22 March 2014

Birthdays
Tania Raymonde b. 1988 (Big Bang Theory, Texas Chainsaw 3D, Lost)
Katie Stuart b. 1985 (Supernatural, Dead Like Me, A Wrinkle in Time, X-Men 2, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Stargate SG-1, The Sentinel, Poltergeist: The Legacy)
Kandyse McClure b. 1980 (Haven, Hemlock Grove, Alphas, Children of the Corn, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Andromeda, Jake 2.0, Jeremiah, Dark Angel, Level 9)
Anne Dudek b. 1975 (Grimm, Invasion, Charmed)
Will Yun Lee b. 1971 (The Wolverine, Total Recall [2012], Bionic Woman [2007], Fallen, Elektra, Witchblade, Brimstone)
Matthew Modine b. 1959 (CAT. 8, The Dark Knight Rises, Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story)
Lena Olin b. 1955 (Queen of the Damned, The Ninth Gate, Mystery Men)
James Patterson b. 1947 (author, Daniel X, Witch & Wizard)
Carter Wong b. 1947 (Big Trouble in Little China)
M. Emmet Walsh b. 1935 (The X-Files, Wilder Napalm, The Flash, Harry and the Hendersons, Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone, Blade Runner, Escape from the Planet of the Apes)
William Shatner b. 1931 (Star Trek, 3rd Rock from the Sun, TekWar, SeaQuest 2032, The Six Million Dollar Man, Twilight Zone, Incubus, The Outer Limits)
Stephen Sondheim b. 1930 (composer, Into the Woods)
Ross Martin b. 1920 died 3 July 1981 (Mork & Mindy, Quark, Wonder Woman, The Invisible Man, The Immortal, Twilight Zone, The Colossus of New York, Johnny Jupiter)

All right. Picture Slot decision first. There are other actors on this list that readers would recognize, but this is a sci-fi blog. If I didn't use a picture of Mr. Overacting Under a Toupee, it would look like I was holding some sort of grudge. I don't hold a grudge. He is one of my favorite overactors of all time and no, that isn't sarcasm.

Interesting tidbits I learned while researching this list.
1. James Patterson writes Young Adult novels.
2. Stephen Sondheim and Rev. Pat Robertson were born on the exact same day.
3. Ross Martin was born in Poland! Seemed as American as apple pie to me.

Movies released
The Croods, released 2013
 
 

Predictor: M. Quad (born Charles Bertrand Lewis), 1842-1924 humorist, replying to a request for a prediction in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Prediction: I regard the present date as the climax of fashion of dress... Man wears too much cloth, and that cloth is cut up into too many shapes. We shall not only restore the dress of our great-grandfathers before we stop, but run the costumes of Adam and Eve a pretty close shave.

Reality: He was making a joke, but this prediction is actually fairly accurate. People did wear a lot less clothing in 1993 than they did in 1893, most notably the hat and vest nearly disappearing from most wardrobes and the tie becoming a sign of certain jobs instead of the standard for all men at all times. And for women, the undergarments of the late 20th Century were a positive boon compared to the instruments of torture they had to endure at the end of the 19th Century.

I'm not an expert in the history of fashion, but thinking about movies, I'd say the big push towards less clothing starts in earnest after World War II, though there were earlier fads like the Flapper Era.  Moreover, what has been considered acceptable swimwear and casual wear for my lifetime would have cause panic and arrests back in 1893.

So in conclusion: M. Quad writes a page and a half of quips and jests and actually correctly foresees a trend of the future. Compare this to Dr. Paul Ehrlich, who writes a serious book and gets nearly everything wrong.

And then there's the facial hair. Not extravagant by the standards of his day, but a moustache that hides the upper lip in pretty old school now.

Looking one day ahead...  INTO THE FUTURE!

Tomorrow's a Sunday, so sleep in late and when you get up, stop on by and enjoy a story of a nucelar war we didn't actually have.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!