17 April 2015

Birthdays
Paulie Litt b. 1995 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Speed Racer, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Jacqueline MacInnes Wood b. 1987 (Arrow, Final Destination 5)
Luke Mitchell b. 1985 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Tomorrow People, H2O: Just Add Water, Cryptopticon)
Rooney Mara b. 1985 (Pan, Her, A Nightmare on Elm Street)
Jorgelina Guadalupe Airaldi b. 1984 (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)
Susie Amy b. 1981 (Vampire Killers, Dark Realm)
Nicholas D’Agosto b. 1980 (Gotham, Final Destination 5, Heroes, Supernatural, Psycho Beach Party)
Travis Young b. 1979 (Resurrection, The Walking Dead, Remnants, The Vampire Diaries, Monster Beach Party)
Alex Nesic b. 1976 (Angel)
Monet Mazur b. 1976 (Mystery Men, Addams Family Values)
Jennifer Garner b. 1972 (Elektra, Daredevil [2003], Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Michael Teh b. 1969 (Sleepy Hollow [2013], Sharknado, Alien Rising, Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus)
Henry Ian Cusick b. 1967 (The 100, Fringe, Lost)
William Mapother b. 1965 (Constantine, American Horror Story, Another Earth, I (heart) Vampires, Lost, Threshold, Minority Report, Vanilla Sky)
Lela Rochon b. 1964 (Meteor Man)
Joel Murray b. 1963 (Bloodsucking Bastards, Encino Woman, Scrooged)
Don Michael Paul b. 1963 (The Island, Robot Wars)
Carlo Rota b. 1961 (Grimm, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Pegasus vs. Chimera, SGU Stargate Universe, Relic Hunter, Mission to Mars, Earth: Final Conflict, Total Recall 2070, Highlander: The Raven, Forever Knight, TekWar: TekLab)
Sean Bean b. 1959 (The Martian, The Frankenstein Chronicles, Jupiter Ascending, Mirror Mirror, Percy Jackson, Game of Thrones, The Island, Lord of the Rings)
Kristine Sutherland b. 1955 (Buffy, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids)
Roddy Piper b. 1954 (They Live, RoboCop [TV], Highlander, Superboy, Hell Comes to Frogtown)
Olivia Hussey b. 1951 (It, Escape 2000)
Diane Fletcher b. 1944 (A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
David Bradley b. 1942 (Harry Potter, The World’s End, Game of Thrones, The Strain, An Adventure in Space and Time, Doctor Who, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Sarah Jane Chronicles)
Ron Miller b. 1933 (producer, TRON, The Watcher in the Woods, The Black Hole, The Cat from Outer Space, Escape to Witch Mountain, Son of Flubber)
Michael Forest b. 1929 (Seven Days, King Kong Lives, Star Trek, Twilight Zone, Viking Women and the Sea Serpent, The Deadly Mantis)
Gordon Rollings b. 1926 died 7 June 1985 (Superman II and III, Jabberwocky, Night Creatures)
William Holden b. 1918 died 16 November 1981 (Damien: Omen II)
Paul Langton b. 1913 died 15 April 1980 (The Immortal, Twilight Zone, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Invisible Invaders, The Cosmic Man)
Arthur Lake b. 1906 died 9 January 1987 (Topper [1937])

Note on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. The previous Picture Slotters were Sean Bean and Jennifer Garner. Removing them from consideration, the top candidates to my mind are Kristine Sutherland from Buffy, Roddy Piper from They Live and the winner, Michael Forest as Apollo from Star Trek. Mr. Forest gets the nod because he is also The Guy at the Door, the oldest living person on the list and no one younger than him is dead. As is the custom of the blog, we give special best birthday wishes to anyone in that particular situation.

2. Degrees of nepotism. Joel Murray has a career of his own, likely best known as Freddy Rumson on Mad Men. but you'll notice he was in Scrooged, which starred his big brother Bill Murray. William Mapother also has a career that stands on its own, but you'll notice roles early in Minority Report and Vanilla Sky, which starred his more famous cousin Tom Cruise. Rooney Mara is from the family that owns the New York Giants football team, but I doubt that pulled many strings in Hollywood. The producer Ron Miller was married for a time to Walt Disney's daughter.

3. Canadians real and faux. Carlo Rota was born in England, moved to Canada for a while and is now working out of Los Angeles. The one person actually born north of the border is Jacqueline MacInnes Wood, though it's hard to tell from her credit list.

4. MST3K. Our Guy at the Door also showed up in two movies that got the MST3K treatment, The Deadly Mantis and Viking Women and the Sea Serpent.

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

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

Prediction: One will subscribe to a news agency which will wire all the stuff one cares to have so violently fresh, into a phonographic recorder perhaps, in some convenient corner. There the thing will be in every house, beside the barometer, to hear or ignore.

With the separation of that function what is left of the newspaper will revert to one daily edition--daily, I think, because of the power of habit to make the newspaper the specific business of some definite moments in the day; the breakfast hour, I suppose, or the "up-to-town" journey with most Englishmen now. Quite possibly some one will discover some day that there is now machinery for folding and fastening a paper into a form that will not inevitably get into the butter, or lead to bitterness in a railway carriage. This pitch of development reached, I incline to anticipate daily papers much more like the _Spectator_ in form than these present mainsails of our public life. They will probably not contain fiction at all, and poetry only rarely, because no one but a partial imbecile wants these things in punctual daily doses, and we are anticipating an escape from a period of partial imbecility.

Reality: News you can hear of course did happen and used the technology of radio, already invented by the time Wells wrote this, though next to no one saw how big it would become.

As for the newspaper being devoid of fiction, here Wells is deriding the comics section, which was a mainstay of newspapers throughout the 20th Century. For that reason alone, I have a compulsion to revive Wells from the dead just long enough to smack him one upside his head.


Looking one day ahead...  INTO THE FUTURE!

The introduction of a new regular set of predictions from 1955, good news about the paradise to come in 1976.


Join us then...  IN THE FUTURE!

16 April 2015

Birthdays
Jordana Beatty b. 1998 (Superman Returns, Legend of the Seeker)
Lorraine Nicholson b. 1990 (Click)
Kate and Ruth Greenfield b. 1987 (Willow)
Rhiana Griffith b. 1985 (Pitch Black)
Claire Foy b. 1984 (Vampire Academy, Season of the Witch, Being Human)
Gina Carano b. 1982 (Deadpool, Almost Human)
Lukas Haas b. 1976 (Transcendence, Touch, Inception, The Lathe of Heaven, Breakfast of Champions, Mars Attacks!, Solar Babies, Amazing Stories, Testament)
Sean Maher b. 1975 (Arrow, Warehouse 13. Serenity/Firefly)
Karl Yune b. 1975 (Arrow, Real Steel, Knight Rider [2008], Speed Racer, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid)
Belinda Stewart-Wilson b. 1971 (Primeval, Jekyll)
Peter Billingsley b. 1971 (producer, Iron Man, Zathura)
Jon Cryer b. 1965 (The Outer Limits, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Amazing Stories)
Martin Lawrence b. 1965 (Black Knight)
Michael Wong b. 1965 (Transformers: Age of Extinction)
Boyd Banks b. 1964 (12 Monkeys, Mr. Babysitter’s a Vampire, Lost Girl, Diary of the Dead, The Fountain, Land of the Dead, Phil the Alien, Wonderfalls, Dawn of the Dead)
Michael Gill b. 1960 (Forever)
Ricco Ross b. 1960 (Batgirl Rises, Caper, Bite Me, Hydra, Babylon 5, Highlander, Timelock, Gulliver’s Travels [1996], The Tomorrow People [1992], Doctor Who, Aliens)
Ellen Barkin b. 1954 (Faerie Tale Theatre, Buckaroo Banzai)
Jay O. Sanders b. 1953 (Green Lantern, The Day After Tomorrow)
Billy West b. 1950 (Futurama, 2084, Invader ZIM, Samurai Jack, countless other voice work)
David Graf b. 1950 died 7 April 2001 (Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Lois & Clark, Quantum Leap)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar b. 1947 (The Stand, Tales from the Darkside, Man from Atlantis)
Edie Adams b. 1927 died 15 October 2008 (Cinderella [2004 and 1957])
Peter Ustinov b. 1921 died 18 March 2004 (Salem Witch Trials, Alice in Wonderland [1999 TV], The Thief of Baghdad, Logan’s Run, One of our Dinosaurs Is Missing)
Barry Nelson b. 1919 died 7 April 2007 (The Shining, Salvage 1, Battlestar Galactica, Twilight Zone)
Johnny Silver b. 1918 died 1 February 2003 (Spaceballs, Pete’s Dragon, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, H.R. Pufnstuf, I Dream of Jeannie, Captain Nice, The Munsters, The Brass Bottle, World of Giants)
Spike Milligan b. 1918 died 27 February 2002 (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [1972], Alice Through the Looking Box)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, The Picture Slot went to Sean Maher from Firefly/Serenity and Invader ZIM, voiced by Billy West. With them out of contention, I considered Lukas Haas from Mars Attacks! and Ellen Barkin from Buckaroo Banzai, but decided to go with Oh That Guy Barry Nelson and his role from the original Twilight Zone.

2. Spot the Canadian! Boyd Banks' credit list isn't completely obviously Canadian, but he was also on Kids in the Hall at least once and played several roles on the Nero Wolfe shows that were produced north of the border earlier this century.


3. Wait... he's dead? I had David Graf's sci-fi credits on last year's list, but I neglected to note that he died so young. He's probably best remembered as Tackleberry in all those Police Academy movies.

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

Movie released
Kick-Ass released, 2010
 

Predictor: Aliens of London, a Doctor Who episode that aired 16 April 2005

Prediction: A spaceship crashes into the Thames in 2006, triggering a worldwide red alert as a part of a scheme by the Slitheen to turn the Earth into a radioactive fuel dump.

Reality: It's Doctor Who. Reality doesn't enter into it, does it?

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to the regular schedule tomorrow, which means H.G. Wells on Friday.

Join us then... INTO THE FUTURE!
 

15 April 2015

Birthdays
Maisie Williams b. 1997 (Game of Thrones, Doctor Who)
Madeleine Martin b. 1993 (Hemlock Grove)
Emma Watson b. 1990 (Harry Potter, This is the End)
Shannon Farrara b. 1984 (Piranha [1995])
Alice Braga b. 1983 (I Am Legend, Elysium, Predators, Repo Men, Blindness)
Seth Rogen b. 1982 (This is the End, Paul, The Green Hornet, Donnie Darko)
Luke Evans b. 1979 (The Hobbit, Dracula Untold, Immortals, Clash of the Titans [2010])
Kellee Stewart b. 1976 (Hot Tub Time Machine 1 & 2, Witches of East End)
Richard Whiteside b. 1968 (The Hobbit, Avatar)
Kamala Lopez b. 1964 (Star Trek: Voyager, Lois & Clark, Total Recall)
Marcus Nispel b. 1963 (director, Conan the Barbarian, [2011], Friday the 13th [2009], Frankenstein [2004 TV], The Texas Chainsaw Massacre [2003])
Michael R. Perry b. 1963 (writer, Paranormal Activity 2, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, FreakyLinks, Millennium, American Gothic, Eerie, Indiana)
Thomas F. Wilson b. 1959 (Back to the Future, Zoom, Lois & Clark, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Emma Thompson b. 1959 (Men in Black 3, Harry Potter, Nanny McPhee, I am Legend)
Glenn Shadix b. 1952 died 7 September 2010 (Carnivale, Planet of the Apes [2001], Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Multiplicity, Demolition Man, Beetlejuice)
Sam McMurray b. 1952 (Lake Placid 2, The Tick, Addams Family Values, Hard Time on Planet Earth, C.H.U.D.)
Lois Chiles b. 1947 (Wish Upon a Star, Creepshow 2, Coma)
Robert Walker Jr. b. 1940 (The Six Million Dollar Man, Beware! The Blob, Death in Space, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Star Trek)
Elizabeth Montgomery b. 1933 died 18 May 1995 (Bewitched, Twilight Zone)
Jean Willes b. 1923 died 3 January 1989 (The Munsters, Twilight Zone, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Adventures of Superman, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars)
Harvey Lembeck b. 1923 died 5 January 1982 (Mork & Mindy, It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman, Batman, Dr. Goldfoot and the Bikini Machine, My Favorite Martian)
Michael Ansara b. 1922 died 31 July 2013 (Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, I Dream of Jeannie, Land of the Giants, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, Bewitched, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits)
Hans Conried b. 1917 died 5 January 1982 (The Cat from Outer Space, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Lost in Space, The Monster That Challenged the Word, The Twonky, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.)
John Williams b. 1903 died 5 May 1983 (Battlestar Galactica, Twilight Zone, Visit to a Small Planet)
Albert Sharpe b. 1885 died 13 February 1970 (Darby O’Gill and the Little People)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. A lot of excellent choices today. When I had a lot less people on the list in 2013, it was Emma Thompson, who is iconic in Nanny McPhee and Harry Potter. Last year, it was Maisie Williams as Arya Stark. Excluding them, I would say the best choices for iconic are Michael Ansara on Star Trek, Elizabeth Montgomery on Bewitched and to make a 21st Century choice, Emma Watson from Harry Potter.

2. A Canadian walks among us! The one Canadian born actor on the list is Seth Rogen, who usually does his work in Hollywood productions.

3. Nepotism... and not. Robert Walker Jr. is the son of Robert Walker Sr., so he certainly counts. Emma Thompson's parents both acted and she has worked many times with her mum Phyllida Law. Alice Braga is the niece of Sonia Braga. Sam McMurray is the son of Richard McMurray, who was a working actor. I don't know if there is any relation to Fred McMurray.

And then there's the stuff I don't count. Michael Ansara was married to Barbara Eden and he showed up on I Dream of Jeannie, but when they got married he was the better known actor, having played Cochise on Broken Arrow. 

4. Gone too soon. Glenn Shadix was 58 when he died, Elizabeth Montgomery was 62. Those ages seem very young to me, since I am somewhere in between.

5. The other John Williams. John Williams the actor was this tall, distinguished looking English chap. I'd guess his best known role might be as inspector Hubbard in Dial M for Murder. The composer John Williams is a) American, b) much younger and c) still alive.

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

Predictor: George Sutherland from his 1901 book Twentieth Century Inventions

Prediction: The promise of the future is that, through the abundance of windows provided in the walls, roofs and porches of our dwelling-houses--but all supplemented with shutters and blinds of various kinds--there shall be a possibility of regulating, far more accurately than at present, the accessibility of light from outside according to the brightness or dullness of the day.

Reality: Sunlight good!  Who knew?

Actually, nearly everybody knew at one time, though we had a prediction from Isaac Asimov a couple years back where he thought access to sunlight was just a passing fad. Still, this one is worth full points for our sensible pal George.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We interrupt our weekly schedule for an event signalling an intergalactic invasion.

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!
 

13 April 2015

Birthdays
Hannah Marks b. 1993 (The Amazing Spider-Man, Grimm, FlashForward)
Allison Williams b. 1988 (Peter Pan Live!)
Courtney Peldon b. 1981 (Star Trek: Renegades, InAlienable, Third Rock from the Sun, Deep Space Nine, The Visitor, Lois & Clark, Harry and the Hendersons [TV])
Kyle Howard b. 1978 (Robo Warriors)
Glenn Howerton b. 1976 (Serenity)
Jonathan Brandis b. 1976 died 12 November 2003 (SeaQuest 2032, It, The Flash [1990], The Neverending Story II: The Next Chapter, The Munsters Today, Alien Nation [TV])
Bokeem Wodbine b. 1973 (Riddick, The Host, Total Recall [2012], Blade: The Series, The X-Files)
Marci T. House b. 1972 (iZombie, Godzilla [2014], Lost Girl, Fringe, V, Supernatural, The Vampire Diaries, Caprica, Battlestar Galatica, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The X Files: I Want to Believe, Reaper, Smallville)
Rick Schroder b. 1970 (No Ordinary Family, Journey to the Center of the Earth [TV], The Andromeda Strain [2008])
Harold Pruett b. 1969 died 21 February 2002 (Embrace of the Vampire, Wonder Woman)
Andrew Plevin b. 1968 (Inception, Witchville, Blood: The Last Vampire, Batman Begins)
Simon Paisley Day b. 1967 (Space Race, Doctor Who, Red Dwarf)
Page Hannah b. 1964 (Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Freddy’s Nightmares)
Richard Joseph Paul b. 1962 (666 Park Avenue, Oblivion 1 and 2, Knight Rider 2010)
Erick Avari b. 1952 (Grimm, Warehouse 13, InAlienable, Flight of the Living Dead, Dark Matter, Heroes, Daredevil, The X-Files, Star Trek: Enterprise, Planet of the Apes [2001], Stargate SG-1, The Mummy, Babylon 5, Lois & Clark, VR.5, Deep Space Nine, Stargate, SeaQuest 2032, Star Trek: Next Generation)
Peter Davison b. 1951 (Doctor Who, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy [TV], The Tomorrow People)
John Furey b. 1951 (Earth: Final Conflict, Friday the 13th Part 2, Logan’s Run [TV])
Ron Perlman b. 1950 (Hellboy, Pacific Rim, Conan the Barbarian [2011], Season of the Witch, The Devil’s Tomb, I Sell the Dead, Mutant Chronicles, Outlander, Absolon, Star Trek: Nemesis, Blade, The Tick [TV], Charmed, Alien Resurrection, Perversions of Science, Highlander [TV], The Island of Dr. Moreau [1996], The Adventure of Captain Zoom in Outer Space, The City of Lost Children, Beauty and the Beast, The Ice Pirates, Quest for Fire)
William Sadler b. 1950 (The Flash [2014], From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], Iron Man 3, 666 Park Avenue, Fringe, The Mist, Wonderfalls, Roswell, Deep Space Nine, RocketMan, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Bordello of Blood, The Omen [TV], Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Project X)
Tony Dow b. 1945 (director, Crusade, Deep Space Nine, Honey I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Babylon 5, Swamp Thing [TV], Harry and the Hendersons)
Paul Sorvino b. 1939 (Hybrids, Airship Dracula, Repo! The Genetic Opera, Witches to the North, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Rocketeer, The Stuff)
Edward Fox b. 1937 (Lost in Space [1998], Gulliver’s Travels [1996 TV])
Lyle Waggoner b. 1935 (Wizards of the Demon Sword, Mork & Mindy, Wonder Woman, Time Express, Journey to the Center of Time, Lost in Space [1967])
Doug McGrath b. 1935 (Ghosts of Mars, The Rocketeer, Twilight Zone: The Movie, The Incredible Hulk, The Starlost)
Joyce Meadows b. 1933 (Lois & Clark, Men Into Space, The Brain from Planet Arous)
Mari Blanchard b. 1923 died 10 May 1970 (Son of Sinbad, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars)
Howard Keel b. 1919 died 7 November 2004 (The Day of the Triffids)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Peter Davison as The Doctor and Ron Perlman, though not for any particular role. The list is chock full of good actors but light on movie stars, the only one I'd count is Howard Keel and I'm not sure his role in Day of the Triffids counts as iconic. So the competition for the Picture Slot today was between Lyle Waggoner on Wonder Woman, Paul Sorvino on Star Trek and two Oh That Guys, William Sadler and our winner Erick Avari. I was torn between his roles in The Mummy, Stargate and Planet of the Apes or on one of many TV shows, so I put up this publicity still from his website.

2. Canadians, faux and real. The two people born in Canada of Doug McGrath and Joyce Meadows and neither of them are hanging Vancouver hoping to get cast. Marci T. House, whose resume looks as Canadian as all get out, was born in Chicago and I can't find any evidence online that she moved to Canada, though it seems awfully likely given her work.

3. Nepotism more or less. Page Hannah is the younger sister of Darryl Hannah. She only did a little acting and then married music producer Lou Adler, the guy who sits with Jack Nicholson at the Laker games.

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

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Before 2000, doctors will be able to write prescriptions for sexual pleasure.

Reality: OMNI was thinking about L-dopa, which increases in some men and women. But the percentages are too low for general use - about 50% of men and about 20% of women are sexually stimulated by L-dopa - and instead we have Viagra, which did hit the market in 1998, so I'm going to give some points for this one.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from John Langdon-Davies 1936 book A Short History of the Future. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

12 April 2015

Birthdays
Peter DaCunha b. 2003 (The Listener, Alphas) Saoirse Ronan b. 1994 ( The Host [2013])
Brooklyn Decker b. 1987 (Battleship)
Diana Marshall-Green b. 1980 (Infestation) Jennifer Morrison b. 1979 (Once Upon a Time, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek [2009], The Chronicle, The Zeros)
Claire Danes b. 1979 (Stardust, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Princess Mononoke)
Amy Kerr b. 1979 (Haven, Outlander, Lexx)
Jared Turner b. 1978 (The Almighty Johnsons, Underworld: Rise of the Lycans, 30 Days of Night) Jade Calegory b. 1976 (Alien Nation, Mac and Me)
Marley Shelton b. 1974 (The Lottery, Grindhouse, Dark Shadows [2005 TV], Sin City, Pleasantville, Warriors of Virtue, Hercules in the Underworld)
Christina Moore b. 1973 (True Blood, The Burning Zone)
Amr Waked b. 1973 (Lucy)
Shannen Doherty b. 1971 (Blood Lake: Attack of the Killer Lampreys, Witchslayer Gretl, Charmed, Category 7: The End of the World, Voyagers!)
Nicholas Brendon b. 1971 (Coherence, Robot Ninja and Gay Guy, Buffy, Demon Island, Psycho Beach Party, Children of the Corn III: Urban Harvest)
Kelly Donovan b. 1971 (Buffy)
Tracy Vilar b. 1968 (K-PAX)
Michael Wiseman b. 1967 (The X-Files, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek: Voyager, Perversions of Science, Predator 2)
Mark Camacho b. 1964 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Punisher: War Zone, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, 10.5: Apocalypse, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, The Hunger, Space Cases, Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde)
Magda Szubanski b. 1961 (The Golden Compass, Son of the Mask, Farscape, Babe, The Genie from Down Under)
Jay Baker b. 1961 (Deep Space Nine, The Incredible Hulk Returns)
Tracy Torme b. 1959 (writer, Carnivale, Odyssey 5, Sliders, Star Trek: the Next Generation)
Tom Noonan b. 1951 (12 Monkeys [2015], The Leftovers, Eight Legged Freaks, The Astronaut’s Wife, The X-Files, Early Edition, Last Action Hero, RoboCop 2, The Monster Squad, Wolfen)
David Cassidy b. 1950 (The Flash)
Tom Clancy b. 1947 died 1 Oct 2013 (author, Tom Clancy’s Net Force, The Sum of All Fears)
Ed O’Neill b, 1946 (The 10th Kingdom, W.E.I.R.D. World)
Charles Napier b. 1936 died 5 October 2011 (One Eyed Monster, The 4400, Dinocroc, Alien Species, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Lois & Clark, Frogtown II, Future Zone, Alien from the Deep, The Incredible Hulk, Deep Space, Star Trek)
Alvin Sargent b. 1927 (screenwriter, Spider-Man 2 and 3)
Walt Gorney b. 1912 died 5 March 2004 (Friday the 13th 1 & 2, Day of the Animals, King Kong [1976])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Slot has been filled by Charles Napier in his role from Star Trek and Nicholas Brendon and his twin Brendon Donovan. If those two are removed, I'd say the next most iconic is Shannen Doherty from Charmed, but I do not care for the woman for many reasons, including the rumors of her nastiness on the set, her unfortunate politics and my view that she's not a very good actress. So instead we get Claire Danes from Stardust because I invoke the The First Rule of Blogging, which is You're Not the Boss of Me.

2. Canadians spotted! Not that easy to find on one's own, Peter daCunha, Amy Kerr and Mark Camacho were all born North of the Border.

3. Nepotism FTW. David Cassidy is the son of Jack Cassidy, but Shirley Jones is his stepmother, not his biological mother. As commenter James Marshall VI kindly pointed out, Tracy Torme is the son of singer Mel Torme, so he has to count as well.

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

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in his 1956 book The Door into Summer

Prediction: The torturing clang of an alarm clock went off. I shut the sadistic thing off and thanked God they had got rid of such horrible devices by 2001.

Reality: Some people still wake up to an alarm that has to be turned off, whether a buzz or a beep. To give Heinlein some credit, very few alarm clocks in the 21st Century actually have the old fashioned clanging bells that were standard before digital clocks became the norm.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another Monday rolls around and that means another dip into the OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... INTO THE FUTURE!
  

11 April 2015

Birthdays
Morgan Lily b. 2000 (Deadtime Stories, X-Men: First Class, 2012)
Dakota Blue Richards b. 1994 (The Secret of Moonacre, The Golden Compass)
Marcus Johns b. 1993 (The Punisher)
Eka Darville b. 1989 (The Originals, Terra Nova, Power Rangers R.P.M.)
Kelli Garner b. 1984 (Horns, Buffy)
Monica May b. 1984 (Battle Planet, Power Rangers S.P.D.)
Alessandra Ambrosio b. 1981 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2)
Matt Ryan b. 1981 (Constantine, Torchwood)
Marlene Katz b. 1980 (Arachnophobia)
Reina King b. 1975 (Scrooged)
Tricia Helfer b. 1974 (Ascension, The Librarians, Battlestar Galactica, Bloodwork, No Ordinary Family, Warehouse 13, Supernatural, Them [2007], Jeremiah)
Jennifer Esposito b. 1973 (Dracula 2000)
Simon Reynolds b. 1969 (Haven, Warehouse 13, Earth: Final Conflict, The 5th Quadrant, Our Hero, Forever Knight)
Patrick Bishop b. 1958 (Starship Troopers, Werewolf)
Gerry Becker b. 1951 (Charmed, Spider-Man, Angel, The Cell, Mystery Men)
Jay Benedict b. 1951 (The Dark Knight Rises, Genie in the House, Mansquito, Lexx)
Bill Irwin b. 1950 (Interstellar, Lady in the Water, Third Rock from the Sun)
Carl Franklin b. 1949 (ALF, The Incredible Hulk)
Peter Riegert b. 1947 (The Mask, The Runestone, Twilight Zone [1985], Americathon)
Meshach Taylor b. 1947 died 28 June 2014 (Hyenas, Ultra Warrior, Mannequin, ALF, The Howling, The Incredible Hulk, Damien: Omen II)
John Milius b. 1944 (director, Twilight Zone [1985], Conan the Barbarian)
Shirley Stelfox b. 1941 (Nineteen Eighty-Four)
Louise Lasser b. 1939 (Mystery Men, Frankenhooker, Slither)
Joel Grey b. 1932 (Warehouse 13, Buffy, A Christmas Carol [1999 TV], Star Trek: Voyager)
Billie Hayes b. 1932 (Tabitha, Bewitched, Lidsville, Pufnstuf)
Jack Betts b. 1949 (Spider-Man. Power Rangers Lost Galaxy, Alien Avengers II. Batman & Robin, Batman Forever)
Paul Douglas b. 1907 died 11 September 1959 (The Gamma People)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. On 11 April 2013, there was a picture of Tricia Helfer on the blog.

On 11 April 2014, yet another picture of Tricia Helfer.

Are you beginning to detect a pattern?

The other people I consider iconic in genre are Joel Grey as Doc on Buffy and Billie Hayes as Witchiepoo from all those Sid and Marty Krofft shows.

Instead, we have a third picture of Tricia Helfer. Sue me.

2. Spot the Canadians. You might be able to tell Simon Reynolds is Canadian from his credit list, but did you know Tricia Helfer is as well? This gives me an excuse to look at her picture again.

...
...

Okay, I'm back.

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

Predictor: Henry V. Boynton (1835-1905), Union general, journalist, asked to predict the future in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition held in Chicago

Prediction: Before the next centennial, the American South will be the manufacturing empire of the continent. The rich lowlands surrounding it will find consumers there for its products. The mountains and hill resources, the manufacturing population and the supporting lower countries together will form mighty communities, of which the new life now everywhere throbbing through this wonderful region gives certain promise.

Reality: As far as I can recall, this is the only prediction that deals with the great nagging political problem of the late 19th Century, the tendency of both parties to re-fight the Civil War over and over again, which was referred to as "waving the bloody shirt". A history teacher friend of mine says the first instance of Americans re-uniting for a single cause after the Civil War was in their fervor for the Spanish-American War, which is still a few years away when Boynton writes this praise for the South. In reality, while there is manufacturing all over this country, most people would point to the states bordering the Great Lakes as the manufacturing empire of the country in the 20th Century, now sadly referred to as The Rust Belt.

Note: this is the last prediction from the book on the 1893 Columbian Exhibition. As of next week, a new regular will sit in the Saturday slot.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Sunday means another visit from Robert A. Heinlein and his predictions for the second half of the 20th Century in his 1956 book The Door Into Summer.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!