David Meunier b. 1973 (Revolution, Jericho, Buffy, Angel, Charmed)
Michael Sheen b. 1969 (Twilight Saga, Doctor Who, TRON: Legacy, Alice in Wonderland [2010], Underworld)
Laura Linney b. 1964 (The Mothman Prophecies, The Truman Show, Congo)
Barbara Hershey b. 1948 (Insidious, Once Upon a Time, Breakfast of Champions, The Invaders[TV])
Robin Sachs b. 1951 died 1 February 2013 (Resident Evil, Torchwood, Buffy, Star Trek: Voyager, Galaxy Quest, Babylon 5, The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
Tom Wilkinson b. 1948 (Batman Begins, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
Christopher Guest b. 1948 (actor, The Princess Bride, Night at the Museum : Battle of the Smithsonian, Small Soldiers, Heartbeeps; director, Attack of the 50 Foot Woman)
Charlotte Rampling b. 1946 (Babylon A.D., Angel Heart, Orca, Zardoz, The Avengers [1967])
H.R. Giger b. 1940 (illustrator, Necromicon, Giger’s Alien)
William S. Burroughs b. 1914 died 2 August 1997 (author, The Soft Machine, Naked Lunch, The Wild Boys: A Book of the Dead)
John Carradine b. 1906 died 27 November 1988 (Twilight Zone [1986], The Ice Pirates, Frankenstein Island, The Howling, The Sentinel, Land of the Giants, Lost in Space, The Green Hornet, Billy the Kid vs. Dracula, The Wizard of Mars, Twilight Zone [1960], Invisible Invaders, The Cosmic Man, Half Human)
Good birthday list today, lots of famous faces, but for iconic status, I went with an illustration from H.R. Giger, whose work brought a new twist to horror and science fiction back in the 1970s. I don't know who will get the Picture Slot next year, but John Carradine and his jillions of roles has the inside track at this early date.
Many happy returns to all the living on the list, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Movies released
Spy Kids 3D: Game Over released 2003
Prediction: On 5 Feb 1971, Piedmont, New Mexico is infected by a virus brought back from space by a satellite.
Predictor: The Andromeda Strain, released 12 March 1971
Reality: Okay, this is a little bit of a cheat. The date of the infection is actually before the release date of the movie. I've cheated like this once before with H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon, but my excuse is both stories really count as science fiction. I also have to congratulate the producers for deciding to go with a relatively unknown cast of ordinary looking people, which made the story that much more believable.
As for alien viruses, it's possible, but most viruses are successful because they evolve in the environment, interacting with hosts they infect. Some random virus from outer space would have to get pretty damned lucky to land on a strange planet and fit right in.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
For a few more weeks, Thursday still belongs to Isaac Asimov.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
I don't know who will get the Picture Slot next year,
ReplyDeleteGotta be Charlotte Rampling. One word: Zardoz.
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