10 March 2015

Birthdays
Emily Osment b. 1992 (Spy Kids 2 and 3, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Olivia Wilde b. 1984 (The Lazarus Effect, Her, TRON: Legacy, In Time, Cowboys & Aliens)
Rafe Spall b. 1983 (The World’s End, Life of Pi, Earthbound, Prometheus, Grindhouse, Dracula [TV], Shaun of the Dead)
Holly Winnard b. 1981 (The Battle for Earth, Zombies! Zombies! Zombies!, Hoodoo for Voodoo)
Edi Gathegi b. 1979 (Beauty and the Beast [2013], X-Men: First Class, Twilight)
Tara Cardinal b. 1978 (Relatively Super, Legend of the Red Reaper, Alien Rising, Apocalypse Z, Bite Nite, Robodoc, It’s Supernatural)
Bree Turner b. 1977 (Grimm, Duel on Planet Z)
Jon Hamm b. 1971 (Sucker Punch, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Charmed, Space Cowboys)
Paget Brewster b. 1969 (The Venture Brothers, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Cyxork 7, Star Patrol)
Jasmine Guy b. 1962 (Dead Like Me, The Vampire Diaries, Lois & Clark)
Andre Johnson b. 1961 (Age of Dinosaurs, 100 Degrees Below Zero, Spider-Man, Blade)
Scott Frank b. 1960 (writer, The Wolverine, Minority Report)
Sharon Stone b. 1958 (Catwoman, Sphere, Total Recall, Beyond the Stars, Badlands 2005)
Shannon Tweed b. 1957 (Homeboys in Outer Space, Deadly Nightmares)
Robert Llewellyn b. 1956 (Red Dwarf, MirrorMask)
Katherine Houghton b. 1945 (The Last Airbender)
Richard Gant b. 1944 (Charmed, Smallville, Godzilla [1998], Babylon 5, Lois & Clark, Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday)
Bruce Joel Rubin b. 1943 (writer, The Time Traveler’s Wife, The Last Mimzy, Deep Impact, Jacob’s Ladder, Ghost, Deadly Friend, Brainstorm)
Chuck Norris b. 1940 (Hellbound)
David Watson b. 1940 died 5 October 2014 (Project U.F.O., The Bionic Woman, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, The Time Tunnel)
Venetia Stevenson b. 1938 (The City of the Dead)
Pamela Mason b. 1916 died 29 June 1996 (Wonder Woman, The Navy vs. the Night Monsters)
Warner Anderson b. 1911 died 26 August 1976 (The Immortal, Destination Moon)
Richard Haydn b. 1905 died 25 April 1985 (Young Frankenstein, Bewitched, Twilight Zone)
Sam Jaffe b. 1891 died 24 March 1984 (Battle Beyond the Stars, The Bionic Woman, Batman, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Lost Horizon)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot was awarded to the fabulous Olivia Wilde and Robert Llewellyn from Red Dwarf. Without the, there are a few well-known names - Chuck Norris, Sharon Stone, Jon Hamm - but I don't consider them genre iconic. We do have some great Oh That Guys, including our oldest Sam Jaffe and Richard Haydn, but I decided to skew a little younger and use Richard Gant in his role from Babylon 5.

2. Hey, no Star Trek... two days in a row. Yesterday, I wrote how rare a day without Star Trek actors is. Now we have two in a row. But using this to prove Star Trek really isn't a big deal over the past half century is like cherry picking data to say climate change isn't real. Star Trek is a big damn deal in genre.

3. One Canadian, hard to spot. Shannon Tweed was born north of the border, but isn't a regular in the genre TV business.

4. Nepotism aplenty. Some of these are just a matter of being related and not actual nepotism, but in any case, there's a bunch today. Listing oldest to youngest:

Pamela Mason was James Mason's wife. She worked with him on several projects, though I have no idea how she decided doing The Navy vs. the Night Monsters was a good idea.

Venetia Stevenson was married to Russ Tamblyn, then Don Everly. This is more a case of fabulous babe being in the circle of famous people and marrying one of them.

Katherine Houghton was Katherine Hepburn's niece and was cast in Guess Who's Coming to Dinner. I count this as nepotism for sure.

Shannon Tweed is the mother of Gene Simmon's children. See Venetia Stevenson for the explanation, though no marriage was actually involved.

Rafe Spall is the son of Timothy Spall, which couldn't hurt in British show business.

Emily Osment is Haley Joel Osment's sister. I consider this more a case of same stage parents instead of actual nepotism.

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

Movie released
Mission to Mars released, 2000 
 

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in the 1991 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction:In 2000, forces under nominal U.N. command fighting for the major industrialized nations and their corporate sponsors were fighting a pitched battle to achieve the final solution of the “South Asian” problem. Early in the year, Pakistan had launched two small nuclear missiles against India.

The world was not entirely at peace until October 2000, when Russia, Ukraine and Belarus finally became associate members of the European Community.


Reality: This is the last of the predictions I'm going to use from Professor Wagar's book. Two of his basic ideas are correct,  that capitalism was going to go hog wild once the Eastern Bloc was no longer communist and that trouble in the Muslim world was going to be important, but when it comes to actual historical facts, Wagar is way off. Next week, we will get a new regular feature on Tuesdays.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

What did the future of technology look like in 1901. Our pal George Sutherland tells us.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

24 February 2014

Birthdays
Winston Bethel b. 1984 (Astronaut Wives Club)
Bonnie Somerville b. 1974 (Spider-Man 2, Bedazzled [2000])
James Bachman b. 1972 (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Hyperdrive)
Ungela Brockman b. 1970 (Mystery Men, Starship Troopers, Babylon 5, From Dusk Till Dawn)
Will McLaughlin b. 1969 (Men in Black 3)
Billy Zane b. 1966 (Winter Dragon, Zombie Killers: Elephant’s Graveyard, Ghosts of Goodnight Lane, The Ganzfield Haunting, Leprechaun’s Revenge, Journey to Promethea, Evil in the Time of Heroes, BloodRayne, Charmed, Vlad, The Phantom, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Back to the Future I and II, Critters)
Emilio Rivera b. 1961 (The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Spider-Man 3, The X Files)
Beth Broderick b. 1959 (Under the Dome, Lost, Bionic Woman [2007], Supernatural, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Psycho Beach Party, Tales from the Darkside)
Mark Moses b. 1958 (Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Race to Space, Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Impact)
Helen Shaver b. 1951 (The 4400, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The Craft, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Amazing Stories, The Amityville Horror, Starship Invasions)
Debra Jo Rupp b. 1951 (From the Earth to the Moon, The Invaders [1995], Death Becomes Her, Big)
Dennis Waterman b. 1948 (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [1972], Scars of Dracula)
Edward James Olmos b. 1947 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Eureka, The Green Hornet [2011], Battlestar Galactica, Faerie Tale Theatre, Wolfen, Blade Runner)
Barry Bostwick b. 1945 (Supernatural, Lexx, Project: Metalbeast, Aladdin, Deadly Nightmares, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Slither)
Robert A. Silverman b. 1943 (eXistenZ, Waterworld, 984: Prisoner of the Future, Scanners, The Brood)
James Sloyan b. 1940 (Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager, The X-Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap, Misfits of Science, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Wonder Woman)
James Farentino b. 1938 died 24 January 2012 (Dead and Buried, The Final Countdown)
Jess Conrad b. 1936 (Space: 1999, Konga)
Leslie Carlson b. 1933 died 3 May 2014 (Lost Girl, Plague City: SARS in Toronto, Anonymous Rex, Tribulation Force, Odyssey 5, The X-Files, Highlander, The Girl from Mars, Twilight Zone [1988], War of the Words [TV series], The Fly [1986], The Dead Zone, Videodrome, The Neptune Factor)
John Vernon b. 1932 died 1 February 2005 (Tales from the Crypt, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, War of the Worlds [1988 TV], Killer Klowns from Outer Space, Knight Rider, Automan, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Greatest American Hero, The Invisible Man [1975 TV], The Questor Tapes, The Six Million Dollar Man: Solid Gold Kidnapping, 1984 [1956])
Richard B. Shull b. 1929 died 14 October 1999 (Tales from the Darkside, Splash, Heartbeeps, Holmes and Yo-Yo, Ssssssss, Slither)
Richard Powers b. 1921 died 9 March 1996 (illustrator)
Abe Vigoda b. 1921 (Weird Science [TV], Superboy, Tales from the Darkside, The Stuff, The Bionic Woman, Dark Shadows)
August Derleth b. 1909 died 4 July 1971 (author, The Trail of Cthulhu, the Solar Pons series)
Milton Frome b. 1909 died 21 March 1989 (Bewitched, I Dream of Jeannie, Batman, My Mother the Car, The Addams Family, My Favorite Martian, Visit to a Small Planet, Twilight Zone, Adventures of Superman, The Atomic Kid)

Notes from the birthday list.
The Picture Slot. No disrespect to today's birthday boys and girls, but we have a lot more character actors than A-List movie stars here. Previous Picture Slotters were Edward James Olmos from Battlestar Galactica and an illustration from Richard Powers. I almost went with James Sloyan, an Oh That Guy who has played several different aliens on modern Star Trek series, but instead I went with heroic Barry Bostwick from Rocky Horror Picture Show because damn it, Janet, I still love that movie.  

Wait... he's dead AND Canadian? John Vernon is probably still best known as Dean Wormer from Animal House and he died about ten years ago. He was also born in Canada, though his credit list doesn't make that obvious. A more obvious credit list is that of the late Leslie Carlson. Our one living Canadian is Robert A. Silverman and his credit list has several films directed by David Cronenberg, which isn't quite as much of a giveaway as seeing a TV movie called SARS in Toronto.

Wait... Abe Vigoda's alive? And he was in genre productions? 25 years ago when I came back online to stay, I was part of a newsgroup called alt.obituaries. Early on, we would get about one visitor a week asking if Tom Lehrer was still alive. (Answer: Yes then, still yes now.) In more recent years, the most common person to be incorrectly assumed dead is Abe Vigoda, who turns 94 today and good on him. The big surprise for me was how many genre productions he was in.

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

 

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in his 1991 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: In the year 1995, two thirds of all the manufacturing assets in the United States were owned by just 140 companies. By 2015, after more corporate bloodletting, the number had dropped to 36 companies.

Reality: These numbers are hard to find, but according to the National Association of Manufacturers, the U.S. manufacturing base adds up to about two trillion dollars and looking at the latest Industry Week list of revenues, the top 36 companies' total revenue is about half that number. Moreover, several of those companies like Apple may be listed as American companies, but much of their manufacturing is actually done in China. Wagar predicted Russia would be allowed in as a full partner into the Club of Capitalist Countries, but missed that it would be China and not Russia to gain the most from the New World Order after the fall of communism.
 

Never to be Forgotten: Ben Woolf 1980(?)-2015

Ben Woolf, a little person actor who was a regular on American Horror Story, died of injuries sustained from being hit in the head by a passenger side mirror on a passing car. (I am by no means a little person, but as a bicyclist, I have had several scrapes with passenger side mirrors, so this story certainly spooks me.) His age at death is given as 34, but I couldn't find a date of birth online, so I am guessing he was born in 1980. His other credits in genre that weren't direct to video include Dead Kansas and Unlucky Charms.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Ben Woolf, who died much too young in a senseless accident. He is never to be forgotten.
 
Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another visit from my favorite of the regular predictors in the current line-up, the sensible George Sutherland and his usually too modest predictions about 20th Century Inventions.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

17 February 2015

Birthdays
Sasha Pieterse b. 1996 (X-Men: First Class, Heroes, The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl, Stargate SG-1)
Bonnie Wright b. 1991 (Harry Potter)
Chord Overstreet b. 1989 (The Hole)
Ahna O’Reilly b. 1986 (The Vampire Diaries, DinoCroc)
Brooke D’Orsay b. 1982 (The Boy Who Cried Werewolf, Big Bang Theory)
Joseph Gordon-Levitt b. 1981 (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Looper, The Dark Knight Rises, Inception, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra, Third Rock from the Sun, Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Quantum Leap, Dark Shadows [1991])
Jason Ritter b. 1980 (The Event, Freddy vs. Jason)
Zachary Bennett b. 1980 (Orphan Black, Lost Girl, Cube Zero, The Hidden Room, Maniac Mansion, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, The Twilight Zone [1988])
Jackson Hurst b. 1979 (The Mist)
Rory Kinnear b. 1978 (Penny Dreadful, First Men in the Moon)
Kelly Carlson b. 1976 (Supernatural)
Jerry O'Connell b. 1974 (The Librarians, Space Station 76, Mockingbird Lane, Piranha 3D, Eastwick, Mission to Mars, Sliders, My Secret Identity)
Denise Richards b. 1971 (Starship Troopers, Tammy and the T-Rex, Lois & Clark, Eerie Indiana)
Dominic Purcell b. 1970 (The Flash, Ice Soliders, Primeval, Blade: Trinity, Equilibrium, BeastMaster [TV], The Lost World)
Jonathan Breck b. 1965 (Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D, Evilution, Jeepers Creepers, Spiders, Star Trek: Voyager)
Michael Bay b. 1965 (director, Transformers, Armageddon)
Angelica Page b. 1964 (Fairie, The Sixth Sense)
Michael Jordan b. 1963 (Space Jam)
Samuel Bayer b. 1962 (director, A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010])
Lou Diamond Phillips b. 1962 (Metal Tornado, Stargate Universe, Alien Express, Route 666, Supernova, Bats, Tales from the Crypt, Interface)
Carole Davis b. 1958 (Angel, Star Trek: Voyager, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Mannequin, Piranha Part Two: The Spawning)
Rene Russo b. 1954 (Thor, Outbreak, Freejack)
Don Coscarelli b. 1954 (director, Phantasm , The Beastmaster, Bubba Ho-Tep, John Dies at the End)
Garry Chalk b. 1952 (Tomorrowland, Monster Beach, Leprechaun: Origins, Godzilla [2014], Behemoth, Watchmen, The 4400, Supernatural, Flash Gordon, Painkiller Jane, Stargate SG-1, Eureka, Stephen King's the Dead Zone, Freddy vs. Jason, Seven Days, Millennium, Poletergeist: The Legacy, Sliders, M.A.N.T.I.S., The Omen [TV], Highlander [TV], I Still Dream of Jeannie, It, The Fly II, Deadly Nightmares)
Diane Chambers b. 1951 (The Coed and the Zombie Stoner, Sharknado, Zombie Night)
Mary Ann Mobley b. 1937 died 9 December 2014 (The Fantastic Journey, The Sixth Sense [1972])
Jim Brown b. 1936 (The Running Man, Mars Attacks!, Night Rider)
Alan Bates b. 1934 died 27 December 2003 (The Mothman Prophecies, The Ray Bradbury Theater)
Barry Humphries b. 1934 (The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills, The Marsupials: The Howling III, Shock Treatment)
Hal Holbrook b. 1925 (The Event, Creepshow, The Fog, Capricorn One)
Kathleen Freeman b. 1919 died 23 August 2001 (Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, NightMan, Tales from the Crypt, The Munsters Today, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, ALF, The Canterville Ghost, Innerspace, Teen Wolf Too, Heartbeeps, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, I Dream of Jeannie, Batman, The Fly, Topper, The Magnetic Monster)
Andre Norton b. 1912 died 17 March 2005 (author, Witch World, Wizard's World, Star Man's Son 2250 A.D.)
Marc Lawrence b. 1910 died 27 November 2005 (End of Days, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, King of Kong Island, From Dusk Till Dawn, Wonder Woman, Doctor Who)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Previous Picture Slotters were Bonnie Wright and Ginny Weasley from the Harry Potter series and Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who has a lot of iconic work in his still young career. The two top choices from the rest of list in my view were Jerry O'Connell from Sliders and Denise Richards from Starship Troopers. Is the winner a fabulous babe? Hmm, funny how often that works out. 

2. Spot the Canadians. While Gary Chalk is older than the typical Canadian, his credit list has plenty of hints. Zachary Bennett is both the typical age and the typical credit list. Brooke D'Orsay, on the other hand, has most of her credits in movies and TV shot in California, though she was born north of the border.

3. Nepotism FTW. Rory Kinnear is Roy Kinnear's son. He has 49 credits in a lot of big budget stuff, but he is not yet the well known face his father became. In a similar situation, Jason Ritter is John Ritter's son, as commenter James Marshall IV was kind enough to point out.

4. Not actually MST3K. There are a couple troupes of former Mystery Science Theater cast members still out there riffing on movies. RiffTrax, which has Michael Nelson, Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett, did Starship Troopers live last year and I saw it it in a Hayward, CA theatre through the Fathom network. It was a lot of fun.

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

 Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in his 1991 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: Governments, including Japan, Italy and Russia did not at first take kindly to the “meddling” ways of the Global Trade Consortium. When the Tokyo branch office of the GTC was raided in 2013, the cartel acted quickly to cut the flow of essential imports to Japan by 50 percent and threatened to take even more drastic measures if the office was not allowed to reopen in two weeks.

Reality: The theme of capitalism's complete victory in Wagar's book predicts a world where corporate aggression is much more blatant than what we actually see. In the world of today, governments are punished by other governments the way the European Union has forced Greece into austerity, not by global monopolies targeting specific governments.

Never to be Forgotten: Lesley Gore 1946-2015

The great singer/songwriter Lesley Gore has died of complications from cancer at 68. She is best known for the hits she recorded with Quincy Jones, It's My Party, Judy's Turn to Cry and You Don't Own Me. She and her Michael wrote music for the 1980 film Fame and their song Out Here on My Own was nominated for an Academy Award. She didn't write any of her biggest 1960s hits. She was also active in the LGBT community and came out as a lesbian in 2005. She is survived by her partner of 33 years, Lois Sasson.

She is remembered on this blog for her role on the Batman TV series as Catwoman's minion Pussycat, seen here with Burt Ward as Robin.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Lesley Gore, from a longtime fan. She is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to our sensible pal George Sutherland and his 20th Century Inventions.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
  

10 February 2015

 Birthdays
Tiffany Espensen b. 1999 (Earth to Echo, Repo Men)
Chloe Grace Moretz b. 1997 (The Fifth Wave, Carrie [2013], Dark Shadows, Hugo, Let Me in, Jack and the Beanstalk, Kick-Ass)
Makenzie Vega b. 1994 (X-Men: The Last Stand, Sin City)
Emma Roberts b. 1991 (American Horror Story, Scream 4, Aquamarine)
Jade and Nikita Ramsey b. 1988 (Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2, All About Evil, Gamer, The Man Who Sold the World [2006], X-Men 2)
Emily Morris b. 1982 (The Vampire Diaries, I Kissed a Vampire)
Barry Sloane b. 1981 (Gotham [2012 TV Movie])
Max Brown b. 1981 (Sleepy Hollow [2015], Beauty and the Beast [2013])
Keeley Hawes b. 1976 (Doctor Who, The Adventurer: Curse of the Midas Box)
Meadow Williams b. 1976 (Raven [2010], Apollo 13, The Mask)
Elizabeth Banks b. 1974 (The Hunger Games, Spider-Man)
Rob Carpenter b. 1973 (iZombie, V [2010], Condition Human, Reaper, Flash Gordon [2007])
Laura Dern b. 1967 (Jurassic Park)
Paul Kersey b. 1970 (Hulk, Charmed, Lois & Clark)
Vince Gilligan b. 1967 (writer, Hancock, Night Stalker [2006], The X-Files, The Lone Gunmen, Wilder Napalm)
Philip Glenister b. 1963 (Demons)
Robert Addie b. 1960 died 30 November 2003 (Red Dwarf, Merlin, Excalibur)
Bess Motta b. 1958 (The Terminator)
Michael Apted b. 1941 (director, Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader)
Peter Purves b. 1939 (Doctor Who)
Robert Wagner b. 1930 (Netherbeast Incorporated, Category 7: The End of the World, City Beneath the Sea)
Jerry Goldsmith b. 1929 died 21 July 2004 (composer, Star Trek, The Mummy, Small Soldiers, Congo, Omen IV, Alien Nation, Supergirl, Twilight Zone: The Movie, Coma, Logan’s Run, The Satan Bug)
John Ringham b. 1928 died 20 October 2008 (V for Vendetta, A Christmas Carol [1977], Doctor Who)
Hazel Court b. 1926 died 15 April 2008 (Omen III, Masque of the Red Death, Twilight Zone, The Raven, Premature Burial, The Curse of Frankenstein [1957], Devil Girl From Mars)
Walter Reed b. 1916 died 20 August 2001 (The Invaders, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone, World of Giants, How to Make a Monster, Adventures of Superman, Flying Disc Man from Mars)
Douglas Spencer b. 1910 died 6 October 1960 (Twilight Zone, This Island Earth, The Thing from Another World)
Lon Chaney Jr. b. 1906 died 12 July 1973 (Dracula vs. Frankenstein, House of the Black Death, The Alligator People, The Cyclops, Indestructible Man, Bride of the Gorilla, Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein, House of Dracula, The Mummy’s Curse, House of Frankenstein, The Mummy’s Ghost, Son of Dracula, The Mummy’s Tomb, The Ghost of Frankenstein, The Wolf Man, Man Made Monster, One Million B.C.)
Dame Judith Anderson b. 1897 died 3 January 1992 (Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, The Borrowers)
Robert Keith b. 1890 died 22 December 1966 (Twilight Zone)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot was awarded to Lon Chaney Jr. and Laura Dern. This year, I could go with Elizabeth Banks from The Hunger Games or Hazel Court from Devil Girl From Mars, but instead I chose Chloe Grace Moretz as Hit-Girl from Kick-Ass. She's one of the most successful child actors of the 21st Century and I think she's got a good chance to transition into adult roles. I'm somewhat conflicted about giving the Fabulous Babe label to an 18 year old because there's a lot of creepiness around actresses becoming legal age, but she's a good actress and she's adorable, so there.

2. One Canadian, pre-spotted for your convenience. Rob Carpenter is Canadian, though he hasn't been on either Supernatural or Smallville. It happens.

3. Nepotism FTW. It isn't truly nepotism if a father's career isn't as successful as his son's, and that is the case with Robert Keith and his son Brian. Lon Chaney Jr. may not have been the star his father was in the silent movies, but he had a long career and is likely on a par with his father's fame now, though both are waning. Laura Dern has worked so much, I don't think most folks think of her as Bruce Dern's daughter anymore. On the other hand, Emma Roberts is most likely better known as Eric Roberts' daughter (or Julia Roberts' niece) than she is for her own accomplishments so far.

4. Lotsa Brits today. The American (and Canadian) film and TV industries produce a lot more genre than the British do, though there are exceptions like Doctor Who, Harry Potter and a lot of the cast of Game of Thrones. We have a few Doctor Who actors today, but there's also Dame Judith Anderson, The Ramsey Twins, Barry Sloane, Max Brown, Philip Glenister, Robert Addie, Michael Apted and Hazel Court. That is a lot more than usual.

5. MST3K. I almost forgot The Indestructible Man with Lon Cheney Jr. and This Island Earth with Douglas Spencer.

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

Movie released
Journey 2: The Mysterious Island released, 2012
  

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar from the 1991 edition of his book, A Short History of the Future

Prediction: The Vienna Conference of 2001 split the world into “regions of influence” among the major powers. To Russia and its partners were assigned Central Asia and the Middle East, excluding Israel (under American influence) and North Africa, which was ceded to the European Community along with the rest of the continent.

Reality: Oh yeah, the Russians are going to be given "influence" over the region where most of the oil is produced.

Sorry, professor, never gonna fuckin' happen without a big damned war with a very surprising winner.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another speculation from our New Sensible Friend George Sutherland.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 
 

3 February 2015

Birthdays
Abigail Hargrove b. 1999 (World War Z)
Rebel Wilson b. 1986 (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb, Ghost Rider)
Bridget Regan b. 1982 (Agent Carter, Beauty and the Beast [2013], Legend of the Seeker)
Adrian R’Mante b. 1978 (S1m0ne)
Kelly Sullivan b. 1978 (Found in Time)
Isla Fisher b. 1976 (Scooby-Doo, BeastMaster [2002])
Terry Chen b. 1975 (The Returned, Elysium, Continuum, Godzilla, The 100, Arrow, Battlestar Galactica, Cabin in the Woods, Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray, Riverworld, V [2010], I, Robot, The 4400, The Chronicles of Riddick, Smallville, Jake 2.0, Dark Angel, Paranormal Girl, Taken, Stargate SG-1, Mythquest)
Elisa Donovan b. 1971 (Shark Swarm, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Justice League of America, Encino Woman)
Warwick Davis b. 1970 (Dwarves Assemble, The Day They Came to Suck Out Our Brains, Doctor Who, Jack the Giant Slayer, Merlin [2010], Harry Potter, The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, M.I. High, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Star Wars, Leprechaun, Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible, Snow White: The Fairest of them All, The Tenth Kingdom, Gulliver’s Travels [TV], Willow, Labyrinth)
Frank Coraci b. 1966 (director, Click)
Keith Gordon b. 1961 (director, The Strain; actor, Christine)
Frederic Lehne b. 1959 (American Horror Story, The Dark Knight Rises, Supernatural, Lost, Night Stalker, Supernova, Firefly, The X-Files, From the Earth to the Moon, Men in Black, Sliders, Babylon 5, Time Trax, Amityville: The Evil Escapes)
Thomas Calabro b. 1959 (They Nest)
Nathan Lane b. 1956 (Mirror Mirror, Addams Family Values)
Morgan Fairchild b. 1950 (I Was a Teenage Faust, Roswell, The New Addams Family, Venus Rising, Test Tube Teens from the Year 2000, Lois & Clark, Sleeping Beauty [1987], The Girl, The Gold Watch & Dynamite, Time Express, Mork & Mindy, The Amazing Spider-Man)
Pamela Franklin b. 1950 (Project U.F.O., Gemini Man, Food of the Gods, The Six Million Dollar Man, The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], Necromancy, The Innocents)
Susanne Benton b. 1948 (A Boy and his Dog)
Stephen McHattie b. 1947 (The Strain, Haunter, A Little Bit Zombie, Immortals, Haven, Red: Werewolf Hunter, 2012, Fringe, Reaper, Watchmen, The 4400, Star Trek: Enterprise, Mutant X, Lexx, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Deep Space Nine, The Hunger, Pterodactyl Woman from Beverly Hills, The X-Files, M.A.N.T.I.S., Highlander [TV], Quantum Leap, Beauty and the Beast, Twilight Zone [1989], Tales from the Darkside, Deadly Nightmares, Look What’s Happened to Rosemary’s Baby)
Paul Auster b. 1947 (author, Travels in the Scriptorium, Moon Palace)
Trisha Noble b. 1944 (Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
Blythe Danner b. 1943 (The X Files, Tales from the Crypt, Futureworld, The Scarecrow)
Bridget Hanley b. 1941 (Bell, Book and Candle [1976 TV], I Dream of Jeannie, Bewitched)
Marshall Efron b. 1938 (THX 1138)
Victor Buono b. 1938 died 1 January 1982 (Man From Atlantis, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Batman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Shelley Berman b. 1925 (Dead Like Me, The Munsters Today, Knight Rider, Beware! The Blob, Bewitched, Twilight Zone)
John Fiedler b. 1925 died 2005 (They Came from Outer Space, The Munsters [1987 and 1964], Tales from the Darkside, Amazing Stories, Tabitha, Ark II, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Lost Saucer, Mystery in Dracula’s Castle, Star Trek, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian, Twilight Zone, Tom Corbett, Space Cadet)
James Michener b. 1907 died 16 October 1997 (author, Space)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Previous choices were Victor Buono as King Tut and Warwick Davis, one of the hardest working little people in show business. I was very tempted to use John Fiedler, a classic Oh That Guy actor whose best known role is probably as the therapy patient Mr. Peterson from The Bob Newhart Show. But as you can see, instead there is a picture of Bridget Regan from a very cheesy 21st Century show called Legend of the Seeker, which I watched incessantly, mostly to see her in that dress.

2. Spot the Canadians. Stephen McHattie and Terry Chen do have true patriot love for their home and native land, while Frederic Lehne just goes up there to cash paychecks.

3. Wait... he's alive? Shelley Berman turns 90. I had no idea he was still with us. Good on ya, Mr. Berman.

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

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in the 1991 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: Excerpt of a letter from Jens Otto Jensen to Robert Luczicki, dated 9 March 2016:
Damn the Democrats! They have the whole country bleeding its heart dry for The New Poor, and meanwhile the New Poor are living high (oh, literally!) and stealing the paint off our walls. We have to bring back the death penalty for crack and pop. It worked pretty well, and now things are worse than they were in the 1990s.

Reality: Umm... we never got rid of the death penalty and as bad as the hysteria could rise for any "new drug" like crack, we never used the death penalty for drug use or drug dealing. Wagar's basic premise of the victory of capitalism and rising inequality are true, but his specifics are usually way off. Crime rates have been decreasing generally since a peak in the 1990s, but fear of crime is always a good way to get elected.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

More from George Sutherland's technologically savvy 1901 book 20th Century Inventions.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

27 January 2015

 Birthdays
Connor Widdows b. 1992 (Smallville, X-Men: The Last Stand, Battlestar Galactica, Taken, Dark Angel, Harsh Realm, So Weird, Millennium)
Chris Gauthier b. 1976 (Once Upon a Time, Eureka, Smallville, Watchmen, Supernatural, Reaper, Bionic Woman, The Butterfly Effect 2, Kyle XY, Zixx: Level Two, Stargate: Atlantis, Earthsea, Dead Like Me, Freddy vs. Jason, Dark Angel)
Amy Hargreaves b. 1970 (Brainscan)
Cindy Cheung b. 1970 (Futurestates, Lady in the Water, Spider-Man 2, Robot Stories)
Patton Oswalt b. 1969 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, Caprica, Dollhouse, The Venture Brothers, Reaper)
Tamlyn Tomita b. 1966 (Resurrection, Teen Wolf, True Blood, Touch, Tekken, Heroes, Eureka, Stargate, The Day After Tomorrow, Robot Stories, FreakyLinks, Seven Days, The Burning Zone, The Last Man on Planet Earth, Highlander [TV], Time Trax, Babylon 5: The Gathering, Quantum Leap)
Alan Cumming b. 1965 (Riverworld, Tin Man, Son of the Mask, Spy Kids, X-Men 2, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Bridget Fonda b. 1964 (Snow Queen, Monkeybone, Lake Placid, Army of Darkness, Roger Corman’s Frankenstein Unbound)
Julie Caitlin Brown b. 1961 (Sliders, Babylon 5, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine)
Roy Fegan b. 1961 (The Meteor Man, Misfits of Science)
Susanna Thompson b. 1958 (Arrow, Dragonfly, Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Alien Nation: Dark Horizon, The X Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Frank Miller b. 1957 (writer/artist, Gotham, The Dark Knight Returns, Sin City, Elektra, RoboCop 2 and 3)
Mimi Rogers b. 1956 (Ginger Snaps, The X-Files, Lost in Space [1998], Tales from the Crypt)
Peter Laird b. 1954 (writer, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)
Richard Bremmer b. 1953 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
Steve Leialoha b. 1952 (illustrator, Peter & Max)
Stewart Raffill b. 1942 (Tammy and the T-Rex, Mannequin: On the Move, Mac and Me, The Philadelphia Experiment, The Ice Pirates)
James Cromwell b. 1940 (American Horror Story, Surrogates, Impact, Spider-Man 3, I, Robot, Salem’s Lot, A Carol Christmas, Star Trek: Enterprise, Space Cowboys, The Green Mile, Deep Impact, Species II, Star Trek: First Contact, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Twilight Zone [1985], Knight Rider, Earthlings)
Troy Donohue b. 1936 died 2 September 2001 (Omega Cop, Dr. Alien, Monster on the Campus, The Monolith Monsters)
Michael Craig b. 1928 (Doctor Who, Escape 2000, Mysterious Island [1961])
Sabu b. 1924 died 2 December 1963 (The Jungle Book, The Thief of Bagdad)
Mark Daniels b. 1912 died 23 April 1989 (director, The Wizard, Man from Atlantis, Planet Earth, Star Trek, Way Out)
Howard McNear b. 1905 died 3 January 1969 (Twilight Zone, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Topper)
Lewis Carroll b. 1832 died 14 January 1898 (Alice in Wonderland, The Hunting of the Snark)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the picture slot has gone to Frank Miller and Alan Cumming, and I was debating with myself about who would go in this time. I wanted to acknowledge James Cromwell on his 75th birthday, but I wasn't sure his portrayal of Zephram Cochrane was quite iconic enough. I consider a few others as well, but in the end as you see, I decided on Lewis Carroll, both because he is an important writer in the history of fantasy and he was a mathematician as well, which scores many points in my book.

2. Where did all the young people go?  More sci-fi and fantasy movies and TV shows are being made now than any other time, so it's very common our birthday lists have a bunch of actors born in the 1980s and 1990s portraying young people in the productions. Today we only have Connor Widdows, who also happens to be our only natural born Canadian. The next youngest person is Chris Gauthier, born in the U.K. but moved to Canada, so his resume is full of credits from the usual Canuck sci-fi fare.

3. Where did Bridget Fonda go?  The Fonda family are several generations of well-known American actors and most of them keep acting as long as they could. Bridget Fonda's last role was in 2002, when she wasn't yet 40. Not unlike Phoebe Cates, Ms. Fonda decided to opt out of the business and be a wife and mother full time. I respect their decisions, but it is unusual.

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

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in his 1991 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: Hollings-Gray, the only megacorp that invested heavily in agriculture, cheerfully adopted the self-deprecating acronym of HoG. The company’s specialty was “franchise farming”, buying the land, supplying standardized equipment and training and contracting with agribusinessmen at a guaranteed minimum price, sharing the profits with franchise holders. Their sheer size and capital resources allowed them to survive and prosper and eventually bankrupt many of their smaller rivals in the private sector.

Reality: "Franchise farming" sounds like a modern version of share-cropping. The real agri-business "megacorp" Monsanto has much stranger and more futuristic ways of dominating their industry by patenting genetically modified seeds and suing customers who want to save them for a later crop. Some left-leaning folk make Monsanto into a boogeyman and I'm not sure they are exaggerating that much.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from George Sutherland's 1901 book 20th Century Inventions. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

20 January 2015

Birthdays
Ciara Hanna b. 1991 (Power Rangers MegaForce, Blood Lake: The Attack of the Killer Lampreys)
Evan Peters b. 1987 (X-Men: Apocalypse, X-Men: Days of Future Past, American Horror Story, Kick-Ass, Invasion [TV], Phil of the Future)
Pete Ploszek b. 1987 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014])
Olivia Hallinan b. 1985 (Torchwood, Julia Jekyll and Harriet Hyde)
Rukiya Bernard b. 1983 (Witches of East End, Primeval: New World, The Cabin in the Woods, Supernatural, SGU Stargate Universe, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Eureka, Supervolcano, Relic Hunter)
Daniel Cudmore b. 1981 (Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, Fringe, Twilight, X-Men, Revolution [2009 TV movie], Merlin and the Book of Beasts, Stargate SG-1)
Crystal Lowe b. 1981 (Primeval: New World, Almost Human, A Little Bit Zombie, Smallville, Hot Tub Time Machine, Supernatural, Yeti: Curse of the Snow Demon, Stargate: Atlantis, Fantastic 4: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Stargate: Sg-1)
Ray Panthaki b. 1979 (World War Dead: Rise of the Fallen, It’s a Wonderful Afterlife, 28 Days Later…)
Omar Sy b. 1978 (Jurassic World, X-Men: Days of Future Past)
Skeet Ulrich b. 1970 (Jericho, The Craft, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1990])
Reno Wilson b. 1969 (The Chronicle, FreakyLinks, Good vs Evil, Sliders, Mighty Joe Young, Fallen)
Rainn Wilson b. 1966 (Robodog, Transformer: Revenge of the Fallen, The Last Mimzy, My Super Ex-Girlfriend, Dominion, Dark Angel, Charmed, Galaxy Quest)
Francesca Buller b. 1964 (Farscape)
James Denton b. 1963 (The Good Witch, Undead or Alive: A Zombedy, Dark Skies, Sliders)
R. A. Salvatore b. 1959 (author, Forgotten Realms series)
Lorenzo Lamas b. 1958 ( Atomic Eden, Ghost Ghirls, Raptor Ranch, Sci-Fighter, Raptor Island, Deep Evil, The Immortal [2001 TV])
Ken Page b. 1954 (Charmed, Adventures in Wonderland)
Paul Stanley b. 1952 (Millennium, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park)
Daniel Benzali b. 1950 (Jericho, The X-Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beauty and the Beast [1989], Whoops Apocalypse, Star Cops)
David Lynch b. 1946 (director, Dune, Eraserhead)
Dorothy Provine b. 1935 died 25 April 2010 (The 30 Foot Bride of Candy Rock)
Tom Baker b. 1934 (Doctor Who, The Wind in the Willows [2006 TV], Randall & Hopkirk (Deceased), Dungeons and Dragons, The Mutations, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad, Frankenstein: The True Story)
Buzz Aldrin b. 1930 (astronaut)
Peter Donat b. 1928 (The X-Files, Time Trax, Earth Star Voyager, Voyagers, Salvage 1, Future Cop, The Invisible Man [1975 TV)
Patricia Neal b. 1926 died 8 August 2010 (Ghost Story, The Day the Earth Stood Still)
DeForest Kelley b. 1920, died 11 June 1999 (Star Trek, Night of the Lepus)
Federico Fellini b. 1920 died 31 October 1993 (director, The Temptation of Dr. Antonio)
Michael Higgins b. 1920 died 5 November 2008 (Death Becomes Her, Angel Heart, The Stepford Wives, The Outer Limits)
Leon Ames b, 1902 died 12 October 1993 (Testament, Bewitched, The Misadventures of Merlin Jones, Son of Flubber, The Absent-Minded Professor)
Colin Clive b. 1900 died 25 June 1937 (Mad Love, Bride of Frankenstein, Frankenstein)
A. Merritt b. 1884 died 21 August 1943 (author, The Moon Pool, Burn Witch Burn!)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. I may be chided for being a geezer, but I am of the opinion that this list is chock full of truly iconic folk and all of them were born more than eighty years ago. In 2013, I used DeForest Kelley, in 2014 it was Buzz Aldrin. If they are out of contention, I'm happy to go to the other side of The Pond with Tom Baker, who wins the Favorite Doctor polls consistently if the competition is restricted to the 20th Century incarnations. If I were picking fourth place, I would go super geezer with Colin Clive, Dr. Frankenstein in the most famous 1930s versions of the story. If I was in a fabulous babe mood, Patricia Neal or (ahem) Dorothy Provine would get the Picture Slot, but even someone with my peculiar interests can't argue they are as iconic as the four guys mentioned first.

2. Spot the Canadians! Let's go opposite of geezer with our young Canuck friends. There are three of them, all born after 1980. Good luck! There is an older one, Peter Donat, who I thought of as American because he worked at ACT in San Francisco many decades ago. Thanks to James Marshall VI for pointing out Donat.

3. I love a good exact same day pair. Ignoring identical twins, I love to find out that two very famous people share a birthday on the exact same day and year. My personal favorite is 12 February 1809, when Lincoln and Darwin were both born. Our best pair today is DeForest Kelley and Federico Fellini, both born in 1920. A character actor named Michael Higgins was also born 95 years ago, but he's not quite an Oh That Guy for me. The role I know him in is as Doc Wilson in State and Main.

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

Movie released
Underworld Awakening released, 2012
 

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in the 1991 edition of his book A Short History of the Future.

Prediction: By the turn of the millennium, everyone used the phrase “the world revolution of 1989”. Comparisons to the French Revolution of 1789 were commonplace.

Reality: Wagar's day job was as a history professor and the changes of 1989 really threw him for a loop. He published his first version just as communism fell and figured that he had to re-write the whole thing, so the predictions here are from his 1991 version, which has as its over-riding theme the complete victory of capitalism until a catastrophe in the 2040s. (The catastrophe itself is too far in the future to be a topic on this blog.) While it certainly made a difference in global politics, Americans don't generally lump together the Berlin Wall falling and the Tienanmen Square protests. I went online to find comparisons of 1989 to 1789 and found one paper by a Northeastern history professor named Patrick Manning. I would not call the comparisons "commonplace".

Looking one day ahead...  INTO THE FUTURE!

A new source of predictions joins the line-up tomorrow.


Join us then...  IN THE FUTURE!

30 December 2014

Birthdays
Jena Sims b. 1988 (Attack of the 50ft Cheerleader, The Vampire Diaries)
Caity Lotz b. 1986 (Arrow, The Pact II)
Faye Marsay b. 1986 (Doctor Who)
Ashley Bashioum b. 1983 (Flight of the Living Dead)
Kristin Kreuk b. 1982 (Beauty and the Beast, Space Milkshake, Vampire, Smallville, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li, Earthsea, Snow White: The Fairest of Them All)
Kristen DeLuca b. 1981 (Ligeia, Knight Rider [2009])
Eliza Dushku b. 1980 (The Guild, Torchwood, Big Bang Theory, Dollhouse, Tru Calling, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer)
Tyrese Gibson b. 1978 (Transformers, Death Race)
Lucy Punch b. 1977 (Into the Woods, Fairy Tales [2008], Ella Enchanted, Dinotopia, The 10th Kingdom)
Zahf Paroo b. 1975 (Polaris, Continuum, Fringe, 10.5, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Battlestar Galactica, Andromeda, Dark Angel, Stargate SG-1)
Jason Behr b. 1973 (Skinwalkers, The Grudge, Roswell. Pleasantville, Buffy, Alien Nation: Millennium)
Daniel Sunjata b. 1971 (The Dark Knight Rises)
C.S. Lee b. 1971 (Toxin, The Unborn, Beyond, The Stepford Wives [2004])
Meredith Monroe b. 1969 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Vampires: The Turning, Minority Report, NightMan)
Bryan Burk b. 1968 (producer, Westworld [2015 TV], Star Wars: Episode VII, Believe, Fringe, Revolution, Almost Human, Cloverfield, Star Trek, Lost, Super 8, Future Shock)
Andrew Fleming b. 1965 (director, The Craft)
Sophie Ward b. 1964 (Book of Blood, Dinotopia, Crusade, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, Return to Oz, The Hunger)
George Newbern b. 1964 (Jericho, Journeyman, From the Earth to the Moon, Perversions of Science)
Kelli Maroney b. 1960 (Gila!, Not of This Earth, Night of the Comet)
Tracey Ullman b. 1959 (Into the Woods, Once Upon a Mattress [2005 TV])
Ellen Sandweiss b. 1958 (The Evil Dead [1981 and 2013], Oz the Great and Powerful)
Patricia Kalember b. 1957 (Limitless, Signs, Jacob’s Ladder, Cat’s Eye)
Sheryl Lee Ralph b. 1956 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Witch Hunt, Amazing Stories, V, Wonder Woman)
Lloyd Kaufman b. 1945 (way too many Troma movies to type)
Fred Ward b. 1942 (10.5, The Crow: Salvation, Invasion: Earth, Tremors, Deadly Nightmares, UFOria, The Right Stuff, Timerider: The Adventure of Lyle Swann, The Incredible Hulk)
Glyn Dearman b. 1939 died 30 November 1997 (A Christmas Carol [1951])
Jack Riley b. 1935 (Harry and the Hendersons [TV], C.H.U.D. II – Bud the Chud, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Spaceballs, ALF, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Halloween That Almost Wasn’t, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!, The Girl with Something Extra, I Dream of Jeannie)
Joseph Bologna b. 1934 (Alligator II: The Mutation, Not Quite Human, Transylvania 6-5000)
Russ Tamblyn b. 1934 (Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfolds, Babylon 5, Wizards of the Demon Sword, Aftershock, Quantum Leap, Dracula vs. Frankenstein, Necromancer, War of the Gargantuas, tom thumb)
Jack Lord b. 1920 died 21 January 1988 (The Invaders)
Jo Van Fleet b. 1914 died 10 June 1996 (Cinderella [1965 TV])
Jeanette Nolan b. 1911 died 5 June 1998 (Incredible Hulk, The Manitou, The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], The Reluctant Astronaut, The Invaders, Twilight Zone)
Tom Keene b. 1896 died 4 August 1963 (Plan 9 from Outer Space)
Rudyard Kipling b. 1865 died 18 January 1936 (author, The Jungle Book)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. A confession: I get these lists of names going onto imdb.com and searching actors credits for fantasy and sci-fi. Quite often, the youngest actors on the list are completely unknown to me. This list is an exception, as I knew the work of three of the women born in the 1980s before I looked them up, Jena Sims, Kristin Kreuk and Eliza Dushku. Ms. Kreuk was in The Picture Slot last year for her work on Smallville and Ms. Dushku is there this year with a publicity still from Dollhouse. There are several other good choices for 2015, though I would put Fred Ward from Tremors or The Right Stuff in the early lead.

2. Canadians spotted. Kristin Kreuk is Canadian, which often isn't true of the lead actors in Canadian genre TV. The other Canadian is Zahf Paroo, whose telltale roles include Stargate, Battlestar Galactica, Fringe and Andromeda.

3. Fun facts to know and tell. The late Glyn Dearman has a chance at the Picture Slot next year, as he was Tiny Tim in the 1951 version of A Christmas Carol starring Alastair Sim. I like a lot of versions of this story and this is certainly one of my favorites. It was also the one that was colorized. I'm old enough to remember a time when it looked like we'd never see any good black and white films again, all of the best would be colorized. Boy, I'm glad we dodged that bullet. The assholes with the money, most notably Ted Turner, lost that battle and lost it big. I don't get to type that sentence very often.

A little typecasting trivia. Lucy Punch has played the mean stepsister in three productions, Into the Woods, Ella Enchanted and on the Cinderella episode of the British TV show Fairy Tales. She is by no means the ugly stepsister, but she is always nasty.

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

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar from his 1991 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: By 2010, the “geneprint” had replaced the fingerprint in police work.

Reality: This isn't worth full marks, but DNA is being used a lot more than it used to be. Most of the headline grabbing stuff is about people exonerated of crimes they were jailed for by use of DNA. I can't give full credit on this because I was just checked in for a new job and they asked for fingerprints as a condition for employment, not a DNA sample. I imagine there will be quite a stink if they ever try to switch over.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We had a prediction earlier this of the form "2014 will be The Year of ___________." As tomorrow is the last day, we can judge whether the prediction was true or not.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

23 December 2014

Birthdays
Conor Carroll b. 1998 (Ender’s Game)
Spencer Daniels b. 1992 (Star Trek [2009], The Curious Case of Benjamin Button)
Adnan Haskovic b. 1984 (Snowpiercer)
Summer Altice b. 1979 (Chillerama, The Scorpion King)
Estella Warren b. 1978 (Beauty and the Beast [2009], Planet of the Apes)
Josh Cowdery b. 1978 (Godzilla [2014], Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Marvel’s The Avengers)
Corey Haim b. 1971 died 10 March 2010 (Merlin [1998 TV], Watchers, The Lost Boys, Silver Bullet)
Martha Byrne b. 1969 (Anna to the Infinite Power)
Joan Severence b. 1958 (American Horror Story, Black Scorpion I and II, Tales from the Crypt, Deadly Nightmares, Max Headroom)
Nej Adamson b. 1958 (Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Doctor Who)
Stefan Arngrim b. 1955 (Arrow, Fringe, Supernatural, V [2009], Flash Gordon [TV], Battlestar Galactica: Razor, The Fog. Earthsea, Dead Like Me, Seven Days, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Strange Days, Highlander [TV], Fear No Evil, Land of the Giants)
Cheryl Howard b. 1953 (Apollo 13, Willow, Splash)
Susan Lucci b. 1946 (Ebbie)
Charles Herbert b. 1948 (Twilight Zone, 13 Ghosts, Men Into Space, The Fly, The Colossus of New York, The Monster That Challenged the World)
Harry Shearer b. 1943 (Seven Days, Godzilla [1998], ALF, The Right Stuff, Abbott and Costello Go to Mars)
Peter Medak b. 1937 (director, Carnivale, Species II, Beauty and the Beast [1987], Faerie Tale Theatre, Twilight Zone [1986], Otherworld, The Changeling, Space: 1999)
James Stacy b. 1936 (Something Wicked This Way Comes)
Frederic Forrest b. 1936 (It Lives Again, Dark Shadows [1970])
Ronnie Schell b. 1931 (Soupernatural, Phil of the Future, Hard Time on Planet Earth, Mork & Mindy, Love at First Bite)
Harry Guardino b. 1925 died 17 July 1995 (Wonder Woman, Future Cop, The Outer Limits)
Alan North b. 1920 died 19 January 2000 (Highlander, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Robert McCall b. 1919 died 26 February 2010 (artist, LIFE magazine, 2001: A Space Odyssey)
James Gregory b. 1911 died 16 September 2002 (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Star Trek, Twilight Zone)
Maurice Denham b. 1909 died 24 July 2002 (Doctor Who, Countess Dracula, Blood Beast from Outer Space)
Arthur Dudley Vinton b. 1852 died 12 September 1906 (author, Looking Further Backward)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, it was an illustration of Robert McCall's from one of the 2001: A Space Odyssey posters. This year, it's Estella Warren from the reboot of Planet of the Apes because... purdy. Next year, I think it will be either Stefan Arngrim from Land of the Giants or James Gregory from Star Trek or maybe Corey Haim from The Lost Boys. 

2. What's with all the child actors? The two youngest on the list, Conor Carrol and Spencer Daniels, both worked as child actors not surprisingly, but so did Stefan Arngrim, Charles Herbert and to my surprise, Harry Shearer.

3. Canadians spotted! All three Canadians on the list have already been mentioned, Estella Warren, the late Corey Haim and Stefan Arngrim from Land of the Giants, who has made a successful career for himself, the only one that has strong Canadian genre tendencies.

4. Fun facts to know and tell. Cheryl Howard is Ron Howard's sister, a family that believes deeply in nepotism, as did the Bridges under father Lloyd's tutelage. Susan Lucci's one genre credit is a gender switch of Scrooge. Arthur Dudley Vinton wrote an "answer" novel to Edward Bellamy's very popular 1888 novel Looking Backward. We will be seeing some of his predictions in the new year. Ronnie Schell is a San Francisco Bay Area native who billed himself in the 1960s as "America's slowest rising comedian". He got a regular role on Gomer Pyle U.S.M.C. and kept working steadily ever since, both in front of the camera and in voice work.


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

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in A Short History of the Future, published 1991

Prediction: The world's population will reach six billion in 1998 and seven billion in 2011.

Reality: The dates for these milestones given from the sources found online were 1999 for six billion and 2012 for seven. I won't quibble here, that's very good work.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another interruption of the weekly schedule for a prediction of creepy happenings in Australia.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

16 December 2014

 Birthdays
Jyoti Amge b. 1993 (American Horror Story)
Anna Popplewell b. 1988 (Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Little Vampire)
Theo James b. 1984 (Allegiant, Insurgent, Divergent, Underworld: Awakening)
Kristen Ritter b. 1981 (Mission Control, Vamps)
Christina Cabot b. 1969 (The Incredible Hulk [2008])
Peter Dante b. 1968 (Little Nicky)
Paul Scherrer b. 1968 (Star Trek: Voyager, Quantum Leap, Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice, Running Against Time)
Miranda Otto b. 1967 (Westworld [2015], I, Frankenstein, War of the Worlds, Lord of the Rings)
Benjamin Bratt b. 1963 (The Andromeda Strain [2008], Catwoman, Red Planet, Demolition Man)
James Mangold b. 1963 (director, The Wolverine)
Shane Black b. 1961 (writer, Iron Man 3, Last Action Hero, The Monster Squad)
Sam Robards b. 1961 (Vamped Out, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Xander Berkeley b. 1955 (12 Monkeys [2015 TV], Salem, Being Human, Kick-Ass, Repo Chick, Universal Soldier: The Return, NetForce, Gattaca, Apollo 11, Apollo 13, Roswell, Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman, The X-Files, Candyman, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Super Force, Not of This World, Twilight Zone [1986], V)
Bill Johnson b. 1951 (Supernatural Activity, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Future-Kill)
Allan Graf b. 1949 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Revolution, Knight Rider, Supernatural, Universal Soldier, Total Recall, Tales from the Crypt, The Wizard of Speed and Time, RoboCop [1987], Knight Rider, Space Rage, Misfits of Science, Poltergeist)
Christopher Biggins b. 1948 (A Christmas Carol [1977], The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Ben Cross b. 1947 (Jack the Giant Killer, Star Trek [2009], Lost City Raiders, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea [1997], Poltergeist: The Legacy, Tales from the Crypt, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Dark Shadows [1991], The Twilight Zone [1986])
Terence Knox b. 1946 (Gila!, The Burning Zone, SeaQuest 2032, Lois & Clark, Children of the Corn II: The Final Sacrifice, Deadly Nightmares, Twilight Zone [1989], V [1985])
Charles Dennis b. 1946 (Star Trek: Enterprise, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Joyce Bulifant b. 1937 (The Shining [1997], Weird Science [TV])
Peter Schrum b. 1934 died 17 February 2003 (Quantum Leap, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Arena, Trancers, Galaxina)
Nicholas Courtney b. 1929 died 22 February 2011 (Doctor Who, Journey to the Far Side of the Sun, The Champions)
Terry Carter b. 1928 (Battlestar Galactica [1979], The Six Million Dollar Man: Solid Gold Kidnapping)
Philip K. Dick b. 1928 died 2 March 1982 (won 1963 Hugo for The Man in the High Castle)
Sir Arthur C. Clarke b. 1917 died 19 March 2008 (won 1974 Hugo and Nebula for Rendezvous with Rama, won 1980 Hugo and Nebula for The Fountains of Paradise)
Hollingworth Morse b. 1910 died 23 January 1988 (director, Ark II, Isis, Shazam!, H.R. Pufnstuf, Captain Nice, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Crash of Moons, Duel in Space, The Gypsy Moon)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, it was Philip K Dick and this year Arthur C. Clarke. With all due respect, the writers are much more iconic than any of the actors on the list. I haven't seen any of the Alleginat/Insurgent/Divergent movies, but Theo James is second bill, so he could be considered iconic, though a geezer like me would have to be convinced. Besides Mr. James, Ben Cross is Sarek in the 21st Century Star Trek and Terry Carter was Colonel Tigh on the original Battlestar Galactica. I might also go with one of my favorite Oh That Guys Xander Berkeley. Though I likely won't use him, Allan Graf is a great stuntman and fight choreographer. While not in genre, some may remember him as the wife beater Russell Crowe beats up in L.A. Confidential or as Captain Turner, George Hurst's right hand man in Deadwood, another role where he gets the crap beaten out of him.

2. A Canadian walks among us. Charles Dennis, listed here for two Star Trek roles, was born in Canada. There's no way to guess his nationality from his C.V.

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

Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in A Short History of the Future, published 1991

Prediction: A case in point was the privatization of the postal systems in Canada and in the United States in the late 1990s, a move that led to a 250% increase in the productivity of the postal labor force.

Reality: In the predictions from this book, the overriding theme in the era we will look at is "Capitalism wins. Big." In reality, both the Canadian and Yankee postal systems are still not privatized and a 250% increase in productivity is an insulting fantasy. We can look at the private competitors to the post office, FedEx and UPS, and I don't think the service is that massively better than the mail.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet more fascinating tidbits from 2011 as envisioned in 1911.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

9 December 2015

Birthdays
Cody Kennedy b. 1991 (Superpowerless, Piranha 3DD)
Joshua Sasse b. 1987 (Frankenstein’s Army)
Jolene Purdy b. 1983 (Under the Dome, Donnie Darko)
Simon Helberg b. 1980 (Big Bang Theory, Dr, Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, The Guild, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Jesse Metcalfe b. 1978 (Smallville)
Kevin Daniels b. 1976 (Smallville, The Island, Charmed, Buffy)
Reiko Aylesworth b. 1972 (Revolution, SGU Stargate Universe, Lost, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Stephen King’s Dead Zone)
Sebastian Spence b. 1969 (Continuum, Battlestar Galactica: Blood & Chrome, Smallville, Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Category 7: The End of the World, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, Mutant X, Strange Frequency, Dark Angel, First Wave, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The X Files)
Toby Huss b. 1966 (The Venture Brothers, R.I.P.D., Cowboys & Aliens, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Carnivale, Bedazzled)
Brad Savage b. 1965 (Mork & Mindy, Salem’s Lot, Return from Witch Mountain)
Felicity Huffman b. 1962 (The X Files)
Richard Brooks b. 1962 (Firefly, Good vs Evil, Brimstone, The Crow: City of Angels, Shocker, The Hidden, Teen Wolf)
Joe Lando b. 1961 (Earth Fall, A.I. Assault, Bloodsuckers, Blindness, Alien Nation: The Enemy Within, Beauty and the Beast [1990], Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home)
John Paragon b. 1954 (Deep Space Nine, Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, Pee-wee’s Playhouse)
John Malkovich b. 1953 (Warm Bodies, Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, Jonah Hex, The Mutant Chronicles, Beowulf, Eragon, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Shadow of the Vampire, Being John Malkovich, Mary Reilly, Making Mr. Right)
Michael Dorn b. 1952 (Ted 2, Castlevania: Hymn of Blood, Heroes, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Demon Seed)
Robert Winley b. 1952 died 21 October 2001 (Sliders, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Tales from the Crypt, Near Dark)
Michael Nouri b. 1945 (Legend of the Seeker, Star Trek: Enterprise, Captain America [1990], The Hidden, The Curse of Dracula [1979])
Neil Innes b. 1944 (Erik the Viking, Jabberwocky)
Beau Bridges b. 1941 (Stargate, 10.5 Apocalypse, RocketMan, Tales from the Crypt, Amazing Stories, Space, Alice In Wonderland [1985], Village of the Giants)
Dame Judi Dench b. 1934 (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Chronicles of Riddick)
Morton Downey, Jr. b, 1933 died 12 March 2001 (Predator 2)
Buck Henry b. 1930 (writer, Quark, Captain Nice)
John Cassavetes b. 1929 died 3 February 1989 (The Fury, Rosemary’s Baby, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Dick Van Patten b. 1928 (Lois & Clark, Spaceballs, Westworld, The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Girl with Something Extra, Soylent Green, I Dream of Jeannie)
Kirk Douglas b. 1916 (Tales from the Crypt, The Final Countdown, Saturn 3, The Fury, Holocaust 2000, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, Ulysses)
Bartlett Robinson b. 1912 died 26 March 1986 (Sleeper, The Invaders, My Mother the Car, Bewitched, The Munsters, Twilight Zone)
Margaret Hamilton b. 1902 died 16 May 1985 (Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Addams Family, 13 Ghosts, The Invisible Woman, The Wizard of Oz)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, I used Michael Dorn as Worf. This year I was moments away from using Margaret Hamilton from The Wizard of Oz. But the most remarkable thing about this list to me is Kirk Douglas turning 98, so we get a picture of him from 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea when he was in his many, rugged prime. There are a lot of choices possible next year, and they range in age from Ms. Hamilton as the eldest and Simon Helberg as the youngest.

2. Spot the Canadian!  Like yesterday, we just have the one and the resume is fairly obvious.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, most especially living legend Kirk Douglas, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

Movie released
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe released, 2005
 

 Predictor: W. Warren Wagar in his 1991 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: According to a study done in 1999, the total number of Iraqi dead in the 1991 Gulf War was 275,000.

Reality: Here Wagar knows the battle had taken place in the past for him, but the estimate was from the future. According to the best estimates I've found online, the number was between 25,000 and 35,000, so he's off by a factor of about 10.

Say hello to W. Warren Wagar, our new Tuesday regular. His history of the future is told from the point of view of someone in 2200 looking back. Wagar, who died in 2004, was a historian and in 1987 started this book. It was published in 1989, the year communism fell. He was embarrassed that the Commies were still a factor in the original edition, so he re-wrote the book in 1991. The predictions I'll be using are from that edition.

According to Wagar, capitalists pretty much get their way until 2044. He doesn't get a lot of stuff right on the money, but there are plenty of dates mentioned in the time period this blog is interested in, which means up to 2020. Sources of predictions are the short resource here at the blog, so I was happy to find this book. He's not as pompous as FM-2030 (Who could be?), but I hope people will find him amusing.

Never to be Forgotten: Ken Weatherwax 1955-2014

Yesterday was a very bad day for some guys about my age. Ken Weatherwax has four roles list on imdb.com. Three of them are as Pugsley Addams and the fourth is from Wagon Train, where he played Stout Boy. He left the biz after his stint on The Addams Family and by the obituary accounts, lived happily in obscurity, always glad to sign an autograph for anyone who recognized him. The cause of death was a heart attack.

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

 

Never to be Forgotten: Eddie Rouse 1954-2014

I wasn't aware of the work of Eddie Rouse until his obit was posted yesterday, but he had a role in the 2009 movie Pandorum and a role in the new HBO version of Westworld, which is filming now. His cause of death at the age of 60 was liver failure. He was definitely a working actor, but somewhat obscure. He had no Wikipedia page and imdb.com doesn't mention his birthday.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Eddie Rouse. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another trip back to 1911, where some newspaper writer predicts the wonders of 2011.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!