year gap between a living pair born in 1936 and a dead pair born in 1916. This makes Mark Goddard and Ruth Buzzi the Guy and Gal at the Door. I've had Goddard on the list for a while, but today I clicked on Ms. Buzzi's page just for a lark. I'm a little amazed at how much work she did in genre, and this doesn't even include her voice acting work.

4. MST3K. Stuart Randall appeared in Indestructible Man.

5. Hey... no Star Trek! For only the second time this month, we have a day with no Star Trek birthdays. 

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, especially Ruth Buzzi and Mark Goddard, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

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

Prediction: Moreover, before Germany can unify to the East she must fight the Russian, and to unify to the West she must fight the French and perhaps the English, and she may have to fight a combination of these powers. I think the military strength of France is enormously underrated… And France will not fight alone. She will fight for Switzerland or Luxembourg, or the mouth of the Rhine. She will fight with the gravity of remembered humiliations, with the whole awakened Slav-race at the back of her antagonist, and very probably with the support of the English-speaking peoples.

Reality: The opinion of the French as bad-asses sounds ridiculous in the 21st Century, but they were bad-asses in the 19th Century and it took two world wars to erase that view. Wells should get some credit for seeing that Germany was going to fight on multiple fronts.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Welcome to the first prediction free weekend, but a few thoughts about the end of petroleum.
  
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

3 July 2015

Birthdays
Dean Cook b. 1985 (Powers, The Little Vampire, Highlander [TV])
Corey Sevier b. 1984 (Supernatural, Immortals, Age of the Dragons, Smallville, Metamorphosis, The Dresden Files, 2030 CE)
Brandon Jay McLaren b. 1981 (Dead Before Dawn 3D, Falling Skies, Tucker & Dale vs. Evil, Kyle XY, Smallville, Blade: The Series, Power Rangers S.P.D., Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed)
Shoshannah Stern b. 1980 (Jericho)
Olivia Munn b. 1980 (X-Men: Apocalypse, Iron Man 2)
Ian Anthony Dale b. 1978 (American Horror Story, Mortal Kombat: Legacy, The Event, Tekken, Dollhouse, Charmed, Angel)
Patrick Wilson b. 1973 (Space Station 76, Prometheus, Watchmen)
Shawnee Smith b. 1970 (The Grudge 3, Saw, Island, Breakfast of Champions, Armageddon, The Shining [1997 TV], The X-Files, The Stand, The Blob [1988])
Justin Dreyfuss b. 1969 (Munchies, Close Encounters of the Third Kid)
Connie Nielsen b. 1965 (Demonlover, Mission to Mars, Solider, The Devil’s Advocate)
Tommy Flanagan b. 1965 (Sin City, Alien vs. Predator)
Thomas Gibson b. 1962 (Category 6: Day of Destruction, The Lost Empire, Psycho Beach Party)
Hunter Tylo b. 1962 (SharkMan)
Tom Cruise b. 1962 (Edge of Tomorrow, Oblivion, War of the Worlds, Minority Report, Vanilla Sky, Interview with the Vampire, Legend)
Rick Ducommun b. 1956 died June 2015 (Brimstone, Ghost in the Machine, Groundhog Day, Encino Man, Gremlins 2, Little Monsters, Spaceballs, Max Headroom)
Cork Hubbert b. 1952 died 28 September 203 (Charmed, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Sinbad of the Seven Seas, The Charmings, The Twilight Zone [1986], Legend)
Betty Buckley b. 1947 (The Happening, Carrie)
Michael Cole b. 1945 (It, Beyond Westworld, Wonder Woman)
Paul Young b. 1944 (The Omega Factor, Mad Max)
Kurtwood Smith b. 1943 (Resurrection, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Deep Impact, Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, The X-Files, Star Trek VI, RoboCop)
Harrison Schmidt b. 1935 (walked on the moon)
Tom Stoppard b. 1937 (co-author, Brazil)
Ken Russell b. 1927 died 27 November 2011 (director, The Lair of the White Worm, Altered States)
Tim O’Connor b. 1927 (The Burning Zone, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Wonder Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Sssssss, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, ‘Way Out)
Carol Ohmart b. 1927 (House on Haunted Hill, Men Into Space)
Rae Allen b. 1926 (Vampire Mob, Stargate, The Greatest American Hero)
Louise Albritton b. 1920 died 16 February 1979 (Son of Dracula)
George Sanders b. 1906 died 25 April 1972 (The Body Stealers, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Village of the Damned, From the Earth to the Moon)
Franz Kakfa b. 1883 died 3 June 1924 (author, Metamorphosis)

1. The Picture Slot. In previous year, I had moonwalker Harrison Schmidt and Thetan talker Tom Cruise in The Picture Slot. This year, I considered Kurtwood Smith (whom I didn't use because I'm a dumb-ass), George Sanders (whose iconic genre role as Mr. Freeze is beneath his dignity) and instead decided to go with happy-go-lucky elfin charmer Franz Kafka.

2. Spot the Canadians. The late Rick Ducommun was born north of the border and is hard to spot, but the other two are obvious to the trained Canuck hunter and the reader is given the chance to spot them.

3. Nepotism FTW, however small. Justin Dreyfuss is the nephew of Richard Dreyfuss. The two films lists are his entire credit list.

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

Movies released
Despicable Me 2 released, 2013
The Amazing Spider-Man released, 2012
Transformers released, 2007
Men In Black released, 2002
Terminator 2 released, 1991
Back to the Future released, 1985
 

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

Prediction: The suggestion is powerful, the conclusion is hard to resist, that, through whatever disorders of danger and conflict, whatever centuries of misunderstanding and bloodshed, men may still have to pass, this process nevertheless aims finally, and will attain to the establishment of one world-state at peace within itself. In the economic sense, indeed, a world-state is already established.

Reality: Wells has a full chapter devoted to what a nightmare modern warfare will be and while the particulars are off, the basic premise is correct. We don't have a one world-state and we are unlikely to get there soon, but it should be noted that it's been seventy years since two (or more) truly industrialized nations squared off against each other. It's impossible to say now whether this is just a very long lull historically or the actual beginning of a limited version of peace among the most powerful nations.

Looking two days ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The writer of this blog is going to take a two day break, known in some cultures as weekend. He has heard good things about them and wanted to try one just to see if he liked it. He will be back with the usual silliness on Monday.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

2 July 2015

Birthdays
Margot Robbie b. 1990 (Z for Zachariah, About Time)
Ashley Tisdale b. 1985 (Charmed, Donnie Darko)
Vanessa Lee Chester b. 1984 (The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
Owain Yeoman b. 1978 (The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Yancy Butler b. 1970 (Kick-Ass, Lake Placid, Wolvesbayne, Basilisk: The Serpent King, Witchblade, Ravager, Perversions of Science, Mann & Machine)
Terry Rossio b. 1960 (writer, Pirates of the Caribbean, Shrek, Small Soldiers, Godzilla, The Puppet Masters)
Jerry Hall b. 1956 (Vampire in Brooklyn, Freejack, Batman [1989])
Andrew Divoff b. 1955 (Lost, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Rage, Dr, Rage, Wishmaster, Conan [1997 TV], Highlander [TV], Xtro 3, Mac and Me, The Twilight Zone [1986], Misfits of Science)
Wendy Schaal b. 1954 (The X-Files, Small Soldiers, Star Trek: Voyager, *batteries not included, Innerspace, Amazing Stories, Knight Rider)
Elisabeth Brooks b. 1951 died 7 September 1997 (Deep Space, The Howling, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker)
Nancy Stephens b. 1949 (Dark Skies, Halloween I and II, Escape form New York)
Saul Rubinek b. 1948 (Warehouse 13, Eureka, Lost, Stargate SG-1, The Android Affair, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Ron Silver b. 1946 died 15 March 2009 (Xenophobia, Timecop, Lifepod)
Kenneth McMillan b. 1932 died 8 January 1989 (Cat’s Eye, Dune, Heartbeeps, Salem’s Lot, The Stepford Wives, Dark Shadows [TV])
Robert Ito b. 1931 (MythQuest, Star Trek: Voyager, The Omega Code, The X-Files, Highlander [TV], Star Trek: The Next Generation, Buckaroo Banzai, Rollerball, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Terminal Man, Soylent Green, Dimension 5, Women of the Prehistoric Planet)
Brock Peters b. 1927 died 23 August 2005 (Deep Space Nine, Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, Alligator II: The Mutation, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Battlestar Galactica [1979], The Bionic Woman)
Hannes Bok b. 1914 died 11 April 1964 (artist)
Hermann Hesse b. 1877 died 9 August 1962 (author, Steppenwolf, The Glass Bead Game)

1. The Picture Slot. Today's list has a lot more Oh That Guys than movie stars. In previous years the Picture Slot was given to artist Hannes Bok and writer Terry Rossio. This year it goes, to Saul Rubinek, an Oh That Guy whose work I've always liked, pictured as the collect Kivas Fajo from Star Trek: The Next Generation.

2. Wait... he's dead? Still not completely used to the fact that Ron Silver is dead.

3. Nepotism FTW. Wendy Schaal is the daughter of Richard Schaal.

4. A Canadian walks amongst us. Robert Ito's career started long before the big boom in Canadian TV and movie production.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
 
Terminator 3: The Rise of the Machines released 2003
Hancock released, 2008

I know some folks are excited for a new Terminator movie, but I terminated by Terminator activities after the second one.

Predictor: Richard Nixon, 15 October 1965

Prediction: If the United States gives up in Vietnam, the Pacific Ocean will become a Red Sea.

Reality: Well, we lost in Vietnam about 40 years ago now and the Commies still haven't pushed us out of the Pacific. One of the things about the future I find disappointing, maybe even more than the lack of flying cars and jetpacks, is how completely off the table any discussion of reducing the military budget is in the United States, even though the list of big victories after World War II consists of Grenada and the first Gulf War.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Will tomorrow bring us H.G. Wells the futurist, H.G. Wells the warmonger or H.G. Wells the creepy guy?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

5 June 2015

Birthdays
Yuya Ozeki b. 1996 (The Grudge)
Troye Sivan b. 1995 (X-Men: Origins: Wolverine)
Sophie Lowe b. 1990 (The Returned, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, After the Dark)
Ellary Porterfield (Video Game High School)
Amanda Crew b. 1986 (The Age of Adaline, The Haunting in Connecticut, Final Destination 3, Smallville)
Marc Pickering b. 1985 (Sleepy Hollow [1999])
Jonathon Trent b. 1984 (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
Mike Fisher b. 1980 (Transformers)
Navi Rawat b. 1977 (FlashForward, Undead or Alive: A Zombedy, Angel, Thoughtcrimes, Roswell)
Liza Weil b. 1977 (Dragonfly, Stir of Echoes)
Mark Worden b. 1976 (Star Trek: Enterprise, 10.5, StargateSG-1, Deep Space Nine, Space: Above and Beyond)
Chad Allen b. 1974 (Total Recall 2070, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Charmed, Total Recall 2070)
Mark Wahlberg b. 1971 (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Ted, The Happening, Planet of the Apes)
Susan Lynch b. 1971 (From Hell, Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles, The Secret of Roan Inish)
Christian Boeving b. 1969 (Apocalypse Z, Daredevil, Andromina: The Pleasure Planet, Batman & Robin)
Ron Livingston b. 1967 (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Timecop)
Douglas O’Keeffe b. 1966 (The Andromeda Strain, Smallville, Mutant X, Andromeda, Dark Angel, Seven Days, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, The Adventures of Sinbad [TV], Specimen, Forever Knight, Johnny Mnemonic)
David H. Hickey b. 1963 (From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], Serum, Sin City)
Ken Hudson Campbell b. 1962 (Bewitched [2005], Breakfast of Champions, Armageddon, Groundhog Day)
Jeff Garlin b. 1962 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Dead Last, Robocop 3)
James Isaac b. 1960 died 6 May 2012 (Skinwalkers, Jason X)
Nancy Stafford b. 1954 (Babylon 5, Deadly Invasion: The Killer Bee Nightmare, Quantum Leap, Q)
Kathleen Kennedy b. 1953 (producer, Star Wars: Episodes VII, VIII, IX, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Last Airbender, Indiana Jones, War of the Worlds, Jurassic Park, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The Sixth Sense, The Indian in the Cupboard, Congo, Back to the Future, Gremlins, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, *batteries not included, Innerspace, Amazing Stories, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Poltergeist, E.T. the Extraterrestrial)
Mark Harelik b. 1951 (Awake, TiMER, The Big Bang Theory, Heroes, Angel, Star Trek: Voyager)
Daniel von Bargen b. 1950 died 1 March 2015 (S1mOne, Universal Soldier: The Return, Universal Soldier: The Return, The Faculty, The X-Files, The Postman, Thinner, Lord of Illusions, RoboCop 3)
Malcolm Sinclair b. 1950 (V for Vendetta)
John Bach b. 1946 (Legend of the Seeker, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Lord of the Rings, Farscape, The Lost World, Young Hercules, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Mysterious Island [TV], Time Trax)
Robert Lansing b. 1928 died 23 October 1994 (Bionic Showdown, Automan, Island Claws, Empire of the Ants, The Astronaut, Star Trek, Twilight Zone, 4D Man)
Peggy Stewart b. 1923 (Flashforward, Terror in the Wax Museum, Twilight Zone, The Vampire’s Ghost)
Estelle Reiner b. 1914 died 25 October 2008 (The Man with Two Brains)
Herb Vigran b. 1910 died 29 November 1986 (Galactica 1980, Bewitched, The Reluctant Astronaut, It’s About Time, I Dream of Jeannie, The Brass Bottle, The Vampire, World Without End, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Topper, Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man)
John Abbott b. 1905 died 24 May 1996 (Slapstick (Of Another Kind), Holmes and Yo-Yo, 2000 Years Later, Land of the Giants, Star Trek, Lost in Space, The Munsters, Cry of the Werewolf)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In 2013, it was Mark Walberg, largely because the list was so short. In 2014, I used a picture of John Abbott from his guest role on Star Trek. This year, it's Robert Lansing in his guest role from Star Trek as Gary Seven, the guy they hoped would have a spin-off series.

2. Spot the Canadians. Not easy to spot today, so here they are: Amanda Crew, Mike Fisher, Mark Worden.

3. Nepotism FTW. Estelle Reiner was Carl Reiner's wife. Many of her roles were in his projects. Mike Fisher is a hockey player who married Carrie Underwood. imdb,com says he's an actor, but he has exactly one role so far.

4. I miss Daniel von Bargen. It's so sad things went so badly for him. He was a great actor.

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: But these days of the happy-go-lucky optimist are near their end. War is being drawn into the field of the exact sciences. Every additional weapon, every new complication of the art of war, intensifies the need of deliberate preparation, and darkens the outlook of a nation of amateurs. Warfare in the future, on sea or land alike, will be much more one-sided than it has ever been in the past, much more of a foregone conclusion. Save for national lunacy, it will be brought about by the side that will win, and because that side knows that it will win.

Reality: In point of fact, starting a war in the 20th Century and continuing into the 21st Century has generally been a bad idea. With a few exceptions like the Chinese invasion of Tibet, most wars of aggression have been in the past hundred years or so have been somewhere between costly and disastrous. Consider Iraq's invasion of Kuwait or the American invasion of Iraq. The aggressor "won" at least at first, but either lost decisively before it was done or got a situation that wasn't worth the cost.

I have to admit Wells' phrase "happy-go-lucky optimist" reminds me of Donald Rumsfeld. I have tried to wean myself from the culture of outrage, largely because it's so damned exhausting. But thinking about Rumsfeld for just a few minutes can get my blood boiling. Not unlike Sepp Blatter, the world would be a better place if Donald Rumsfeld died in prison.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Speaking of happy-go-lucky optimists, we get another dip into Morris Ernst's Utopia 1976. At least he's not a war monger.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

29 May 2015

Birthdays
Paloma Kwiatowski b. 1994 (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters)
Maika Monroe b. 1993 (The Fifth Wave, It Follows, Flying Monkeys, Bad Blood)
Gregg Sulkin b. 1992 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Avalon High, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Man on the Moon [TV])
Riley Keough b. 1989 (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Matthew Waters b. 1989 (Peter Pan [2003])
Dylan Postl b. 1986 (Leprechaun: Origins)
Ben Mansfield b. 1983 (Primeval, Mr. Nobody)
Anita Briem b. 1982 (Journey to the Center of the Earth, Doctor Who)
Mark Hapka b. 1982 (Parallels, Altergeist)
Elyas M’Barek b. 1982 (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones)
Justin Chon b. 1981 (Twilight, Innocent Blood, Detention of the Dead)
Chris Violette b. 1981 (Bitten, Lost Girl, My Babysitter’s a Vampire, Diary of the Dead, Power Rangers S.P.D.)
Adam Brown b. 1980 (The Hobbit)
Yusuke Iseya b. 1976 (Blindness)
Steve Cardenas b. 1974 (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
Carlton Wilborn b. 1964 (Demolition Man)
John D. LeMay b. 1962 (Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday, Friday’s Curse, The Twilight Zone [1986])
Neil Crone b. 1960 (The Strain, Warehouse 13, Cube³: Hypercube, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension, RoboCop[TV], Mt Secret identity)
Adrian Paul b. 1959 (Alien Outpost, Abominable Snowman, Eyeborgs, Highlander, Charmed, Relic Hunter, The Breed, Dark Shadows [1991], War of the Worlds [TV], Masque of the Red Death, Beauty and the Beast)
Rupert Everett b. 1959 (Stardust, Inspector Gadget, Arthur the King )
Wayne Duvall b. 1958 (Gotham, The Leftovers, Threshold, Evolution, Seven Days, Timecop, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Apollo 13, The X-Files)
Annette Bening b. 1958 (What Planet Are You From?, In Dreams, Mars Attacks!)
Ted Levine b. 1957 (Banshee Chapter, The Hills Have Eyes, Evolution, From the Earth to the Moon)
Tony Randel b. 1956 (director, Hybrids, Power Rangers in Space, Ticks, Hellbound: Hellraiser II)
Cotter Smith b. 1949 (Forever, Revolution, 666 Park Avenue, Invasion, X-Men 2, Invader [1996], The Twilight Zone [1986])
Robert Axelrod b. 1949 (Bite Me, Power Rangers Time Force, The Blob [1988], Alien Private Eye, Alice in Wonderland [1985])
Nick Mancuso b. 1948 (The Entity, Rise of the Gargoyles, Saurian, Mutant X, Total Recall 2070, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension)
Anthony Geary b. 1947 (Project U.F.O., The Amazing Captain Nemo, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Julie Cobb b. 1947 (Lois & Clark, Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, Defending Your Life, Starman [TV], Tucker’s Witch, Brave New World [TV], Salem’s Lot, The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek)
Helmut Berger b. 1944 (Dorian Gray, The Witches)
Kevin Conway b. 1942 (Black Knight, Dark Angel, Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Lathe of Heaven, Slaughterhouse-Five)
Nanette Newman b. 1934 (The Stepford Wives, Captain Nemo and the Underwater City)
Paul R. Ehrlich b. 1932 (author, The Population Bomb)
Frederick Jaeger b. 1928 died 18 June 2004 (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Doctor Who, One of Our Dinosaurs Is Missing)
Clifton James b. 1921 (Monsters, Superman II, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Werewolf of Washington)
Iris Adrian b. 1912 died 17 September 1994 (Alice Through the Looking Glass [1966 TV], The Munsters, Mighty Joe Young)
Sebastian Shaw b. 1905 died 23 December 1994 (Return of the Jedi)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In 2013, I used a picture of Sebastian Shaw, the original ghost of Anakin Skywalker in Return of the Jedi, somewhat iconic as a reminder of how George Lucas messed with his own creation. In 2014, I used Paul R Ehrlich, only iconic for being revealed as a jackass on this blog with his wildly incorrect The Population Bomb. As for the rest of the list, we have a few folks who are stars (Anthony Geary on the soaps, Rupert Everett and Annette Bening on film), but when it comes to iconic, I have to fall back on my favorite Star Trek guest role, so the Picture Slot goes to Kevin Conway as Kahless the Unforgettable.

2. Canadians, pre-spotted for your convenience. There are four Canadians today. Young Paloma Kwiatowski is unspottable from her single credit. Chris Violette, Neil Crone and Nick Mancuso have a few credits in Canuck genre each, but their nation of origin is not completely obvious, so I spotted them for you.

3. Wait... he's alive? Clifton James turns 94 today and good on him. He's played Southerners, usually lawmen, since I was in knee pants, best known for Cool Hand Luke and The Man with the Golden Gun. He's got a few genre credits, so he's on today's list.

4. Nepotism FTW. Julie Cobb is the daughter of Lee J. Cobb.

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

Movie released 
Up released, 2009

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

Prediction: In our imaginary twentieth century State, organized primarily for war, this tendency to differentiate a non-combatant mass in the fighting State will certainly not be respected, the State will be organized as a whole to fight as a whole, it will have triumphantly asserted the universal duty of its citizens. The military force will be a much ampler organization than the "army" of to-day, it will be not simply the fists but the body and brain of the land. The whole apparatus, the whole staff engaged in internal communication, for example, may conceivably not be State property and a State service, but if it is not it will assuredly be as a whole organized as a volunteer force, that may instantly become a part of the machinery of defense or aggression at the outbreak of war.

Reality: This is not a bad description of the nations up through the Second World War. As for "organized primarily for war", that description now only best fits the United States, with our defense budget dwarfing the rest of the world. It's not a sustainable position and it is not pleasant to think of what will happen when the unsustainable finally collapses.

I know. I'm a right cheery bastard.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The regular schedule is interrupted for a prediction from a movie released twenty five years ago.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

26 May 2015

Birthdays
Will Dunn b. 1996 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)
Astrid Berges-Frisbey b. 1986 (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)
Ashley Bell b. 1986 (The Walking Dead, The Last Exorcism)
Elisabeth Harnois b. 1979 (Charmed, Adventures in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast [1987])
Will Sanderson b. 1980 (Seed, BloodRayne, The Dead Zone, House of the Dead, Smallville, First Wave)
T.J. Ramini b. 1975 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Batman Begins)
Nicki Aycox b. 1975 (BlackBoxTV, Supernatural, The X Files: I Want to Believe, Momentum, Dark Angel, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Weird Science [TV])
Helena Bonham Carter b. 1966 (Through the Looking Glass [2016], Cinderella [2015], Dark Shadows [2012], Harry Potter, Terminator Salvation, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes [2001], Merlin [1998], Frankenstein [1994])
Musette Vander b. 1963 (Transylmania, Planet Raptor, Forbidden Warrior, Mansquito, Stargate SG-1, The Cell, Xena, Star Trek: Voyager, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Babylon 5, Buffy, The Dark Mist, Oblivion, Monolith, Super Force)
Bobcat Goldthwait b. 1962 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Tales from the Crypt, Encino Woman, Scrooged)
Tarsem Singh b. 1961 (director, Mirror Mirror, Immortals, The Cell)
Doug Hutchinson b. 1960 (Lost, Punisher: War Zone, The Green Mile, Millennium, Batman & Robin, Space: Above and Beyond, The X-Files, The Lawnmower Man)
Margaret Colin b. 1958 (Gotham, Independence Day)
Lisa Niemi b. 1956 (Super Force, Steel Dawn, Max Headroom)
Donald Losby b. 1951 (Lost in Space, Twilight Zone)
Pam Grier b. 1949 (The Invited, Mars Attacks!, Smallville, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Ghosts of Mars, Escape from L.A., Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Class of 1999, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Scream Blacula Scream, The Twilight People)
Dayle Haddon b. 1949 (Cyborg, Max Headroom, Spermula)
Philip Michael Thomas b. 1949 (Superboy, The Wizard of Speed and Time, The Dark, Wonder Woman)
Janet Morris b. 1946 (author, Heroes in Hell, Thieves' World)
Herb Trimpe b. 1939 died 13 April 2015 (writer/artist, Wolverine)
Ingrid Goude b. 1937 (The Killer Shrews)
James Arness b. 1923 died 3 June 2011 (Them!, The Thing from Another World, Two Lost Worlds)
Roy Dotrice b. 1923 (Game of Thrones, Hellboy II, Angel, Alien Hunter, Sliders, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Babylon 5, Earth 2, Beauty and the Beast, Alien Attack, Space: 1999)
Peter Cushing b. 1913 died 11 August 1994 (The Mystery on Monster Island, Star Wars, Land of the Minotaur, At the Earth's Core, Space: 1999, The Ghoul, Legend of the Werewolf, Tender Dracula, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, From Beyond the Grave, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Beast Must Die, The Creeping Flash, Horror Express, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, Dracula A.D. 1972, Tales from the Crypt [1972], I, Monster, Twins of Evil, The House That Dripped Blood, The Vampire Lovers, Bloodsuckers, Scream and Scream Again, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, The Blood Beast Terror, Island of the Burning Damned, Frankenstein Created Woman, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., Island of Terror, Dr. Who and the Daleks, The Skull, She, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, The Gorgon, The Evil of Frankenstein, The Man Who Finally Died, The Brides of Dracula, The Mummy, The Revenge of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Abominable Snowman, The Curse of Frankenstein)
Robert Morley b. 1908 died 3 June 1992 (Alice in Wonderland [1985], Theatre of Blood, Scrooge [1935])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot celebrated the fun fact that Peter Cushing is nine years and one day older than his very regular co-star Christopher Lee. This year, not wanting to repeat myself, we have a picture of the actor on the list with the most iconic role in the 21st Century, Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix Lestrange.

2. Spot the Canadians! It would be very difficult to guess from her credit list alone that Dayle Haddon was born north of the border. Will Sanderson's credits give away his roots a little more, but he isn't glaringly obvious, either.

3. Wait... they did genre? The people I checked on today that I didn't know had genre roles were Robert Morley, Philip Michael Thomas and Bobcat Goldthwait.

4. MST3K. There may be others, but I know The Killer Shrews was the cheesy movie for one episode.

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

Movie released
X-Men: The Last Stand released, 2006

 

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

Prediction: Britain, France, Spain and Russia and the smaller so-called neutral nations will oppose the destroyers of democracy on the right.

Reality: Langdon-Davies gets two solid hits with Britain and Russia, sort of a hit with the quickly subdued French and a complete whiff with Spain, where the fascists won the Civil War, much to the writer's dismay.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Wednesday rolls around again and we discover our sensible pal George Sutherland is actually kind of brilliant.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

13 May 2015

Birthdays
Debby Ryan b. 1993 (Wizards of Waverly Place)
Candace Accola b. 1987 (The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Deadgirl)
Robert Pattinson b. 1986 (Twilight Saga, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Iwan Rheon b. 1985 (Game of Thrones, Misfits)
Samantha Morton b. 1977 (John Carter, Code 46, Minority Report)
Brian Smith b. 1977 (Big Bang Theory, The Wolfpack of Reseda)
Neil Hopkins b. 1977 (Lost, Witches of East End, Grimm, True Blood, Skyline, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The 4400, The Net 2.0, The Cabinet of Dr, Caligari [2005], Charmed, Birds of Prey)
Christopher Ralph b. 1977 (Warehouse 13)
Brian Geraghty b. 1975 (True Blood)
Bridgett Riley b. 1973 (Space Truckers, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
Fana Mokoena b. 1971 (World War Z)
Imogen Boorman b. 1971 (Hellbound: Hellraiser II, Dreamchild, The Tripods)
Shon Greenblatt b. 1967 (Freddy’s Dead: The Final Nightmare, Chopper Chicks in Zombietown)
Wanda Acuna b. 1966 (House of Frankenstein [1997 TV], Encino Man)
Stephen Colbert b. 1964 (Monsters vs. Aliens, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, The Venture Bros.)
Siobhan Fallon b. 1961 (Men in Black)
Anthony Ray Parker b. 1958 (Xena, The Matrix, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Koji Suzuki b. 1957 (writer, The Ring)
Mark Heap b. 1957 (The World’s End, Misfits, Stardust, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Zlatko Buric b. 1953 (2012)
Joe Johnston b. 1950 (director, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Wolfman, Jurassic Park III, Jumanji, The Rocketeer, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids)
Zoe Wanamaker b. 1949 (Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
Franklyn Ajaye b. 1949 (The Bionic Woman)
Stephen R. Donaldson b. 1947 (author, Thomas Covenant series)
Tim Pigott-Smith b. 1946 (Alice in Wonderland [2010], V for Vendetta, Clash of the Titans, Doctor Who)
Marv Wolfman b. 1946 (author, Blade)
Sam Anderson b. 1945 (Grimm, Lost, The Chronicle, Angel, NetForce, The X-Files, From the Earth to the Moon, Millennium, The Puppet Masters, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Alien Nation, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Charmings, Critters 2)
Senta Berger b. 1941 (When Women Had Tails)
Harvey Keitel b. 1939 (National Treasure, Little Nicky, From Dusk Till Dawn, Saturn 3, Dark Shadows)
Buck Taylor b. 1938 (Cowboys & Aliens, The Mist, Starman [TV], Timestalkers, My Favorite Martian)
Milton Johns b. 1938 (Knight School, The X Files, Stanley’s Dragon, Super Gran, The Empire Strikes Back, Doctor Who)
Zohra Lampert b. 1937 (The Exorcist III, Knight Rider, The Girl, The Gold Watch & Everything, The Girl with Something Extra)
Beverly Owen b. 1937 (The Munsters)
Roger Zelazny b. 1937 died 6/14/1995 (won 1966 Hugo for … And Call Me Conrad and1968 Hugo for Lord of Light)
Bea Arthur b. 1922 died 25 April 2009 (Futurama, The Star Wars Holiday Special)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In earlier years, The Picture slot went to Roger Zelazny and Robert Pattinson. This year it goes to Iwan Rheon as the dreadful Ramsay Snow, later Ramsay Bolton.

2. The Gals at the Door. The cutoff year between life and death on this list is 1937. Roger Zelazny is gone, but Beverly Owen and Zohra Lampert are still alive. As always when this quirk of the lists occurs, a special wish for many happy returns to both women.

3. One Canadian with one genre credit. Christopher Ralph's Canadian identity is impossible to spot just because he was on Warehouse 13.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, notably Beverly Owen and Zohra Lampert, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

Predictor:Seven Days in May by Fletcher Knebel and Charles W. Bailey, published 1962

Prediction: In 1971, The United States goes to war in Iran.

Reality: Notice it reads "in Iran" and not "with Iran". In 1962, most people thought that if we would have a war, it would be with the Russkies. Of course, they did not invade Iran and if they had when the Shah was alive, we probably would have tried to drive them out.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to the usual weekly schedule and a prediction from The Experts Speak. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

5 May 2015

Birthdays
Clark Duke b. 1985 (Kick-Ass, Hot Tub Time Machine 1 & 2)
Henry Cavill b. 1983 (Batman vs. Superman, Man of Steel, Immortals, Stardust)
Pauline Egan b. 1985 (Olympus, Elysium, Supernatural)
Danielle Fishel b. 1981 (Rocket’s Red Glare, Harry and the Hendersons [TV])
Alana Curry b. 1980 (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Time Changer)
Vincent Kartheiser b. 1979 (In Time, Angel, The Indian in the Cupboard)
Santiago Cabrera b. 1978 (Merlin, Heroes)
Don Payne b. 1964 died 26 March 2013 (writer, Thor: The Dark World, Thor, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, My Super Ex-Girlfriend)
Manoj Sood b. 1962(Tomorrowland, Continuum, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Watchmen, The 4400, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Dead Like Me, Jake 2.0)
Richard E. Grant b. 1957 (The Little Vampire, Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life, Dracula [1992], How to Get Ahead in Advertising, Warlock)
Lisa Eilbacher b. 1956 (Leviathan, Twilight Zone [1986], Man from Atlantis, Logan’s Run, The Amazing Spider-Man)
Roger Rees b. 1944 (Forever, Warehouse 13, The Invasion, The Prestige, Veritas: The Quest, The Scorpion King, M.A.N.T.I.S.)
John Rhys-Davies b. 1944 (Once Upon a Time, Time Lapse, 100 Degrees Below Zero, Metal Hurlant Chronicles, Legend of the Seeker, Ferocious Planet, Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Anaconda, Lord of the Rings, Revelations, Chupacabra Terror, Star Trek: Voyager, Sliders, Cyborg Cop, The Lost World, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Goddess of Love, 1990)
Michael Palin b. 1943 (Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Brazil, Time Bandits, Jabberwocky)
Marc Alaimo b. 1942 (Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Total Recall, Freddy’s Nightmares, The Last Starfighter, Knight Rider, The Phoenix, The Greatest American Hero, The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Lance Hendrikson b. 1940 (The Strain, Alien Rising, The Witches of Oz, Scream of the Banshee, The Genesis Code, Screamers: The Hunting, Pumpkinhead, Sasquatch Mountain, Abominable, Supernova, AVP: Alien vs. Predator, Dream Warrior, The X Files, Millennium, Super Mario Bros., Alien³, The Pit and the Pendulum, Beauty and the Beast, Near Dark, The Terminator, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning, The Visitor [1979], Damien: Omen II, Close Encounter of the Third Kind)
Michael Murphy b. 1938 (X-Men: The Last Stand, Batman Returns, Shocker, The Sixth Sense [TV], Count Yorga, Vampire)
Sandy Baron b. 1937 died 21 January 2001 (The Munsters’ Scary Little Christmas, Leprechaun 2, The Munsters Today, Vamp)
Richard Schaal b. 1928 4 November 2014 (Once Bitten, Song of the Succubus, Slaughterhouse-Five, I Dream of Jeannie)
Pat Carroll b. 1927 (Legends of the Superheores, Cinderella [1965])
Bing Russell b. 1926 died 8 April 2003 (Satan’s School for Girls, Now You See Him, Now You Don’t, I Dream of Jeannie, Billy the Kid Versus Dracula, The Munsters, The Twilight Zone, The Deadly Mantis, Tarantula)
Joseph Stefano b. 1922 died 25 August 2006 (writer, Swamp Thing, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Kindred, The Outer Limits)

Notes on the birthday list. 
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to guys born in the 1940s, Lance Hendrikson and John Rhys-Davies. I could have continued the tribute to that generation with either Mark Alaimo or Michael Palin, but I decided to skew younger with Henry Cavill.

2. Nepotism more or less. Bing Russell is the dad of Kurt Russell and had a career long before his son stepped in front of the camera. Still, once Kurt became a big enough star, he got his dad work in minor roles in films in which he starred.

3. Canadians spotted. Both our Canadians today are transplants. Manoj Sood's family moved to Canada from India when he was a boy and Pauline Egan is Australian by birth, but moved to Canada to get work.

4. Wait... He's dead? I was not aware the comedian Sandy Baron was dead.

5. MST3K. Bing Russell was in The Deadly Mantis.

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 only reply to the menace of dictatorships of the right is the popular front. Its success in France will give her the moral authority of the world for the next five years and may check the warlike ways of Germany in a way that The League of Nations never could.

Reality: Ummm... no.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Time once again to hear from our sensible pal George Sutherland from 1901, thinking soberly about 21 Century inventions.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

24 April 2015

Birthdays
Angelica Jopling b. 1997 (Kick-Ass 2)
Larramie Doc Shaw b. 1992 (Dawn of the Planet of the Apes)
Jack Quaid b. 1992 (The Hunger Games)
Tahyna Tozzi b. 1986 (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)
Courtney Draper b. 1985 (Buffy, Stepsister from Planet Weird)
Austin Nichols b. 1980 (The Walking Dead, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Surface, The Day After Tomorrow, Sliders)
Matthew Steer b. 1978 (Cinderella, SuperBob, Outlander)
Rebecca Mader b. 1977 (Once Upon a Time, Warehouse 13, Iron Man 3, Fringe, Alphas, No Ordinary Family, Lost)
Eric Balfour b. 1977 (Haven, No Ordinary Family, Skyline, Dinoshark, Rise of the Gargoyles, The Chronicle, Buffy)
Noah Danby b. 1974 (Bitten, Hemlock Grove, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and the Death Lamp, Riddick, Lost Girl, Warehouse 13, Eureka, Painkiller Jane, Stargate SG-1, Alien Incursion, Smallville, The 4400, Andromeda, Mutant X, Witchblade, Relic Hunter, Lexx)
Eric Kripke b. 1974 (writer, Supernatural, Revolution, Boogeyman)
Derek Luke b. 1974 (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Captain America: The First Avenger)
Damon Lindelof b. 1973 (writer, Tomorrowland, The Leftovers, World War Z, Prometheus, Star Trek Into Darkness, Lost)
Dean Armstrong b. 1973 (Alphas, Saw 3D: The Final Chapter, Haven, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Earth: Final Conflict)
Melinda Clarke b. 1969 (The Vampire Diaries, Reaper, Firefly, Tremors [TV], Charmed, Star Trek: Enterprise, Spawn, Sliders, Xena, Return of the Living Dead III)
Rory McCann b. 1969 (Game of Thrones, Season of the Witch, Clash of the Titians, Beowulf & Grendel, Solomon Kane)
Aiden Gillen b. 1968 (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, Game of Thrones, The Dark Knight Rises)
Stacy Haiduk b. 1968 (True Blood, Heroes, The Attack of the Sabertooth, The X-Files, Charmed, Kindred: The Embraced, SeaQuest 2032, Superboy)
Djimon Hounsou b. 1964 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Push, Eragon, The Island, Constantine, Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, Stargate)
Jason Salkey b. 1962 (The Fifth Element)
Glenn Morshower b. 1959 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Revolution, After Earth, Transformers, X-Men: First Class, Dollhouse, Charmed, The Island, Category 6: Day of Destruction, Star Trek: Enterprise, Buffy, Strange World, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Godzilla [1998], Millennium, The X-Files, Dark Skies, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5, Star Trek: Generations, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap)
Eric Bogosian b. 1953 (Blade: Trinity, Twilight Zone [1985], Tales from the Darkside)
Steven Lisberger b. 1951 (writer, TRON)
Michael Parks b. 1940 (Tusk, Grindhouse, From Dusk Till Dawn, Sorceress, SeaQuest 2032, War of the Worlds [1989 TV])
Jill Ireland b. 1936 died 18 May 1990 (Star Trek, My Favorite Martian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Shirley MacLaine b. 1934 (Bewitched [2005])
Richard Donner b. 1930 (director, Timeline, Scrooged, Superman, The Omen, Ladyhawke, The Sixth Sense [TV], It’s About Time, Twilight Zone)
Bruce Kirby b. 1928 (Tucker’s Witch, The Greatest American Hero, Holmes and Yo-Yo, I Dream of Jeannie)
J.D. Cannon b. 1922 died 20 May 2005 (Beyond Witch Mountain, The Invaders, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
William Castle b. 1914 died 31 May 1977 (director, Zotz!, 13 Ghosts, The Tingler, House on Haunted Hill)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. We are in Game of Thronesseason now, so it's not surprising that the first two Picture Slotters on this list were Rory McCann and Aiden Gillen. There were several candidates I considered. Stacy Haiduk was Lana Lang on the Superboy show way back when and Glenn Morshower it a very recognizable Oh That Guy, often an Oh That Military Guy. But instead I went with Djimon Hounsou as Korath from Guardians of the Galaxy. Hounsou tells a story of his son, who is obsessed with comic books, telling his dad he wished he were lighter skinned because he wanted to be Spider-Man. Here's hoping the younger Hounsou grows up in a world where comic books are more diverse.

2. Nepotism FTW. Jack Quaid is Dennis Quaid's son and that counts for sure. Bruce Kirby is Bruno Kirby's dad, which doesn't count as much.

3. Spot the Canadians! There are two, both born in the 1970s. See if you can spot them.

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 1902 book Anticipations

Prediction: Military recruiting among the working classes--or, more properly speaking, among the People of the Abyss--will have dwindled to the vanishing point; people who are no good for peace purposes are not likely to be any good in such a grave and complicated business as modern war.

Reality: Welcome back to H.G. Wells, snob, bigot and scumbag! Some of his predictions are merely right or wrong, but then we get these reminders of his vicious nature. Not only is this horribly bigoted, it was also incorrect. Armies are still filled with folks who have no better economic option.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's our second Saturday in the company of Morris L. Ernst and his cheerful view of the future in Utopia 1976. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

14 April 2015

Birthdays
Arthur Bowen b. 1998 (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)
Abigail Breslin b. 1996 (Ender’s Game, Zombieland)
Skyler Samuels b. 1994 (American Horror Story, Wizards of Waverly Place)
Graham Phillips b. 1993 (Ben 10)
Jo Osmond b. 1987 (Jupiter Ascending, Maleficent, Snow White and the Huntsman, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Doctor Who)
Claire Coffee b. 1980 (Grimm)
Sarah Michelle Gellar b. 1977 (Buffy, Angel, Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog, The Grudge, Southland Tales, Scooby-Doo)
Rob McElhenney b. 1977 (Lost)
Adrien Brody b. 1973 (Midnight in Paris, Predators, Splice, King Kong, The Village)
Langley Kirkwood b. 1973 (Dominion, Dredd, The Prisoner [2009], Dracula 3000, Atlantis: End of a World, Birth of a Legend)
Anthony Michael Hall b. 1968 (Zombie Night, Warehouse 13, The Dark Knight, Stephen King’s The Dead Zone, No Ordinary Family, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Edward Scissorhands, Weird Science)
Tim Holmes b. 1967 (Oz the Great and Powerful, Real Steel, Highlander)
Lloyd Owen b. 1966 (The Originals, Apollo 18)
Bob Clendenin b. 1964 (Star Trek [2009], Reaper, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Tick, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Charmed, Dude, Where’s My Car?, Roswell, Star Trek: Voyager)
Gina McKee b. 1964 (MirrorMask, The Lair of the White Worm)
Robert Carlyle b. 1961 (Once Upon a Time, SGU Stargate Universe, 28 Weeks Later, Eragon)
Mark Pillow b. 1959 (Superman IV: The Quest for Peace)
John D’Aquino b. 1958 (Sliders, Xena, Lois & Clark, 3rd Rock from the Sun, SeaQuest 2032, M.A.N.T.I.S., Quantum Leap, Nightmare Café, Pumpkinhead, Amazing Stories)
Peter Capaldi b. 1958 (Doctor Who, World War Z, Torchwood, Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, The Cloning of Joanna May)
Chris Ellis b. 1956 (Warehouse 13, The Dark Knight Rises, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Island, Birds of Prey, Armageddon, Godzilla [1998], From the Earth to the Moon, The X-Files, Apollo 13, Addams Family Values)
Richard Jeni b. 1957 died 10 March 2007 (The Mask)
Bruce Sterling b. 1954 (author, Islands in the Net, The Difference Engine [with William Gibson])
Dave Gibbons b. 1949 (artist, Watchmen, Breakthrough)
John Shea b. 1949 (Agent X, Mutant X, Lois & Clark, Honey I Blew Up the Kid, Freejack, Man From Atlantis)
Berry Berenson b. 1948 died 11 September 2001 (Cat People)
Julie Christie b. 1941 (Red Riding Hood [2011], Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, DragonHeart, Fahrenheit 451, The Andromeda Breakthrough)
Arlene Martel b. 1936 died 12 August 2014 (Battlestar Galactica, The Six Million Dollar Man, Bewitched, Star Trek, I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, Twilight Zone)
Erich von Daniken b. 1935 (author, Chariots of the Gods)
Jack McDevitt b. 1935 (won 2007 Nebula for Seeker)
Jay Robinson b. 1930 died 27 September 2013 (Dracula [1992], Transylvania Twist, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Dr. Shrinker, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Planet of the Apes, Bewitched, Star Trek)
Bradford Dillman b. 1930 (The Incredible Hulk, Piranha, The Swarm, Wonder Woman, Bug, Escape from the Planet of the Apes)
Gerry Anderson b. 1929 died 26 December 2012 (writer, Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds, Lavender Castle, Space Precinct, Space; 1999, UFO, Joe 90, Stingray, Fireball XL5, Supercar)
Rod Steiger b. 1925 died 9 July 2002 (End of Days, Modern Vampires, Mars Attacks!, The Kindred, The Illustrated Man)
Joseph Ruskin b. 1924 died 28 December 2013 (The Scorpion King, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Insurrection, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Sword and the Sorcerer, Captain America [1979], Project U.F.O., Wonder Woman, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Planet of the Apes, Land of the Giants, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone)
Philip Stone b. 1924 died 15 June 2003 (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Flash Gordon, The Medusa Touch, Star Maidens, A Clockwork Orange, Unearthly Stranger)
Mary Healy b. 1918 died 3 February 2015 (The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.)
Sir John Gielgud b. 1904 died 21 May 2000 (Merlin, DragonHeart, Gulliver’s Travels, Frankenstein [1984], Frankenstein: The True Story [1973], Alice in Wonderland [1966])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. A lot of strong candidates for the Picture Slot today. Previous winners are Sarah Michelle Gellar and Peter Capaldi, and we also have three actors who got Never to be Forgotten posts, Mary Healy, Joseph Ruskin and Arlene Martel. (Jay Robinson should have had one, but I missed his obit. My bad.) Even with all those people eliminated, there are plenty of iconic choices, but I decided on Julie Christie from Fahrenheit 451 because she is so very pretty.

2. Nepotism but not much win. Berry Berenson is the sister of Marissa Berenson and married Anthony Perkins, but she didn't spend long in front of the camera. She was aboard one of the crashed planes on September 11, so far the only person listed here in two and a half years to die that day.

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

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

Prediction: There will be no war in Europe for the next five years, but eventually war is inevitable. The war will begin as a holy war between Germany and Japan on one side and Russia on the other. Germany will keep out of war as long as possible, but will finally attack Russia unless checked by England and France. In which case Germany will become the next great Communist state.

Reality: Langdon-Davies was a right Commie bastard, to use a British-ism. He was wrong about the timing of the war since it started in 1939, about three years after he wrote his book. I'm not sure I'd call it "a holy war", but he did get all the sides right. Did Germany become "the next great Communist state"? Maybe not the way Langdon-Davies predicted, but East Germany did become Communist, so he gets partial credit there.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another visit from our sensible friend George Sutherland, gazing ahead into the 20th Century for the important inventions to come.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

7 April 2015

Birthdays
Ed Speleers b. 1988 (Alice in Wonderland: Through the Looking Glass, Love Bite, Witchville, Eragon)
Jack Johnson b. 1987 (Lost in Space)
Kyle Labine b. 1983 (Alphas, Lost Girl, V, Reaper, Ogre, Flash Gordon, Supernatural, Freddy vs. Jason, Halloween: Resurrection, Goosebumps, My Secret Identity)
Kevin Alejandro b. 1976 (The Returned, Arrow, True Blood, Heroes, Knight Rider [2009], Creature of Darkness, Threshold, Constantine [2005], Charmed)
Heather Burns b. 1975 (Bewitched [2005])
Sergio Peris-Mencheta b. 1975 (Resident Evil: Afterlife)
Eve Salvail b. 1973 (The Fifth Element)
Kasan Butcher b. 1973 (Solar Flare, Jeepers Creepers II, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Jace Alexander b. 1964 (director, Forever, The Tomorrow People, Warehouse 13, Xena)
Russell Crowe b. 1964 (Man of Steel, Virtuosity)
Kirsten Baker b. 1962 (Friday the 13th Part 2)
Clarke Peters b. 1952 (Forever, K-PAX, Outland)
Stan Winston b. 1946 died 15 June 2008 (special effects, Avatar, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Terminator Salvation, Iron Man, Constantine, Terminator, Jurassic Park III, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Galaxy Quest, End of Days, Inspector Gadget, Lake Placid, Creature, The Relic, Predator, Amazing Stories, Aliens, Invaders from Mars, Manimal, Parasite, Dracula’s Dog)
Gabrielle Beaumont b. 1942 (director, Star Trek, Beastmaster: The Eye of Braxus, SeaQuest 2032, The Greatest American Hero)
Gordon Kaye b. 1941 (Brazil, Jabberwocky)
Keith Buckley b. 1941 (Excalibur, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, Out of the Unknown)
Francis Ford Coppola b. 1939 (director, Youth Without Youth, Dracula [1999], Captain EO, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Terror, Dementia 13)
Del Monroe b. 1936 died 5 June 2009 (The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel)
Yvonne Lime Fedderson b. 1935 (I Was a Teenage Werewolf)
Ian Richardson b. 1934 died 9 February 2007 (Dark City, Brazil, Hogfather, Strange, From Hell, Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Canterville Ghost, Highlander [TV])
Wayne Rogers b. 1933 (I Dream of Jeannie… Fifteen Years Later, The Invaders)
James Garner b. 1928 died 19 July 2014 (Space Cowboys, Fire in the Sky, Space)
Daniel Emilfork b. 1924 died 17 October 2006 (The City of Lost Children, The Thief of Baghdad [1978])
Margia Dean b. 1922 (The Quatermass Experiment, Mesa of Lost Women, Adventures of Superman)
R. G. Armstrong b. 1917 died 27 July 2012 (Millennium, Warlock: The Armageddon, Quantum Leap, Beauty and the Beast, Children of the Corn, Predator, Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell, The Car, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Twilight Zone)
Anthony Caruso b. 1916 died 4 April 2003 (The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, The Addams Family)
Stanley Adams b. 1915 died 27 April 1977 (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Star Trek, The Clones, Batman, The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, The Atomic Kid, Captain Midnight)
Gavin Gordon b. 1901 died 7 April 1983 (The Bride of Frankenstein)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot was given to Ian Richardson from Dark City and mistakenly to Heath Ledger, who was actually born on the 4th of April. While there are some well-known names on the list like Wayne Rogers and James Garner, for iconic roles in genre I considered Stanley Adams from The Trouble with Tribbles, special effects wizard Stan Winston and the winner, Russell Crowe as Jor-El from Man of Steel. It only seemed fitting since Marlon Brando got a Picture Slot just last week for the same role.

2. Spot the Canadians! Eve Salvail is a model with very few film credits so she would have been impossible to spot. The other Canadian on the list should be spottable, so I will leave it as an exercise for the reader.

3. MST3K. The only one I know for sure is I Was a Teenage Werewolf.

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

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

Prediction: If war comes it will be fought by armies unable to protect civilian populations, against which, from the first moment, all efforts of the attackers will be aimed. The war will be short and be the cause of the destruction of the governments of both the attackers and the attacked.

Reality: Until now, I have only had the predictions from this book listed in The Experts Speak, but I recently bought a copy online and will now take his predictions in order. He gets some points here, because attacking civilian populations was in fact a major part of the tactics of World War II and was first seen by Europeans in the Spanish Civil War, which Langdon-Davies covered as a war correspondent. He loses points because the war wasn't short and the allied governments were not destroyed.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another visit from our sensible friend from 1901 George Sutherland and his predictions for 20th Century inventions.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

13 March 2015

Birthdays
Amir Ali Said b. 1996 (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Kaya Scodelario b. 1992 (Maze Runner, Clash of the Titans, Moon)
George MacKay b. 1992 (Peter Pan [2003])
Harry Melling b. 1989 (Merlin [2010], Harry Potter)
Emile Hirsch b. 1985 (Speed Racer, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Gargantua, Early Edition, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Kindred: the Embraced)
Noel Fisher b. 1984 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014], Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Battle Los Angeles, A Wrinkle in Time, Killer Bees!, Final Destination 2, Andromeda, Ratz)
Rachel Bella b. 1984 (The Ring, Buffy, W.E.I.R.D. World)
April Matson b. 1981 (Kyle XY)
Danny Masterson b. 1976 (Haven, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Strange Frequency, Dracula 2000, The Faculty, Star Kid, Sliders, American Gothic)
Chris Ashworth b. 1975 (Space Warriors, Terminator Salvation, The Lost Room)
Common b. 1972 (Terminator Salvation, Wanted)
Kiara Hunter b. 1972 (Alien Incursion, Stargate SG-1, NightMan, Bordello of Blood, The Adventures of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, The X Files)
Annabeth Gish b. 1971 (FlashForward, Once Upon a Time, The X-Files, Race to Space, Steel)
Tracy Wells b. 1971 (Gremlins)
Tim Story b. 1970 (director, Fantastic Four, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer)
David Orth b. 1965 (Once Upon a Time, Fringe, 2012, Smallville, Fallen [2006], Supernatural, Stargate: Atlantis, Mutant X, The Lost World, Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend, Total Recall 2070, RoboCop [TV], The Hidden Room, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Deadly Nightmares)
Steve Bacic b. 1965 (The 100, Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate: Continuum, Battlestar Galactica: Razor, Flash Gordon [TV], Blade: The Series [TV], Andromeda, X-Men 2, Dark Angel, The 6th Day, BeastMaster [TV], Earth: Final Conflict, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], The X-Files, Highlander [TV], M.A.N.T.I.S.)
John Turk b. 1962 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
Arturo Gil b. 1960 (Deadtime Stories, Saul of the Mole Men, Charmed, Monkeybone, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], Third Rock from the Sun, Leprechaun 2, Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Spaceballs)
Bruce Byron b. 1959 (The Mummy Returns, Ghostbusters of East Finchley)
Dana Delany b. 1956 (Battlestar Galactica)
Glenne Headly b. 1955 (Breakfast of Champions, The X Files, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
Robin Duke b. 1954 (Virtual Mom, Multiplicity, Groundhog Day, Maniac Mansion)
Deborah Raffin b. 1953 died 21 November 2012 (The Twilight Zone [1989], Dance of the Dwarfs)
William H. Macy b. 1950 (Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Jurassic Park III, Mystery Men, Pleasantville, WarGames, Somewhere in Time)
Leslie Parrish b. 1935 (Logan’s Run [TV]. The Giant Spider Invasion, Star Trek, Batman, Mission to the Moon)
Joseph Mascolo b. 1935 (The Incredible Hulk)
Grant Woods b. 1932 died 31 October 1968 (The Reluctant Astronaut, Star Trek, The Green Hornet, Batman)
Peter Breck b. 1929 died 6 February 2012 (I Still Dream of Jeannie, The Sword and the Sorcerer, The Incredible Hulk, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Outer Limits, The Crawling Hand)
L. Ron Hubbard b. 1911 died 24 January 1986 (author, Battlefield Earth)
Paul Stewart b. 1908 died 17 February 1986 (The Invisible Man [1975], The Sixth Sense [1972], City Beneath the Sea)
Paul Fix b. 1901 died 14 October 1983 (Battlestar Galactica [1979], The Six Million Dollar Man, Night of the Lepus, Land of the Giants, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel, Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Dr. Cyclops)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. A long and interesting birthday list today, and as usual, I'm looking for iconic. Last year, I used Leslie Parrish from Star Trek because she's oh so pretty, but I'm trying not to repeat myself as much as possible. Young Harry Melling as Dudley Dursley from Harry Potter would count, but I decided against him. I could go with L. Ron Hubbard, but I want to give that cult leader bastard as little oxygen as possible. Instead I went with William H. Macy as The Shoveler from Mystery Men, a movie often derided that I really enjoyed.

2. Hip deep in Canadians. There are five Canadians on today's list, Robin Duke, Steve Bacic, David Orth, Kiara Hunter and Noel Fisher. If you are fan of SCTV, you probably could have guessed Duke's place of birth and Bacic and Orth have plenty of tell-tale roles, but Hunter and Fisher are not as easy to spot.

3. Wait... she's dead? When I was doing the morning research, I clicked on Deborah Raffin's name not sure whether she did any genre work or not. I was completely unaware she had died of leukemia a few years back. Very sad.

4. MST3K. There are two movies here I know got the Best Brains treatment, The Crawling Hand with Peter Breck and The Giant Spider Invasion with Leslie Parrish.

5. No nepotism here. Annabeth Gish has a famous show business last name, but she is no relation to the silent screen sisters Dorothy and Lillian. 

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 1902 book Anticipations

Prediction: War in the future will be a question of preparation, of long years of foresight and disciplined imagination, there will be no decisive victory, but a vast diffusion of conflict--it will depend less and less on controlling personalities and driving emotions, and more and more upon the intelligence and personal quality of a great number of skilled men.

Reality: I'm giving Herb at least partial credit here, as the big wars of the 20th Century were undertakings much more vast than anything the 19th Century saw, but he has to get marked down for saying there would be no decisive victories.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's a regular Saturday, and we hear from our predicting pals from 1893.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!


 

27 February 2015

 Birthdays
Kate Mara b. 1983 (The Fantastic Four [2015], The Martian, Transcendence, American Horror Story, Iron Man 2, Zoom)
Juan Riedinger b. 1981 (Continuum, Sanctuary, Collision Earth, Fringe, Supernatural, Jennifer’s Body, Smallville, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Bionic Woman [2007], Fallen)
Nikki Amuka-Bird b. 1976 (Jupiter Ascending, Sinbad [2012], Torchwood, The Omen [2006])
Bingbing Li b. 1973 (Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal, Transformers: Age of Extinction, Resident Evil: Retribution)
Richard Coyle b. 1972 (Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Ultra)
Julia Parker b. 1970 (A Girl, a Guy, a Space Helmet, Alien Armageddon)
Donal Logue b. 1966 (Gotham, Shark Night 3D, Blade, The X-Files, Night Rider, Robotrix)
Gregg Rainwater b. 1966 (Street Fighter)
Noah Emmerich b. 1965 (Super 8, The Walking Dead, The Truman Show, Last Action Hero)
Adam Baldwin b. 1962 (Day Break, The Thirst, Serenity, Firefly, Angel, Stargate SG-1, The X-Files, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Gargantua, From the Earth to the Moon, Independence Day, VR.5, Predator 2)
Grant Shaud b. 1961 (From the Earth to the Moon, Lois & Clark)
Timothy Spall b. 1957 (The Enfield Haunting, Upside Down, Harry Potter, Enchanted, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Vanilla Sky, The Hunger [TV], Red Dwarf, Gothic)
Angela Aames b. 1956 died 27 November 1988 (Automan, Likely Stories Vol. 4, Mork & Mindy)
Stephen Leigh b. 1951 (author, Dinosaur World, The Omega Egg, Wild Cards)
Mark Harrison b. 1951 (illustrator)
Debra Monk b. 1949 (The Brass Teapot, Devil’s Advocate)
Hajime Sorayama b. 1947 (illustrator)
Alan Fudge b. 1944 died 10 October 2011 (Dark Skies, Galaxis, M.A.N.T.I.S., Quantum Leap, Alien Nation, My Demon Lover, Twilight Zone [1986], Space, Knight Rider, Man from Atlantis, Capricorn One, Wonder Woman, Bug [1975])
Mary Frann b. 1943 died 23 September 1998 (Lois & Clark, Deadly Nightmares, The Incredible Hulk)
Charlotte Stewart b. 1941 (Tremors, Journey to the Center of the Earth [1990], UFOria, Eraserhead)
Howard Hesseman b. 1940 (Halloween II [2009], Level 9, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Faerie Tale Theatre, Likely Stories Vol. 4, Americathon)
Bill Hunter b. 1940 died 21 May 2011 (On the Beach, Space: Above and Beyond, The Return of Captain Invincible, Doctor Who)
Barbara Babcock b. 1937 (Space Cowboys, Salem’s Lot, Logan’s Run [TV], The Sixth Sense [1972], Star Trek, The Green Hornet, The Munsters)
Van Williams b. 1937 (The Green Hornet, Batman)
Lynn Cartwright b. 1927 died 2 January 2004 (Far Out Space Nuts, The Wasp Woman, Queen of Outer Space)
William Demarest b. 1892 died 28 December 1983 (Twilight Zone, Son of Flubber)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years the Picture Slot used Adam Baldwin from Firefly and Timothy Spall from Harry Potter. There were several choices this year, including Donal Logue from Gotham or a Sorayama robot, but instead I went with Barbara Babcock from the Plato's Stepchildren episode of the original Star Trek. The general public might remember her better from her recurring role on Hill Street Blues. Kate Mara might become iconic as Sue Storm, but that has yet to be proven.

2. Spot the Canadians! If it was just Juan Reidinger, I would have made it a competition and put the answer in the comments later. He's easy to spot. But we also have Donal Logue, who has only a smattering of Canadian productions on his impressive resume.

3. Wait... they're dead? My first shock this morning on imdb.com was that Mary Frann, known best as Bob Newhart's wife on the show that took place in Vermont, died last century. I certainly paid attention to obits back then, but this had slipped my mind completely.We also have two other actors born in the 1940s who are already dead, the Australian Bill Hunter and the American TV character actor Alan Fudge. Youngest of all is Angela Aames, a busty starlet who died at the age of 32 over a quarter of a century ago. I know her best from the Cinemax show Likely Stories Vol. 4, which is of interest to My People and Our Agenda. I definitely didn't know she was gone.

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

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

Prediction: War is being drawn into the field of the exact sciences. Every additional weapon, every new complication of the art of war, intensifies the need of deliberate preparation, and darkens the outlook of a nation of amateurs. Warfare in the future, on sea or land alike, will be much more one-sided than it has ever been in the past, much more of a foregone conclusion. Save for national lunacy, it will be brought about by the side that will win, and because that side knows that it will win.

Reality: Umm, Herb... not so much. We have so many examples of wars in the 20th Century where the side that started it looked like they would win but failed to achieve their political ends, either because of underestimation of the other side's tenacity or overextending itself to fight several fronts at once.

Looking ahead one day... INTO THE FUTURE!

A prediction from 1893 from a name still known today.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

29 January 2015

Birthdays
Taylor McPherson b. 1993 (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, The Walking Dead, The Vampire Diaries)
Drew Tyler Bell b. 1986 (The Middleman, The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, Jake 2.0, Jeepers Creepers II)
Isabel Lucas b. 1985 (Immortals, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Daybreakers)
Jason James Richter b. 1980 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Laserhawk, The Neverending Story III)
Andrew Keegan b. 1979 (Teenage Caveman, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Independence Day)
Justin Hartley b. 1977 (Smallville)
Sara Gilbert b. 1975 (The Big Bang Theory)
Sharif Atkins b. 1975 (Guardians of the Galaxy, The 4400)
Kelly Packard b. 1975 (Little Bigfoot, And You Thought Your Parents Were Weird)
Heather Graham b. 1970 (Horns, From Hell, Lost in Space [1998])
Sam Trammell b. 1969 (True Blood, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Anonymous Rex)
Bobbie Phillips b. 1968 (EvilBreed: The Legend of Samhain, Seven Days, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Chameleon I and II, Carnival of Souls, Stargate SG-1, The X-Files, TC 2000, The Came from Outer Space)
Michael Ferris b. 1961 (writer, Terminator Salvation, Terminator 3, The Net, Catwoman) 
Judy Norton b. 1958 (Hansel & Gretel: Warriors of Witchcraft, Stargate: SG-1, Millennium)
Terry Kinney b. 1954 (Being Human, Boyd Snatchers)
Paul Fusco b. 1953 (writer/actor, ALF)
Ann Jillian b. 1950 (Twilight Zone)
Marc Singer b. 1948 (Arrow, V [2011 and 1983], Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], Highlander [TV], Beastmaster [2002, 1996 and 1982], Droid Gunner, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Dead Space, Twilight Zone [1988], Planet of the Apes [TV])
Tom Selleck b. 1945 (Runaway, Coma [1978])
Robert Random b. 1943 (Vampire at Midnight, Time Walker, Village of the Giants)
Katharine Ross b. 1940 (Donnie Darko, The Final Countdown, The Stepford Wives)
Paddy Chayefsky b. 1923 died 1 August 1981 (author, Altered States)
Donald Murphy b. 1918 died 19 May 2008 (Frankenstein’s Daughter)
Alan Marshal b. 1916 died 13 July 1961 (House on Haunted Hill)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. I often don't list voice work for actors, not because I don't think it's important but just to avoid typing all day with some folks. For actors in front of a camera, 300 credits is very rare, but that many credits is all too common for voice actors. This is not the case for Paul Fusco, the writer, puppeteer and voice behind ALF. Pretty much his whole career has revolved around this one character he created. In previous years, the Picture Slot was given to Marc Singer as The Beastmaster. This year, I also considered Sam Trammell from True Blood and Katherine Ross from The Stepford Wives.

2. Canadians that walk among us. We have a few actors who worked on Canadian sci-fi, Justin Hartley on Smallville and Bobbie Phillips on Stargate and The X-Files, but neither of them was born north of the border. No, today's Canadians are Marc Singer and Robert Random, at least a generation older than our typical Canucks and with credit lists that do not give their nationality away.

3. The Gal at the Door. Once again, we have a birthday list with a big gap between the oldest living person on the list, the lovely Katherine Ross and the most recently born person who is dead, the screenwriter Paddy Chayefsky. Since I feel guilty about bringing up this fact in a morbid way, I also give special best wishes to Miss Ross, one of the prettiest actresses on film in her heyday.


4. Hey... no Star Trek! I came up with this label because I thought it was going to be a rare event. It has been very common this January. Go figure.

5. MST3K. Robert Random was one of the giant teenagers in Village of the Giants, one of many movies I saw even before the Best Brains guys gave it the treatment.

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

Predictor: Adolf Hitler

Predictions:
"The United States will not be a threat to us for decades – not in 1945 but at the earliest 1970 or 1980."
Hitler to Soviet President Molotov, 12 November 1940

"The Russians are finished. They have nothing left to throw against us."
Hitler, July 1941, one month in to the offensive against the Soviet Union

Reality: Some give Hitler great credit as a military strategist based on the early victories in WW II, but these two statements are the most famous examples of his arrogant underestimation of the forces allied against him. Americans are taught in school that "we" won WW II. If you look at the numbers, the United States does deserve the lion's share of the credit for the victory over imperial Japan, but in Europe, the Eastern Front was a much bloodier and more expensive undertaking than Hitler taking and subsequently losing France and the Low Countries. There is no overestimating how important D-Day was, but if the Russians really had been finished in 1941, the Western allies would have been much more hard pressed to defeat a German army fighting only on a single front.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another prediction from H.G. Wells that Hitler would have agreed with.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!