BirthdaysIsabel Lucas b. 1985 (Immortals, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Daybreakers)
Justin Hartley b. 1977 (Smallville)
Sara Gilbert b. 1975 (The Big Bang Theory)
Heather Graham b. 1970 (From Hell, Lost in Space [1998])
Sam Trammell b. 1969 (True Blood, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem)
Michael Ferris b. 1961 (writer, Terminator Salvation, Terminator 3, The Net, Catwoman)
Ann Jillian b. 1950 (Twilight Zone)
Marc Singer b. 1948 (V [2011 and 1983 ], Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], Highlander [TV], Beastmaster, Planet of the Apes [TV])
Tom Selleck b, 1945 (Runaway)
Katharine Ross b. 1940 (Donnie Darko, The Final Countdown, The Stepford Wives)
Paddy Chayefsky b. 1923 died 1 August 1981 (author, Altered States)
There are a lot of famous names on the list today who have only one role in genre, including Paddy Chayefsky, Tom Selleck, Ann Jillian and Sara Gilbert. Ms. Jillian was a just a kid when she was on the original Twilight Zone and like with Star Trek, that will always get a mention here. Sara Gilbert is on The Big Bang Theory, one of the shows that I think is worth a label.
But the Picture Slot belongs Marc Singer from The Beastmaster. Even the Wikipedia page for the movie remembers how unavoidable it was on cable TV in the 1980s, when, according to the jokes, TBS stood for "The Beastmaster Station" and HBO was "Hey, Beastmaster's On!" While many of Singer's best known roles are in fantasy and sci-fi, but it should be noted that at the beginning of his career, he was cast in "high brow" television productions like Taming of the Shrew and Cyrano de Bergerac in major roles, Petruchio and Christian respectively.
And then he became the Beastmaster. I'm sure his parents are so proud.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to Paddy Chayefsky... to be honest, I liked Network and Marty better than Altered States.
Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred Years Hence, published 1905
Prediction: Already the study of the psychical side of man has been the means of extraordinary discoveries. Our knowledge of hypnotism, suggestion, thought-transference and similar psychological wonders, obscured though it has unhappily been by charlatanism and the importation into the subject of irrelevant follies, has great promise for the future man, whose psychical faculties will unquestionably develop at the expense of his animal instincts.
Reality: Russell is not alone in assuming psychic powers will be proven possible in the future. At least he admits there are charlatans in the field, which Heinlein failed to do when he predicted psychics used in the military in the 21st Century back in 1956. I scoff at this prediction, but if The Men Who Stare at Goats is even a little bit true, the Army spent a bunch of cash in this century trying to weaponize people with psychic powers and the Soviets had done likewise last Century.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Asimov still has a few more predictions from 1964 to be discussed, so we hear from him in his regular Thursday slot.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Look! You typed some thoughts, and I received them, thousands of miles away. It's thought transference!
ReplyDeleteThe American military is so awash in cash, I have no doubt that they've spent fat stacks of it on even more ludicrous hogwash than men staring at goats. But I am sure they stopped short of trying to use bats as bombs, because that would be insane.
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ReplyDeleteGoofle thinks there's two of me. That ought to screw up the NSA.
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