31 May 2014

Birthdays
Richard Riddell b. 1984 (Penny Dreadful, The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus, Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire, Merlin)
Colin Farrell b. 1976 (Total Recall [2012], The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, Fright Night, Minority Report, Daredevil)
Lea Thompson b. 1961 (Left Behind, Back to the Future, SpaceCamp, Howard the Duck)
Chris Elliott b. 1960 (Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Groundhog Day, The Abyss, Hyperspace)
Tommy Hinkley b. 1960 (Angel, The Little Vampire, Star Trek: Generations, Watchers II, Something is Out There, The Terror Within)
Kyle Secor b. 1957 (American Horror Story, A Wrinkle in Time [TV], Eerie, Indiana)
Nikolai Sotirov b. 1956 (The Legend of Hercules [2014], Annihilation Earth, Star Runners, Boogeyman 3, Shark Attack 3: Megalodon, Dracula Rising)
Gregory Harrison b. 1950 (Galaxy Beat, Logan’s Run [TV], Wonder Woman)
Tom Berenger b. 1949 (Inception, Nightmares & Dreamscapes)
Jim Hutton b. 1934 died 2 June 1979 (Twilight Zone)
Clint Eastwood b. 1930 (Space Cowboys, Firefox, Tarantula, Revenge of the Creature)
Menahem Golan b. 1929 (producer, American Cyborg: Steel Warrior, Prison Planet, Captain America [1990], Night of the Living Dead [1990], Cyborg, Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Journey to the Center of the Earth [1988], Alien from L.A., Masters of the Universe, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Beauty and the Beast, Invaders from Mars, America 3000, Lifeforce)
Denholm Elliot b. 1922 died 6 October 1992 (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Underworld [1985], Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Boys from Brazil, The House That Dripped Blood, Mystery and Imagination [TV], The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Don Ameche b. 1908 died 6 December 1993 (Cocoon, Harry and the Hendersons)
Madge Blake b. 1899 died 19 February 1969 (Batman, Bewitched, The Addams Family)
George R. Stewart b. 1895 died 22 August 1980 (author, Earth Abides)

Madge Blake, Aunt Harriet from Batman, gets the nod in The Picture Slot today, yet another sign that this blog is written by a geezer. (I have to say, the room is certainly spacious enough for a stately manor, but couldn't a millionaire afford to by nicer furniture?) While Clint Eastwood is the biggest star on the list, his roles in the early sci-fi films are so short that if you blink you'll miss him. I also picked around in Menahem Golan's list of films. I wasn't aware that Superman IV was produced by Golan, since I didn't watch after the second one. It gives an idea of how far the franchise had fallen.

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

Predictor: author George Alfred Townsend (1841-1914), in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition

Prediction: Federalism must prevail. The citizens of wayward and poorer states will come in like the prodigal son. Excessive wealth ought to be taxed in its full proportion, but not more. For if you remove the stimulus of wealth, America is nothing.

We must nourish our peasantry, including our eight million blacks, for an empire without servants might almost be without homes or utensils.

Women's great triumph will be not to need the ballot, since their husbands already have the franchise. Perhaps old maids might be allowed to vote.

The federal government ought to be a strong power in our railways and ought to own the telegraphs. The world is interested in our becoming not a Christian so much as a humane and scientific empire.

Reality: Um... white male privilege much, George? Reading about four paragraphs is enough to make a person of nearly any political persuasion want to sock him in the nose.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Keeping an eye on a sports prediction made earlier this year.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

30 May 2014

Birthdays
Blake Bashoff b. 1981 (Lost, Charmed, Minority Report)
Rachel Stirling b. 1977 (Doctor Who, Snow White and the Huntsman)
Omri Katz b. 1976 (Hocus Pocus, Eerie, Indiana, Adventure in Dinosaur City)
Darren E. Scott b. 1972 (The Tomorrow People, Almost Human, Smallville, The 4400, Andromeda, Jeremiah, Dark Angel)
Duncan Jones b. 1971 (director, Source Code, Moon)
John Ross Bowie b. 1971 (The Big Bang Theory, Dark Minions, Heroes, Charmed)
Idina Menzel b. 1971 (Frozen, Enchanted)
Mark Sheppard b. 1964 (Supernatural, Warehouse 13, Mysterious Island, Doctor Who, Xtinction: Predator X, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, The Middleman, Bionic Woman [2007]. Jake 2.0, Deep Shock, Firelfly, Charmed, Megalodon, Lost Voyage, The Chronicle, Star Trek: Voyager, Sliders, M.A.N.T.I.S., The X-Files)
Kevin Eastman b. 1962 (writer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
James McGowan b. 1960 (Bitten, Total Recall [2012], Warriors of Terra, Mutant X)
Ted McGinley b. 1958 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Space Case)
Colm Meaney b. 1953 (Alice, Stargate: Atlantis, Zenon: Z3, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Stephen Toblowsky b. 1951 (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Heroes, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Lloyd in Space, The Day the World Ended, Roswell, Dead Last, Buffy, Groundhog Day, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Spaceballs, The Philadelphia Experiment)
Michael Piller b. 1948 died 11/1/2005 (writer, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Star Trek, Hard Time on Planet Earth)
Deanna Lund b. 1937 (Transylvania Twist, Superstition 2, Elves, The Incredible Hulk, Land of the Giants, Batman, Dimension 5)
Keir Dullea b. 1936 (Space Station 76, Alien Hunter, Witchblade, 2010, The Next One, Brain Waves, Brave New World, The Starlost, 2001: A Space Odyssey)
Ruta Lee b. 1935 (Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue, Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills, Mork & Mindy, Doomsday Machine, Twilight Zone, Adventures of Superman)
Clint Walker b. 1927 (The Serpent Warriors, Deadly Harvest, Snowbeast, Killdozer, Scream of the Wolf)
Hal Clement b. 1922 died 29 October 2003 (writer, Mission of Gravity, Star Light)
Franklin J. Schaffner b. 1920 died 2 July 1989 (director, The Boys from Brazil, Planet of the Apes)
Hugh Griffith b. 1912 died 14 May 1980 (Legend of the Werewolf, The Last Days of Man on Earth, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Abominable Dr. Phibes)
Mel Blanc b. 1908 died 10 July 1989 (over 1,000 credits, almost all voice work, most notable genre work, The Jetsons, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Duck Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century, The Phantom Tollbooth)
Howard Hawks b. 1896 died 26 December 1977 (director [uncredited], The Thing from Another World)

 Long list with some big names today. Last year I put Colm Meaney in the Picture Slot, certainly iconic, and this year it's Keir Dullea from 2001: A Space Odyssey. I'll be honest and admit I didn't love 2001. My favorite Kubrick film is Dr. Strangelove and I don't even care what my second favorite is. That said, 2001 is every bit as important as Twilight Zone, Star Trek and Star Wars is in the history of sci-fi on film. This was a time when a studio committed to making a big budget "serious" sci-fi film that wasn't aimed at kids in any way. Of the sci-fi made before this, I would say Fahrenheit 451 also qualifies, with Truffaut having the same kind of cache as Kubrick. The difference between them looking back now from nearly a half century is that 2001 is still considered iconic and Fahrenheit 451 is largely forgotten.

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

In the year 2000!
 
Predictor: Edward Bellamy in his 1888 novel Looking Backward (2000 to 1887)

Prediction: On 30 May 1887, Julian West falls into a coma, only to awaken in the Boston of the year 2000.

Reality: I don't want to make the prediction section of the blog a Greatest Hits collection. The stuff after the birthday list should feel as fresh as possible every day. But some of the predictions I think bear repeating, like a couple tips of the hat to George Orwell each year and a growing list of stuff from Back to the Future II leading up to 2015, the year it is supposed to take place. Edward Bellamy's Looking Backward also gets this kind of treatment, in part because it spawned a rash of books that came up with their version of the future in response to Bellamy's success and because writers for years after, including Orwell and H.G. Wells and Jack London, listed Bellamy as an influence, though they weren't often kind. (The book has no plot, it's just a list of marvels the future will bring.)

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Saturday means another trip back to 1893, this time with somewhat understated facial hair.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

29 May 2014

 Birthdays
Pamela Kwiatowski b. 1994 (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters)
Gregg Sulkin b. 1992 (Wizards of Waverly Place, The Sarah Jane Adventures, Man on the Moon [TV])
Anita Briem b. 1982 (Journey to the Center of the Earth, Doctor Who)
Elyas M’Barek b. 1982 (The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones)
Justin Chon b. 1981 (Twilight, Innocent Blood, Detention of the Dead)
Chris Violette b. 1981 (Bitten, Lost Girl, My Babysitter’s a Vampire, Diary of the Dead, Power Rangers S.P.D.)
Adam Brown b. 1980 (The Hobbitt)
Steve Cardenas b. 1974 (Mighty Morphin Power Rangers)
Adrian Paul b. 1959 (Abominable Snowman, Eyeborgs, Highlander, Charmed, The Breed, Dark Shadows [1991], War of the Worlds [TV], Masque of the Red Death, Beauty and the Beast)
Rupert Everett b. 1959 (Stardust, Shrek II and III, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe)
Wayne Duvall b. 1958 (Evolution, Seven Days, Timecop, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Apollo 13, The X-Files)
Annette Bening b. 1958 (What Planet Are You From?, Mars Attacks!)
Ted Levine b. 1957 (The Hills Have Eyes, Evolution, From the Earth to the Moon)
Cotter Smith b. 1949 (Revolution, 666 Park Avenue, Invasion, X-Men 2, Invader [1996], The Twilight Zone [1986])
Robert Axelrod b. 1949 (Bite Me, Power Rangers Time Force, The Blob [1988], Alien Private Eye, Alice in Wonderland [1985])
Nick Mancuso b. 1948 (Rise of the Gargoyles, Saurian, Mutant X, Total Recall 2070, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension)
Anthony Geary b. 1947 (Project U.F.O., The Amazing Captain Nemo, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Kevin Conway b. 1942 (Dark Angel, Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Paul R. Ehrlich b. 1932 (author, The Population Bomb)
Clifton James b. 1921 (Monsters, Superman II, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Werewolf of Washington)
Sebastian Shaw b. 1905 died 23 December 1994 (Return of the Jedi)

Okay, I'll admit it. I don't know the work of anyone on this list younger than Rupert Everett, but they had genre credits listed on imdb.com, so here they are. Last year I had the picture of Sebastian Shaw as the ghost of Anakin Skywalker from the un-remastered Return of the Jedi, but this year the Picture Slot goes to Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich, who gets my vote as the worst of our regular predictors, even less accurate than Ray Kurzweil. I can make a positive statement about Dr. Ehrlich, at least from this picture.

Nice facial hair, doc.

Many happy returns to the living on the list and to Sebastian Shaw, at least you were dead when they made you a non-person.


Movies released
Up released 2009

Predictor: Dr. Paul R. Ehrlich from his 1968 bestseller The Population Bomb

Prediction: From page 161 of the paperback version: "The Paddocks deserve immense credit for their courage and foresight in publishing Famine – 1975!, which may be remembered as one of the most important books of our age."

Reality: This book has pretty much the same message as Ehrlich's, but it has been forgotten for the most part because it was 100% wrong in its conclusions. Searching for it in local library catalogs, it can't be found in the public libraries of San Francisco, Oakland or Berkeley, but it is in the UC Berkeley library.

This is the last prediction from The Population Bomb, but I found a couple more public predictions from Ehrlich not in the book, so he gets a few more weeks before he returns to the ash heap of history.  

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another interruption of our weekly schedule, this one based on an exact date from a speculative fiction novel.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

28 May 2014

Birthdays
Jacob Kogan b. 1995 (The Tomorrow People, Star Trek [reboot])
Carey Mulligan b. 1985 (Never Let Me Go, Doctor Who)
Megalyn Echikunwoke b. 1983 (The 4400, Supernatural, Buffy, Sheena, Creature)
Alexa Davalos b. 1982 (Clash of the Titans, The Mist, The Chronicles of Riddick, Angel)
Monica Keena b. 1979 (Night of the Demons, Freddy vs. Jason, The Devil’s Advocate, Snow White: A Tale of Terror)
Jesse Bradford b. 1979 (Clockstoppers)
Kate Ashfield b. 1972 (Shaun of the Dead)
Glenn Quinn b. 1970 died 3 December 2002 (Angel)
Kylie Minogue b. 1968 (Doctor Who, Street Fighter)
Ashley Laurence b. 1966 (Hellraiser, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Christa Miller b. 1964 (The Andromeda Strain [2008], Clone High)
Julie T. Wallace b. 1961 (Speed Racer, Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible, The Fifth Element, Time Riders)
Townsend Coleman b. 1954 (The Tick)
Sandy Helberg b. 1949 (Mortal Kombat, Spaceballs)
Patricia Quinn b. 1944 (Doctor Who, The Box of Delights, Shock Treatment, Hawk the Slayer, Hammer House of Horror, Beauty and the Beast [TV], The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Zelda Rubenstein b. 1943 died 27 January 2010 (Southland Tales, Wishcraft, Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights, Little Witches, Timemaster, Tales from the Crypt, Teen Witch, Poltergeist)
Shane Rimmer b. 1932 (Dark Shadows [2012], Alien Autopsy, Mee-Shee: The Water Giant, Batman Begins, The War of the Starfighters, Space Truckers, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court, Year of the Comet, Space Police, Morons from Outer Space, Space, The Hunger, Superman II, Warlords of the Deep, Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, Space: 1999, Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Rollerball, UFO, Doctor Who)
Ian Fleming b. 1908 died 12 August 1964 (author, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang)

If the first criterion is iconic roles, today's Picture Slot belongs to Zelda Rubenstein from the Poltergeist series of movies and TV. But for me, today's list highlighted my fickle relationship with voice acting work. I usually do not list voice work done by actors on my list, though I did include the narration of Thriller by Vincent Price yesterday. Townsend Coleman does a lot of voice work, but because of my particular interests, I only list his favorite role of mine as the lead on The Tick. Shane Rimmer is a Canadian Oh That Guy, but Google says he is best known for his voice work on Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's Thunderbirds Are Go!, which I didn't list. My rules about voice work are in place mostly to keep from typing all morning, but I readily admit that "rules" is a poor description of how I do the selection process when it comes to voice work and "idiosyncratic pickiness" is a more apt description.

And while on the topic of idiosyncratic behavior, I only include Ian Fleming's name since it has been so long since I used the Flying Cars HELLZ YEAH label.

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

 
Movies released
The Day After Tomorrow released 2004

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in A Hundred years Hence, published in 1905

Prediction: Every forward step in medicine serves to save alive some weakling that in a less advanced civilisation would die; and these survivors, possibly propagating their species, will have weak descendants, on whom whatever possibility of disease continues to exist will certainly fasten.

Reality: For a guy who calls himself an optimist, Russell is kind of an asshole sometimes. Getting rid of diseases like TB, polio and the childhood ailments like measles and chicken pox hasn't weakened the gene pool, it's just cut down on the amount of random death and disability from an otherwise healthy population. I'm giving zero points for this creepy old fashioned stuff.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We re-arrange the regular weekly schedule for a birthday boy.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

27 May 2014

Birthdays
Bella Heathcote b. 1987 (Dark Shadows [2012], In Time)
Ben Feldman b. 1980 (Cloverfield, Them [2007])
Paul Bettany b. 1971 (The Avengers: Age of Ultron, Transcendence, Iron Man, Legion)
Joseph Fiennes b. 1970 (Hercules [2014], Amercan Horror Story, Camelot [2011], FlashForward)
Eddie McClintock b. 1967 (Warehouse 13, Boogeyman)
Linnea Quigley b. 1958 (A whole mess of low-budget stuff. Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama and Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers are typical examples. Not gonna type it all up.)
Richard Schiff b. 1955 (Man of Steel, Roswell, Doctor Dolittle, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Volcano, The Arrival, Special Report: Journey to Mars, Tank Girl)
Ken Lerner b. 1948 (The Big Bang Theory, They Crawl, Godzilla [1998], Buffy, The Exorcist III, RoboCop2, Project X, Twilight Zone, The Greatest American Hero)
Bruce Weitz b. 1943 (My Apocalypse, Dinocroc, Deep Impact, The X-Files, Lois & Clark, Highlander, The Twilight Zone [1989])
Louis Gossett Jr. b. 1936 (Stargate SG-1, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Legend of the Mummy, The Punisher, Enemy Mine, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Invaders)
Lee Meriwether b. 1935 (Wizards of Waverly Place, The Munsters Today, Time Express, The Immortal, Land of the Giants, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, Batman, Batman: The Movie, 4D Man)
Harlan Ellison b. 1934 (writer, Babylon 5, Twilight Zone [1980s], The Starlost, A Boy and His Dog, Star Trek, The Outer Limits, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Sir Christopher Lee b. 1922 (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, Dark Shadows [2012], Hugo, The Season of the Witch, Alice in Wonderland, Star Wars, The Golden Compass, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Sleepy Hollow [movie], Tale of the Mummy, The Odyssey [TV], The Tomorrow People, Curse III: Blood Sacrifice, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Howling II:… Your Sister is a Werewolf, The Return of Captain Invincible, Captain America II: Death Too Soon, Return from Witch Mountain, Starship Invasions, The End of the World, Dracula and Son, To the Devil a Daughter, Space: 1999, The Wicker Man, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, Poor Devil, The Creeping Flesh, Dark Places, Horror Express, Dracula A.D. 1972, I Monster, The House that Dripped Blood, Scars of Dracula, Taste the Blood of Dracula, Count Dracula, Scream and Scream Again, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave, Blood Fiend, Island of the Burning Damned, Psycho-Circus, Dracula: Prince of Darkness, The Skull, She, Dr. Terrors House of Horrors, The Gorgon, Castle of the Living Dead, Crypt of the Vampire, Hercules in the Haunted World, Scream of Fear, The Hands of Orlac, The Two Faces of Dr. Jekyll, The Mummy, Horror of Dracula, The Curse of Frankenstein)
Vincent Price b. 1911 died 25 October 1993 (Edward Scissorhands, The Offspring, Bloodbath at the House of Death, Thriller [narrator], House of the Long Shadows, Hansel and Gretel [TV], The Monster Club, Time Express, The Bionic Woman, Journey Into Fear, Theatre of Blood, The Aries Computer, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, The Cry of the Banshee, An Evening of Edgar Allan Poe, Scream and Scream Again, The Oblong Box, More Dead Than Alive, Witchfinder General, Batman, House of 1,000 Dolls, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Tomb of Ligeia, The Masque of the Red Death, The Last Man on Earth, The Comedy of Terrors, Twice Told Tales, The Haunted Palace, Diary of a Madman, The Raven Pit and the Pendulum, Master of the World, House of Usher, The Bat, The Tingler, Return of the Fly, The Fly, House of Wax, The Invisible Man Returns)


In my morning research routine, I always check the Internet Speculative Fiction Database for birthdays. They include a lot of writers not usually considered genre and often I don't include them on my list, especially if they are there for what we would consider ghost stories or magical realism or straight science writing. The folks who celebrate birthdays today that didn't make my permanent birthday list include Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), Rachel Carson (1907-1964), John Cheever (1912-1982), Herman Wouk (born 1915 and still alive!) and Tony Hillerman (1925-2008). That's a hell of a lot of names that didn't have to be explained to me.

Regular readers who read yesterday's post knew that after Peter Cushing was in the Picture Slot yesterday, Sir Christopher Lee would definitely be there today. I figured that would be my decision for every May 26th and 27th for as long as I write the blog, but then... Vincent Price.

I frickin' love Vincent Price. Lee and Price aren't exactly pretty, but they are very tall and masculine and I think they both look great and still looked great as older men. I also love them as actors. I have to admit the amount of typing I willingly did looking through their credits made me lazy when I got to scream queen Linnea Quigley. I hope no relatives of Ms. Quigley stop by to see the short shrift I gave her. Maybe next year I'll get around to typing in all her credits, but it's a lot of direct to video stuff.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the late Vincent Price, thanks for all the memories, from a fan.

Predictor: Geoffrey Hoyle in his 1972 children's book 2010: Living in the Future

Prediction: All foodstuffs are delivered at night from the supermarket in an electric truck. You order your food on a vision phone. When satisfied with your order, you dial your bank number and an electronic version of your thumbprint identifies you as the owner of the account.

Reality: Close but no cigar on this one. Online groceries make sense, but they didn't catch on quite as much as was hoped. One of the problems is how many people have to work and getting deliveries on schedule would be problematic. Hoyle has the "vision phone" as the technology used instead of the home computer, which he also predicts will be a major part of life in the 21st Century, as we will see in future predictions. Our banks don't need our electronic thumbprints, though that technology is used in other settings.

It's like he saw all the jigsaw puzzles pieces, but didn't construct them quite correctly

Looking one day... INTO THE FUTURE!

Again we hear from our friend in 1905 T. Baron Russell.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

26 May 2014

Birthdays
Astrid Berges-Frisbey b. 1986 (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)
Ashley Bell b. 1986 (The Walking Dead)
T.J. Ramini b. 1975 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Arrow, Batman Begins)
Nicki Aycox b. 1975 (BlackBoxTV, Supernatural, The X Files: I Want to Believe, Momentum, Dark Angel, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Weird Science [TV])
Helena Bonham Carter b. 1966 (Through the Looking Glass [2016], Cinderella [2015], Dark Shadows [2012], Harry Potter, Terminator Salvation, Big Fish, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Planet of the Apes [2001], Merlin [1998], Frankenstein [1994])
Musette Vander b. 1963 (Planet Raptor, Forbidden Warrior, Mansquito, Stargate SG-1, The Cell, Xena, Star Trek: Voyager, Mortal Kombat: Annihilation, Babylon 5, Buffy, The Dark Mist, Oblivion, Monolith, Super Force)
Tarsem Singh b. 1961 (director, Mirror Mirror, Immortals, The Cell)
Doug Hutchinson b. 1960 (Lost, Punisher: War Zone, The Green Mile, Millennium, Batman & Robin, Space: Above and Beyond, The X-Files, The Lawnmower Man)
Margaret Colin b. 1958 (Independence Day)
Lisa Niemi b. 1956 (Super Force, Steel Dawn, Max Headroom)
Donald Losby b. 1951 (Lost in Space, Twilight Zone)
Pam Grier b. 1949 (Mars Attacks!, Smallville, The Adventures of Pluto Nash, Ghosts of Mars, Escape from L.A., Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, Class of 1999, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Scream Blacula Scream, The Twilight People)
Janet Morris b. 1946 (author, Heroes in Hell, Thieves' World)
James Arness b. 1923 died 3 June 2011 (Them!, The Thing from Another World, Two Lost Worlds)
Roy Dotrice b. 1923 (Game of Thrones, Hellboy II, Angel, Alien Hunter, Sliders, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Babylon 5, Earth 2, Beauty and the Beast, Alien Attack, Space: 1999)
Peter Cushing b. 1913 died 11 August 1994 (The Mystery on Monster Island, Star Wars, Land of the Minotaur, At the Earth's Core, Space: 1999, The Ghoul, Legend of the Werewolf, Tender Dracula, The Legend of the 7 Golden Vampires, From Beyond the Grave, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Beast Must Die, The Creeping Flash, Horror Express, Dr. Phibes Rises Again, Dracula A.D. 1972, Tales from the Crypt [1972], I, Monster, Twins of Evil, The House That Dripped Blood, The Vampire Lovers, Bloodsuckers, Scream and Scream Again, Frankenstein Must Be Destroyed, The Blood Beast Terror, Island of the Burning Damned, Frankenstein Created Woman, Daleks' Invasion Earth 2150 A.D., Island of Terror, Dr. Who and the Daleks, The Skull, She, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, The Gorgon, The Evil of Frankenstein, The Man Who Finally Died, The Brides of Dracula, The Mummy, The Revenge of Frankenstein, Horror of Dracula, The Abominable Snowman, The Curse of Frankenstein)

I really thought about Helena Bonham Carter and Pam Grier for the Picture Slot, but... Peter Cushing. Besides his very, very long C.V., tomorrow's birthday list will make it clear why May 26th and 27th are always going to be the same guys. I did choose a different picture than last year, one from his stint as Doctor Who in the movies, work that is considered non-canon by true Who fans.(I'll admit it. I don't completely understand the folks who are into the 20th versions of The Doctor.)

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

Movies Released
X-Men: The Last Stand released 2006

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published in 1982

Prediction: Cloning, a science-fiction fantasy of the 1970s, could become a reality as early as the 1990s.

Reality: The cloned sheep Dolly was born in 1996. We might think of ourselves as advanced far beyond sheep, but the technology to clone humans wouldn't be much more complicated. The thing is, no biotechnology creeps people out more than cloning. Cloning is illegal in the United States, Canada, the European Union and several other countries around the world.

And beyond that, exactly what pressing problem does it solve? We have plenty of people and the standard method of reproduction is still remarkably effective and popular. As much as I love the show Orphan Black, I don't think this is something we have to worry about in the near future.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

When you think Peter Cushing, you also think... tomorrow's birthday boy.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

25 May 2014

Birthdays
Esme Bianco b. 1982 (Game of Thrones, Chemical Wedding)
Brandy Kopp b. 1982 (Goblin, Smallville, Supernatural, Stargate: Atlantis, The 4400, The Butterfly Effect, Strange Frequency)
Cillian Murphy b. 1976 (Transcendence, Batman [Christopher Nolan series], In Time, TRON: Legacy, Inception, 28 Days Later...)
Eli Craig b. 1972 (director, Zombieland [TV], Tucker & Dale vs. Evil)
Olivia Spencer b. 1970 (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Halloween II, Dollhouse, Big Bang Theory, Wizards of Waverly Place, Spider-Man, The Chronicle, What Planet Are You From?, Being John Malcovich, The X-Files)
Neil Marshall b. 1970 (director, Game of Thrones, Constantine, Doomsday)
Anne Heche b. 1969 (Toxic Skies, Volcano)
Poppy Z. Brite b. 1967 (writer, The Crow, Lost Souls)
Ray Stevenson b. 1964 (Divergent, Thor, The Book of Eli, Punisher: War Zone, G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
Bob Gale b. 1951 (writer, Back to the Future, Kolchak: The Night Stalker)
Barry Windsor-Smith b. 1949 (artist, Dr. Strange, Conan the Barbarian)
Frank Oz b. 1944 (Star Wars, Zathura: A Space Adventure, Muppets from Space, Labyrinth, director, The Dark Crystal, Little Shop of Horrors, The Indian in the Cupboard, The Stepford Wives [2004])
Sir Ian McKellen b. 1939 (The Hobbit, X-Men, Lord of the Rings, The Five(ish) Doctors Reboot, Doctor Who, The Prisoner (reboot), The Golden Compass, Stardust, Neverwas, The Shadow, Last Action Hero, The Keep)
Ann Robinson b. 1935 (War of the Worlds [2005], War of the Worlds (TV), Rocky Jones: Space Ranger, The War of the Worlds [1953])
Sarah Marshall b. 1933 died 18 January 2014 (Twilight Zone, Star Trek)
Claude Akins b. 1926 died 27 January 1994 (Eerie, Indiana, Monster in the Closet, Tarantulas: The Deadly Cargo, Tentacles, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, Twilight Zone, Adventures of Superman)

For the past few weeks, I've given the Picture Slot to actors from Game of Thrones, but the lovely Esme Bianco had the slot last year and I understand Sir Ian has a new movie coming out. My other top choices that might get a chance next year are Barry Windsor-Smith, my favorite comic book artist when I was a teen, and Yoda, who is voiced by Frank Oz.

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

Movies released
MIB 3 released, 2012
Back to the Future: Part III released, 1990
Star Wars: Episode VI – Return of the Jedi released, 1983
Star Wars released, 1977 (before we knew it was Episode IV)

Can you imagine what it would have been like if Star Wars had been released as Episode IV? We would have been so excited to see the first three. At least we avoided that future disappointment for a short while.

TOWEL DAY! Have you considered recently how useful a towel can be? Today is officially the day to do so.

Predictor: Philip K Dick in To Serve the Master, published in 1956

Prediction: The first robot is built in 1979. By 2000, all routine work was done by robots.

Reality: Well, with PKD, reality is always a little trickier than it looks. We've had things we've called robots for a while now, but they don't do all routine work. In the story, these dates and fact are spoken by an android in the far future who might not be the most reliable witness. Damn sneaky androids!

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

24 May 2014

Birthdays
Naomi Ryan b. 1977 (Doctor Who)
Dash Mihok b. 1974 (Punisher: War Zone, I Am Legend, The Day After Tomorrow)
Greg Berlanti b. 1972 (writer, The Flash, Arrow, The Tomorrow People, Wrath of the Titans, Green Lantern, No Ordinary Family)
John C. Reilly b. 1965 (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Michael Chabon b. 1963 (won 2008 Hugo and Nebula for The Yiddish Policeman’s Union)
Kristin Scott Thomas b. 1960 (The Golden Compass, Code 46, Gulliver’s Travels)
Doug Jones b. 1960 (Hellboy, The Strain, Teen Wolf [TV], Falling Skies, The Watch, Dragon Age: Redemption, Fallout: Nuka Break, The Guild, Legion, Super Capers: The origins of Ed and the Missing Bullion, Quarantine, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Lady in the Water, Pan’s Labyrinth, Doom, Men in Black II, The Time Machine, Side Effects, Alien Hunter, Monkeybone, Buffy, Mystery Men, Bug Buster, Mimic, Tank Girl, Batman Returns, Warriors of Virtue, Galgameth)
Alfred Molina b. 1953 (Spider-Man 2, Ladyhawke, Raiders of the Lost Ark)
Nell Campbell b. 1953 (Shock Treatment, The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Jim Broadbent b. 1949 (Cloud Atlas, Harry Potter, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Chronicles of Narnia, Comic Relief: Doctor Who – The Curse of Fatal Death, Smilla’s Feeling for Snow, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Brazil, Time Bandits, Erik the Viking)
Sybill Danning b. 1947 (Virus X, The Lair, Grindhouse, Superboy, The Phantom Empire, Amazon Women on the Moon, Warrior Queen, Howling II: … Your Sister is a Werewolf, V, Hercules [1983], Battle Beyond the Stars, Meteor)
Carmine Infantino b. 1925 died 4 April 2013 (illustrator, DC Comics)
Lilli Palmer b. 1914 died 27 January 1986 (The Boys from Brazil)

Lots of good choices for the Picture Slot. For movie stars, we have John C. Reilly, Alfred Molina, Jim Broadbent and Kristin Scott Thomas, who would also qualify as a fabulous babe, as would all the women on the list. Nell Campbell would also work as for iconic work in Rocky Horror Picture Show as Columbia. But all that woulda, coulda, shoulda stuff was superseded this year by Doug Jones, a tall thin actor who has spent much of his career inside costumes or under a lot of make-up, like this stuff from the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode Hush as one of The Gentlemen.

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

Movies released
Epic released, 2013

Predictor: Pastor Moncure D. Conway, giving his vision of the future in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago.

Prediction: A new theology must arise. Whatever traditional dogmas it may preserve, it will surrender those that imply divine sanction of Biblical cruelties and of the like in nature. Humanitarian religion is an incarnation like that which once led the suffering world to worship goodness and love on the cross, rather than a loveless omnipotence.

Reality: Okay, let's start with the facial hair. Pretty awesome, right?

Also, the first name Moncure. I'd never heard it before. I thought it was possible that I just don't get out much, but searching on Google only finds guys like Pastor Conway born in the 19th Century. Moncure as a first name has gone the way of the passenger pigeon.

Conway was a very liberal preacher, most noted as an abolitionist. Certainly, liberal theology still exists and he doesn't say it will stand alone. I'm going to give him a passing grade here, out of the goodness of my heart.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Instead of nuclear war, we get a prediction from Philip K. Dick of a wonderful world of robots and leisure... okay, that ends in a nuclear conflagration.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

23 May 2014

Birthdays
Devin Douglas Drewitz b. 1989 (Smallville, X-Men 2, Taken, Jeremiah, Dark Angel)
D.J. Cotrona b. 1980 (From Dusk Till Dawn [TV], G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
H. Jon Benjamin b. 1966 (The Venture Bros, Lucy: Daughter of the Devil)
Melissa McBride b. 1965 (The Walking Dead, The Mist, American Gothic, Mutant Species)
Patricia and Cyb Barnstable b. 1951 (Quark)
Joan Collins b. 1933 (Star Trek, Faerie Tale Theatre, Future Cop, The Fantastic Journey, Space: 1999, Batman)
Barbara Barrie b. 1931 (Tucker’s Witch, The Invaders, Twilight Zone)
James Blish b. 1921 died 29 July 1975 (won 1959 Hugo for A Case Of Conscience)
Scatman Crothers b. 1910 died 22 November 1986 (Twilight Zone: The Movie, Deadly Eyes, Zapped!, The Shining, The Incredible Hulk, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Bewitched)

Not a long list today and it betrays at least one of my quirks. I don't count work in animation in general, but I make an exception for The Venture Bros., one of my favorite shows of any kind this century. James Blish got the Picture Slot last year, but this year it goes to Joan Collins from her well-known role on Star Trek, here pictured with an uncredited Canadian actor.

I kid. I'm a kidder.

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

Predictor: Dr. Paul Ehrlich from his 1968 book The Population Bomb

Prediction: We will be using 600 billion gallons of water a day by 1984 in U.S.

Reality: Water usage peaked in 1980 at around 400 billion gallons per day, give or take 30 billion, In the mid 1980s, it was down to   370 billion gallons ± 30 billion.

Numerically, this prediction really stinks and it shows Ehrlich's big weakness, the love for the worst case scenario. He expected water usage to double from the late 1960s to the mid 1980s, when in reality it went up about 10%. He never assumes there will be any technological progress and that growth rates will never stabilize or shrink. The reduction in growth rates has been the big story of the past half century.

This brings us once again to the current day analogy. If an "expert" like Ehrlich could have been so wrong about the effects of population growth, can't the eggheads who warn about climate change be just as wrong? It is my assumption that the answer is yes, they could be. But it is also possible that they are on the money or even erring on the conservative side.

The big difference I see now is the level of contempt the right wing has for any environmental concerns. When Ehrlich wrote The Population Bomb, Lake Erie was a dead zone, but government and industry working together made improvements and the fishing industry returned. Now, climate change is threatening Lake Erie just as much as pollution did back in the 1960s. Will business and government work together again, or will the interests of the fossil fuel industry trump everything else? I wish I could be an optimist. Reading the clumsy pessimism of Paul Ehrlich should give me cause for hope, but I get this nagging feeling that this time, it's worse.

Happy Friday!

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Facial hair? Oh, yes. And a 19th Century first name I have never before. And a prediction to boot!

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

22 May 2014

 Birthdays
Tao Okamoto b. 1985 (Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, The Wolverine)
Lucy Gordon b. 1980 died 20 May 2009 (Spider-Man 3)
Maggie Q b. 1979 (Divergent, Priest)
Ginnifer Goodwin b. 1978 (Once Upon a Time)
Noa Tisby b. 1977 (Charmed, The Island, The 4400, Star Trek: Enterprise)
Max Brooks b. 1972 (author, World War Z)
Michael Kelly b. 1969 (Chronicle, The Adjustment Bureau, Fringe, Level 9)
Mark Christopher Lawrence b. 1964 (Halloween II, Heroes, The Island, K-PAX, Planet of the Apes, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Terminator 2: Judgment Day)
David Schneider b. 1963 (28 Days Later…)
Gary Sweet b. 1957 (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
Mike Muscat b. 1952 (The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Last Action Hero, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Starman [TV], The Clan of the Cave Bear)
Cheryl Campbell b. 1949 (The Sarah Jane Adventures)
Michael Sarrazin b. 1940 died 17 April 2011 (Feardotcom, Arrival II, Earthquake in New York, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Frankenstein: The True Story)
Paul Winfield b. 1939 died 7 March 2004 (Mars Attacks!, White Dwarf, Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Charmings, The Terminator, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Twilight’s Last Gleaming)
Richard Benjamin b. 1938 (actor, Love at First Bite, Quark, Westworld, director, My Stepmother is an Alien)
John Nolan b. 1938 (Batman Begins, The Dark Knight Rises, 1990, Doomwatch, The Prisoner)
Quinn Martin b. 1922 died 5 September 1987 (producer, The Aliens Are Coming, The Mephisto Waltz, The Invaders)
Laurence Olivier b. 1907 died 11 July 1989 (Clash of the Titans, Dracula [1979], The Boys from Brazil)
Arthur Conan Doyle b. 1859 died 7 July 1930 (author, The Lost World)

 When it comes to iconic roles on this list, my top two would be Olivier as Zeus in Clash of the Titans or Paul Winfield as Captain Dathon in the episode Darmok. I chose the one I liked better. I'm sure I read the news when it happened, but I was surprised to find that both Paul Winfield and Michael Sarrazin are dead.

Many happy returns to the living on the list and to the dead, Darmok and Jalad, watching old movies.

Movies released
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull released, 2008
Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian released, 2009

In the year 2000!

Predictor: Lee de Forest, "The Father of Radio", predicting the world of 2000 in the 17 January 1960 edition of the Sunday supplement American Weekly.

Prediction: Nuclear energy will be a practical power source for industry, autos, ships, missiles, trains, and planes. One "shot" of atomic fuel will last years. even decades. A single atomic battery will produce all the electricity needed for years in homes or factories in isolated regions.

Reality: Take de Forest away from his field of communications and his track record is pretty bad, as in almost at Paul Ehrlich levels of stink. He's right about atomic energy on ships - at least in the Navy - but autos, missiles, trains and planes... not so much. One little slip-up and your home or factory will be in a really isolated region for a couple of decades.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Speaking of Paul Ehrlich levels of bad, we still have a few more swings and misses from the so-called expert.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

21 May 2014

Birthdays
Fairuza Balk b. 1974 (The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Worst Witch, Return to Oz, The Craft)
Brett Tucker b. 1972 (Thor: The Dark World, Legend of the Seeker, The Lost World, Thunderstone)
Nick Cassavetes b. 1959 (The Astronaut’s Wife, Quantum Leap, The Wraith)
Judge Reinhold b. 1957 (Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Betaville, Mindstorm, Big Monster on Campus, Puss in Boots, NetForce, Special Report: Journey to Mars, Adventures in Wonderland, Vice Versa, Gremlins, Wonder Woman)
Al Franken b. 1951 (From the Earth to the Moon, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Superman 50th Anniversary)
Richard Hatch b. 1945 (After Hell, The Guild, Battlestar Galactica, InAlienable, Prisoners of the Lost Universe, The Sixth Sense)
David Groh b. 1939 died 12 February 2008 (Evilution, Black Scorpion, The X-Files, Last Exit to Earth, M.A.N.T.I.S., Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Dark Shadows [TV])
Ross Hagen b. 1938 died 7 May 2011 (Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds, Dinosaur Island, Droid Gunner, Time Wars, Alienator, Night Creature, The Invaders, Captain Nice)
Richard Libertini b. 1933 (Supernatural, House of Frankenstein [1997], Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Lois & Clark, The Twilight Zone [1986], Popeye, Tabitha, The Bionic Woman)
Rick Jason b. 1923 died 16 October 2000 (Automan, Manimal, Wonder Woman)
Raymond Burr b. 1917 died 12 September 1993 (Godzilla 1985, The Return, Godzilla [1977], Godzilla, King of the Monsters! [1956])

This is an unusual list. Fairuza Balk, clearly qualifying on the fabulous babe criterion for the Picture Slot, is the youngest person on the list at 40. Usually there are a lot of actors from recent genre movies and TV born after 1980, but not today. A lot of the actors are well enough known but with only a smattering of sci-fi and fantasy. Last year the Picture Slot went to Richard Hatch, and I could have gone with Ross Hagen as a salute to cheese, but instead in tribute to this weekend's box office giant, it's Raymond Burr from the original Godzilla, a movie now sixty years old.

Completely non-genre story about Rick Jason, a great looking actor who starred on Combat! before he started a long career on the soaps. Robert Altman directed a few episodes of the first season of Combat! and has commentary tracks on the DVD. Altman has a lot of praise for Vic Morrow, the other star of the series. Morrow was always asking questions and making suggestions, keenly interested in the performance and the process. Altman's quote about Jason: "Rick usually asked me how his hair looked."

Many happy returns to the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories. (And Rick... your hair looked great!)

Movies released
Shrek Forever After released, 2010
Terminator Salvation released, 2009
Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back released, 1980

Predictor: Stephen Rose, Imperial College London

Prediction: Within a year, we will have created matter from light energy.

Reality: This could be pretty cool, but it's a long way away from the replicator on Star Trek. The amount of material created will be on the microscopic level and more than that, I get the feeling that when a physicist says "we can do that in a year", it's the equivalent of a programmer saying, "oh yeah, that's a two week project." Even still, I wish them all the best.

(Photo nicked from the website HowStuffWorks)

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Let's hear from Dr. Lee de Forest again. He was really good on communications predictions, but has kinda sucked on the other stuff. He can't keep striking out, can he?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

20 May 2014

Birthdays
Jack Gleeson b. 1992 (Game of Thrones, Batman Begins, Reign of Fire)
Chad Connell b. 1983 (Beauty and the Beast, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Lost Girl, Warehouse 13, ReGenesis)
Matt Czuchry b. 1977 (Jake 2.0, Eight Legged Freaks)
Tahmoh Penikett b. 1975 (Supernatural, Continuum, Man of Steel, Arrow, Haven, Riverworld, Dollhouse, Battlestar Galactica, Smallville, Stargate SG-1, Dark Angel)
Timothy Olyphant b. 1968 (I am Number Four, Dreamcatcher)
Stephanie Niznik b. 1967 (Lost, Star Trek: Enterprise, Spiders II: Breeding Ground, Star Trek: Insurrection, Sliders, Apollo 11)
John Billingsley b. 1960 (True Blood, 2012, The Man from Earth, Star Trek: Enterprise, Angel, Stargate SG-1, The X-Files)
Tony Goldwyn b. 1960 (Divergent, The 6th Day, From the Earth to the Moon, Vault of Horror I, Tales from the Crypt, Ghost, Jason Lives: Friday the 13th Part VI)
Bronson Pinchot b. 1959 (Meego, 3rd Rock From the Sun)
Matt McCoy b. 1958 (Abominable, Carnivale, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Little Bigfoot, The Apocalypse, Bigfoot: The Unforgettable Encounter, Star Trek: The Next Generation, DeepStar Six)
Jon Amiel b. 1948 (director, Once Upon a Time, The Core)
Cher b. 1946 (The Witches of Eastwick)
Anthony Zerbe b. 1936 (Veritas, Prince of Truth, Matrix Reloaded, Matrix Revolutions, Total Recall 2070, Star Trek: Insurrection, Asteroid [TV], The Dead Zone, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, The Omega Man)
James McEachin b. 1930 (2010, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Bionic Woman, The Invisible Man, The Sixth Sense)
David Hedison b. 1927 (Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, Knight Rider, Project U.F.O., Wonder Woman, The Cat Creature, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Lost World, The Fly)
Gardner Fox b. 1911 died 24 December 1986 (writer, DC Comics)

Oopsie! Should I have written SPOILER ALERT! before posting a picture of actor Jack Gleeson enjoying everybody's favorite scene he was in on Game of Thrones? Ah well, for those of you who haven't read the books and are waiting to catch up on the TV show, there's one more person who sat on the Iron Throne who won't be sitting on it any longer.

I would argue there is one movie star on the list, Cher, and she's not really a genre star. As for the other folks on the list who make their living in front of the camera, it's largely a collection of TV stars or Oh That Guys, some whose careers are somewhere in between.

Many happy returns to the living on the list and to our one deceased birthday boy Gardner Fox, thanks for all the memories.

Movies released
Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides released, 2011

Predictor: Author Geoffrey Hoyle in his 1972 children's book 2010: Living in the Future

Prediction: All the cooking is done automatically. It is controlled electronically by a small built-in computer. There is a control panel that looks like a typewriter. To order breakfast, you spell out what you want on the control panel. All kitchenware is disposable. Multiple ovens for cooking and keeping things warm.

Reality: We've had a lot of automated kitchen stuff, so Hoyle is not only inaccurate, he's also not original. It's also a little odd that in his world where room is so scarce that bathtubs and chairs don't exist, there is room to make everything disposable and energy enough for multiple ovens.

You didn't think this one all the way through, didya Geoff?

Looking one day ahead...INTO THE FUTURE!

We interrupt our regular schedule for a bold prediction ripped from the headlines.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

19 May 2014

Birthdays
Elinor Tomlinson b. 1992 (Deadly Code, Jack the Giant Slayer, Alice in Wonderland [2010], The Sarah Jane Adventures)
Lily Cole b. 1988 (Snow White and the Huntsman, Doctor Who)
Claudia Karvan b. 1972 (Star Wars:Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Farscape, The Lost World [TV], Strange Planet)
Geraldine Somerville b. 1967 (Harry Potter)
Polly Walker b. 1966 (John Carter, Warehouse 13, Caprica, Clash of the Titans [2010])
Grace Jones b. 1946 (Wolf Girl, BeastMaster [TV], Cyber Bandits, Vamp, Conan the Destroyer)
Andre the Giant b. 1946 died 27 January 1993 (The Princess Bride, Conan the Destroyer, The Greatest American Hero, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Peter Mayhew b. 1944 (Star Wars, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Dark Towers)
James Fox b. 1939 (Merlin, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Doctor Who: Shada, Gulliver’s Travels [1996], The Road to 1984)
Pat Roach b. 1937 died 17 July 2004 (Starhunter, Kull the Conqueror, Space Precinct, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Willow, Red Sonja, Conan the Destroyer, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Clash of the Titans, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Unidentified Flying Oddball)
James Greene b. 1931 (Doctor Who, Merlin, Dracula [2006 TV], Dinotopia, From Hell, 1990)
Bruce Bilson b. 1928 (director, The Flash, They Came from Outer Space, The Twilight Zone [1986], The Powers of Matthew Star, Quark, Wonder Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Bewitched)

Odd cut-off on the birthdays today. Before 1946, it's all women and fabulous ones at that. In 1946 we have the fabulous Grace Jones and the Picture Slot boy, Andre the Giant, shown here saying one of my favorite lines of his from The Princess Bride, "Hello, Lady!". (For my money, the book is better than the movie and the movie is pretty close to perfect.) By another odd coincidence, besides Andre we have two other male actors best known for being enormous, last year's Picture Slotter Peter Mayhew (a.k.a. Chewbacca) and Pat Roach, who played the first Nazi mechanic Indiana Jones fought in the famous Raiders of the Lost Ark scene at the grounded plane that's leaking gas and has its propellers turning.

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

Movies released
Star Wars: Episode I – The One We Don't Talk About released, 1999
Shrek 2 released 2004
Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith released, 2005
 

 In the Year 2000!

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, publish 1982

Prediction: Clothing designers believe that garments will become more functional and serve as protection against weather extremes. Some clothes in 2000 may be made of year-around computerized fabrics. The wearer will be able to adjust a few dials and a cooling/heating system will be able to change the temperature of the fabric. The concept already exists in the electric blanket.

Another heat source for clothes in 2000, according to fashion designer Will Smith, will be a solar belt pack.

Reality: Eventually, I will open The OMNI Future Almanac to a random page as I have done for over a year now, and I will find that I've used it up, all the cool predictions with years have been mined. On that day, I will be sad. It's certainly not the most accurate source or the most inaccurate, but I always have fun thumbing through it.

Oh yeah, reality. Solar belt packs won't be able to store that much heat and no one is wearing couture electric blankets.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another source I enjoy a lot, Geoffrey Hoyle's 1972 children's book about 2010.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

18 May 2014

Birthdays
Spencer Breslin b. 1992 (The Happening, Zoom, Wonderfalls)
Tabrett Bethell b. 1982 (Legend of the Seeker)
Matt Long b. 1980 (Ghost Rider)
Cynthia Preston b. 1968 (Lost Girl, Carrie [2013], Haven, Andromeda, Relic Hunter, Total Recall 2070, The X-Files)
Nathaniel Parker b. 1962 (Merlin, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Stardust)
Chow Yun-Fat b. 1955 (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End)
Hugh Keays-Byrne b. 1947 (Mad Max: Fury Road, Farscape, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Badlands 2005, Mad Max)
Andreas Katsulas b. 1946 died 2 February 2006 (Star Trek: Enterprise, Babylon 5, Millennium, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Death of the Incredible Hulk, Alien Nation [TV], Communion, Max Headroom)
Fred Saberhagen b. 1930 died 29 June 2007 (author, Berserker series, Earth’s End)
Liam Sullivan b. 1923 died 19 April 1998 (Misfits of Science, Logan’s Run [TV], Star Trek, Lost in Space, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone, The Magic Sword)

A short list today. Last year I gave the Picture Slot to Andreas Katsulas as G'Kar from Babylon 5, one of the many regulars on that show who died young. The one actual movie star here is Chow Yun-Fat, and there may be some of his Chinese films that count as genre, but I am only including the Pirates movie from his C.V. Another fair choice for the Picture Slot would be Liam Sullivan from his role on Plato's Stepchildren, but as I often do, I go with the tried and true Pretty Girl = Picture Slot formula and used Tabrett Bethell as Cara from Legend of the Seeker. Sometimes I think the producers of sci-fi and fantasy think the fan base is extremely shallow and only want to see beautiful women in ridiculously tight outfits.

And sometimes, I think the producers may be right.

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


Movies released
Shrek the Third released, 2007
Battleship released, 2012
 

Predictors: Michael Mann, Michael Kozar and Sonya Miller

Prediction: The 2014 Atlantic hurricane system will have fewer than normal named storms, somewhere between six and twelve, with nine most likely.

Reality: Last year, Mann and his team predicted between 12 and 20 storms and the actual number was 13. They count named storms, which means the wind speeds have to get up to at least tropical storm at some time in their existence. They make no predictions about how many will make landfall, a much trickier proposition.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

OMNI Future Almanac day, a reason for me to look forward to Mondays.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

17 May 2014

Birthdays
Leven Ramblin b. 1990 (The Tomorrow People, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The Hunger Games, The Wizards of Waverly Place, The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
Nikki Reed b. 1988 (Twilight)
Erin Richards b. 1986 (The Quiet Ones, Merlin, Being Human)
Matthew McGrory b. 1973 died 9 August 2005 (The Devil’s Rejects, Constantine Planet of the Pitts, Charmed, Big Fish, Men in Black II)
Richard Leacock b. 1968 (Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Ultra, Stargate SG-1, Lake Placid, The X-Files, Highlander, M.A.N.T.I.S.)
Paige Turco b. 1965 (The 100, American Gothic, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II and III)
Bruce Thomas b. 1961 (Kyle XY, Star Trek: Enterprise, Army of Darkness)
Whip Hubley b. 1957 (Charmed, Black Scorpion II: Aftershock, Babylon 5)
Bill Paxton b. 1955 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., The Colony, Spy Kids, Mighty Joe Young, Apollo 13, Predator 2, Near Dark, Aliens, Weird Science, The Terminator)
Peter Hinwood b. 1946 (The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Grace Zabriskie b. 1941 (The Grudge, Charmed, They Crawl, Armageddon, Galaxy of Terror)
Peter Gerety b. 1940 (War of the Worlds, K-PAX, Wolf)
Dennis Hopper b. 1936 died 29 May 2010 (Land of the Dead, The Crow: Wicked Prayer, Firestarter 2: Rekindled, Jason and the Argonauts [TV], Space Truckers, Witch Hunt, Waterworld, My Science Project, The Time Tunnel, Twilight Zone)

All right. There are two people who are movie stars on the list, Dennis Hopper and Bill Paxton, but you know what I never do? I never put up a picture of a guy just because he is smokin' hot.

Peter Hinwood was a bodybuilder. He was Rocky in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. The role is iconic and he was smokin' hot.

Okay, now I've done that.

Many happy returns to the living on the list and to Matthew McGrory and Dennis Hopper, both gone too soon, thanks for all the memories.
 
 

Predictor: Elizabeth Chase Allen, poetess, answering a questionnaire in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exposition in 1893

Predictions: The mantelpiece of prophecy has not fallen upon my lately, so I instead will state what I hope the world will be in 1993.

That women may walk from house to house in city or country without danger of being waylaid and murdered by their "natural protectors".

That the persons who chance to witness a crime will not conceal and hush it up through fear of being put in jail as witnesses, while the culprit goes free on bail.

That the newspapers, which consider it witty to assert that the principal ambition of women is to be married, will be obliged to record on the same page half a dozen instances where women have been deliberately murdered for refusing.

That all mature, rational, intelligent and law-abiding persons will have an equal voice in forming and administering the laws which they must obey.

These are a few the things which I wish; I cannot say I hope for them, for I see no prospect or possibility of them - and I dare not undertake to prophesy.

Reality: Don't sugarcoat it, Liz. Tell us how you really feel.

I cut several of her requests from the list for brevity's sake, but it is interesting to note that the barbarous acts against women in places like India and Nigeria today are not that far removed from what America was like 120 years ago.

Looking one day... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction about the this year's Atlantic hurricane season.  

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

16 May 2014

 Birthdays
Thomas Brodie Sangster b. 1990 (The Maze Runner, Game of Thrones, Doctor Who, Nanny McPhee)
Megan Fox b. 1986 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jonah Hex, Jennifer’s Body, Transformers)
Stanislav Ianevski b. 1985 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Joseph Morgan b. 1981 (The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, Immortals, Hex)
Lynn Collins b. 1977 (John Carter, X-Men: Origins, True Blood, Bug)
Melanie Lynsky b. 1977 (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Rose Red, The Frighteners)
David Boreanaz b. 1969 (Buffy, Angel, The Crow: Wicked Prayer)
Solveig Dommartin b. 1961 died 11 January 2007 (Until the End of the World, Wings of Desire)
Bruce Norris b. 1960 (The Sixth Sense)
Mare Winningham b. 1959 (American Horror Story, Under the Dome, Mirror Mirror, Torchwood, Twilight Zone, Threshold)
Debra Winger b. 1955 (Wonder Woman)
Pierce Brosnan b. 1953 (The World’s End, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Mars Attacks!, The Lawnmower Man)
Laurette Spang b. 1951 (Battlestar Galactica, Man from Atlantis, Project U.F.O., Gemini Man, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Bill Smitrovich b. 1947 (Ted, Iron Man, The Event, Millennium, Independence Day, The Phantom, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Splash)
Danny Trejo b. 1944 (Rise of the Zombies, Spy Kids, Stargate: Atlantis, Halloween [2007]The X-Files, From Dusk Till Dawn, Anaconda)
Yvonne Craig b. 1937 (The Six Million Dollar Man, Holmes and Yo-Yo, Land of the Giants, Star Trek, Batman, Mars Needs Women, My Favorite Martian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Harry Carey Jr. b 1921 died 27 December 2012 (The Exorcist III, Back to the Future III, Cherry 2000, Gremlins, Billy the Kid vs. Dracula)
Barry Atwater b. 1918 died 24 May 1978 (Star Trek, The Invaders, Bewitched, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone)
George Gaynes b. 1917 (Sliders, The Fantastic Four [1994], Altered States, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Henry Fonda b. 1905 died 12 August 1982 (Meteor, The Swarm, Tentacles)

Quite often when doing research for the birthdays, I really don't know the work of the younger folks on the list, but that's not the case for the youngest, Thomas Brodie Sangster as Jojen Reed on Game of Thrones. This list has movie and TV stars, Oh That Guys and plenty of fabulous babes. Last year in the picture slot was Lynn Collins from John Carter, who looks like a million bucks in new shiny bills, but if I were asked for my number one choice for babedom on this list, Solveig Dommartin as the acrobat in Wings of Desire is one of the most beautiful women on film ever.

The other big surprise for me is that George Gaynes, better known for Punky Brewster, Tootsie and the Police Academy movies is still alive! Good on ya, Mr. Gaynes!

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

Movies released
Shrek released, 2001
Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones released, 2002
The Chronicles of Narnia:Prince Caspian released, 2008
Star Trek Into Darkness released, 2013

Predictor: Dr. Paul R Ehrlich in the 1968 book The Population Bomb

Prediction: By 1980, there will be 200,000,000 more people in India and there will not be enough food for them.

Reality: Here's a sentence I haven't typed before.

This prediction by Paul Ehrlich is in the ballpark.

From the sources I can find dealing with the year by year population increase in India from 1968 to 1980, the population rose by about 170,000,000. If he was rounding to the nearest hundred million, he's got it right. Score one for Stanford.

Just to be clear, there are still three more from Ehrlich before he steps off the stage, and all of those are completely crazy wrong, much like the seven I've published previously. As much fun as I made of Heinlein, regular readers will recall there was Sensible Bob as well as Ridiculous Bob. A single case of Sensible Ehrlich is not enough to merit a special category.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to 1893 and one of the rare sets of predictions from a woman.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

15 May 2014

 Birthdays
Alexandra Breckinridge b. 1982 (True Blood, American Horror Story, Buffy, Charmed, Vampire Clan, Wishcraft)
Caroline Dhavernas b. 1978 (Wonderfalls, The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne)
David Krumholtz b. 1978 (This is the End, Serenity, Addams Family Values)
Grant Heslov b. 1963 (The Scorpion King, Bug, The X-Files, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Congo, M.A.N.T.I.S., Harry and the Hendersons, The Twilight Zone [1987])
Jamie Harris b. 1963 (American Horror Story, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, The Green Hornet, Night of the Demons, The Prestige, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Highlander [TV])
Larry Holden b. 1961 died 13 February 2011 (Batman Begins, Charmed, Timecop , NightMan)
Rob Bowman b. 1960 (director, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Night Stalker, Elektra, The Lone Gunmen, The X-Files, VR.5, M.A.N.T.I.S., Dark Shadows [1991], Star Trek: The Next Generation, Alien Nation [TV], Werewolf)
Nicholas Hammond b. 1950 (Stealth, Farscape, The Lost World [TV], 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [1997], The Martian Chronicles, The Amazing Spider-Man, Logan’s Run [TV], The Fantastic Journey)
Ralph Steadman b. 1936 (illustrator)
Joseph Wiseman b. 1918 died 19 October 2009 (The Greatest American Hero, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Twilight Zone)
James Mason b. 1909 27 July 1984 (The Boys from Brazil, Frankenstein: The True Story, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [1954])
Joseph Cotten b. 1905 died 6 February 1994 (Twilight’s Last Gleaming, Soylent Green, Baron Blood, Lady Frankenstein, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, City Beneath the Sea, From the Earth to the Moon)
L. Frank Baum b. 1856 died 6 May 1919 (The Oz universe)

It may be that I'm just old, but I would say on today's list the most famous names are the four dead guys at the end. The Oz universe is having a revival now that the original books have entered public domain. The one surprise in research today was discovering how many low budget movies Joseph Cotten made in the 1960s, including The Abominable Dr. Phibes starring Vincent Price.

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


Movies released The Matrix Reloaded released 2003

Predictor: Steven Leigh in Flamestones, published 1985

Prediction: Set after the May 15 Mistake, when New York, Moscow, and Tel Aviv had all died in radioactive fire. Civilization continues, but with food shortages, mounting civil disorders, and worsening international tensions. An old man hunting mysterious flamestones in this hills witnesses a nuclear explosion which signals the final cataclysm. Strange new people arrive to dominate the postholocaust world. There is a poetic allusion to the nuclear winter theory: the winter would have come early on wings of ash.

Reality: The description is again lifted from Paul Brians' comprehensive database of nuclear war fiction. It was a very good day when I found this source and I am grateful to Professor Brians for letting me use it.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We are back to the schedule just in time for another prediction for Dr. Paul Ehrlich, one of the least accurate predictors of anyone who has had a regular weekly slot.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

14 May 2014

Birthdays
Riley Griffiths b. 1997 (Super 8, R.L. Stine’s The Haunting Hour)
Tara Thompson b. 1988 (My Super Ex-Girlfriend)
Amber Wallace b. 1987 (The Vampire Diaries)
Amber Tamblyn b. 1983 (Babylon Fields, The Grudge 2, Buffy, The Ring)
Ada Nicodemou b. 1977 (The Matrix)
Indira Varma b. 1973 (Game of Thrones, Torchwood, Sci-Fright)
Gabriel Mann b. 1972 (Legend of the Seeker, Dominion: Prequel to the Exorcist, Carnivale)
Sofia Coppola b. 1971 (Star Wars: Episode I – The Title that Shall Not Be Mentioned)
Natasha Ryan b. 1970 (The Entity, The Day Time Ended, The Amityville Horror, Kingdom of the Spiders)
Cate Blanchett b. 1969 (The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull)
Danny Huston b. 1962 (American Horror Story, Wrath of the Titans, Clash of the Titans, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Children of Men, Timecode)
Tim Roth b. 1961 (The Incredible Hulk, Planet of the Apes, Metamorphosis)
Brett Leonard b. 1959 (director, Highlander: The Source, Man-Thing, Virtuosity, The Lawnmower Man)
Robert G. Tapert b. 1955 (writer, Alien Apocalypse, Xena, Cleopatra 2525, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys; Producer, The Evil Dead series)
Robert Zemeckis b. 1951 (writer/director, Back to the Future, The Polar Express, Bordello of Blood, Kolchak: The Night Stalker)
Mark Blum b. 1950 (Fringe)
Tamara Dobson b. 1947 died 2 October 2006 (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Jason of Star Command)
George Lucas b. 1944 (writer/director, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Willow, THX-1138)
Sian Phillips b. 1933 (Cinderella [TV, 2000], Alice Through the Looking Glass [TV], The Borrowers, The Snow Spider, Ewoks: The Battle for Endor, Dune, Clash of the Titans)
Laszlo Kovacs b. 1933 died 22 July 2007 (cinematographer, Multiplicity, Ghostbusters, Slither, Blood of Dracula’s Castle)
Richard Deacon b. 1921 died 8 August 1984 (Piranha, The Lost Saucer, Hans Christian Anderson, I Dream of Jeannie, The Gnome-Mobile, The Addams Family, The Munsters, Twilight Zone, My Favorite Martian, The Birds, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, Abbott and Costello Meet the Mummy, This Island Earth, Invaders form Mars)

Wow. That's a birthday list. I wish I could share the wealth a little and change some of these people's birthdays to days when the best known people on the list are all Oh That Guys. Behind the camera we have George Lucas, Robert Zemeckis and Laszlo Kovacs, in front of the camera we have honest to Odin movie stars like Tim Roth and Cate Blanchett, who also could get in as a fabulous babe any day of the week. Another top choice for fabulous babedom is the Tamara Dobson, the 6'2" star of Cleopatra Jones, not genre but I don't damn care. As for Oh That Guys, Richard Deacon is at the "Hey, it's Mel Cooley!" level of fame and Danny Huston is making a nice career for himself right now. Sian Phillips is another favorite of mine, as is everybody from the cast of I, Claudius, again not genre and again I don't damn care.

But the Picture Slot goes to Indira Varma, new to the cast of Game of Thrones in the fourth season as Ellaria Sand, mother to the dangerous bastard daughters of Prince Oberlyn Martell known as The Sand Snakes. I could say that Game of Thrones is trump when the show is on, and that is certainly true, but readers of my original blog Lotsa 'Splainin' 2 Do will know that Indira Varma has been trump in my brain for quite some time now.

Professor, are you saying that between Tamara Dobson, Cate Blanchett and Indira Varma, you would give Indira the Golden Apple and win the love of one goddess?

Hypothetical Question Asker, it's been a long time. Let's start by stipulating there is not one universe in the multiverse where I would be given that option, and then answer the question with... yeah, probably. Because the trend of the day has been established.

I don't damn care.

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

 

Predictor: World Aflame by Leonard Engel and Emmanuel Piller, published in 1947

Prediction: On May 14, 1950, after a border air clash, the U.S. strikes first against the USSR with nuclear weapons, by plane, but this act fails to halt the Russian army from marching west and south into Europe and the Mideast.

Reality: So this is written when only the Americans have confirmed nukes, since the first Russian test is in 1949. The propaganda of the day was that Stalin was a monster - that much is accurate - but he didn't love war the way Hitler did. The Soviets certainly subjugated Eastern Europe, but they got those countries by negotiation. The fear that they would march into Europe or the Mideast misunderstands their psyche. They got invaded by Napoleon and Hitler and they were sure they didn't want third helpings of that. They just wanted a buffer zone.

Likewise, as much of an asshole as Putin is, his clumsy moves into the Ukraine are not the start of a major war of conquest.

OMG! I just made a prediction! If I put a date on it, I could use it on this blog!

Once again, thanks to Paul Brians and his great database of nuclear war fiction.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another exact date of a nuclear war that didn't happen. Aren't we half lucky bastards?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!