Wednesday, March 25, 2015

25 March 2015

Birthdays
Elizabeth Lail b. 1992 (Once Upon a Time)
Seychelle Gabriel b. 1991 (Falling Skies, The Last Airbender, The Spirit)
Kiowa Gordon b. 1990 (Twilight Saga)
Aly Michalka b. 1989 (iZombie, Phil of the Future)
Erik Knudsen b. 1988 (Continuum, Beastly, Jericho, Saw II)
Sean Faris b. 1982 (Supernatural, Free Runner, The Vampire Diaries, Ghost Machine, Smallville)
Lee Pace b. 1979 (The Hobbit, Guardians of the Galaxy, Twilight: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, The Falls, Pushing Daisies, Wonderfalls)
Edgar Ramirez b. 1977 (Wrath of the Titans)
Lark Voorhies b. 1974 (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Small Wonder)
Laz Alonzo b. 1974 (Avatar, Constantine [2005])
Kari Matchett b. 1970 (Invasion, Plague City: SARS in Toronto, Wonderfalls, Cube, Cube2, Earth: Final Conflict, Poltergeist: The Legacy, PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Forever Knight)
Chip Joslin b. 1967 (Humans vs Zombies)
Sarah Jessica Parker b. 1965 (Mars Attacks, Hocus Pocus)
Brenda Strong b. 1960 (Starship Troopers, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Craft, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Spaceballs, Misfits of Science)
Peter O’Brien b. 1960 (Doctor Who, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America, Relic Hunter, The Lost World, Spellbinder: Land of the Dragon Lord, Time Trax)
Mary Gross b. 1953 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Lois & Clark)
Robert O’Reilly b. 1950 (Star Trek: Enterprise, Deep Space Nine, The Mask, The Flash [1991], Max Headroom, Knight Rider, Otherworld, Manimal. Voyagers!, The Incredible Hulk)
Bonnie Bedelia b. 1948 (Flowers for Algernon [2000], Needful Things, The Boy Who Could Fly, Salem’s Lot)
Richard O’Brien b. 1942 (Elvira’s Haunted Hills, Dungeons & Dragons, Dark City, Flash Gordon, Shock Treatment, The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
D.C. Fontana b. 1939 (writer, Star Trek, Babylon 5, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Logan’s Run [TV], The Six Million Dollar Man)
Hoyt Axton b. 1938 died 26 October 1999 (Space Case, Gremlins, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Bionic Woman, I Dream of Jeannie)
Sylvia Anderson b. 1937 (writer, Thunderbirds, Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons from Mars, Space:1999, UFO, Joe 90, Stingray, Fireball XL5, Supercar)
James Lovell b. 1928 (astronaut, twice to the moon, never stood on it)
Roberts Blossom b. 1924 died 8 July 2011 (The Twilight Zone [1985 and 1987], Tales from the Darkside, Amazing Stories, Resurrection, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Slaughterhouse-Five)
Patrick Troughton b. 1920 died 28 March 1987 (Super Gran, The Omen, A Hitch in Time, Space: 1999, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell, Out of the Unknown, Scars of Dracula, The Gorgon, H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man)
Jean Rogers b. 1916 died 24 February 1991 (Flash Gordon [1936])
Dan White b. 1908 died 7 July 1980 (Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, Twilight Zone, Attack of the Giant Leeches, Adventures of Superman)
Ed Begley b. 1901 died 28 April 1970 (The Dunwich Horror, The Invaders, Out of the Unknown)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Star Trek  writer D.C. Fontana and astronaut Jim Lovell. This year it was a toss-up between Robert O'Reilly as Gowron on Star Trek, Patrick Troughton as the second Doctor and the winner, Richard O'Brien as Riff-Raff from Rocky Horror, based on the play O'Brien wrote. Actor/singer/playwright is a hard triple threat to beat.

2. Canadians pre-spotted for your protection. Kari Matchett and Erik Knudsen were born north of the border. However, Sean Faris has the Supernatural/Smallville daily double and was born in the U.S. I could find no mention of his living in Canada.

3. MST3K. Dan White was in the Attack of the Giant Leeches and two features produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson also got the treatment, Invaders of the Deep and Cosmic Princess. The Mole People in Deep 13 were named Gerry and Sylvia, an obvious homage.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
 
Predictor: George Sutherland in 20th Century Inventions, published in 1901

Prediction: The example of the cheap watch industry may be cited to convey an idea of the immensely important revolution which will take place in the production of both small and large prime-motors when all the possibilities of electrotyping, casting, and stamping the various wearing parts true to shape and size have been fully exploited. An accurate timekeeper is now practically within the reach of all; and in the twentieth century no one who requires a small prime motor to do the rough work about home or farm will be compelled to do without it by reason of poverty--unless, perhaps, he is absolutely destitute and a fit subject for public charity.

Reality: Henry Ford is credited with the big assembly line breakthroughs in 1908, so this counts as a generally correct prediction for Sutherland, though in general he thought the internal combustion engine had too many mechanical challenges to be the final big winner in the production of cheap energy.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's another one of those days when the Picture Slot choice seems obvious if iconic is our primary criterion. Will I mix it up this year? To find out... 

Join us tomorrow... IN THE FUTURE!

2 comments:

  1. Wasn't Cosmic Princess just a couple of re-packaged Space: 1999 episodes?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, and Invaders of the Deep from the rarely seen first season was re-packaged marionette stuff from Stingray.

      Delete

Traveler! Have you news... FROM THE FUTURE?