16 March 2014

Birthdays
Alexandra Daddario b, 1986 (Percy Jackson, Texas Chainsaw 3D)
Sienna Guillory b. 1975 (Resident Evil, Inkheart, Eragon, The Time Machine)
Alan Tudyk b. 1971 (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Airship Dracula, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Dollhouse, V, Firefly/Serenity, I, Robot, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil)
Rupert Sanders b. 1971 (director, Snow White and the Huntsman)
Ted Ludzik b. 1966 (Warehouse 13, Lost Girl, Outlander, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Witchblade, RoboCop: Prime Directives [TV])
Gore Verbinski b. 1964 (director, The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl/ Dead Man’s Chest/ At World’s End, Rango)
Jerome Flynn b. 1963 (Game of Thrones)
Kevin Smith b. 1963 died 15 February 2002 (Warriors of Virtue 2: Return to Tao, Riverworld, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Todd McFarlane b. 1961 (writer, Spawn)
Steven Grives b. 1951 (Sinbad and the Minotaur, Scooby-Doo, BeastMaster [TV], 20,000 Leauges under the Sea, Time Trax, Highlander II; The Quickening, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Horror Planet)
Kate Nelligan b. 1950 (A Wrinkle in Time, Wolf, Dracula [1979])
Victor Garber b. 1949 (Sleepy Hollow, SGU Stargate Universe, ReGenesis, Twilight Zone [1986])
Margaret Weis b. 1948 (author, Dragonlance series)
Leo McKern b. 1920 died 23 July 2002 (Ladyhawke, The Omen, Space: 1999, The Prisoner, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, X: The Unknown)

If I gave the Picture Slot to my favorite actor in a genre role, I'd have a picture of Alan Tudyk from Firefly/Serenity once again as I did last year, but instead I have a picture of the New Zealand actor Kevin Smith, best known as Ares on Xena and Hercules. I did this because I was very surprised and sorry to read that he died from a fall back in 2002. Leo McKern in his role as Number Two (later Former Number Two) in The Prisoner I would also count as iconic and I always like a Game of Thrones picture, so Jerome Flynn as the sellsword Bronn might be in the spot next year as well.

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

 

Predictor: John W. Campbell in Cloak of Aesir, published March 1939

Prediction: The Sarn invade Earth and conquer humanity in 1977 with atomic blast weapons.

Reality: Of course it didn't happen, but any writer talking about "atomic blast weapons" before 1945 has to get at least some partial credit. This is also the first time John W. Campbell Jr. has been mentioned on the blog. As the editor of Astounding Science Fiction, he is considered a major force in the field from the 1930s up until his death in 1971. Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in science fiction ever, and for the first ten years of his editorship he dominated the field completely."

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Some may look forward to St. Patrick's Day, but I am more excited that we once again get to hear from the OMNI Future Almanac. So much fun!

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!