29 August 2014

Birthdays
Jay Ryan b. 1981 (Beauty and the Beast, Terra Nova, Legend of the Seeker, Xena, Young Hercules)
Emily Hampshire b. 1981 (Earthsea, Mutant X, MythQuest, PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Earth: Final Conflict)
Dan Harris b. 1979 (writer, Superman Returns, X-Men 2)
John Hensley b. 1977 (Teeth, Witchblade)
Dante Basco b. 1975 (The Chronicle, Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights, Alien Nation: Body and Soul, Hook)
Carla Gugino b. 1971 (Sucker Punch, Race to Witch Mountain, Watchmen, Night at the Museum, Threshold, Sin City, Spy Kids, The One, Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature, Quantum Leap, ALF)
Rebecca De Mornay b. 1959 (The Shining [1997 TV], Beauty and the Beast [1987], Testament)
Lenny Henry b. 1958 (MirrorMask, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Bernard and the Genie)
Deborah Van Valkenburgh b. 1952 (Touch, The Event, Firestarter 2: Rekindled, Sorcerers, Deep Space Nine, Quantum Leap)
Ellen Geer b. 1941 (Supernatural, Charmed, Carnivale, Practical Magic, Phenomenon, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beauty and the Beast, Creator, Something Wicked This Way Comes, The Bionic Woman)
Joel Schumacher b. 1939 (director, Batman & Robin, Batman Forever, Flatliners, The Lost Boys, The Incredible Shrinking Woman)
Elliot Gould b. 1938 (Contagion, The Shining [1997 TV], Lois & Clark, Frogs!, Frog, The Twilight Zone [1986], Faerie Tale Theatre, The Devil and Max Devlin)
William Friedkin b. 1935 (director, Bug, Twilight Zone [1985], The Exorcist)
Charles Gray b. 1928 died 7 March 2000 (Firestar: First Contact, Tall Tales & Legends, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, The Beast Must Die, H.G. Wells’ Invisible Man)
Dick O’Neill b. 1928 died 17 November 1998 (Timecop, The Incredible Hulk, Wolfen, Wonder Woman, The UFO Incident, Gammera the Invincible)
Richard Attenborough b. 1923 died 24 August 2014 (Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, Jurassic Park, Doctor Doolittle)
Lane Bradford b. 1922 died 7 June 1973 (Land of the Giants, Batman, Lost in Space, My Favorite Martian, The Adventures of Superman, Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Zombies of the Stratosphere)
Barry Sullivan b. 1912 died 6 June 1994 (The Bionic Woman, The Invisible Man [1975], The Sixth Sense, The Immortal, Planet of the Vampires, Pyro… The Thing Without a Face)
Lurene Tuttle b. 1907 died 28 May 1986 (Amazing Stories, Testament, The Clonus Horror, I Dream of Jeannie, My Favorite Martian, My Living Doll, The Munsters, Twilight Zone)
George Macready b. 1899 died 2 July 1973 (The Return of Count Yorga, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, The Alligator People, The Monster and the Ape)

Last year, the Picture Slot went to Carla Gugino from Watchmen, a selection most heterosexual males would be happy to see me repeat. Not wanting to repeat, I would say Richard Attenborough in Jurassic Park would be the next most iconic, but he died earlier this week, so that would also feel like a repeat. My choice for next most iconic is Charles Gray in... oh, please, don't tell me you don't recognize the film.

Seriously, don't tell me. I've always thought so highly of you and this would spoil it.

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

Predictor: Terminator 2, released 1991

Prediction: On 29 August 1997, Skynet becomes self-aware.

Reality: I used both Skynet predictions last year, the launch and the self awareness. I'm not keen on repeating predictions, but I make an exception in this case. I'm of the opinion that the great fear of the late 20th Century, all out nuclear war, has receded from the public's consciousness and the two fears that have replaced it are the fear of pandemics like Ebola or SARS and the fear of what will happen when computers surpass us and we work for them. Personally, I think the fear of what the climate will become is more realistic, but there is a lot of money spent trying to convince people that isn't real and a lot of people have bought into the idea that climate change isn't a big deal.

Looking one day ahead ... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another interruption in the regular schedule for an exact date, this time from a TV show.

Join us then ... IN THE FUTURE!
 

4 August 2014

 

Birthdays
Lucinda Dryzek b. 1991 (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Doctor Who)
Meghan Markle b. 1981 (Fringe, Knight Rider [2009])
Abigail Spencer b. 1981 (Oz the Great and Powerful, Cowboys & Aliens)
David Lewis b. 1976 (Man of Steel, Supernatural, Fringe, Seeds of Destruction, Stonehenge Apocalypse, Zombie Punch, Wyvern, The Day the Earth Stood Still [2008], Smallville, Ba’al, Beyond Loch Ness, Eureka, The Butterfly Effect 2, Kyle XY, Alien Incursion, Stargate SG-1, Alienated, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Dead Like Me, Halloween: Resurrection, Level 9, Lake Placid, Lexx, The New Addams Family, The X-Files)
Andy Hallett b. 1975 died 29 March 2009 (Angel, Buffy)
Michael DeLuise b. 1969 (Bloodsuckers, Lost, Stargate SG-1, 3rd Rock from the Sun, SeaQuest 2032, Tales from the Crypt, Encino Man, Amazing Stories)
Daniel Dae Kim b. 1968 (Insurgent, Lost, The Andromeda Strain, Spider-Man 2, Star Trek: Enterprise, Hulk, Momentum, Angel, Charmed, Crusade, Brave New World [TV movie], NightMan)
James Tupper b. 1965 (Resurrection, Toxic Skies)
Sebastian Roche b. 1964 (The Originals, Pegasus vs. Chimera, Grimm, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Fringe, Vamped Out, Beowulf, Charmed, Odyssey 5)
Lauren Tom b. 1961 (Supernatural, Threshold, Quantum Leap)
Bernard Rose b. 1960 (director, Candyman)
Billy Bob Thornton b. 1955 (The Astronaut Farmer, Armageddon, Chopper Chicks in Zombietown)
Donald Gibb b. 1954 (Hancock, Black Scorpion, Homeboys in Outer Space, Breakfast of Aliens, The X-Files, Harry and the Hendersons [TV], Quantum Leap, They Came from Outer Space, Transylvania 6-5000, Otherworld, Knight Rider, Conan the Barbarian)
Sara Botsford b. 1951 (Matty Hanson and the Invisibility Ray, Three Moons Over Milford, The Fog, Tremors 4: The Legend Begins, Total Recall 2070, Sliders)
Richard Belzer b. 1944 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Species II, The X-Files, The Invaders, Not of This Earth, The Puppet Masters, Lois & Clark, The Flash)
Don S. Davis b. 1942 died 29 June 2008 (Stargate, Flash Gordon, Supernatural, Beyond Loch Ness, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Andromeda, Atomic Train, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The X-Files, M.A.N.T.I.S., Highlander [TV], Needful Things, Hook, Omen IV: The Awakening)
Martin Jarvis b. 1941 (Neander-Jin: he Return of the Neanderthal Man, Stargate: Atlantis, Space Island One, Space: Above and Beyond, Doctor Who, Taste the Blood of Dracula)
Tom Hennesy b. 1923 died 23 May 2011 (Revenge of the Creature)
Wesley Addy b. 1913 died 31 December 1996 (The Invaders, The Outer Limits)


Daniel Dae Kim isn't the only choice for the Picture Slot, but he is certainly a good one. He has a lot of roles in genre, including his best known role on Lost. Other options were Billy Bob Thornton, the only guy I'd call a movie star here, Don S. Davis, best known as General Hammond on multiple versions of the Stargate franchise, Donald Gibb, the big guy best known as Ogre in Revenge of the Nerds, and Andy Hallett, Lorne on Angel and last year's Picture Slot choice.

The big surprise today: Richard Belzer is 70. I don't know why some actors and celebrities get locked in a certain era for me, but Belzer is one of them. It seems so strange he is that old. I was also surprised at how many genre roles he has.

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

Predictor: Terminator 2, released 1991


Prediction: On 4 August 1997, Skynet is launched.

Reality: The idea that machines will take over is not new. One of the earliest sci-fi plays Rossum's Universal Robots (also known as R.U.R.) is about people becoming obsolete, and there are two famous films about computers and nuclear annihilation, Colossus the Forbin Project and WarGames. That said, the Terminator films are better known by far than any of the other films predicting The Singularity as an apocalypse. I made the decision early on as to what franchises would get labels of their own and the decisions were completely arbitrary. If I had to do it over again, I would probably give labels to both the Terminator and Alien franchises.

As for reality, drones are real now, but they are still run by people, not autonomous machines.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another interruption in the regular schedule, this time for an exact date from Philip K. Dick.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

16 September 2013

 Birthdays
Alexis Bledel b.1981 (Sin City)
Kurt Busiek b. 1960 (Conan, Avengers, Superman, Astro City)
Mickey Rourke b. 1952 (Sin City, Iron Man II)
Anne Francis b. 1930 died 2 January 2011 (Forbidden Planet)
Jack Kelly b. 1927 died 7 November 1992 (Forbidden Planet)
Peter Falk b. 1927 died 23 June 2011 (The Princess Bride, Wings of Desire)
Morgan Woodward b. 1925 (Star Trek)


Lots of actors on today's list with Busiek being the only writer. The Cute Girl = Picture Slot rule is in effect, though the picture of Anne Francis is a publicity still from her TV show Honey West and not Forbidden Planet.

Prediction: Saturday, September 16: Nuclear war in Europe quickly spreads. At 3:38 pm, Kansas City and much of the Midwest are hit with nuclear bombs, causing widespread devastation.

Predictor: The Day After, ABC mini-series, aired 1983

Reality: No year is specified, but the next year when the 16th of September would fall on a Saturday would be 1989. It could also be 1978 if it supposed to have happened before the air date, but Jason Robards’ character says his daughter was conceived during the Cuban missile crisis, and she is clearly a twentysomething out on her own, not a teen still in high school.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

While I still have a few predictions left from Robert A. Heinlein, tomorrow will be our first time to hear from our new Tuesday regular Isaac Asimov with his list of predictions for 2014 made on the occasion of the 1964 World's Fair.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

29 August 2013

Birthdays
Carla Gugino b. 1971 (Spy Kids, Watchmen, Sin City)
Daniel Keyes b. 1927 (won 1967 Nebula for Flowers for Algernon)
Joel Schumacher b. 1939 (Batman Forever, Batman and Robin)
Richard Attenborough b. 1923 (Jurassic Park)

Today's Picture Slot = yes, I'm a heterosexual male.

I was surprised at how few films Joel Schumacher made, given his awful reputation. Almost all the scorn people pour on him is for nearly killing the Batman franchise. I would like to say to all those sci-fi fans currently on the fainting couch because Ben Affleck will be the next Batman, take a closer look at the writer and director of the next film, because it's those guys who will make it work or make it a mess. Blaming George Clooney and Val Kilmer for the awfulness of the 1990s Batman movies misses the point by a mile.

Many happy returns to everyone on the list.

Prediction: On the 29th of August, 1997, Skynet becomes self-aware at 2:14 am.

Predictor: Terminator 2, released 1991

Reality: In the movies, improvements in computer technology are almost never a good idea. Whether it's  Colossus: The Forbin Project or 2001: A Space Oddysey or Terminator, smarter computers usually spell trouble for somebody. As a counterexample, we have War Games. Personally, my favorite smart computer is Marvin the Paranoid Android from the Hitchhiker's Guide series, brilliantly competent and bored out of his mind.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another French postcard from early in the 20th Century predicting the year 2000.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

18 August 2013

Birthdays
Edward Norton b. 1969 (Hulk re-boot)
Grant Williams b. 1931 died 28 July 1985 (The Incredible Shrinking Man, The Monolith Monsters)

The late Grant Williams gets the Picture Slot today. I could have chosen the still from the same scene where his perky wife played by Randy Stuart towers over him, but that just seemed too self-indulgent, if you get my drift.

Mr. Norton has had a very successful career, but very few sci-fi or fantasy roles. Many happy returns of the day to him.

 

Prediction: August 1977: Dr. Robert Neville injects himself with an experimental vaccine that will stop him from becoming an albino mutant vampire and believes himself the last man on earth

Predictor: The Omega Man (1971)

Reality: And if you want the vaccine, you can take it from his cold, dead hands.

Despite disco, polyester and the Ford Pinto, mankind in fact survived the 1970s.

Coincidence: I could have chosen any date in August to put this prediction - next year I'll put it on August 1, the released date of the movie - but by having The Incredible Shrinking Man and The Omega Man mentioned in the same post, this means a Daily Double for the late great Richard Matheson, who wrote The Shrinking Man and I Am Legend, the novels from which these movies were adapted.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We look at the first of a great set of predictions about nuclear powered transportation, found by Zombie Rotten McDonald, a great friend to this blog.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
   

17 August 2013

Birthdays
Helen McCrory b. 1968 (Narcissa Malfoy in Harry Potter)
Harve Bennett b. 1930 (producer and writer for Star Trek)
Glen Corbett b. 1933 died 16 January 1993 (Zephram Cochran on the original series of Star Trek)

What kind of parents would name a boy Draco? Well, a mom named Narcissa and a dad is named Lucius, so that gives you a clue.

Harve Bennett has writing and producing credits on Star Trek  movies two through five, which means two good ones and two bad ones. I think he still deserves a lot of credit for The Wrath of Khan, the movie that saved the Star Trek series. As good as the original Star Wars movies were, science fiction films needed at least two money making franchises back in the late 1970s and early 1980s or the entire genre could have sputtered to a halt.

As a fan of the Original Series, it was strange to see what the writers made out of Zephram Cochran in Star Trek: First Contact. James Cromwell doesn't look like Glen Corbett in the least and his version didn't have a perpetual stick up his posterior.

Many happy returns to the living.

Movies released

ParaNorman released, 2012
The Time Machine released, 1960
 

Prediction: On August 17, 1966, atomic bombs hit London, triggering a volcanic eruption

Predictor: the movie The Time Machine, (1960)

Reality: The idea that we were going to be nuked was common in popular entertainment from 1950s until at least the 1980s. The idea that there were dormant volcanoes in London, not so much.

How were we supposed to know we were in London of the future in a scene that lasts just a few minutes? There was an overground monorail and Alan Young as a fallout shelter official wore a metallic suit.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from yet another movie that puts the apocalypse six years into the future.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

4 August 2013

Birthdays
Andy Hallett b. 1975 died 29 March 2009 (Angel)
Daniel Dae Kim b. 1968 (Lost, Star Trek, Angel, Spider-Man 2, Hulk, Crusade (Babylon 5 spinoff))

Mr. Kim's career has a lot of work in genre TV and film, but I gave Andy Hallett the Picture Slot because I liked the character of Lorne better and I was very sad when he died four years ago.

Many happy returns to Mr. Kim.

Movies released
Terminator 2, 1991

Prediction: On August 4,1997 Skynet is launched.

Predictor: Terminator 2, released 1991

Reality: This is not the first film to predict everything would go to hell exactly six years after the movie's release date. We will get another such prediction later this month from a movie made in the 1960s.

As I look at science fiction from the past, whether it's on the page or on the screen, the predictions about computers are clumsy. Before 1973 and the development of the the microprocessor, very few writers get the idea of how small computers will be or how useful in everyday life. Though I mock him mercilessly, Heinlein deserves a lot of credit for his 1950 prediction for small portable phones by 2000. He didn't know the guts of the things would be computers, but I won't quibble about that. Arthur C. Clarke predicted HAL in the late 1960s, but HAL was still an enormous object. After 1973, a lot of the predictions about computers are clumsy in the other direction, assuming artificial intelligence or virtual reality would happen a lot sooner than they have.

Blogger's note: The date from the original Terminator of the year the solider and the cyborg are being sent back is 2029, so that date is a little too far in the future for the purposes of this blog. 2020 is my forward limit, 2025 maybe if the prediction is really good.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction from the pages of Popular Mechanics.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

4 June 2013

Birthday
James Callis b. 1971

Mr. Callis is best known as Baltar on the modern version of Battlestar Galactica. Many happy returns of his birthday to him.

Movies released
Post Impact released, 2004
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban released, 2004
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan released, 1982

Prediction: In 2010, a comet hits the Earth, starting a new ice age in the Northern Hemisphere

Predictor: Post Impact, released in 2004

Reality: This is the "big rock from space" movie you likely haven't heard of, unless you are a serious sci-fi fan like regular reader Ken Houghton, who asked if Deep Impact, one of the big budget Rock From Space movies was "the one with the dog".

Looking at the pictures online, I'd have to say Post Impact was "the one with the dog". Or "the one with Dean Cain". Or "the one where nobody flew into space to try to stop it". Or "the one where Johanna Taylor gets nekkid".

It is NOT "the one a lot of people saw". Box Office Mojo gives no ticket sales whatsoever. This one went straight to DVD.

As for the reality of the basic science, yes, a big meteor would mean a new ice age. As for happening in 2010, not so much.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

John Elfreth Watkins.

Regular readers need no more prompting.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

27 January 2013

Birthday
Alan Cumming b. 1965

His best known work in sci-fi/fantasy genre is in the X-Men and Spy Kids series. My favorite work of his is still The Anniversary Party.
 

Prediction: 1963: Albania unleashes a nuclear attack on Italy and World War Three begins.

Predictor: Nevil Shute from On The Beach published 1957
The 1959 movie version moves the year to 1964.

Reality: Albania? Really?

Nuclear war was a very prevalent idea in the culture back in the middle of last century and this book was one of the early best sellers on the topic.

But Albania starts it? I mean seriously, Nevil, there's creativity and then there's just being goofy.

Looking one day... INTO THE FUTURE!

The Omni Future Almanac gets really specific about when a computer will be capable of beating the world champion human at chess.

Join me then... IN THE FUTURE!