Friday, November 21, 2014

21 November 2014

Birthdays
Jena Malone b. 1984 (The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay, Sucker Punch, Donnie Darko, Contact)
Lindsey Haun b. 1984 (True Blood, Star Trek: Voyager, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Village of the Damned)
Lisa McAllister b. 1980 (Robocroc, The Dark Knight, Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes, Sea of Souls)
Jimmi Simpson b. 1975 (Knights of Badassdom, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Virtuality, Carnivale, Rose Red)
Rain Phoenix b. 1972 (Amazing Stories)
Tamara Gorski b. 1968 (Man with the Screaming Brain, Witchblade, Haven, Angel, Earth: Final Conflict, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Forever Knight, Highland [TV], The Lost World [1992], My Secret Identity, Dracula: The Series [1991])
Alexander Siddig b. 1965 (Game of Thrones, Atlantis, Primeval, Clash of the Titans, Merlin, Doomsday, Reign of Fire, Deep Space Nine)
Bill Oberst Jr. b. 1965 (Werewolf Rising, Circus of the Dead, The Black Water Vampire, Aliens of the West, Krampus: The Christmas Devil, Death Valley [TV], Wonderland [2011], True Blood)
Nicollette Sheridan b. 1963 (Virus [1995])
Brian McNamara b. 1960 (Grimm, Star Trek: Voyager, Prey, NightMan, Sliders, Time Trax, Arachnophobia, Earth Star Voyager, Short Circuit)
Cherry Jones b. 1956 (The Village, Signs)
Timothy Stack b. 1956 (The Flash, Tales from the Crypt, ALF, Martians Go Home, Starman [TV])
Cynthia Rhodes b. 1956 (Runaway)
Deborah Shelton b. 1948 (Witchy Ways, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II)
Goldie Hawn b. 1945 (Death Becomes Her)
Harold Ramis b. 1944 died 24 February 2014 (writer, Ghostbusters, Groundhog Day, Bedazzled)
Al Matthews b. 1942 (The Fifth Element, Aliens, Superman III, Omen III: The Final Conflict)
Michael Cavanaugh b. 1942 (FlashForward, Carnivale, Epoch, The Haunting, The Burning Zone [TV], Lois & Clark, The X Files, Dark Shadows [1991], Star Trek: The Next Generation, Starman [TV], Amazing Stories)
Juliet Mills b. 1941 (Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Wonder Woman, Demon, Demon)
John Hough b. 1941 (director, The Watcher in the Woods, Incubus, Return from Witch Mountain, Escape to Witch Mountain, The Legend of Hell House)
Rick Lenz b. 1939 (Automan, The Greatest American Hero, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Jeannot Szwarc b. 1939 (director, Supernatural, Almost Human, Fringe, Smallville, Heroes, The Twilight Zone [1986], Supergirl, Somewhere in Time, Bug, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Robert Drivas b. 1938 died 29 June 1986 (The Illustrated Man)
Marlo Thomas b. 1937 (My Favorite Martian)
Gus Trikonis b. 1937 (director, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, SeaQuest 2032, Quantum Leap, The Flash [1991], Beauty and the Beast, Twilight Zone [1986], The Evil)
Ingrid Pitt b. 1937 died 23 November 2010 (Minotaur, Underworld, Doctor Who, The Wicker Man, The House That Dripped Blood, Countess Dracula, The Vampire Lovers, The Omegans)
Laurence Luckinbill b. 1934 (Star Trek V: The Final Frontier)
Joseph Campanella b. 1924 (Star Trek: Voyager, Good vs Evil, Lois & Clark, Beauty and the Beast [1989], Superboy, Earthbound, Meteor, Ben, The Sixth Sense [1972], Captain Nice, The Invaders)
Christopher Tolkien b. 1924 (author, The Complete History of Middle-Earth)
Helen Horton b. 1923 died 2009 (Polterguests, Superman III, Phase IV)
Ralph Meeker b. 1920 died 5 August 1988 (The Alpha Incident, The Food of the Gods, The Night Stalker, The Green Hornet, The Outer Limits)
Isaac Bashevis Singer b. 1902 died 24 July 1991 (author, The Golem, The Black Wedding, Satan in Goray)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, it was Alexander Siddig, and I would argue that when it comes to iconic genre roles, he's hard to beat. Not wanting to repeat, I could have gone with Harold Ramis from Ghostbusters, but I already did that when he died this year, or maybe Laurence Luckinbill from Star Trek V or if I was looking to attract the young people, Jena Malone has done some well known stuff. But as you can see, I was in an old school fabulous babe mood for the first time this week and chose Ingrid Pitt, Hammer Studios favorite female vampire. Complaints can be included in the comments, where they will be noted and logged... and frankly, ignored.


2. One role? Really? There were a lot of names on imdb.com that I recognized and decided to search and exactly one genre role showed up, sometimes in very substantial careers. I will admit that I knew what I was looking for with Laurence Luckinbill, Goldie Hawn and Cynthia Rhodes. I was just guessing with Robert Drivas, Marlo Thomas, Nicolette Sheridan and Rain Phoenix, but one role showed up and they are on the list.

3. Wait... he's dead? Wait... he's alive? Robert Drivas is best known for his role in Cool Hand Luke, one of the great trivia cast lists of all time. I didn't know he was gone. On the other hand, I didn't know Joseph Campanella was still with us and turned 90 this year. Many happy returns, Mr. Campanella!

4 A slightly camouflaged Canadian. Tamara Gorski showed up on a lot of 20th Century Canadian genre shows, but she also was on Angel and went to New Zealand to be on Hercules: The Legendary Journeys.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, with one more special nod to Joseph Campanella, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.


Movies released
The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1, released 2014
Rise of the Guardians, released 2012
Twilight, released 2008

Predictor: H. G. Wells in his 1902 book Anticipations

Prediction: So far as London, St. Petersburg, and Berlin go, it seems fairly safe to assume that they will go well over twenty millions; and that New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago will probably, and Hankow almost certainly, reach forty millions.

Reality: I love a population prediction, it makes the checking so easy. Young Herbert's crystal ball was completely off on every one of these and always on the way too high side.

London 8.3 mil
St. Petersburg 4.9 mil
Berlin 3.5 mil
New York 19.8 mil
Philadelphia 6.0 mil
Chicago 9.5 mil
Hankow (one of three cities now merged into Wuhan) 10.2 mil

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to 1893 and I have to admit, while we get the uncomfortable clothes, the predictions and facial hair are frankly disappointing.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

2 comments:

  1. "Ingrid Pitt, Hammer Studios favorite female vampire. Complaints can be included in the comments, where they will be noted and logged... and frankly, ignored."

    No complaints here. Impressive false eyelashes and (perhaps) a wig...maybe a 1970's version of turn-of-the-century whacky hair and uncomfortable fashions?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. "noted, logged, folded into quarters, buried in a peat bog for six months, dug up, burned, doused in urine, and filed in a locked cabinet located in the sub-basement, behind a door marked "Beware of Tiger""

      --inspired by Douglas Adams.

      Delete

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