16 April 2015

Birthdays
Jordana Beatty b. 1998 (Superman Returns, Legend of the Seeker)
Lorraine Nicholson b. 1990 (Click)
Kate and Ruth Greenfield b. 1987 (Willow)
Rhiana Griffith b. 1985 (Pitch Black)
Claire Foy b. 1984 (Vampire Academy, Season of the Witch, Being Human)
Gina Carano b. 1982 (Deadpool, Almost Human)
Lukas Haas b. 1976 (Transcendence, Touch, Inception, The Lathe of Heaven, Breakfast of Champions, Mars Attacks!, Solar Babies, Amazing Stories, Testament)
Sean Maher b. 1975 (Arrow, Warehouse 13. Serenity/Firefly)
Karl Yune b. 1975 (Arrow, Real Steel, Knight Rider [2008], Speed Racer, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid)
Belinda Stewart-Wilson b. 1971 (Primeval, Jekyll)
Peter Billingsley b. 1971 (producer, Iron Man, Zathura)
Jon Cryer b. 1965 (The Outer Limits, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace, Amazing Stories)
Martin Lawrence b. 1965 (Black Knight)
Michael Wong b. 1965 (Transformers: Age of Extinction)
Boyd Banks b. 1964 (12 Monkeys, Mr. Babysitter’s a Vampire, Lost Girl, Diary of the Dead, The Fountain, Land of the Dead, Phil the Alien, Wonderfalls, Dawn of the Dead)
Michael Gill b. 1960 (Forever)
Ricco Ross b. 1960 (Batgirl Rises, Caper, Bite Me, Hydra, Babylon 5, Highlander, Timelock, Gulliver’s Travels [1996], The Tomorrow People [1992], Doctor Who, Aliens)
Ellen Barkin b. 1954 (Faerie Tale Theatre, Buckaroo Banzai)
Jay O. Sanders b. 1953 (Green Lantern, The Day After Tomorrow)
Billy West b. 1950 (Futurama, 2084, Invader ZIM, Samurai Jack, countless other voice work)
David Graf b. 1950 died 7 April 2001 (Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Lois & Clark, Quantum Leap)
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar b. 1947 (The Stand, Tales from the Darkside, Man from Atlantis)
Edie Adams b. 1927 died 15 October 2008 (Cinderella [2004 and 1957])
Peter Ustinov b. 1921 died 18 March 2004 (Salem Witch Trials, Alice in Wonderland [1999 TV], The Thief of Baghdad, Logan’s Run, One of our Dinosaurs Is Missing)
Barry Nelson b. 1919 died 7 April 2007 (The Shining, Salvage 1, Battlestar Galactica, Twilight Zone)
Johnny Silver b. 1918 died 1 February 2003 (Spaceballs, Pete’s Dragon, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, H.R. Pufnstuf, I Dream of Jeannie, Captain Nice, The Munsters, The Brass Bottle, World of Giants)
Spike Milligan b. 1918 died 27 February 2002 (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland [1972], Alice Through the Looking Box)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, The Picture Slot went to Sean Maher from Firefly/Serenity and Invader ZIM, voiced by Billy West. With them out of contention, I considered Lukas Haas from Mars Attacks! and Ellen Barkin from Buckaroo Banzai, but decided to go with Oh That Guy Barry Nelson and his role from the original Twilight Zone.

2. Spot the Canadian! Boyd Banks' credit list isn't completely obviously Canadian, but he was also on Kids in the Hall at least once and played several roles on the Nero Wolfe shows that were produced north of the border earlier this century.


3. Wait... he's dead? I had David Graf's sci-fi credits on last year's list, but I neglected to note that he died so young. He's probably best remembered as Tackleberry in all those Police Academy movies.

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

Movie released
Kick-Ass released, 2010
 

Predictor: Aliens of London, a Doctor Who episode that aired 16 April 2005

Prediction: A spaceship crashes into the Thames in 2006, triggering a worldwide red alert as a part of a scheme by the Slitheen to turn the Earth into a radioactive fuel dump.

Reality: It's Doctor Who. Reality doesn't enter into it, does it?

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to the regular schedule tomorrow, which means H.G. Wells on Friday.

Join us then... INTO THE FUTURE!
 

22 December 2014

Birthdays
Logan Huffman b. 1989 (V [2011])
Greg Finley b. 1984 (The Flash, Starcrossed, Hypothermia)
Brooke Nevin b. 1982 (The 4400, Supernatural, Smallville, Charmed, Animorphs)
Chris Carmack b. 1980 (The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations, Smallville)
Omar J. Dorsey b. 1975 (Race to Witch Mountain)
Heather Donahue b. 1974 (Manticore, Taken, The Blair Witch Project)
Traci Dinwiddie b. 1973 (Zombies VS. Ninjas: The Web Series, Supernatural, Target Earth)
Ivan Kamaras b. 1972 (Dracula [2013 TV], World War Z, Hellboy II: The Golden Army)
Pat Mastroianni b. 1971 (Bitten, PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Godzilla [1998], War of the Worlds [1990 TV])
Deborah Twiss b. 1971 (School of Rock: Zombie Etiquette, Kick-Ass, Fringe)
Dina Meyer b. 1968 (Piranha 3D, Birds of Prey, Star Trek: Nemesis, Bats, Starship Troopers, DragonHeart, Johnny Mnemonic)
David S. Goyer b. 1965 (writer, Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Constantine, Man of Steel, The Dark Knight Rises, FlashForward, The Dark Knight, Batman Begins, Threshold, Blade, Blade II, The Puppet Masters, FreakyLinks, Nick Fury: Agent of Shield, Dark City, Demonic Toys, Perversions of Science, The Crow: City of Angels)
Sergi Lopez b. 1965 (Pan’s Labyrinth)
Ralph Fiennes b. 1962 (Wrath of the Titans, Harry Potter, Clash of the Titans, Nanny McPhee Returns, Strange Days)
Lenny von Dohlen b. 1958 (Red Dwarf, The Flash [1991], Dracula’s Widow, Tales from the Darkside)
Hugh Quarshie b. 1954 (Doctor Who, BeastMaster [TV], Jason and the Argonauts [2000 TV], Star Wars: Episode 1 – Yes That One Again, Wing Commander, The Tomorrow People, Nightbreed, Highlander)
Gregor Fisher b. 1953 (Nineteen Eighty-Four [1984])
Jay Brazeau b. 1953 (Jinxed, Supernatural, Eureka, Watchmen, Stargate: Atlantis, House of the Dead, Taken, Mysterious Ways, Stargate SG-1, First Wave, Seven Days, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Strange Luck, Sliders, The Odyssey, The X Files, Highlander [TV], It)
Dan and Don Stanton b. 1952 (Lois & Clark, Mom and Dad Save the World, Eerie, Indiana, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Gremlins 2: The New Batch)
Graham Beckel b. 1949 (Battlestar Galactica, Heroes, The Astronaut Farmer, Strange World, Fallen, Amerika, C.H.U.D.)
Lynne Thigpen b. 1948 died 12 March 2003 (Bicentennial Man, Blankman)
Hector Elizondo b. 1936 (Tales from the Crypt [TV], Amazing Stories)
Bill Saito b. 1936 died 14 November 2012 (Night Rider, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Peggie Castle b. 1927 died 11 August 1973 (World of Giants, Back from the Dead, Beginning of the End)
Ruth Roman b. 1922 died 9 September 1999 (The Day of the Animals, The Sixth Sense [1972 TV], The Outer Limits)
Barbara Billingsley b. 1915 died 16 October 2010 (Mysterious Ways, Amazing Stories, Mork & Mindy)
Emil Sitka b. 1914 died 16 January 1998 (My Favorite Martian, The Three Stooges in Orbit)
Fred Wilcox b. 1906 died 23 September 1964 (director, Forbidden Planet)
Noel Howlett b. 1902 died 26 October 1984 (Pardon My Genie, Five Million Miles to Earth, The Kiss of the Vampire, Quatermass and the Pit, A Christmas Carol [1951])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Geezer that I am, it's not uncommon for me to look at the birthday list and think only actors older than I am have iconic roles. On today's list, all the serious Picture Slot candidates are younger than I am. On the older list, Barbara Billingsley and Hector Elizondo are both well-known faces, but not for genre. Last year I used Ralph Fiennes as Voldemort. This year, it's Dina Mayer from Starship Troopers, still looking fetching although splattered in bug guts. Next year, while I might use the poster from Forbidden Planet in honor of director Fred Wilcox, the front runner is Heather Donohue from The Blair Witch Project. 

2. Spot the Canadians! There are three actors whose resumes look Canadian, but only two actually are. See if you can spot them.

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

Movie released
Night at the Museum released 2006

 Predictor: The series finale of The X Files, aired 19 May 2002

Prediction: On 22 December 2012: The alien colonization begins.

Reality: It's a good bet Chris Carter used this date knowing about the end of the Mayan calendar the day before. If they colonized, they did it very quietly and the press did not take note. It would explain what is happening to cities like San Francisco and Manhattan, but that is rank speculation and I will not indulge in it.

Or will I?

Never to be Forgotten: Billie Whitelaw 1932-2014

British actress Billie Whitelaw died Sunday at the age of 82. On stage, she is most associated with the playwright Samuel Beckett who described her as "the perfect actress". She is remembered here for her work in genre productions, including Merlin [1998 TV], The Cloning of Joanna May, Supernatural [1977], Space: 1999 and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [TV, 1968]. The picture is from her best known genre role, the evil nanny Mrs. Baylock in The Omen, starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Billie Whitelaw, from a fan. She is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction of the bright capitalist victor of the 21st Century predicted in Warren Wagar's A Short History of the Future.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

21 December 2014

Birthdays
Tom Sturridge b. 1985 (FairyTale: A True Story, Gulliver’s Travels [1996 TV])
Jackson Rathbone b. 1984 (Twilight Saga, Zombie Hamlet, No Ordinary Family, The Last Airbender, S. Darko)
Eve Mauro b. 1981 (Cyborg X, The Vortex, Zombies Vs. Strippers, Osombie, Torchwood, Land of the Lost [2009])
Daniel Brocklebank b. 1979 (Merlin [TV 1998])
Julie Delpy b. 1969 (Frankenstein [2004 TV], An American Werewolf in Paris, Younger and Younger)
Jack Noseworthy b. 1979 (Surrogates, Event Horizon, Encino Man)
AJ Bowen b. 1977 (Twisted Tales, Chillerama, The Signal)
Colombe Jacobsen-Derstine b. 1977 (Men in Black II)
Glenn Fitzgerald b. 1971 (Wonderfalls, The Sixth Sense [1999])
Khrystyne Haje b. 1969 (Stepsister from Planet Weird)
Nicola Cowper b. 1967 (Journey to the Center of the Earth [1988], Transmutations, Dreamchild)
Kiefer Sutherland b. 1966 (Touch, Melancholia, Dark City, Flatliners, The Lost Boys, Amazing Stories)
Michelle Hurd b. 1966 (Witches of East End, FlashForward, Charmed)
Fabiana Udenio b. 1964 (FreakyLinks, Babylon 5, Mortal Kombat: Conquest, NightMan, Journey to the Center of the Earth, RoboCop 2, Freddy’s Nightmares, Bride of Re-Animator)
Larry Day b. 1963 (X-Men: Days of Future Past, Recon 2023: The Gaudi Prime Conspiracy, Punisher: War Zone, Superstorm, WW 3, The Hunger [TV], Nico the Unicorn, Arrival II, Laserhawk, Sci-fighters)
Jane Kaczmarek b. 1955 (Pleasantville, Apollo 11)
Devon Ericson b. 1952 (Night of the Comet, Night Rider, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century)
Josh Mostel b. 1946 (Brother from Another Planet)
Samuel L. Jackson b. 1948 (Cell [2016], Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, RoboCop [2014], Thor, The Avengers, The Spirit, Star Wars, Jumper, Unbreakable, Deep Blue Sea, Sphere, Jurassic Park, The Exorcist III)
Jack Nance b. 1943 died 30 December 1996 (Assault on Dome 4, The Blob [1988], Dune, Ghoulies, Eraserhead)
Jane Fonda b. 1937 (Barbarella)
Rudy Solari b. 1934 died 23 April 1991 (The Powers of Matthew Star, The Incredible Hulk, The Bionic Woman, The Sixth Sense [1972], Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits)
Ed Nelson b. 1928 died 9 August 2014 (The Girl, the Gold Watch and Everything, Salvage 1, Logan’s Run [TV], Gemini Man, The Bionic Woman, Houston, We’ve Got a Problem, The Sixth Sense [TV], The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, A Bucket of Blood, Night of the Blood Beast, Teenage Cave Man, Invasion of the Saucer Men. Attack of the Crab Monsters)
Ivor Dean b. 1917 died 10 August 1974 (Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year, I used a picture of the late Jack Nance at the title character in Eraserhead. This is one of a handful of movies where the poster is much better known that the film itself. (Other movies in this category include the original Attack of the 50 Foot Woman and some now largely forgotten silent movies like Metropolis and Nosferatu.) While I often do not use the most famous names on the list in the Picture Slot, I would say the top three in terms of fame are also good choices for the Slot: Kiefer Sutherland from Dark City, Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury and this year's winner, Jane Fonda in her one genre role as Barbarella. My dirty old manhood can be credited as the deciding factor in this year's competition.

2. The Canadian Amongst Us. Donald Sutherland was born in Canada, Keifer was not. The Canadian on the list is Larry Day and his resume doesn't give it away.

3. Ripped from today's headlines. Michelle Hurd is the first of Bill Cosby's accusers to be noted here on her birthday since the accusation storm began. She won't be the last. Who do I believe? I'll give you a hint: I'm a mathematician.

4. I still got it, at least some of it. My memory is not what it used to be, but "it used to be" good enough to win money on Jeopardy! When I check the imdb birthday list, I check all resumes of the top ten in terms of popularity, but after that names have to "jump out at me". Sometimes the "jump" is easy, because artists get one title listed under their names before you click on their page. Listed in position #84 today was Rudy Scolari. I knew quick as a bunny he was in the Planet O' Native Americans episode of Star Trek entitled The Paradise Syndrome. I even remember he got the line "You bleed! Behold the god that bleeds!", which is the last line just before a big musical cue and a commercial break.

This is not the kind of info that racks up the big money on Jeopardy!, but when you have the combination filing cabinet/dumpster type of memory, you hold onto stuff like this because you can't figure out how to lose it. I'd also like to mention that if I hadn't found him, this would have been a no Star Trek day.

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

Predictor: Lunopolis, released direct to video 2009

Prediction: On 21 December 2012,  the people from Lunopolis return to take over the earth.

Reality: Reality? Seriously? It didn't happen.

On the other hand, I have a soft spot for cheaply made 21st Century sci-fi that have ideas much bigger than their budgets. A lot of the movies just don't work, but occasionally you'll find one where the script redeems the movie. In my opinion, Lunopolis is not one of the gems, but I'm glad I found it just because it gave me two exact date predictions.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another interruption of our regular schedule for yet another exact date prediction of yet another alien invasion.  What are the odds?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

8 December 2014

Birthdays
AnnaSophia Robb b. 1993 (Race to Witch Mountain, Jumper, Bridge to Terabithia, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory)
Seth Ginsberg b. 1990 (Paranormal Activity 2, P-51 Dragon Fighter)
Ian Somerhalder b. 1978 (The Vampire Diaries, Lost, Smallville)
Margaret Anne Florence b. 1978 (My Super Ex-Girlfriend)
Dominic Monaghan b. 1976 (FlashForward, Lost, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Lord of the Rings)
Jarvis George b. 1976 (Heroes, Gamer, StargateSG-1)
Tyler Mane b. 1966 (X-Men, Halloween [2007] and Halloween II [2009], Hercules [TV 2005], The Scorpion King, Starfighters)
Matthew Labyorteaux b. 1966 (Deadly Friend, Amazing Stories, The Aliens Are Coming)
Matt Adler b. 1966 (Chronicle, Smallville)
David Harewood b. 1965 (Frankenstein’s Wedding… Live in Leeds, Doctor Who)
Teri Hatcher b. 1964 (Smallville, Spy Kids, Lois & Clark, Tales from the Crypt, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Wendell Pierce b. 1963 (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2)
Tony Griffin b. 1959 (Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Spaceballs)
Kevin McNulty b. 1955 (Supernatural, Meteor Storm, Battlestar Galactica, Watchmen, Kyle XY, Tin Man, Fantastic Four, The 4400, Stargate: Atlantis, Supervolcano, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Strange Frequency 1 and 2, Smallville, Andromeda, Dark Angel, Strange World, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The X-Files, Highlander [TV], The Neverending Story III, Timecop, M.A.N.T.I.S., Earth Star Voyager)
Kim Basinger b. 1953 (Batman, Cool World, My Stepmother is an Alien, The Six Million Dollar Man, Gemini Man)
Peter Carlberg b. 1950 (Let the Right One In)
Rick Baker b. 1950 (Make-Up and special effects, Men in Black, TRON: Legacy, The Wolfman, Enchanted, X-Men: The Last Stand, The Ring, Hellboy, Planet of the Apes, Mighty Joe Young, Escape From L.A., The Frighteners, Batman Forever, Wolf, Matinee, Beauty and the Beast, Werewolf, Harry and the Hendersons, Starman, The Incredible Shrinking Woman, The Howling, The Fury, The Incredible Melting Man, An American Werewolf in London, Star Wars, King Kong, It’s Alive)
Belinda Belaski b. 1947 (Small Soldiers, Matinee, Eerie, Indiana, Gremlins, The Howling, Food of the Gods)
John Rubenstein b. 1946 (The Wizards of Waverly Place, No Ordinary Family, Supernatural, Jekyll, Star Trek: Enterprise, Charmed, Angel, Star Trek: Voyager, Lois & Clark, RoboCop [TV], The Boys From Brazil, Wonder Woman, The Car)
Mary Woronov b. 1943 (Attack of the 50ft Cheerleader, I Pass for Human, Frog-g-g!, Here Come the Munsters, Highlander [TV], Babylon 5, Warlock, Faerie Tale Theatre, Amazing Stories, TerrorVision, Knight Rider, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Night of the Comet, Death Race 2000, Superboy [1966])
Julian Curry b. 1937 (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, Loch Ness, Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend, Out of the Unknown)
James MacArthur b. 1937 died 28 October 2010 (Superboy, Time Express)
David Carradine b. 1936 died 3 June 2009 (Dinocroc vs. Supergator, The Nightmare Room, Charmed, Martian Law, Nosferatu: The First Vampire, Waxwork II: Lost in Time, The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Future Zone, Future Force, Sundown: The Vampire in Retreat, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II, Amazing Stories, The Warrior and the Sorceress, Q, Death Race 2000)
Maximilian Schell b. 1930 died 1 February 2014 (Deep Impact, Vampires, The Vampyre Wars, The Black Hole)
Dewey Martin b. 1923 (The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, The Thing From Another World)
Richard Fleischer b. 1916 died 25 March 2006 (director, Red Sonja, Conan the Destroyer, Soylent Green, Fantastic Voyage, Doctor Doolittle, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea)
Lee J. Cobb b. 1911 died 11 February 1976 (The Exorcist)
Georges Méliès b. 1861 died 21 January 1938 (director, A Trip to the Moon, The Hallucinated Alchemist, Gulliver’s Travels, 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot
Last year, I used a still from the Georges Méliès film A Trip to the Moon. There were a lot of choices today, but I went with Kim Basinger as Vicki Vale from Batman. There are a lot of good choices for next year, the oldest being Maximilian Schell and the youngest Dominic Monaghan. If the criteria was most importance to the genre, I'd have to go with Rick Baker.

2. Wait... he's dead? Maximilian Schell's death is recent and I gave him a Never to be Forgotten, David Carradine's death was notorious and I haven't forgotten it, but I was surprised to see James MacArthur was gone. On the other hand, baby faced actor Dewey Martin just turned 91, so good on ya, Mr. Martin.

3. Spot the Canadian! There are folks with credits on the Usual Suspect shows, but our one Canadian today is the one who looks most obvious. Answer later today.

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


 

Predictor: Invasion Earth, BBC mini-series, first aired in the U.S. 8 December 1998

Prediction: In 1998, an unidentified craft is shot down over the North Sea. It may be related to a craft that crashed in London in 1944 during the V-2 rocket blitz.

Reality: British sci-fi and reality, two great tastes that do not go great together.

Come to think of it, reality can be fairly bitter and British sci-fi even worse. In any case, the aliens did not land in 1998, to the best of our knowledge.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Several of our regular predictors will be signing over the next few weeks and new regulars taking their place. Tomorrow we will be saying hello to W. Warren Wagar and his 1991 book A Short History of the Future.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

4 September 2014

Birthdays
Ellie Darcey-Alden b. 1999 (Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2)
Caitlin and Amanda Fein b. 1992 (The X Files, Deep Impact)
Carter Jenkins b. 1991 (Aliens in the Attic, The 4400, Surface)
Wes Bentley b. 1978 (American Horror Story, The Hunger Games, Underworld: Awakening, Jonah Hex, Ghost Rider)
John Ruby b. 1977 (Touch, The Event)
Kai Owen b. 1975 (Torchwood, Being Human, Rocket Man)
Jason David Frank b. 1973 (Power Rangers, V.R. Troopers)
Francoise Yip b. 1972 (Sanctuary, Fringe, Caprica, Blood Ties, Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem, Flash Gordon [TV], Andromeda, Blade:Trinity, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Smallville, Jeremiah, Mindstorm, RoboCop: Prime Directives, Earth: Final Conflict, Futuresport)
Richard Speight Jr. b 1970 (Supernatural, Jericho, Big Monster on Campus, Menno’s Mind, Hypernauts, Amanda & the Alien, Freddy’s Nightmares)
Noah Taylor b. 1969 (Edge of Tomorrow, Game of Thrones, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Lara Croft Tomb Raider, Vanilla Sky)
Kristen Wilson b. 1969 (Mega Python vs. Gatoroid, Dr. Doolittle, Dungeons & Dragons)
John DiMaggio b. 1968 (Futurama, Princess Mononoke, Adventure Time, among many others)
Phill Lewis b. 1968 (Wizards of Waverly Place, What Planet Are You From?, Buffy, Starman [TV])
Michael Bent b. 1965 (Threshold, Firefly)
Todd Sherry b. 1961 (Eastwick, Alien Autopsy, Charmed)
Damon Wayans b. 1960 (Blankman, Earth Girls Are Easy)
Domiziana Giordano b. 1959 (Interview with the Vampire: The Vampire Chronicles)
Patricia Tallman b. 1957 (InAlienable, Babylon 5, Star Trek: Voyager, Dark Skies, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Army of Darkness, The Flash, Night of the Living Dead [1990], Hard Time on Planet Earth)
Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs b. 1953 (Weird Science, Homeboys in Outer Space, Alien Nation)
Alan Blumenfeld b. 1952 (Touch, Heroes, Stargate: Atlantis, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Dark Side of the Moon, The Munsters Today, Beauty and the Beast [1988], Innerspace, Jason Lives, The Twilight Zone [1986], WarGames)
Judith Ivey b. 1951 (Rose Red, The Devil’s Advocate, Frogs!)
Michael Berryman b. 1948 (Apocalypse Kiss, Army of the Damned, Necrosis, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, Conan, The X-Files, Beastmaster 2: Through the Portal of Time, Wizards of the Demon Sword, Guyver, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, Aftershock, ALF, Saturday the 14th Strikes Back, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Barbarians, Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, My Science Project, Weird Science, The Hills Have Eyes, Voyage of the Rock Aliens, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze)
David St. James b. 1947 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Donnie Darko, My Favorite Martian [1999], Alien Avengers II, Alien: Resurrection, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Space: Above and Beyond, The Invaders [1995 TV movie], Lois & Clark, Monolith)
Bob May b. 1939 died 18 January 2009 (Lost in Space, The Time Tunnel)
Nicholas Worth b. 1937 died 7 May 2007 (Star Trek: Voyager, Starforce, The X Files, Sliders, Deep Space Nine, Timelock, Plughead Rewired: Circuitry Man II, Darkman, Hell Comes to Frogtown, Knight Rider, The Greatest American Hero, Swamp Thing, Coma, The Invisible Man [1975], The Six Million Dollar Man, Scream Blacula Scream)
Dick York b. 1928 died 20 February 1992 (Bewitched, Twilight Zone)
Howard Morris b. 1919 died 21 May 2005 (It Came from Outer Space II, Transylvania Twist, Splash, The Munsters’ Revenge, Space Academy, Twilight Zone)

Think of how many times a young woman has been told "You're really pretty, you should go to Hollywood and become an actress." But how many times has someone been told "You are really disturbing to look at, you should go to Hollywood and play monsters, mutants and aliens." I don't actually know if Michael Berryman got such advice during his life, but damn if it didn't work. I'd say his level of fame is at Oh That Guy, or more precisely Oh That Creepy Guy. I have to admit that listing his credits was tricky, as I don't have hard and fast rules as to which horror movies count and which ones don't. From everything I've heard, Michael Berryman is a very nice guy and is always happy to meet fans. Good on ya, Michael, and I hope you keep getting work.

As for the Picture Slot candidates, wow, there are a lot. I used Patricia Tallman from Babylon 5 last year because I'm a JMS nerd, but for iconic, I'd say Dick York, Bob May (the guy inside the robot on Lost in Space), Noah Taylor from Game of Thrones, Wes Bentley from The Hunger Games and John DiMaggio as Bender are all excellent choices that might show up next year. I might even go with Damon Wayans from Earth Girls Are Easy. Like I said, lots of choices, so all I can promise in 2015 is no repeats.

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

Predictor: The Masque of Mandragora series from Doctor Who, aired September 4-25, 1976

Prediction: The Fourth Doctor predicts the Mandragora Helix will attack earth again in 1992.

Reality: Okay, it's Doctor Who. Reality isn't part of the equation, is it?

Fans of the show will know that The Fourth Doctor was Tom Baker, who played the role longer than any other actor and is often the winner in "Who is your favorite Doctor?" polls, though David Tennant has won a few times as well.

And, okay, I'll say it, the reality is we haven't been invaded by aliens.

Yet.

As far as we know.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Tomorrow will be the swan song for Edgar Cayce, and unsurprisingly, his prediction is absolute crap. But I promise it's crap of a type we haven't seen before and may never see again.

Looking one day ahead... IN THE FUTURE!

12 July 2014

Birthdays
Phoebe Tonkin b. 1989 (The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, H2O: Just Add Water)
Mikaela Hoover b. 1984 (Guardians of the Galaxy)
Natalie Martinez b. 1984 (Under the Dome, Death Race)
Kristen Connolly b. 1980 (The Cabin in the Woods)
Michelle Rodriguez b. 1978 (Resident Evil: Retribution, Battle Los Angeles, Lost, Avatar, BloodRayne, Resident Evil)
Topher Grace b. 1978 (Predators, Spider-Man 3)
Steve Howey b. 1977 (Stan Helsing, Ctrl)
Anna Friel b. 1976 (Neverland [TV], Land of the Lost [2009], Pushing Daisies, Bathory: Countess of Blood)
Jaason Simmons b. 1970 (Sharknado, Frankenstein & the Werewolf Reborn!, Frankenstein Reborn!)
Byung-hun Lee b. 1970 (G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)
Charlie Murphy b. 1959 (Frankenhood, Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe, Night at the Museum)
Mel Harris b. 1956 (Stargate SG-1)
Jamey Sheridan b. 1951 (Arrow, The Stand)
Cheryl Ladd b. 1951 (Charmed, Millennium, The Fantastic Journey)
Brian Grazer b. 1951 (writer, Splash)
Jay Thomas b. 1948 (Dragonfly, C.H.U.D.)
Edwin Neal b. 1945 (Power Rangers, Knight Rider 2000)
Denise Nicholas b. 1944 (Ghost Dad, Blacula)
Bill Cosby b. 1937 (The Meteor Man, Ghost Dad, Journey Back to Oz [TV])
Gordon Pinsent b. 1930 (Relic Hunter, Ray Bradbury Theatre, Blacula, Colossus: The Forbin Project)
James Gunn b. 1923 (writer, The Immortal, This Fortress World)
Buckminster Fuller b. 1895 died 1 July 1983 (inventor)
Edgar Stehli b. 1884 died 25 July 1973 (Seconds, Atlantis, the Lost Continent, Twilight Zone, 4D Man)
Tod Browning b. 1880 died 6 October 1962 (director, The Devil-Doll, Mark of the Vampire, Dracula [1933])

As is often the case, there are a lot of actors on the birthday list who are under 40, given the success of genre in the past few decades. Last year Michelle Rodriguez was in the Picture Slot. The most interesting people on the list for me in terms of genre are the inventor Buckminster Fuller and Tod Browning, the director of the Bela Lugosi version of Dracula. But for an iconic image, I went with Jamey Sheridan as Randall Flagg in the TV mini-series of The Stand.

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

Movies released
Pacific Rim released, 2013
The Cabin in the Woods released, 2012
 

Predictor: Robert A Heinlein in The Puppet Masters, published 1951

Prediction: 12 July 2007: An intelligence agent with the pseudonym Sam Cavanaugh is sent on a mission to inspect a flying saucer crash near Grinnell, Iowa.

Reality: Ah, Heinlein! How I've missed you. We haven't had any flying saucer crashes (at least none the government will admit) and another plot point is a nuclear attack having destroyed Manhattan before the story begins, another moment in history we have so far avoided.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to 1893 for more Victorian futuristic fun, pre-empted from today.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

16 March 2014

Birthdays
Alexandra Daddario b, 1986 (Percy Jackson, Texas Chainsaw 3D)
Sienna Guillory b. 1975 (Resident Evil, Inkheart, Eragon, The Time Machine)
Alan Tudyk b. 1971 (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Airship Dracula, Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Dollhouse, V, Firefly/Serenity, I, Robot, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil)
Rupert Sanders b. 1971 (director, Snow White and the Huntsman)
Ted Ludzik b. 1966 (Warehouse 13, Lost Girl, Outlander, Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Witchblade, RoboCop: Prime Directives [TV])
Gore Verbinski b. 1964 (director, The Ring, Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl/ Dead Man’s Chest/ At World’s End, Rango)
Jerome Flynn b. 1963 (Game of Thrones)
Kevin Smith b. 1963 died 15 February 2002 (Warriors of Virtue 2: Return to Tao, Riverworld, Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Todd McFarlane b. 1961 (writer, Spawn)
Steven Grives b. 1951 (Sinbad and the Minotaur, Scooby-Doo, BeastMaster [TV], 20,000 Leauges under the Sea, Time Trax, Highlander II; The Quickening, A Nightmare on Elm Street 5, Horror Planet)
Kate Nelligan b. 1950 (A Wrinkle in Time, Wolf, Dracula [1979])
Victor Garber b. 1949 (Sleepy Hollow, SGU Stargate Universe, ReGenesis, Twilight Zone [1986])
Margaret Weis b. 1948 (author, Dragonlance series)
Leo McKern b. 1920 died 23 July 2002 (Ladyhawke, The Omen, Space: 1999, The Prisoner, The Day the Earth Caught Fire, X: The Unknown)

If I gave the Picture Slot to my favorite actor in a genre role, I'd have a picture of Alan Tudyk from Firefly/Serenity once again as I did last year, but instead I have a picture of the New Zealand actor Kevin Smith, best known as Ares on Xena and Hercules. I did this because I was very surprised and sorry to read that he died from a fall back in 2002. Leo McKern in his role as Number Two (later Former Number Two) in The Prisoner I would also count as iconic and I always like a Game of Thrones picture, so Jerome Flynn as the sellsword Bronn might be in the spot next year as well.

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

 

Predictor: John W. Campbell in Cloak of Aesir, published March 1939

Prediction: The Sarn invade Earth and conquer humanity in 1977 with atomic blast weapons.

Reality: Of course it didn't happen, but any writer talking about "atomic blast weapons" before 1945 has to get at least some partial credit. This is also the first time John W. Campbell Jr. has been mentioned on the blog. As the editor of Astounding Science Fiction, he is considered a major force in the field from the 1930s up until his death in 1971. Isaac Asimov called Campbell "the most powerful force in science fiction ever, and for the first ten years of his editorship he dominated the field completely."

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Some may look forward to St. Patrick's Day, but I am more excited that we once again get to hear from the OMNI Future Almanac. So much fun!

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

9 December 2013

Birthdays
Simon Helberg b. 1980 (Big Bang Theory, Dr, Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, The Guild)
Reiko Aylesworth b. 1972 (SGU Stargate Universe, Lost, Aliens vs. Predator:Requiem)
Toby Huss b. 1966 (The Venture Brothers, R.I.P.D., Cowboys & Aliens, Harvey Birdman:Attorney at Law, Carnivale, Bedazzled)
Felicity Huffman b. 1962 (The X-Files)
Richard Brooks b. 1962 (The Crow: City of Angels, Firefly, Good vs Evil)
John Malkovich b. 1953 (Being John Malkovich, Warm Bodies, Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon, The Mutant Chronicles, Eragon, Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Shadow of the Vampire, Mary Reilly)
Michael Dorn b. 1952 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Heroes)
Beau Bridges b. 1941 (Stargate, 10.5 Apocalypse, Amazing Stories, Alice In Wonderland, Space, Village of the Giants)
Dame Judi Dench b. 1934 (Chronicles of Riddick, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)
John Cassavetes b. 1929 died 3 February 1989 (Rosemary’s Baby, The Fury, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Dick Van Patten b. 1928 (Spaceballs, Westworld, Lois & Clark, The Six Million Dollar Man, Wonder Woman, Soylent Green)
Kirk Douglas b. 1916 (20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, The Final Countdown, Saturn 3, Holocaust 2000, The Fury, Dr, Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Margaret Hamilton b. 1902 died 16 May 1985 (The Wizard of Oz)

Nice long list of birthdays today with plenty of honest to Odin movie stars, including Kirk Douglas, Dame Judi Dench and John Malkovich. When I saw Dick Van Patten's name, I thought I should include him for Spaceballs, forgetting how many other genre movies and TV shows he was in. For genre icons, I went with Worf from Star Trek, though next year it will either be Simon Helberg if I go New School or Margaret Hamilton if I go Old School.

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

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

Prediction: 9 December 2012: Two filmmakers start their investigation into a conspiracy theory that claims people from the moon are controlling all events on earth since at least 1947.

Predictor: Lunopolis released direct to video 2009

Reality: Well, not so much, but I do have a soft spot for the modern micro-budget sci-fi movies, probably because I grew up watching all those silly 1950s sci-fi films on TV in the 1960s.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

You know who we haven't heard from in, like, forever? Grumpy old H.G. Wells!

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

9 June 2013

Birthdays
Natalie Portman b. 1981 (Star Wars, V for Vendetta, Mars Attacks)
Johnny Depp b. 1963 (The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus, many Tim Burton films)
David Koepp b. 1963 (Screenwriter, Jurassic Park, Spider-Man, War of the Worlds)

Picture slot = Cute Girl invoked. This of course is from V for Vendetta, with Portman in possibly the least glamorous role of her career. Doesn't really matter, she's still very cute.

Movies released
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier released, 1989

It is universally acknowledged that odd numbered Star Trek movies suck and Five is a good pick for the suckiest. Writer/director William Shatner may deserve some credit for this.

But I wanted to acknowledge it because I was at a showing when I heard the best line from an audience member not on Mystery Science Theater 3000.

I see it with my brother, not on opening night. A much more serious fan friend saw it earlier and he told me not to expect much. Spoilers to follow.

(Dude, the movie's 24 years old. If you haven't seen it, it's on you, not me.)

The ship is hijacked by someone who wants to find God. They find God behind a weird barrier in space. God wants to get through the barrier, so He proposes merging with the Enterprise to do this. Kirk asks the reasonable question: If you're God, why do you need to merge with a starship to do this?

God shoots lightning bolts out of his eyes and singes Kirk something fierce, but doesn't actually kill him. (He's Kirk, for pity's sake. He eats all powerful beings for breakfast.)

So, sitting a few rows in front of my brother and me are two stoners. One of these young gentlemen, doing an unintentional but flawless Keanu Reeves impression, turns to his friend and says,

"Dude. God's an ASS-hole."

And... scene.
 
 

Prediction: 1978: aliens are draining the oxygen from a small New England town.

Predictor: The Time Tunnel (1967)

Reality: The show went into the far future a few times, but both the episodes when they are in the near future are set in 1978. That makes aliens and space travel believable.

Wait... I just used the word "believable" when describing an Irwin Allen TV show.

My bad.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

OMNI Future Almanac time once again, this time putting forward a list of soon to be extinct critters. Let's see how many are still around.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

31 May 2013

Birthday
Colin Farrell b. 1976

Mr. Farrell has made a lot of non-genre films, but the best known work he has done in the field would include Daredevil, Minority Report and the remake of Total Recall. The blog wishes him many happy returns of the day.
 

Prediction:1980: From a secret base hidden under a film studio, SHADO (Supreme Headquarters Alien Defense Organization) battles hostile aliens from a dying world.

Predictor: UFO, a 1970 British TV series produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson

Reality: Reality? C'mon, I already typed "Gerry and Sylvia Anderson". Reality don't enter into it, mate!

Big Ugly Stick removed from its protective casing: Okay, that's more like it.

Browsing around the Internet, there appear to be people still fond of this stinky cheese. If Irwin Allen was Star Trek's main competition when it started, Gerry and Sylvia Anderson were first major competitors just after, but they were constricted by tiny budgets and weak writing. The Andersons did learn a few lessons from Star Trek.

1. Put the women in outfits that are very tight or very skimpy, preferably both.
1a. Just to be fair, put some of the guys in outfits that are best described as "package forward".
2. There is no such thing as a wig that is "too ridiculous".
3. No amount of make-up can be considered "over the top".
4. Silver jumpsuits! Nothing says the future like silver jumpsuits!

Add to all this a level of smoking, drinking and sexual harassment at work that makes Mad Men look like a model of decorum and you start to get an idea why UFO was truly awful.

Star Trek had budget problems as well, but their problems were more along the lines of splurging too much on one episode and forcing the writers to keep all the action on the ship for a few episodes. Another option was to come up with scripts that could let them use costumes and sets that were easily borrowed from other Paramount productions, hence the Planet O' Nazis or Planet O' Gangsters or Planet O' Wyatt Earp Dream Sequence episodes.

UFO never splurged. The show looked cheap ass from beginning to end. Special effects looked almost exactly the same as the marionette shows they produced in the sixties, like Thunderbirds are Go! and Fireball XL-5. They made an effort to upgrade the moon base set late in the series, but the show was canceled after a single season and those sets were re-used in the next cheesy Gerry and Sylvia vehicle, Space:1999.

Several online sources make fun of the "two alien" rule. The aliens had special costumes and the budget was so tight they could only afford two of them, so there were never more than two aliens in a shot, even if there were more than two aliens in the script.

It's easy to make fun of the original Star Trek series as well, but it's a matter of degree. Compared to Irwin Allen and Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Gene Roddenberry looks like Ibsen compared to a Punch and Judy show.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Again our regular weekly pattern is broken by an exact date, a post-apocalyptic vision that is almost livable. Maybe we should call it Apocalyse Lite.

 Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!