30 June 2015

Birthdays
Angela Sarafyan b. 1983 (Westworld [2015], American Horror Story, Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Eastwick, Buffy)
Lizzy Caplan b. 1982 (Hot Tub Time Machine, True Blood, Cloverfield, Smallville)
Aaron Perilo b. 1981 (In Time, True Blood)
Desi Lydic b. 1981 (Stan Helsing, Invasion Iowa)
Rick Gonzalez b. 1979 (Reaper, War of the Worlds, Buffy)
Molly Parker b. 1972 (The Road, The Wicker Man, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Highlander [TV])
Kate Luyben b. 1972 (True Blood, First Wave, harsh Realm, Millennium, The X Files)
Megan Fahlenblock b. 1971 (Haven, Warehouse 13, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Mutant X, Witchblade, The Fifth Quadrant, Relic Hunter)
Chris Conrad b. 1970 (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Derek Haas b. 1970 (writer, Wanted)
Marton Csokas b. 1966 (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Alice in Wonderland [2010], AEon Flux, Lord of the Rings, Timeline, Xena, Cleopatra 2525, The Lost World [TV], BeastMaster [TV], Farscape, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Rupert Graves b. 1963 (Doctor Who, V for Vendetta)
Predrag Bjelac b. 1962 (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Omen [2006], Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Children of Dune, The Immortal [TV])
Deirdre Lovejoy b. 1962 (American Horror Story)
Rebecca Tilney b. 1960 (The Whispers, True Blood, Lost, Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
Vincent D’Onofrio b. 1959 (Daredevil [2015], Jurassic World, The Cell, The Thirteenth Floor, Men in Black, Strange Days)
David Alan Grier b. 1955 (Bewitched [2005 movie], The X-Files, Jumanji, Blankman, ALF)
Leonard Whiting b. 1950 (Frankenstein: The True Story)
Charlene Polite b. 1943 died 21 June 1999 (Star Trek)
Otto Sander b. 1941 died 12 September 2013 (Wings of Desire)
Jeri Taylor b. 1938 (writer/producer, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager)
Nancy Dussault b. 1936 (Lois & Clark, The Munsters Today)
Ted Ross b. 1934 died 3 September 2002 (Amityville II: The Possession, The Wiz)
Clifford David b. 1932 (Signs, The Exorcist III, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure)
Pat McCormick b. 1927 died 29 July 2005 (Beverly Hills Vamp, Scrooged, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Harvey Vernon b. 1927 died 9 October 1996 (Deep Space Nine, The Twilight Zone [1985], Teen Wolf)
Lena Horne b. 1917 died 9 May 2010 (The Wiz)
Nestor Paiva b. 1905 died 9 September 1966 (They Saved Hitler’s Brain, Jesse James Meets Frankenstein’s Daughter, The Addams Family, My Living Doll, The Three Stooges in Orbit, Atlantis, the Lost Continent, World of Giants, The Mole People, Tarantula, Revenge of the Creature, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Mighty Joe Young)
Michael Whalen b. 1902 died 14 April 1974 (Missile to the Moon, The Phantom for 10,000 Leagues, Batman and Robin [1949])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, The Picture Slot was all Star Trek, writer/producer Jeri Taylor from the Next Generation era and actress Charlene Polite, who was on The Cloud Minders from the original series. This year, it's Vincent D'Onofrio from Men in Black.


2. Spot the fabulous Canadians! There are three Canadians on the list today, lovely actresses born in the early 1970s, Molly Parker, Kate Luyben and Megan Fahlenblock.

3. MST3K. There might be others, but the one I know for sure is Revenge of the Creature.

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

Movies released  
Twilight Saga: Eclipse released, 2010
Spider-Man 2 released 30 June 2004

Predictor: John Langdon-Davies in his 1936 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: England will have a population one-tenth its present size.

Reality: Langdon-Davies thought England would have nothing to offer the rest of the world other than being a tourist destination and the population would dwindle. But to dwindle to one tenth of the former size takes some awful catastrophe, like famine or plague or a vicious war, even worse than World War II was to the hardest hit places like Poland and the Soviet Union. Nothing like that has happened to the United Kingdom.

 

Never to be Forgotten: Jack Carter 1923-2015

Jack Carter, a nightclub comedian whose career was at its peak in the era when Ed Sullivan's show was the must-see TV on a Sunday night, died this week, less than seven days after his 92nd birthday. His appearances in genre include  3rd Rock from the Sun, Time Trax, Lois & Clark, They Came From Outer Space, Arena, Amazing Stories, Alligator, Beyond Westworld, I Dream of Jeannie, Batman and Tales of Tomorrow.

Best wishes to the family and friends or Jack Carter. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's a new month, so there will be a new splash illustration.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!  

29 June 2015

 Birthdays
Lorenzo James Henrie b. 193 (Fear the Walking Dead, Star Trek)
Addison Timlin b. 1991 (Fallen [2015], Zero Hour)
Christopher Egan b. 1984 (Dominion, Gothica [TV], Beauty and the Beast: A Dark Tale [TV], Resident Evil: Extinction, Eragon)
Lily Rabe b. 1982 (American Horror Story)
Sharon Lemelin b. 1979 (Being Human, Zombie Hamlet, Anonymous Rex)
Zuleikha Robinson b. 1977 (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Lost, The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen)
Will Kemp b. 1977 (The Prisoner [2009], Pinocchio [2006 TV], Van Helsing)
Travis Richey b. 1977 (Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City, Robot, Ninja & Gay Guy, Dinocroc vs. Supergator, Cry of the Winged Serpent)
Christy Taylor b. 1974 (Weird Science [TV], Mars: Base One)
Sharon Conley b. 1971 (Constantine, The Hunger Games, Teen Wolf [2011 TV], Green Lantern)
Ilan Mitchell-Smith b. 1969 (Superboy, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Weird Science)
Aleks Paunovic b. 1969 (iZombie, Dead Rising: Watchtower, The 100, Zapped [2014], Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Once Upon a Time, Chupacabra vs. the Alamo, Eve of Destruction, Mortal Combat: Legacy, Smallville, Supernatural, Caprica, Stargate: Atlantis, Bionic Woman, Flash Gordon, Battlestar Galactica, Kraken: Tentacles of the Deep, Eureka, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Mutant X, Andromeda, Stargate SG-1, Jeremiah, Nostradamus, Roswell: The Aliens Attack)
Judith Hoag b. 1968 (Grimm, I am Number Four, Halloweentown, Carnivale, The X-Files, Strange World, Armageddon, The Burning Zone, Quantum Leap, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1990])
Melora Hardin b. 1967 (Zombie Hamlet, Timecop, Things That Go Bump, Lois & Clark, Quantum Leap, Mann & Machine, The Rocketeer)
Kathleen Wilhoite b. 1964 (The 4400, Quantum Leap, Witchboard)
Amanda Donohoe b. 1962 (Starship Troopers 3: Marauder, The Atlantis Conspiracy, Stardust, A Knight in Camelot, The Hidden Room, The Lair of the White Worm)
Sharon Lawrence b. 1961 (The After, Nuclear Family, Atomic Twister, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Star Trek: Voyager)
Maria Conchita Alonzo b. 1957 (Dark Moon Rising, The Dead One, Predator 2, Vampire’s Kiss, The Running Man, Knight Rider)
Michael Whelan b. 1950 (Illustrator)
Fred Grandy b. 1948 (Monster Squad, Death Race 2000)
Brian Herbert b. 1947 (author, Dune universe)
Michael Carter b. 1947 (The Illusionist, The Cloning of Joanna May, Return of the Jedi, An American Werewolf in London, Doctor Who)
Gary Busey b. 1944 (Mansion of Blood, Piranha 3DD, The Gingerdead Man, The Huntress, Jacob Two Two meets The Hooded Fang, Universal Soldier II: Brothers in Arms, Predator 2, Silver Bullet)
Soon-Tek Oh b. 1943 (Seven Days, Stargate SG-1, Babylon 5, Time Trax, Highlander [TV], The Final Countdown, Logan’s Run [TV], Earth II, The Invaders)
Corey Allen b. 1934 died 27 June 2010 (director, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Otherworld, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Ian Bannen b. 1928 died 3 November 1999 (The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [1980 TV], The Watcher in the Woods)
Dick Martin b. 1927 died 14 February 1990 (illustrator, Oz books)
Ray Harryhausen b. 1920 died 5 May 2013 (visual effects, Clash of the Titans, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, The Valley of Gwangi, One Million Years B.C., First Men in the Moon, Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, 20 Million Miles to Earth, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Mighty Joe Young)
Bernard Herrmann b. 1911 died 24 December 1975 (composer/conductor, It’s Alive, Fahrenheit 451, Lost in Space, Twilight Zone, Jason and the Argonauts, Mysterious Island, The 3 Worlds of Gulliver, The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Slim Pickens b. 1919 died 8 December 1983 (The Howling, The Swarm)
Antoine de Saint-Exupery b. 1900 died 31 July 1944 (author, The Little Prince)

Note on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Let me be as delicate as possible here. We have some actors here the public certainly knows, Gary Busey and Slim Pickens to name just two, but I don't think there's anyone here in front of the camera who is iconic in genre. The previous Picture Slotters were special effects wizard Ray Harryhausen and the Oz illustrator Dick Martin, and this year I go with Michael Whelan, the prolific cover artist for sci-fi and fantasy books.


2. Spot the Canadian! Today there is only one, so I leave it as an exercise for the reader.

3. The Guy at the Door. Oh That Asian Guy Soon Tek Oh turns 72 years old today, which is very young to be the oldest living person on the list. As always when we get this demographic oddity, we send out special wishes for many happy returns to Mr. Oh.

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

Movies released

Ted released 2012
Transformers: Dark of the Moon released 2011
War of the Worlds released 2005

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Within a few years, the city with the most degraded environment will likely be Cubatao, Brazil, located on the coastal lowlands.

Reality: Checking several lists online, Cubatao doesn't get a mention, while New Dehli, Beijing and Ahvaz, Iran are on multiple lists.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We get more Commie tommyrot from John Langdon-Davies.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE! 

28 June 2015

Birthdays
Kare Hedebrant b. 1995 (Real Humans, Let the Right One In)
Nicholas Purcell b. 1990 (Surrogates)
Felicia Day b. 1979 (Supernatural, The Guild, Eureka, Red: Werewolf Hunter, The Legend of Neil, Dollhouse, Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, Buffy)
Camille Gauty b. 1978 (The Vampire Diaries)
Jeff Geddis b. 1975 (Monster Island, Odyssey 5, Jason X, Earth: Final Conflict)
Carsten Bjornlund b. 1973 (The Thing)
Alessandro Nivola b. 1972 (The Eye, Jurassic Park III)
Aileen Quinn b. 1971 (The Frog Prince)
Steve Burton b. 1970 (Taken, Manimal)
Ayelet Zurer b. 1969 (Daredevil, Man of Steel, Touch, Halo 4: Forward Into Dawn)
Gil Bellows b. 1967 (Falling Skies, Extraterrestrial, Sanctuary, Goblin, FlashForward, Smallville, Infected, Final Days of Planet Earth, Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature, Snow White: A Tale of Terror)
John Cusack b. 1966 (Cell [2014], Hot Tub Time Machine, 2012, 1408, Being John Malkovich)
Mary Stuart Masterson b. 1966 (Touch, The Postman, Amazing Stories, The Stepford Wives [1975])
Sara Stewart b. 1966 (Wizards vs. Aliens, The Prisoner [2009], Demons, Batman Begins, Doctor Who, Space Island One)
Christopher Doohan b. 1959 (Star Trek Continues, Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek, Star Trek: the Motion Picture)
Alice Krige b. 1954 (Thor: The Dark World, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Solomon Kane, Children of Dune, Dinotopia, Star Trek: Voyager, Welcome to Paradox, Twilight of the Ice Nymphs, Star Trek: First Contact, Sleepwalkers, The Hidden Room, Ghost Story)
Raffaella De Laurentiis b. 1954 (producer, The Forbidden Kingdom, Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Kull the Conqueror, DragonHeart, Dune, Conan the Destroyer, Conan the Barbarian)
Lalla Ward b. 1951 (Doctor Who, Vampire Circus)
David Gautreaux b. 1951 (The Event, Threshold, Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Man from Atlantis)
Kathy Bates b. 1948 (American Horror Story, Alice, The Day the Earth Stood Still, The Golden Compass, Dragonfly, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The Stand, My Best Friend is a Vampire, The Morning After)
Bruce Davison b. 1946 (Bigfoot, Return of the Killer Shrews, Earth’s Final Hours, Lost, Knight Rider [2009], The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Battlestar Galactica, Kingdom Hospital, X-Men, Star Trek: Enterprise, The Hunger [TV], Star Trek: Voyager, Harry and the Hendersons [TV[, Amazing Stories, V, The Astronauts, The Lathe of Heaven, Willard)
Robert Asprin b. 1946 died 22 May 2008 (author, Myth Adventures, Thieves’ World)
Gilda Radner b. 1946 died 20 May 1989 (Haunted Honeymoon, Dr. Zonk and the Zunkins, Jack: A Flash Fantasy)
John Byner b. 1938 (Robodoc, Wishmaster, Munchie Strikes Back, Friday’s Curse, Transylvania 6-5000)
Pat Morita b. 1932 died 24 November 2005 (Earth Minus Zero, Timemaster, Space Rangers, Harry and the Hendersons [TV], The Munsters Today, Alice in Wonderland [1985 TV], Slapstick (Of Another Kind), Full Moon High, The Incredible Hulk, Man from Atlantis)
Don Dubbins b. 1928 died 17 August 1991 (Starman [TV], The Incredible Hulk, Project U.F.O., I Dream of Jeannie, The Illustrated Man, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone, Men Into Space, From the Earth to the Moon)
Mel Brooks b. 1926 (Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Spaceballs, Young Frankenstein)
Maxine Stuart b. 1918 died 6 June 2013 (The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone)

Notes from the birthday list. 
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Felicia Day and Alice Krige, if I wanted to continue with the fabulous babe theme, I could have chosen Lalla Ward from Doctor Who, but instead it's the oldest living person on our list, Mel Brooks as Yogurt from Spaceballs. To be clear, he is not The Guy at the Door because several people younger than he is are already gone.

2. Wait... he's dead? I've processed the deaths of Gilda Radner and Pat Morita, but somehow I still haven't put author Robert Asprin in the deceased file.

3. Spot the Canadians (and Nepotism FTW.) Jeff Geddis and Gil Bellows were both born north of the border and their resumes show some trace, but Christopher Doohan is both Canadian and an  obvious beneficiary of nepotism.

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

Movie released
Superman Returns released 2006

 

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in his novel The Door Into Summer

Prediction: (Mr. Powell) picked up his phone and said, “Opal, get me Dr. Berquist.” I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation, for he turned on the privacy guard. But after a while he put down the instrument and smiled as if a rich uncle had died. “Good news, sir! I had overlooked momentarily the fact that the first successful experiments (of suspended animation) were made on cats. The techniques and critical factors for cats are fully established. In fact there is a cat at the Naval Research Laboratory in Annapolis which is and has been for more than twenty years alive in hypothermia.”

“Wasn’t NRL wiped out when they got Washington?”

“Just the surface buildings, sir, not the deep vaults.”

Reality: There are three predictions in this passage, all of them false. Suspended animation does not work on humans, it does not work on cats and there was no catastrophic nuclear war between 1957 and 1970, or indeed a nuclear war of any kind.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

One more Monday and another prediction from The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
   

27 June 2015

Birthdays
Chandler Riggs b. 1999 (The Walking Dead, Jesus H. Zombie)
Matthew Lewis b. 1989 (Harry Potter)
Ed Westwick b. 1987 (S. Darko, Children of Men)
India de Beaufort b. 1987 (Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire)
Sam Claflin b. 1986 (The Hunger Games, Snow White and the Huntsman, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, The Lost Future)
Drake Bell b. 1986 (I [Heart] Vampires, Dragonworld: The Legend Continues)
Sam Hoare b. 1981 (An Adventure in Space and Time, Captain America: The First Avenger, The Golden Compass)
Courtney Ford b. 1978 (True Blood, The Big Bang Theory, The Vampire Diaries, Alien Raiders)
Tobey Maguire b. 1975 (Spider-Man 1, 2 & 3, Pleasantville, Eerie, Indiana)
Christian Kane b. 1974 (The Librarians, Angel)
Stephen Barker Turner b. 1968 (Forever, Book of Shadows: Blair Witch 2)
J.J. Abrams b. 1966 (writer/director, Star Wars: Episode VII, Fringe, Star Trek, Super 8, Lost, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Armageddon)
Isabelle Adjani b. 1955 (Nosferatu the Vampire)
Julia Duffy b. 1951 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Voyagers!, Wizards and Warriors, Battle Beyond the Stars)
Ken Marshall b. 1950 (Deep Space Nine, Quantum Leap, Krull)
James Daughton b. 1950 (Hologram Man, Weird Science [TV], V, The Incredible Hulk, Future Cop, Planet of the Apes [TV], The Sixth Sense [TV], Shazam!)
Paul Koslo b. 1944 (Stargate SG-1, The Flash, Xtro II, Solar Crisis, Robot Jox, Misfits of Science, The Greatest American Hero, The Incredible Hulk, Galactica 1980, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Omega Man)
Sandra Smith b. 1940 (Star Trek)
George McCowan b. 1927 died 1 November 1995 (director, War of the Worlds [TV], The Shape of Things to Come, The Starlost, Frogs, The Invaders)
Wallace Earl Leven b. 1926 died 27 February 2012 (The Greatest American Hero, Time Express, The Six Million Dollar Man, Planet of the Apes, The Monster That Challenged the World)
Skelton Knaggs b. 1911 died 1 May 1955 (Captain Video, Master of the Stratosphere, House of Dracula, The Invisible Man’s Revenge)
Billy Curtis b. 1909 died 9 November 1988 (The Twilight Zone [1986], Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Batman, The Angry Red Planet, Adventures of Superman, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Jungle Moon Men, Superman and the Mole Men, The Wizard of Oz)
John McIntire b. 1907 died 30 January 1991 (The Incredible Hulk, Twilight Zone)
Greta Schroder b. 1892 died 8 June 1980 (Nosferatu, The Golem)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Tobey Maguire, who turns 40 today, and Matthew Lewis, best known as Neville Longbottom. Continuing with the trend of iconic stuff from the 21st Century, today it's Chandler Riggs from his most famous role as Carl on The Walking Dead.

2. The Gal at the Door. It's a short list today. No one born after WW II died young, there is no one born in the 1930s and everyone born in the 1920s is gone. These three facts conspire to make Sandra Smith the Gal at the Door. Her most famous role was as Dr. Janice Lester on the third season Star Trek episode Turnabout Intruder, my second choice for the Picture Slot today. As always, special birthday wishes go out to anyone singled out by this odd demographic coincidence.

3. The Geezer Canadians. There are two Canadians on the list today, both of them born before 1950 so their credit lists don't have that much in the way of Canadian genre productions. They are the actor Paul Koslo and the director George McCowan.

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

Movies released
Transformers: Age of Extinction released, 2014 
WALL-E released, 2008
 

Predictor: Morris L. Ernst in his 1955 book Utopia 1976

Prediction: We can already see the outlines of 1976 products. Telephone and telegraph lines are to give way to microwave radio. Electronic lighting will give safety on sea and land. Atomic batteries are not far off and Solar batteries will be commonplace.

Reality: Even the things he gets right are more the outlines of 2015 than 1976. Microwave radio is a good description of cell phone reception, solar batteries are getting more commonplace every day and at an accelerating pace, but atomic batteries ain't happening and I'm not even sure what counts as "electronic lighting". LEDs perhaps?

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Regular old Sunday tomorrow means another prediction from Robert A. Heinlein's The Door Into Summer.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

26 June 2015

Birthdays
Harley Quinn Smith b. 1999 (Tusk)
Katie and Kelly Cockrell b. 1988 (Star Trek Into Darkness, Return to Halloweentown)
Aubrey Plaza b. 1984 (Safety Not Guaranteed)
Tolga Safer b. 1982 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Jason Schwartzman b. 1980 (Bewitched [2005 movie], The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, S1m0ne)
Tory Mussett b. 1978 (Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Boogeyman, Peter Pan [2003], The Matrix Reloaded)
Matt Letscher b. 1970 (The Flash, Her, Radio Free Albemuth)
Chris O’Donnell b. 1970 (Batman & Robin, Batman Forever)
Nick Offerman b. 1970 (Sin City)
Steven Brand b. 1969 (Teen Wolf, Hellraiser: Revelations, Jurassic Attack, Alien Express, The Scorpion King)
Christina Fulton b. 1969 (Dracula [1992])
Ian Tracy b. 1964 (The 100, Strange Empire, Continuum, Man of Steel, Supernatural, Sanctuary, Sucker Punch, The 4400, Smallville, Elektra, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Taken, Stargate SG-1, Dark Angel, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Highlander [TV], The Adventures of Sinbad [TV], The X-Files, Timecop)
Terri Nunn b. 1961 (Time Express)
Mark McKinney b. 1959 (Space Riders: Division Earth, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Jacob Two Two Meets the Hooded Fang, Kids in the Hall: Brain Candy)
Lela Ivey b. 1958 (Pleasantville, The Addams Family [movie], Quantum Leap, She-Wolf of London, ALF, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
Gedde Watanabe b. 1955 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Armageddon, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Vamp)
David Brisbin b. 1952 (The X-Files, Buffy, From the Earth to the Moon, Dark Skies)
Robert Davi b. 1951 (Lost Time, Asteroid vs. Earth, Swamp Shark, Stargate: Atlantis, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, VR.5, Predator 2, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Incredible Hulk)
Michael Paul Chan b. 1950 (Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, The Invisible Man [TV], Good vs Evil, Batman & Robin, Lois & Clark, The Burning Zone, Batman Forever, Babylon 5, Alien Nation, Max Headroom)
Leo Rossi b. 1946 (The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human, Mutant Species, Amazing Stories, Halloween II)
Clive Francis b. 1946 (Relic Hunter, A Clockwork Orange, Journey to the Unknown)
John Beasley b. 1943 (The Lost Room, Millennium [TV])
Edwin Hodgeman b. 1935 (Ultraman: Toward the Future, Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome)
Josef Sommer b. 1934 (X-Men: The Last Stand, Early Edition, Strange Days, Bionic Showdown: The Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, Dracula’s Widow, D.A.R.Y.L., Iceman, The Henderson Monster, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Stepford Wives)
Richard X. Slattery b. 1925 died 27 January 1997 (Space, Monster Squad, Wonder Woman, Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, The Invaders, Mr. Terrific, The Green Hornet)
Richard Bull b. 1924 died 3 February 2014 (Amazing Stories, The Andromeda Strain, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Bewitched, The Satan Bug, Men Into Space)
Dick Smith b. 1922 died 30 July 2014 (make-up artist, House on Haunted Hill [1999], Death Becomes Her, Monsters [TV], Poltergeist III, Starman, The Hunger, Ghost Story, Scanners, Altered States, Exorcist I and II, The Stepford Wives, Dark Shadows, ‘Way Out, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [TV 1968], The Alligator People, Alice in Wonderland [TV 1955])
Peter Lorre b. 1904 died 23 March 1964 (The Raven, Tales of Terror, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In 2013, I didn't have a birthday list for June 26, and in 2014, I decided to use Oh That Cop Richard X. Slattery because I thought it was cruel to use Chris O'Donnell in his silly nipple costume from one of his only two roles in genre, the movies that almost killed the Batman franchise forever. (My position: Blame Schumacher First!)

Well, okay, I admit it. Sometimes I'm cruel.


2. Nepotism FTW. What kind of person would name his daughter after a villain from a comic book? That would be director Kevin Smith and his daughter Harley Quinn Smith.

3. Spot the Canadians! Easy to find with a simple clue. There are two, one born in the 1950s and the other in the 1960s.

4. Wait... they are the same age? This happens sometimes, when you get two actors, one best known for younger roles and the other best known for roles later in his or her career. Both Chris O'Donnell and Nick Offerman turn 45 this year. I would not have guessed they were the same age.

5. The Guy at the Door. Two people on this list have died during the lifetime of this blog. I did do a Never to be Forgotten for Dick Smith, but I missed the obit for Richard Bull. My bad. With those two gone, everyone born in the1920s is dead and our new oldest person on the list is veteran character actor Josef Summer, who turns 81 today. As always when this happens, I wish special birthday greeting to our Guy (or Gal) at the Door.

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

Predictor: H.G. Wells in his 1901 book Anticipations

Prediction: [B]etween contiguous nations that have mastered the art of war, instead of the pouring clouds of cavalry of the old dispensation, this will be the opening phase of the struggle, a vast duel all along the frontier between groups of skilled marksmen, continually being relieved and refreshed from the rear. For a time quite possibly there will be no definite army here or there, there will be no controllable battle, there will be no Great General in the field at all. But somewhere far in the rear the central organizer will sit at the telephonic centre of his vast front, and he will strengthen here and feed there and watch, watch perpetually the pressure, the incessant remorseless pressure that is seeking to wear down his countervailing thrust. Behind the thin firing line that is actually engaged, the country for many miles will be rapidly cleared and devoted to the business of war, big machines will be at work making second, third, and fourth lines of trenches that may be needed if presently the firing line is forced back, spreading out transverse paths for the swift lateral movement of the cyclists who will be in perpetual alertness to relieve sudden local pressures, and all along those great motor roads our first "Anticipations" sketched, there will be a vast and rapid shifting to and fro of big and very long range guns. These guns will probably be fought with the help of balloons.

Reality: I'm going to give Herb pretty much full marks for this. He is describing that massive clusterfuck now known as World War I fairly accurately. Aircraft, tanks and other technology have made trench warfare a thing of the past, but in 1901 our past is his future.

Never to be Forgotten: Laura Antonelli 1941-2015 Italian beauty Laura Antonelli has died at the age of 73. In Italy she was nearly as well known for her long affair with Jean-Paul Belmondo as she was for her film career. She was also in the news when she was convicted for dealing cocaine after it was found in her home during a police raid in 1991. She steadfastly proclaimed her innocence, and after a long process was vindicated and paid damages of 106,000 euros. She is mentioned here for her one role in genre in the silly Vincent Price vehicle Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs. This picture is a still from the movie and she was the top billed actress in the cast.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Laura Antonelli, from an adoring fan. She is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's Saturday tomorrow, so we hear from our optimistic and moralistic pal Morris L, Ernst in his book Utopia 1976.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

Never to be Forgotten: Patrick Macnee 1922-2015

Patrick Macnee, the veteran British actor pictured here in his role as the eeeevil Count Iblis on the original Battlestar Galactica, has died today at the age of 93. Most Americans will know him best as John Steed on the British TV series The Avengers, where he played opposite such fabulous babes as Honor Blackman, Diana Rigg, Linda Thorson and Joanna Lumley. Some younger fans might remember him from his cameo in Spinal Tap as Sir Denis Eton-Hogg. He had a long career and played in genre productions throughout it, including Low Budget Time Machine, NightMan, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Super Force, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Lobster Man from Mars, War of the Worlds [1989 TV], Waxwork, Automan, The Creature Wasn’t Nice, The Howling, Battlestar Galactica, Twilight Zone [1959], A Christmas Carol [1951] and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. 

It is entirely to my discredit to bring this up, but I remember an interview in TV Guide where Diana Rigg complained bitterly that she was being paid a tiny fraction of Macnee's salary. As an American, I wasn't aware that he had been on the show longer than she had, but given what a seeming example of the equality of the sexes Emma Peel was in her day, it seemed to pre-pubescent me as a tremendous injustice. I write "a seeming example" because looking at the show today, one is struck by how often Mrs. Peel ends up a hostage.

Regular readers will know that I consider mentioning someone is The Guy (or Gal) at the Door as some sort of jinx, but Macnee was nowhere near the door. Someone who shared his birthdate but is younger has already died, and he is five years younger than the inexplicably alive Zsa Zsa Gabor. Go figure.

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

25 June 2015

Birthdays
Mckenna Grace b. 2006 (Frankenstein [2015], The Vampire Diaries, Goodbye World)
Scott Terra b. 1987 (Daredevil, Eight Legged Freaks, Charmed)
Megan Burns b. 1986 (28 Days Later)
Busy Philipps b. 1979 (The Sarah Connor Chronicles)
La La Anthony b. 1979 (Monster Island)
Linda Cardellini b. 1975 (Avengers: Age of Ultron, Scooby-Doo, Dead Man on Campus, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Jeff Cohen b. 1974 (Amazing Stories, Tales from the Darkside)
Jason Lewis b. 1971 (Charmed)
Angela Kinsey b. 1971 (Zombie Basement)
Thomas Scharff b. 1970 (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters)
Erica Gimpel b. 1964 (True Blood, Babylon 5)
John Benjamin Hickey b. 1963 (The Seeker: The Dark is Rising, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Ricky Gervais b. 1961 (The Invention of Lying, Night at the Museum, Stardust)
Timur Bekmambetov b. 1961 (director, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Wanted, Day Watch, Night Watch)
Paris Themmen b. 1959 (Star Trek: Voyager, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)
Chloe Webb b. 1956 (Practical Magic, Ghostbusters II)
Michael McShane b. 1955 (Love in the Time of Monsters, Evil Alien Conquerors, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show)
Lina Romay b. 1954 died 15 February 2012 (Snakewoman, Killer Barbys vs. Dracula, Vampire Junction, Oasis of the Zombies, Female Vampire, The Erotic Rites of Frankenstein, The Daughter of Dracula)
Kene Holliday b. 1949 (The Philadelphia Experiment, The Incredible Hulk)
Michael Lembeck b. 1948 (director, Tooth Fairy)
Jimmie Walker b. 1947 (Super Shark, Monster Mash: The Movie, Guyver)
Roy Marsden b. 1941 (Doctor Who, Mysterious Island, Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God, Space: 1999)
George Murdock b. 1930 died 30 April 2012 (Torchwood, Legend of the Phantom Rider, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, The X-Files, Team Knight Rider, Apollo 11, Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II, Lois & Clark, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Small Wonder, The Sword and the Sorceror, Battlestar Galactica [1978], The Invisible Man [TV], The Six Million Dollar Man, The Sixth Sense [TV], Twilight Zone)
June Lockhart b. 1925 (Zombie Hamlet, Super Capers: The origins of Ed and the Missing Bullion, Lost in Space [1998 and 1965], Babylon 5, C.H.U.D.II – Bud the Chud, Amazing Stories , Troll, Strange Invaders, The Greatest American Hero, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Bewitched)
Peter Lind Hayes b. 1915 died 21 April 1998 (The Outer Limits, The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T)
Sidney Lumet b. 1924 died 9 April 2011 (director, The Wiz)
George Orwell b. 1903 died 21 January 1950 (author, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Animal Farm)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot belonged to George Orwell. If we avoid repetition, the contest for 2015 would be between the late Oh That Guy George Murdock and the still living and fabulous June Lockhart. Happy 90th birthday, Miss Lockhart!

2. Nepotism FTW. Director Michael Lembeck is the son of actor Harvey Lembeck.

3. Living Canadian and MST3K free. I found no Canadians in my search today and don't know of any movies on the list that were skewered by the Best Brains gang.

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

Movies released
Rollerball released, 1975
Blade Runner released 1982

The original Rollerball was supposed to take place in 2018 and Blade Runner in 2019.

Rollerball was 40 years ago. Jesus, I'm a geezer.
 

Predictor: World Without End by F. Gwynplaine MacIntyre, published 2010

Prediction: In 2023, a street prostitute is injected with nanotechnology that allows her live forever, surviving the pandemic that kills all other humans.


Reality: This is an extremely depressing story about the last person on earth, written by a guy who committed suicide that same year. Nearly magical nanotech eight years from now seems unlikely.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

H. G. Wells is back, probably pompous, possibly deeply unpleasant.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

24 June 2015

Birthdays
Nicole Munoz b. 1994 (Defiance, Once Upon a Time, Scarecrow, Chupacabra vs. the Alamo, Tooth Fairy, The Last Mimzy, Supernatural, Fantastic Four, Jeremiah, Stargate Atlantis)
Kaitlin Cullum b. 1986 (Galaxy Quest)
Lotte Verbeek b. 1982 (Outlander [TV])
Sarai Givaty b. 1982 (The Legend of Hercules)
Joanna Kulig b. 1982 (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters)
Minka Kelly b. 1980 (Almost Human)
Liane Balaban b. 1980 (Supernatural, Alphas)
Mindy Kaling b. 1979 (This is the End, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian)
Carla Gallo b. 1975 (Carnivale)
Charles Venn b. 1973 (The Dark Knight)
Jensen Daggett b. 1969 (Asteroid, Project: ALF, Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan)
Iain Glen b. 1961 (Game of Thrones, Kick-Ass 2, Doctor Who, Resident Evil, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)
Dan Gilroy b. 1959 (writer, Stan Lee’s Annihilator, Real Steel, Freejack)
Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister b. 1958 (The Lazarus Papers, Super Capers: The Origins of Ed and the Missing Bullion, Monster Ark, The Dark Knight, Saul of the Mole Men, Vegas Vampires, Dracula 3000, Star Trek: Enterprise, The Fifth Element, The Meteor Man, Universal Soldier)
Joe Penny b. 1956 (Reign of the Gargoyles, Threshold, The Twilight Zone [1986], Tucker’s Witch)
Michael Reid MacKay b. 1953 (X-Men 2, Batman & Robin, Sleepwalkers, The Monster Squad)
Mercedes Lackey b. 1950 (author, Valdemar, The Ship Who Searched)
Nancy Allen b. 1950 (My Apocalypse, RoboCop, Poltergeist III, The Philadelphia Experiment, Strange Invaders, Carrie)
Peter Weller b. 1947 (Star Trek Into Darkness, Fringe, Star Trek: Enterprise, Odyssey 5, Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula, Screamers, RoboCop. Leviathan, Buckaroo Banzai)
George Sanford Brown b. 1943 (Team Knight Rider, Colossus: The Forbin Project)
Carol Byron b. 1937 (Dimension 5, The Addams Family, Twilight Zone)
Paul L. Smith b. 1936 died 25 April 2012 (Gor, Haunted Honeymoon, Red Sonja, Dune, Wonder Woman)
Robert Downey Sr. b. 1935 (From Other Worlds, Twilight Zone [1985])
Jack Carter b. 1923 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Time Trax, Lois & Clark, They Came From Outer Space, Arena, Amazing Stories, Alligator, Beyond Westworld, I Dream of Jeannie, Batman, Tales of Tomorrow)
Al Molinaro b. 1919 (It’s a Bird… It’s a Plane… It’s Superman!, Bewitched)
Sir Fred Hoyle b. 1915 died 20 August 2001 (scientist/author, A for Andromeda, The Molecule Men)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. There are three actors who have had the Picture Slot on this list, 'Tiny' Lister and Peter Weller on previous June 24th and Iain Glen one year when I had his birthday on the wrong date. As usual, I try not to repeat myself and go with something iconic, so this year it's Nancy Allen from Robo Cop, having a chat with the pre-cyborg version of Peter Weller. (Aside: I always wonder if people in a movie together find out they share a birthday.) My second choice would have been the late Paul L. Smith as the Beast Rabban in Dune.

2. Spot the Canadians! Our Canucks today are Liane Balaban and Nicole Munoz, both have showed up on Supernatural, which is not a proof of Canadian citizenship but a strong hint instead.

3. No nepotism here. The aforementioned Ms. Balaban is no relation to Bob Balaban. Robert Downey Sr. is nowhere near as famous as his son, but I don't see him begging the kid for small roles in movies where his son is the star, so I'm not going to make any nepotism claim there.

4. Wait... they're alive? We have two guys in their nineties on the list today, Jack Carter and Al Molinaro. I had no idea they were still around and good on them.

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

Movies released
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen released, 2009
Spaceballs released, 1987

Predictor: George Sutherland in his 1901 book Twentieth Century Inventions

Prediction: The call to awake in the morning will, in cities and towns, be made by wireless telegraphy, which will also be used for the purpose of regulating the domestic clocks, so that if desired any suitable form of clock alarm may be used with the most perfect confidence… The clock controlled by wireless telegraphy will doubtless undergo a rapid development from the time when it is first introduced.

Reality: Wireless telegraphy is the name Sutherland uses for radio. The radio alarm clock was not exactly what he was proposing, but I'll still give him points. As for clocks that can be remotely regulated, this was a clever idea that really took off in the 21st Century. The clocks inside computers used to run slow almost always, but now the Internet can send a pulse to make them the most reliable time keeping device in the house.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We interrupt our regular schedule for a prediction of immortality that really sounds like it would suck.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

Never to be Forgotten:Dick Van Patten 1928-2015

Actor Dick Van Patten, pictured here as King Roland in Spaceballs, has died of complications from diabetes. He was 86.

For people who are fond of The Rule of Threes, I should point out that Van Patten is the fourth celebrity death report on this blog in the last two news cycles, though he stands apart from the other three by being the oldest by nearly twenty years and very easily arguably the most famous.

How should we rate the fame of Dick Van Patten? I would say he is slightly more famous than Abe Vigoda, but like Vigoda, he was a star on TV and a character actor in movies. I give him the slight nod over Vigoda because of their relative billings on their best known shows, Eight is Enough for Van Patten and Barney Miller for Vigoda. Besides Spaceballs, Van Patten's other genre work includes Lois & Clark, Westworld, The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Girl with Something Extra, Soylent Green and I Dream of Jeannie.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Dick Van Patten, from a saddened fan. He is never to be forgotten.

23 June 2015

Birthdays
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.

Predictor: John Langdon-Davies in his 1936 book A Short History of the Future

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.

Never to be Forgotten: James Horner 1953-2015

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!
 

Never to be Forgotten: George "Foghorn" Winslow 1946-2015 and Tony Longo 1961-2015

The deaths of two character actors are being reported today, different as chalk and cheese and both gone at what seems to a geezer like me a very young age.

George "Foghorn" Winslow was a child actor in the 1950s who main comedic talent was a bass-baritone voice coming out of a pre-pubescent kid. His best known films are Gentlemen Prefer Blondes with Jane Russell and Marilyn Monroe and Monkey Business with Cary Grant, Ginger Rogers and yet again Marilyn Monroe, but he gains a mention her with the light-hearted sci-fi flick The Rocket Man, which was about a kid finding a ray gun that forced people to tell the truth.

Best wishes to the family and friends of George "Foghorn" Winslow, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Tony Longo has died at the age of 53, and you don't have to be a geezer to think that is way too young. Longo was 6'6" and besides his imposing height, he was either extremely ripped in certain roles or, later in his career, very fat. Some ethnic actors can avoid being in any genre work, especially Italians, Hispanics and African Americans, but Mr. Longo was featured in many genre films and TV shows, including Fangs, The X Files, They Came from Outer Space, Beauty and the Beast, Splash and Small & Frye.

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

22 June 2015

Birthdays
Portia Doubleday b. 1988 (Her, Carrie [2013], Legend of the Mummy)
Joe Dempsie b. 1987 (Game of Thrones, Merlin, Doctor Who)
Douglas Smith b. 1985 (Terminator Genisys, Antiviral, Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, The X-Files)
Lindsay Ridgeway b. 1985 (Star Trek: Voyager)
Amanda Brooks b. 1981 (Chillerama, Dragon Wars: D-War)
Stephanie Jacobsen b. 1980 (Star-Crossed, Quantum Apocalypse, The Devil’s Tomb, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Battlestar Galactica, Farscape)
Jeff Hephner b. 1975 (Interstellar)
Sarah Edmonson b. 1977 (Continuum, Fringe, The Dead Zone, Andromeda, Stargate SG-1, Vampire High)
Donald Faison b. 1974 (Kick-Ass 2, Skyline, Clone High, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch)
Benz Antoine b. 1972 (Death Race, Gothika, Seven Days, Strange World, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, NightMan, Stargate SG-1, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, Millennium)
Mary Lynn Rajskub b. 1971 (Safety Not Guaranteed, Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Laila Rouass b. 1971 (Conan the Barbarian [2011], The Sarah Jane Adventures, Primeval)
Michael Trucco b. 1970 (V [2010], Meteor Storm, Battlestar Galactica, The Big Bang Theory, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Charmed)
Paula Irvine b. 1968 (Phantasm I, II and III, Doin’ Time on Planet Earth)
James McCauley b. 1966 (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, True Blood, I am Legend)
Uwe Boll b. 1965 (director, Blubberella, Seed, BloodRayne, House of the Dead)
J.J. Cohen b. 1965 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Back to the Future, 976-EVIL, V [1985], Amazing Stories)
Amy Brenneman b. 1964 (The Leftovers, Casper)
Heidi Kozak b. 1963 (Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood, Twilight Zone [1987])
Catherine Disher b. 1960 (Good Witch, Forever Knight, War of the Worlds [TV])
Bruce Campbell b. 1958 (Ash vs. Evil Dead, Oz the Great and Powerful, Spider-Man, Alien Apocalypse, Sky High, Man with the Screaming Brain, Terminal Invasion, Bubba Ho-Tep, Timequest, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena, The X-Files, Weird Science [TV], Assault on Dome 4, Escape from L.A., American Gothic, Lois & Clark, Congo, Army of Darkness, Mindwarp, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Darkman, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Moontrap, The Evil Dead I and II)
John Murray b. 1958 (Scrooged)
Tim Russ b. 1956 (Star Trek: Voyager, Asteroid vs. Earth, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari [2006], Star Trek: Generations, SeaQuest2032, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Journey to the Center of the Earth [1993], Eve of Destruction, Alien Nation, Beauty and the Beast, The Twilight Zone, Spaceballs, Timestalkers, Starman [TV], Amazing Stories)
Chris Lemmon b. 1954 (My Dog the Space Traveler, Wishmaster)
Graham Greene b. 1952 (Defiance, Twilight Saga, Phil the Alien, Big Wolf on Campus, The Green Mile, Poltergeist: The Legacy)
Meryl Streep b. 1949 (Into the Woods, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, Defending Your Life, Death Becomes Her, Alice at the Palace)
Lindsay Wagner b. 1949 (Warehouse 13, Alphas, A Light in the Forest, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man)
David L. Lander b. 1947 (Zoom, Black Scorpion, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, The Tick, Homeboys in Outer Space, Freddy’s Nightmares, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Who Framed Roger Rabbit)
Octavia E. Butler b. 1947 died 24 February 2006 (won 2000 Nebula for Parable of the Talents)
Murphy Dunne b. 1942 (Deadly Swarm, The Mothman Prophecies, Faerie Tale Theatre, Twilight Zone [1985], Space)
Michael Lerner b. 1941 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Kingdom Hospital, My Favorite Martian [1999], Tale of the Mummy, Godzilla [1998], Tales from the Crypt, Omen IV: The Awakening, Amazing Stories, Strange Invaders, Threshold, Wonder Woman)
Kris Kristofferson b. 1936 (Blade, Planet of the Apes, NetForce, Millennium)
Amrish Puri b. 1932 died 12 January 2005 (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom)
Prunella Scales b. 1932 (Wolf, The Boys from Brazil)
Ralph Waite b. 1928 died 13 February 2014 (Carnivale, Timequest, Time Trax)
Richard Eastham b. 1916 died 10 July 2005 (Galactica 1980, Salvage 1, Wonder Woman, Battle for the Planet of the Apes, The Invaders)
H. Rider Haggard b. 1856 died 14 May 1925 (author, She)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slotters were Bruce Campbell and Nebula award winner Octavia E. Butler. There are several good choices even with those two worthies excluded, the best known of whom is clearly Meryl Streep. But in terms of iconic roles in genre, Ms. Streep is probably just on par with her exact same birthday girl Lindsay Wagner. If I was going for the youngest iconic actor, I would have chosen Joe Dempsie as Gendry in Game of Thrones, but the Slot went to Tim Russ as Tuvok, the first black actor to play a recurring role as a Vulcan in the Star Trek universe.

2. Spot the Canadians!  There are five today and as often happens, it's easier to spot the younger ones, though not always. Native American actor Graham Greene would more properly be called a First Nations Canadian, but much of his career took place south of the border. Catherine Disher's resume shows some Canadian tendencies, but not as much as Benz Antoine's or Sarah Edmondson's. And then there's our youngest Canadian Douglas Smith, who does more movie work than Canuck-fi TV shows, so is just as hard to spot as Mr. Greene. Thanks to Art Velasquez for pointing out my earlier error excluding Smith.


3. Nepotism FTW. Two guys born in the 1950s have famous relatives who likely helped their careers. Chris Lemmon is Jack Lemmon's son and John Murray is the least well known of Bill Murray's siblings.

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

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: Unmanned aircraft will be used for freight delivery, most especially to remote regions. Using advanced robotic technology not yet available, they will be controlled from the point of origin and unload cargo automatically.

Reality: This one gets full marks since no exact date was given nor was size of the drone specified. The OMNI Future Almanac was not shy about discussing military applications, but none were mentioned in this case, which has to count as an oversight.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's the regular Tuesday schedule, so we get another Commie prediction from John Langdon-Davies, Commie.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

21 June 2015

Birthdays
Brian Sites b. 1983 (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
Benjamin Walker b. 1982 (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)
Chris Pratt b. 1979 (Jurassic World, Guardian of the Galaxy, Her, Jennifer’s Body, Path of Destruction)
Garikayi Mutambirwa b. 1978 (Legend of Souls, Jeepers Creepers II, Clockstoppers, Angel, Seven Days)
Erica Durance b. 1978 (Painkillers, Smallville, The Butterfly Effect 2, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, House of the Dead)
Will Thorp b. 1977 (Doctor Who)
Maggie Siff b. 1974 (The Fifth Wave, Push)
Natasha Beaumont b. 1974 (Inception, The Lost World, Farscape)
Juliette Lewis b. 1973 (From Dusk Till Dawn, Strange Days, My Stepmother Is an Alien, Meet the Hollowheads)
Carrie Preston b. 1967 (True Blood, Lost, The Stepford Wives [2004], Wonderfalls)
Lana Wachowski b. 1965 (director, Sense8, Jupiter Ascending, Cloud Atlas, Speed Racer, The Matrix)
David Morrissey b. 1964 (The Walking Dead, Extant, Earthbound, The Water Horse, Doctor Who, The Reaping)
Doug Savant b. 1964 (Firefly, Godzilla [1998], Teen Wolf)
Sammi Davis b. 1964 (Lost, Lair of the White Worm)
Josh Pais b. 1964 (The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Deep Space Nine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1990])
Eric Douglas b. 1958 died 6 July 2004 (Tales from the Crypt, The Golden Child)
Berkeley Breathed b. 1957 (writer, Mars Needs Moms)
Robert Pastorelli b. 1954 died 8 March 2004 (Modern Vampires, Beauty and the Beast [1980s], Twilight Zone [1985], Knight Rider, Tucker’s Witch)
Michael Bowen b. 1953 (Revolution, Lost, The X-Files, Night of the Comet)
Robyn Douglass b. 1953 (Galactica 1980)
Rachel Winfree b. 1952 (Roswell, Donnie Darko, The X Files, Lois & Clark)
Michael Gross b. 1947 (Tremors [TV and film], The Hunger, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court)
Meredith Baxter b. 1947 (The Cat Creature)
Tony Scott b. 1944 died 19 August 2012 (director, The Hunger [1990s TV and 1983 movie])
Joe Flaherty b. 1941 (Maniac Mansion, Back to the Beanstalk, Back to the Future Part II, Innerspace, Deadly Nightmares, Dave Thomas: The Incredible Time Travels of Henry Osgood)
Lyman Ward b. 1941 (Black Scorpion [TV], Independence Day, Weird Science [TV], Sleepwalkers, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Battlestar Galactica [1979], Man from Atlantis)
Mariette Hartley b. 1940 (Conan [TV], Encino Man, The Incredible Hulk, Logan’s Run [TV], Genesis II, Mystery in Dracula’s Castle, Earth II, The Return of Count Yorga, Star Trek, Twilight Zone)
Ron Ely b. 1938 (Superboy, Wonder Woman)
Monte Markham b. 1935 (Fringe, Millennium Man, Deep Space Nine, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, The Incredible Hulk, Beyond Westworld, The Invisible Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, Project X)
Bernie Kopell b. 1933 (The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park, Charmed, Bug Buster, Charmed, The Charmings, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian)
Maureen Stapleton b. 1925 died 13 March 2006 (Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Cocoon, The Electric Grandmother)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, it was David Morrissey from The Walking Dead and director Lana Wachowski. I could have gone old school with Mariette Hartley from Star Trek, but I went instead with the third youngest person on today's list Chris Pratt, who in just a couple years now has two iconic genre roles.

2. Things I learned today.
The nice thing: Michael Gross and Meredith Baxter share the exact same birthday, both turning 68 today and good on 'em.


The not nice thing: Robert Pastorelli was a "Wait... he's dead?" guy for me, dying very young. His best known role is as Eldon on Murphy Brown.

Neither nice nor not: Joe Flaherty was born in Pittsburgh, PA. He must have had a Canadian work visa for at least part of his career, but I can find no evidence he ever had Canadian citizenship.


3. Spot the Canadians! There are two today. Lyman Ward works mainly south of the border, Erica Durance works mainly north.


4, Nepotism, not a win. While I didn't know Robert Pastorelli was dead until I did research today, I was aware of the early death of Eric Douglas, son of Kirk Douglas. Very sad story.

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

Movies released
World War Z released, 2013
Monsters University released, 2013
Minority Report released 2002

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in his 1957 book The Door Into Summer

Prediction: I’m going to tell you because it can’t hurt anything… it’s time travel, all right, but it’s not practical. You can’t use it.”

Reality: As reality, time travel isn't happening, but I did like the version Heinlein created for this story. The impractical thing was that you couldn't be sure whether you were moving forward in time or backward. As Heinlein put it "Point in the direction of the future." Instead, time travel sent some stuff forward and the rest backward when used.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Monday rolls around again, which means another dip into The OMNI Future Almanac.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

20 June 2015

Birthdays
Hulk released 2003
Jadin Gould b. 1998 (Man of Steel, Battle Los Angeles)
Claudia Lee b. 1996 (Kick-Ass 2)
Christopher Mintz-Plasse b. 1989 (Kick-Ass, This is the End, Fright Night)
Shefali Chowdhury b. 1988 (Harry Potter)
Dreama Walker b. 1986 (Vamperifica, The Invention of Lying)
Collings Pennie b. 1985 (In Time)
Jobeth Wagner b. 1985 (True Blood, Hancock)
Kate Kelton b. 1978 (Haven, Growth)
Ronnie Gene Blevins b. 1977 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., True Blood, The Dark Knight Rises, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Tom Wlaschiha b. 1973 (Game of Thrones, The Sarah Jane Chronicles)
Josh Lucas b. 1971 (Space Warriors, Hulk)
Raymond Olubawale b. 1970 (Resident Evil)
Robert Rodriguez b. 1968 (director, Sin City, From Dusk Till Dawn, Planet Terror, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl 3D, Spy Kids, The Faculty)
Nicole Kidman b. 1967 (How to Talk to Girls at Parties, The Golden Compass, The Invasion, Bewitched [2005 movie], The Stepford Wives, The Others, Practical Magic, Batman Forever)
Chuck Wagner b. 1958 (Into the Woods, The Sisterhood, America 3000, Automan)
Miles O’ Keefe b. 1954 (Waxwork, Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Ator the Fighting Eagle)
John Goodman b. 1952 (Speed Racer, The Borrowers, Fallen, Arachnophobia, C.H.U.D.)
Don Mantooth b. 1952 (Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica [1979], Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Candy Clark b. 1947 (Buffy the Vampire Slayer [movie], The Blob [1988], Starman [TV], Amityville 3D, Q, The Man Who Fell to Earth)
Oliver Cotton b. 1944 (Penny Dreadful, The Dark Knight Rises, Beowulf [1999], Space Precinct, Space; 1999)
John McCook b. 1944 (David’s Dinosaur, Amazing Stories. Once Upon a Brothers Grimm)
John Mahoney b. 1940 (3rd Rock from the Sun, The Manhattan Project)
Wendy Craig b. 1934 (Out of the Unknown)
Brett Halsey b. 1933 (TekWar, Forever Knight, Automan, Knight Rider, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Bionic Woman, Revenge of the Creature)
Danny Aiello b. 1933 (The Stuff)
James Tolkan b. 1931 (Early Edition, Robo Warriors, Back to the Future, Masters of the Universe, Iceman, WarGames, Wolfen, The Amityville Horror, The Werewolf of Washington)
Olympia Dukakis b. 1931 (The Librarian)
Bonnie Bartlett b. 1929 (Firefly, Stargate SG-1, SeaQuest 2032, The Wizard, V, Salem’s Lot)
Martin Landau b. 1928 (Sleepy Hollow [1999 movie], The Adventures of Pinocchio, The X-Files, The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and the Bionic Woman, The Twilight Zone [1985, 1964, 1959], The Return, Meteor, The Fall of the House of Usher, Space: 1999, The Outer Limits)
Robb White b. 1909 died 24 November 1990 (writer, Thirteen Ghosts, House on Haunted Hill, The Tingler)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Robert Rodriguez and Nicole Kidman. This year, it was a toss-up between Martin Landau and today's winner, Tom Wlaschiha, who playes the Faceless Man Jaqen H'ghar on Game of Thrones.


2. Hey, no Star Trek! Star Trek is far and away the most common label on the blog, but some days there are no Trek artists are celebrating birthdays. So far this month, it's happened about once a week.

3. MST3K. I know Revenge of the Creature got the treatment, there may be others.

4. Spot the Canadian! Kate Kelton is our lone Canadian today and she's hard to spot.

5. The Guy at the Door. Regular readers will know I feel somewhat awkward pointing out this demographic quirk when it happens, but today I can put a positive spin on it, or at least I think I can. Martin Landau is the oldest living person on the list and everyone younger than him is also alive. This includes a bunch of actors in their 80s, some of the best known names on the list. There is a nineteen year gap between Mr. Landau and the next oldest person, the writer Robb White, and it is completely unreasonable to expect Mr. White would live to be 106. So in terms of good news, no one on our list died young and the oldest person happens to be Martin Landau, to whom the blog extends its best wishes for him to enjoy many more happy, healthy years. 

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

Predictor: Morris L. Ernst in his 1955 book Utopia 1976

Prediction: Radio and television will no doubt continue to be part of effortless imbibing, but the difficulty of supplying over five billion new words a year to fill our demanding may well create a competitive disability.

Reality: The lion's share of Mr. Ernst's predictions are about uses of leisure time, and he believes Americans will have much more with a new 30 hour work week. More than that, he believes Americans will use the extra time in morally and physically uplifting ways, and he does not consider being in an audience uplifting. He gets some points for predicting the entertainment industry may effectively run out of things to say, but does not make the further prediction that movies and TV would make so many remakes and people would still watch them.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Sunday belongs to Robert A. Heinlein's The Door Into Summer, whose predictions are mostly about technological advances in the last half of the 20th Century.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

Never to be Forgotten: Rick Ducommun 1956-2015

Rick Ducommun, pictured here on the right with Bill Murray and Rick Overton in Groundhog Day, has died this month at the age of 58. Like many actors from the 1980s, including Mr. Overton, he started as a stand-up comedian. Besides the Bill Murray/Harold Ramis classic, he also had roles in the genre productions Brimstone, Ghost in the Machine, Groundhog Day, Encino Man, Gremlins 2, Little Monsters, Spaceballs and Max Headroom.While it is not completely obvious from his credit list, Mr. Ducommun was born in Canada.

I am about a half year older than Mr. Ducommun and it's always a little creepy for me to post a memorial for someone younger than I am.

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

19 June 2015

Birthdays

Atticus Shaffer b. 1998 (The Unborn, Hancock)
Paul Dano b. 1984 (Looper, Cowboys & Aliens)
Aidan Turner b. 1983 (The Hobbit, The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Being Human)
Lauren Lee Smith b. 1980 (Ascension, Ring of Fire [TV], Blade: The Series, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Mutant X, Dark Angel)
Zoe Saldana b. 1978 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Rosemary’s Baby [2014 TV], Star Trek, Avatar, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl)
Ryan Hurst b. 1976 (Taken, The Postman)
Hugh Dancy b. 1975 (Ella Enchanted, Relic Hunter)
Bumper Robinson b. 1974 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Deep Space Nine, Enemy Mine)
Chelah Horsdal b. 1973 (Arrow, The Cabin in the Woods, Supernatural, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Iron Invader, Stargate, Eureka, Alien Trespass, Alien vs. Predator: Requiem, Bionic Woman, Battlestar Galactica, X-Men: The Last Stand, Smallville, The 4400, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Andromeda)
Robin Tunney b. 1972 (End of Days, Supernova, The Craft, Frogs!)
Alan Van Sprang b. 1971 (Beauty and the Beast [2015], Immortals, Survival of the Dead, ReGenesis, Diary of the Dead, Land of the Dead, Starhunter, Mutant X, Earth: Final Conflict, Highlander: The Raven)
Chris Larkin b. 1967 (Doctor Who, Mysterious Island [2005 TV], Highlander [TV])
Mia Sara b. 1967 (Dorothy and the Witches of Oz, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Birds of Prey, Lost in Oz, Jack and the Beanstalk: The True Story, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [1997 TV], Timecop, Time Trax, Legend)
Samuel West b. 1966 (The Frankenstein Chronicles, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell, Eternal Law, Dark Relic, Van Helsing, Doctor Who: Dimensions in Time, Prince Caspian and the Voyage of the Dawn Treader [1989 TV])
Kelly Reno b. 1966 (Amazing Stories)
Sadie Frost b. 1965 (Dracula [1992])
Andrew Lauer b. 1965 (Iron Man 3, Adventures of a Teenage Dragonslayer, King of the Lost World, Screamers)
Sean Marshall b. 1965 (Pete’s Dragon)
Kathleen Turner b. 1954 (Cinderella [2000 TV], Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Peggy Sue Got Married, The Man with Two Brains)
Virginia Hey b. 1952 (Alien Armageddon, Farscape, The Return of Captain invincible, Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior)
Phylicia Rashad b. 1948 (Gods Behaving Badly)
Salman Rushdie b. 1947 (author, Midnight’s Children, Haroun and the Sea of Stories)
Steve Ryan b. 1947 died 3 September 2007 (The X-Files, D.A.R.Y.L.)
Rosalba Neri b. 1939 (Lady Frankenstein)
Derren Nesbitt b. 1935 (UFO)
Pier Angeli b. 1932 died10 September 1971 (Octaman)
Diana Sowle b. 1930 (Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory)
Gena Rowlands b. 1930 (Parts per Billion, The Skeleton Key, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Robert Fyfe b. 1925 (Cloud Atlas, Xtro)
Louis Jourdan b. 1921 (Swamp Thing, Count Dracula [1977 TV])
Pat Buttram b. 1915 died 8 January 1994 (Back to the Future Part III, Knight Rider, The Munsters)
Julius Schwartz b. 1915 died 8 February 2004 (editor, DC Comics)
Harry Lauter b. 1915 died 30 October 1990 (Superbeast, Escape from the Planet of the Apes, Land of the Giants, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Green Hornet, Batman: The Movie, My Favorite Martian, Earth vs. Flying Saucers, The Werewolf, Creature with the Atom Brain, It Came from Beneath the Sea, Captain Midnight, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, The Day the Earth Stood Still)
George Voskovec b. 1905 died 1 July 1981 (Somewhere in Time)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, I gave the Picture Slot to fabulous babe Zoe Saldana and fabulous babe Virginia Hey. Sensing a pattern yet? This year, it's Mia Sara, probably best known for Ferris Bueller's Day Off, here in a still from Legend.

2. Spot the Canadians! Three Canadians today, all somewhat spottable: Alan Van Sprang, Chela Horsdal and Lauren Lee Smith.

3. Wait... they're dead? The lovely Pier Angeli died very young back in the 1970s, so I've had over forty years to register the fact, but it hasn't sunk in yet.  I've had about eight years to find out Steve Ryan is dead, but today is the first I've heard of it to the best of my knowledge. His best known role was as J. Walter Weatherman on Arrested Development, the one armed guy George Bluth uses to teach his kids lessons. I had no idea he was gone and it's like writing a Never to be Forgotten post.

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

Movie released
Jason and the Argonauts released, 1963

Fifty two years ago and still one of the most memorable times I have ever spent in a movie theatre.

Predictor: H.G. Wells in his 1901 book Anticipations.

Prediction: It has become apparent that whole masses of human population are, as a whole, inferior in their claim upon the future, to other masses, that they cannot be given opportunities or trusted with power as the superior peoples are trusted, that their characteristic weaknesses are contagious and detrimental in the civilizing fabric, and that their range of incapacity tempts and demoralizes the strong. To give them equality is to sink to their level, to protect and cherish them is to be swamped in their fecundity.

Reality: I am repeating a passage from Anticipations today because it reminds me of the horror we saw unfold in Charleston. To be fair, Wells isn't exactly racist. He doesn't want to kill all the blacks or Jews, but if someone does meet his definition of "inferior", then death or sterilization is the best thing for them. Wells is more of a proud cultural bigot, casually condemning nationalities like the Irish and the Russians.

I re-broadcast this horrible passage again today because it really is in the same vein as the beliefs of the vile young man Dylann Roof, who killed nine people at a church in South Carolina. I would also compare this young man to Timothy McVeigh. Of course, Wells didn't kill multiple people, but all of three of these scumbags thought they were trying to educate us, teach us the hard lesson that to make the world a better place, huge numbers of people have to be killed. Wells didn't need to kill people to get the public's attention. He had a publisher glad to broadcast his awful theories. Roof and McVeigh thought of themselves as scholars, people who had studied why a race war was necessary.

I don't think Roof and McVeigh are mentally disturbed. They are evil. Wells backed away from a lot of the worst of his pronouncements as writers and critics tore his book apart, but the evil certainly had a hold of him for a while. 

How does this evil grow? In Roof's case, he lives in a state where the Confederate flag flies over the seat of government. He is soaking in evil and made an effort to learn more evil on his own. Here in California, a man named Byron Williams was convicted of attempted murder of four Highway Patrol officers in a 2010 shootout. Williams was stopped on his way to kill people at The Tides Foundation, a liberal nonprofit repeatedly attacked by Glenn Beck, another self-proclaimed scholar. Had he not driven in a dangerous manner, he likely would have arrived at the destination where the people he wanted to kill were working.

I cannot fairly compare Wells to Roof or McVeigh, but he can be compared to Beck. In the so-called marketplace of ideas, we let some horrible scumbags peddle their wares. For most of us, this stuff can be ignored or mocked, but what they write and say give aid and comfort to the enemies of our shared humanity. They are the wind under evil wings.

Here endeth the lesson.


Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

However silly, scolding and overly optimistic Morris L. Ernst could be, I'm confident tomorrow's prediction will not advocate racial or ethnic cleansing.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!