26 January 2014

Birthdays
Cameron Bright b. 1993 (Twilight Saga, Earth’s Final Hours, The 4400, Ultraviolet, Stargate-SG1, Dark Angel)
Sara Rue b. 1979 (Eastwick, The Big Bang Theory, Idiocracy, The Ring)
David Straithairn b. 1949 (Godzilla [2014], Alphas, The Spiderwick Chronicles, The Brother From Another Planet)
Mimi Leder b. 1952 (director, Deep Impact)
Scott Glenn b. 1941 (Sucker Punch, Tall Tale)
Roger Vadim b. 1928 died 11 February 2000 (director, Barbarella)
Philip José Farmer b. 1918 died 2/25/2009 (won 1972 Hugo for To Your Scattered Bodies Go)
William Hopper b. 1915 died 6 March 1970 (20 Million Miles to Earth, The Deadly Mantis)
Dorothy Newman b. 1914 died 20 May 1994 (Bewitched, The Terror, Twilight Zone, The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Charles Lane b. 1905 died 9 July 2009 (The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes[1995], Dark Shadows [1991], Otherworld, Strange Invaders, Bewitched, Twilight Zone, The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock, Mighty Joe Young)

I was definitely in an "Oh That Guy" mood today, so the Picture Slot went to Charles Lane, a guy who played the Grumpy Guy in 363 movie and TV credits, about ten of which count as genre. Except for the author Philip José Farmer and the young actor Cameron Bright, everyone here has (or had) a long career with just a few sci-fi or fantasy titles on the list.

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

 

Prediction: The Third War to End All World Wars (1960) provides the backdrop for this typical tale of struggle against an Orwellian dictatorship in 2018.

Predictor: Bryan Berry in Born in Captivity, published 1952

Reality: Today begins a new Sunday slot of predictions about nuclear wars that include a given year when it will start. I have not read all these works, but instead pulled the information off of the terrific website of Paul Brians. All editorializing, like "typical tale of struggle" comes from Professor Brians' descriptions.

There are 27 predictions from his list that have years and not exact dates, so it could be argued that the next six months of Sundays are going to be pretty depressing. Taking the other side of the argument, think of all these stories as scenarios we have avoided for about 70 years. Having been a kid when the Cuban missile crisis took place, I'm a little surprised and very pleased that we live in a world where fear of the bomb has almost completely subsided.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

OMNI Future Almanac takes its scheduled Monday prediction slot once again, usually much more cheerful than threatened nuclear annihilation.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!