Connor Jessup b. 1994 (Falling Skies)
Kate Melton b. 1992 (Scooby-Doo! The Mystery Begins)
Louisa Connolly-Burnham b. 1992 (Wolfblood, House of Anubis)
Marielle Jaffe b. 1989 (Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief)
Isabella Leong b. 1988 (The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor)
Melissa Rauch b. 1980 (Big Bang Theory, True Blood)
Emmanuelle Vaugier b. 1976 (Lost Girl, Supernatural, Painkiller Jane, Unearthed, Andromeda, Smallville, Charmed, MythQuest, Mindstorm, Level 9, Shapeshifter, Saban’s Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation, Highlander [TV])
Joel Edgerton b.1974 (The Thing [2011], Star Wars: Episodes II and III)
Selma Blair b. 1972 (Hellboy, The Fog, Xena, Amazon High)
Martin Klebba b. 1969 (Ted 2, Pirates of the Caribbean, Monsters on Main Street, Oz the Great and Powerful, Mirror Mirror, Project X, The Cape, Van Helsing, Charmed, Planet of the Apes)
David Dobkin b. 1969 (producer, R.I.P.D., Jack the Giant Slayer)
Terri Ivens b. 1967 (Piranhaconda, They Came from Outer Space, The Munsters Today)
Joss Whedon b. 1964 (writer, Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., In Your Eyes, The Cabin in the Woods, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Commentary! The Musical, Serenity, Angel, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Titan A.E., Toy Story)
Billy Wirth b. 1962 (Charmed, Space Marines, Starlight, Body Snatchers, The Lost Boys)
Frances McDormand b. 1957 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, AEon Flux, Darkman, The Twilight Zone [1986])
Russell Mulcahy b. 1953 (director, Teen Wolf [TV], Resident Evil: Extinction, Mysterious Island [TV], Jeremiah, The Hunger [TV], Tale of the Mummy, Perversions of Science, The Shadow, Highlander I and II)
Lauren Shuler Donner b. 1949 (producer, X-Men, Deadpool, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Constantine, Ladyhawke)
Bryan Brown b. 1947 (On the Beach [TV], Journey to the Center of the Earth [TV], 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [TV])
Ted Shackelford b. 1946 (Space Precinct, The Twilight Zone [1988], Wonder Woman)
James Marcus b. 1942 (A Clockwork Orange, Doctor Who, UFO)
Miriam Karlin b. 1925 died 3 June 2011 (Children of Men, Jekyll & Hyde [1995 TV], A Clockwork Orange)
Larry Blyden b. 1925 died 6 June 1975 (The Twilight Zone)
Dennis Price b. 1915 died 6 October 1973 (Son of Dracula, Theatre of Blood, The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [1972], Dracula Contra Frankenstein, Vampyros Lesbos, The Horror of Frankenstein, Voodoo Blood Death, The Earth Dies Screaming, H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man [TV], Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [TV])
(Paul) Orban b. 1896 died 6 April 1974 (artist)
Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Melissa Rauch from The Big Bang Theory and Joss Whedon, a writer who gets his own label on this blog, which runs neck and neck for second place with The Twilight Zone. This year, I decided to feature the artwork of Paul Orban, a very prolific artist from the sci-fi magazines. This particular work looks like it was done on scratchboard, an all black surface where the artist scratches out the area that should be white. It was a very unforgiving medium and I don't know if anyone does it anymore. Since magazine illustrator is nearly an extinct profession, scratchboard magazine illustrator is even more strange and exotic now. (For the record, Orban did use other media.)
2. Spot the Canadians! Two Canadians today, the unspottable Connor Jessup (too few credits) and the completely spottable Emmanuelle Vaugier.
3. The Guy at the Door. It's a short list today with no one born in the 1930s and everyone born in the 1920s already dead. This means British actor James Marcus is the cut-off person between the living and the dead at the tender age of 73. As always when this demographic oddity shows up, the blog extends special best wishes to Mr. Marcus
Many happy returns to all the living on the list, especially James Marcus, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.
Prediction: There will be compulsory education for all until twenty-one.
Reality: Well, ummm... no. As a college instructor, Langdon-Davies' plan would mean more work for me and I'm still against it. One of the things I like about teaching college compared to high school, besides not having to be heard over the raging hormones messing with the kids' brains, is that it is not compulsory, so the majority of the students have actually chosen to be there.
A private plane crash has taken the life of film composer James Horner at the age of 61. As far as my research has been able to discover, the only other film composers of Horner's generation who have as much work in major productions are Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard. (My friend the soundtrack expert Abu Scooter includes Thomas Newman, who is the right age with plenty of hit films he worked on, but not quite as prolific.) Most of his obits mention Titanic first, but his genre credits as conductor or composer include Star Trek New Voyages, The Amazing Spider-Man, Shoestring Space Opera, Avatar, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Bicentennial Man, Mighty Joe Young, Deep Impact, Jumanji, Apollo 13, Casper, The Rocketeer, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids, Cocoon, Willow, *batteries not included, Aliens, Amazing Stories, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, Brainstorm, Krull, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Wolfen, The Hand, Battle Beyond the Stars and Humanoids from the Deep.
Best wishes to the family and friends of James Horner, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!
Another Wednesday rolls around and we hear from our sensible pal George Sutherland predicting the inventions of the 20th Century from the year 1901.
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
Thomas Newman actually came to my mind before Mr. Newton Howard, but they both belong in the same cohort as Horner and Zimmer.
ReplyDeleteI remember actually hating James Horner's work in the mid-1980s -- way too repetitive -- but he improved dramatically as the years rolled through the 90s. By the time Titanic came along, he had become more than worthy of respect. My heart goes out to Mr. Horner's loved ones.