16 July 2015

Birthdays
Taryn Southern b. 1986 (Battle Los Angeles)
Calum Gittins b. 1986 (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
Rosa Salazar b. 1985 (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, American Horror Story)
Michelle Morgan b. 1981 (Supernatural, Dominant Gene, Stargate: Atlantis, Diary of the Dead, Fire Serpent)
Jayma Mays b. 1979 (Heroes)
Corey Feldman b. 1971 (Zombex, The Zombie King, Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys, Dark Realm, The Toxic Avenger IV, Sliders, The Lost Boys, Friday the 13th, Gremlins, Time After Time)
Will Ferrell b. 1967 (Land of the Lost [2009], Bewitched [2005])
Daryl Mitchell b. 1965 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Galaxy Quest)
Phoebe Cates b. 1963 (Drop Dead Fred, Gremlins 1 and 2)
Faye Grant b. 1957 (The Omen IV: The Awakening, V, Voyager from the Unknown, Voyagers!, The Incredible Hulk, The Greatest American Hero)
Jerry Doyle b. 1956 (Storm Watch, Sliders, Babylon 5)
Ruben Blades b. 1948 (Fear the Walking Dead, The X Files, Preator 2)
Ann Turkel b. 1946 (The Hunger [TV], RoboCop [TV], Highlander [TV], Deep Space, Worlds Beyond, Knight Rider, Death Ray 2000, Humanoids from the Deep)
Richard LeParmentier b. 1946 died 15 April 2013 (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Superman II, Space: 1999, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Rollerball [1975], The People That Time Forgot)
Jeremy Spenser b. 1937 (Fahrenheit 451, Beauty and the Beast [1952)
Barnard Hughes b. 1916 died 11 July 2006 (The Lost Boys, TRON, Mr. Merlin, The UFO Incident, The Borrowers, Dark Shadows [TV], ‘Way Out)
Sonny Tufts b. 1911 died 4 June 1970 (Cat-Women of the Moon)
Mary Philbin b. 1902 died 7 May 1993 (The Phantom of the Opera [1925])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Will Ferrell is the big star on the list, but he is not iconic in genre, so the Picture Slot has gone in previous years to Jerry Doyle from Babylon 5 and to Pheobe Cates from Drop Dead Fred. This year it goes to the late Richard LeParmentier as the choked General Motti from Star Wars. My favorite meme from this picture is Peter Cushing getting a thought bubble reading "Drama queen!"

2. Spot the Canadian! Yet again, I think the hint that there is only one makes our Canadian spottable my the well-informed public, which certainly describes my loyal readers.

3. Hey, no Star Trek! it is somehow fitting that a shot from a Star Wars film (who are we kidding? THE Star Wars film) is in the Picture Slot on a day when Star Trek has zero love.

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

Movies released
Inception released, 2010
I, Robot released, 2004
 

 Predictor: Andrew Carnegie in 1900, quoted in The Experts Speak

Prediction: To kill a man will be considered as disgusting in the Twentieth Century as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.

Reality: In his day, Andrew Carnegie was probably in the top 1% of the top 1% of the top 1%, which is to say one in a million when it comes to being crazy rich, but this is a noble sentiment, even if it is flat out wrong.

Never to be Forgotten: Aubrey Morris 1926-2015 Veteran British character actor Aubrey Morris, shown here in a publicity still from The Prisoner, had died at the age of 89. I have to admit that when an actor plays a very ill person like Morris did in Deadwood last decade, my brain decides he is gone, which wasn't true until today. Besides The Prisoner, Aubrey appeared in genre productions including Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature, The Others, Legend of the Mummy, Bordello of Blood, Babylon 5, Alien Nation, Beauty and the Beast, Lifeforce, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy [TV], Space: 1999, A Clockwork Orange and Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Aubrey Morris, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another corker from H.G. Wells.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!