Saturday, September 6, 2014

6 September 2014

 Birthdays
Rhys Ward b. 1989 (The Strain, The 100, My Babysitter’s a Vampire)
Lauren Lapkus b. 1985 (Jurassic World)
Tehmina Sunny b. 1980 (Heroes, Children of Men)
Blaze Berdahl b. 1980 (Aliens in the Family, Pet Sematary)
Naomie Harris b. 1976 (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Dinotopia, 28 Days Later…, The Tomorrow People)
Idris Elba b. 1972 (Prometheus,Thor, Pacific Rim, Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance, 28 Weeks Later, Ultraviolet, Space Precinct)
China Miéville b. 1972 (won 2010 Hugo for The City & the City)
Justina Machado b. 1972 (The Purge: Anarchy, Dragonfly, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Angel)
Mark Ivanir b. 1968 (Grimm, Touch, Fringe, Dollhouse, The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Betsy Russell b. 1963 (Saw, Superboy, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Michael Winslow b. 1958 (Lycanthrope, Harry and the Hendersons, Spaceballs, Gremlins)
Patti Yasutake b. 1953 (FlashForward, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Tommy Lee Wallace b. 1949 (director, Vampires: Los Muertos, It, Fright Night Part 2, Max Headroom, Twilight Zone [1985], Halloween III: Season of the Witch)
Keone Young b. 1947 (True Blood, Men in Black 3, Star Trek: Enerprise, The Invisible Man, Dude, Where’s My Car?, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], Deep Space Nine, Small Wonder)
Jane Curtin b. 1947 (The Librarian, Cyberchase, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Coneheads)
Swoosie Kurtz b. 1944 (Heroes, Category 7: The End of the World, Lost, Harvey [TV movie])
Sergio Aragones b. 1937 (writer/artist, Groo the Wanderer)
Paul Naschy b. 1934 died 30 November 2009 (A Werewolf in the Amazon, Night of the Werewolf, Mystery on Monster Island, Night of the Howling Beast, The Mummy’s Revenge, Vengeance of the Zombies, Count Dracula’s Great Love, Curse of the Devil, La furia del Hombre Lobo, The Werewolf Versus the Vampire Woman, Las noches del Hombre Lobo, Frankenstein’s Bloody Terror)
Max Schreck b. 1879 died 20 February 1936 (Nosferatu)

My two favorite actors on the list both had major roles on HBO series. Idris Elba, seen here as Heimdall in Thor, played Stringer Bell on The Wire and Keone Young was Wu on Deadwood. Last year's Picture Slot was held by Max Schreck, still one of the scariest vampires ever and next year's competition is completely wide open, though I admit a fondness for Sergio Aragones' cartoon style.

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

 Predictor: George F. Kunz (1856-1935), geologist and gem expert, predicting the world of 1993 in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago

Prediction: My impression is that in the next century, it will be found that in many of the churches of the United States, jewels of rare beauty and great cost will serve the priests for greater adornment of their chancels and their vestments. Precious stones will more and more be utilized for impressive religious ceremonies.


Reality: First things first. Kunz's beard is almost at The Hunger Games level of pointy and fancy and he proudly wears one of those ridiculously uncomfortable collars. If he had a pince nez, he would have full points, but as is, he gets a very high grade indeed.

As for fancier and fancier bejeweled vestments, only a few churches that go in for old fashioned big city cathedrals like the Catholics and Anglicans would have bejeweled vestments and I don't think it is a trend that increased much from 1893 to 1993. The big change in lavish churches would be the mega-churches of vague denomination, and they prefer to impress their parishioners with enormous meeting halls, TV cameras and expensive suits for the pastors instead of jewels in the vestments.

Never to be Forgotten: 
Donatas Banionis (1924-2014)

The Lithuanian actor Donatas Banionis has died at the age of 90 this week. He is remembered here as the star of the 1972 Soviet version of Solaris, adapted from the novel by Stanislaw Lem and directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. In other remembrances around the web, it is noted that Vladimir Putin was influenced to become a spy after seeing the 1968 movie Dead Season, in which Banionis played a Soviet spy with James Bond flair.

Best wishes to family and friends of Donatas Banionis, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We get another prediction from The Experts Speak. Observant readers will notice they are almost always wrong.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

2 comments:

  1. No jewels in the vestments, dollars in the bank accounts!

    Pat Robertson secured himself a place in whatever hell he believes in by telling an 80 year old caller on meager income to cut back on food and sell his house in order to continue sending money in.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's as clear as rain water that you and I are not prime candidates to be sending money to the Rev. Robertson, my undead friend. Of course, you pretty much have the whole afterlife thing sussed out, don't you?

      Still, you have to think that at least some of his viewers/suckers would see this performance and they would understand that he's a thief.

      You have to think it, but it doesn't actually have to be true.

      Delete

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