5 January 2015

Birthdays
Franz Drameh b. 1993 (Edge of Tomorrow, Hereafter)
Garette Ratliff Henson b. 1980 (Three Wishes, Captain America [1990], Arachnophobia, The Charmings)
Paul Jarrett b. 1979 (Continuum, Fringe, Twilight: Eclipse, Smallville, Stargate, The Grudge 2, Dead Like Me, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Millennium, The X-Files, Sliders)
January Jones b. 1978 (Last Man on Earth, X-Men: First Class)
America Olivo b. 1978 (Defiance, Warehouse 13, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Friday the 13th [2009], The Thirst: Blood War)
Olunike Adeliyi b. 1977 (Being Human [U.S./Canada] )
Bradley Cooper b. 1975 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Limitless)
Michelle Parylak b. 1975 (Star Trek [2009])
Daisy Bates b. 1974 (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets)
Derek Cecil b. 1973 (Men in Black II)
Jason Miller b. 1972 (The Guild, Battle Planet, Day of the Dead)
Paul McGillion b. 1969 (Tomorrowland, Delete, Once Upon a Time, Fringe, Witchslayer Gretl, Captain Starship, Iron Golem, Sanctuary, V [2010], Supernatural, Star Trek [2009], Stargate: Atlantis, Preview to Atlantis, Jake 2.0, Replicant, First Wave, Smallville, Seven Days, The X-Files, Sliders)
Shea Whigham b. 1969 (Agent Carter, Radio Free Albemuth )
Ross Mullan b. 1967 (Doctor Who, Game of Thrones, Clash of the Titans)
Vinnie Jones b. 1965 (Arrow, Age of the Dragons, X-Men: The Last Stand, Mysterious Island [2005 TV])
Clancy Brown b. 1959 (The Flash, Sleepy Hollow, John Dies at the End, Cowboys & Aliens, A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], The Burrowers, Lost, Carnivale, Star Trek: Enterprise, Lloyd in Space, Flubber, Starship Troopers, Earth 2, Tales from the Crypt, Pet Sematary II, Highlander, The Bride, The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai)
Jeep Swenson b. 1957 died 18 August 1997 (Batman and Robin)
Cisse Cameron b. 1954 (Space Mutiny)
Pamela Sue Martin b. 1953 (Soupernatural)
Robert Catrini b. 1950 (Star-Crossed, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, True Blood, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, From the Earth to the Moon, SeaQuest 2032)
Polly Williams b. 1950 died 24 June 2004 (The Slipper and the Rose: The Story of Cinderella)
Diane Keaton b. 1946 (Sleeper)
Roger Spottiswode b. 1945 (director, The Sixth Day)
Cliff Potts b. 1942 (Star Trek: The Next Generation, Starman [TV], Silent Running)
Hayao Miyazaki b. 1941 (writer/director, Ponyo, Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind)
Michael O’Donoghue b. 1940 died 8 November 1994 (writer, Scrooged)
David Ryall b. 1935 died 25 December 2014 (Automata, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Witchcraft [1992 TV], The Borrowers [1992 TV], Truly Madly Deeply, Blakes 7, Once Upon a Time [1973 TV])
Robert Duvall b. 1931 (The 6th Day, Deep Impact, Phenomenon, The Handmaid’s Tale, Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1978], THX 1138, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone)
George Reeves b. 1914 died 16 June 1959 (The Adventures of Superman)
Stella Gibbons b. 1902 died 19 December 1989 (author, Cold Comfort Farm)

Notes from the birthday list
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, January Jones from X-Men: First Class and Clancy Brown from Lost have graced the Picture Slot. Even with those two worthies removed, there are plenty of other good choices and this year I went with George Reeves in his most famous role as Superman. My other possible choices were Diane Keaton from Sleeper, Robert Duvall from THX-1138 or a still from a Miyazaki film.

2. Canadians, natural and otherwise. There are Canadian looking resumes on the list today and a Canadian whose credit list don't give them away. Paul Jarrett has the Canadian look and it's because he was born there. Paul McGillion was born in Scotland and his family moved to Canada. Olunike Adeliyi has only one credit and it's a Canadian show, and yes, she was born there. The odd man out is Ross Mullan, born in Canada but moved to Great Britain, with a credit list that looks like a Brit's. Go figure. 

3. Die young much? George Reeves was 45 when he committed suicide. Michael O'Donoghue was 54 when he died of a cerebral hemorrhage. Polly Williams was also 54 when she died of cancer. The wrestler/actor/stuntman Jeep Swenson died of heart failure at 40. There are numbers thrown around claiming pro football takes decades off the lives of the players and those numbers are incorrect when you look at the full data set. On the other hand, a disturbing and statistically significant number of pro wrestlers from the steroid era - the 1980s continuing on until today - have died young.

4. Cold Comfort Farm is sci-fi? Cold Comfort Farm was Stella Gibbons' most popular work and she grew to rue it. It was making fun of a genre nearly forgotten today, known at the time as the "loam and lovechild" books, stories of the English countryside with plenty of illicit sex thrown in, of which only D.H. Lawrence's novels are still well known. Gibbons wrote the story in 1932 but set it in the 1950s. While the action takes place mostly on the farm in the title and seems stuck in the early 20th Century, London has flying cars and several other trappings of popular futuristic novels of the time. 

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

Predictors: Right wing doomsayers

Predictions (reality): Here are a few of the things that should have happened by 2015 if Obama was re-elected in 2012.

1. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said gas would be $5.50 by the beginning of 2015 and would rise five cents a gallon every month after that. Newt Gingrich predicted $10 a gallon. (The president has very little to do with the price of gas. Right now it is crazy low, but the surplus is running out and it will likely rise again soon to about $4.00 a gallon.)

2. Mitt Romney predicted chronic unemployment rates over 8% for the rest of Obama's term. (The unemployment rate is currently 5.8%.)

3. Donald Trump, Charles Bilderman and Marc Faber all predicted the stock market would crash. (There are still two years left in the Obama Administration, but since November 2012, the Dow is up about 35%, near 18,000.)

4. Rush Limbaugh predicted the collapse of the entire economy when California declares bankruptcy and the rest of the nation has to bail it out. (Umm... no. California currently has a $4 billion dollar surplus.)

Editorial note: Government policies really don't make a gigantic difference in the economy in normal circumstances, but the public has certainly bought into the idea. I agree with Paul Krugman that the main way government policy can make things worse is to force austerity after a crash. If the economy turns bad in these next two years, the most likely culprits are the Republicans throttling public spending or another crash based on Wall Street's gambling addiction, an ongoing problem that neither party has shown any interest in fixing.


Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

How did ESPNs football experts do predicting the wild card match-ups?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

14 October 2014

Birthdays
Roward Blanchard b. 2001(Spy Kids: All the Time in the World in 4D)
Mia Wasikowska b.1989 (Only Lovers Left Alive, Alice In Wonderland)
Max Thieriot b. 1988 (Jumper, The Astronaut Farmer)
Mackenzie Mauzy b. 1988 (Forever, Into the Woods)
Daniel Clark b. 1985 (Earth: Final Conflict, My Best Friend Is an Alien, Goosebumps, Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension)
Ben Whishaw b. 1980 (The Zero Theorem, Cloud Atlas)
Nels Lennarson b. 1972 (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, The Tomorrow People, Horns, The Cabin in the Woods, Supernatural, Smallville, The Andromeda Strain [2008], Bionic Woman [2007], Stargate: Atlantis, Blade: The Series, Painkiller Jane, Stargate SG-1, Strange Frequency, Andromeda)
Jon Seda b. 1970 (Twelve Monkeys)
Paul Fitzgerald b. 1970 (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [2014], Fringe, Roswell)
Robert C. Cooper b. 1968 (producer, Stargate)
Steve Coogan b. 1965 (Night at the Museum, Around the World in 80 Days, Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief, Dr. Terrible’s House of Horrible, Alice Through the Looking Glass [1998 TV movie], Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, Tales from the Crypt, The Indian in the Cupboard)
Lori Petty b. 1963 (Route 666, The Hunger, Brimstone, Star Trek: Voyager, Tank Girl, Alien Nation [TV], Freddy’s Nightmares, Twilight Zone [1986])
Trevor Goddard b. 1962 died 7 June 2003 (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Hollywood Vampyr, The X-Files, Babylon 5, Mortal Kombat)
Greg Evigan b. 1953 (Invasion Roswell, Metal Tornado, Phantom Racer, Cerberus, Nightworld: Survivor, DeepStar Six, William Shatner’s TekWar, Deadly Nightmares, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Richard Christian Matheson b. 1953 (writer, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, It Waits, Tales from the Crypt, Amazing Stories, Knight Rider, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Incredible Hulk)
Harry Anderson b. 1952 (Lois & Clark, Harvey, It, Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside)
Rick Aviles b. 1952 died 17 March 1995 (Waterworld, The Stand, Ghost)
John Sumner b. 1951 (District 9, King Kong, Power Rangers R.P.M., Atomic Twister, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, Xena, The Tommyknockers)
Katy Manning b. 1949 (Doctor Who)
Gerard Murphy b. 1948 died 26 August 2013 (Batman Begins, Waterworld, Doctor Who)
Udo Kier b. 1944 (Iron Sky, Melancholia, Halloween [2007], BloodRayne, Headspace, Dracula 3000, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, Blade, Shadow of the Vampire, End of Days, Armageddon, Modern Vampires, Johnny Mnemonic, SeaQuest 2032, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Miss Osbourne, Suspiria, Spermula, Blood for Dracula, Flesh for Frankenstein, Mark of the Devil)
Dyanne Thorne b. 1943 (Space, Wham! Bam! Thank You, Spaceman!, Blood Sabbath, Star Trek)
Roger Moore b. 1927 (The Man Who Wouldn’t Die, Moonraker)
Robert Webber b. 1924 died 19 May 1989 (Starflight: The Plane That Couldn’t Land, The Outer Limits)
Jack Arnold b. 1916 died 17 March 1992 (director, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Holmes and Yo-Yo, Mr. Terrific, It’s About Time, World of Giants, Monster on the Campus, The Space Children, Creature From the Black Lagoon, The Incredible Shrinking Man, Tarantula, It Came From Outer Space)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Udo Kier. He has been old and creepy for so long, it's hard to remember that he got his start as a pretty boy in an odd Eurotrash kind of way in Paul Morrissey's horror movies. (I say this with love.) It's comparable to Frank Langella, who hasn't aged particularly well, with the difference that Langella wasn't "kind of a pretty boy", he was drop dead gorgeous.

Last year it was Lori Petty from Tank Girl in the Picture Slot.  Next year, no idea. Mia Wasikowsha as Alice is a possibility, and if Into the Woods is a hit, Mackenzie Mauzy as Rapunzel might be in.

2. Spot the Canadians! One is easy, the other not so much. (Hint: NOT Greg Evigan. He just shows up in a lot of crap.)

3. Better known as... Dyanne Thorne was the star of Ilsa: She-Wolf of the SS, a great title of a not great movie. She played First Girl in Piece of the Action, the Star Trek episode my friend Michael Dresbach calls "Planet O' Gangsters". You might also remember other Planet O' episodes from the original show: Planet O' Nazis, Planet O' Native Americans, Planet O' Hippies, Planet O' Cowboys, etc. The underlying theme seemed to be "we're on the Paramount lot, we have these sets no one is using, why don't we save some money?"

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

Predictor: FM-2030 in Upwing Priorities, published 1981

Prediction: Teleconomics: To stream full blast to 21st-Century teleconomics we must speedup development of solar energy - nuclear fusion - hydrogen fuel. Energy is the central accelerator. Abundant energy means overflow food and limitless raw materials. The new wealth - particularly solar energy - in nonmonopolizable  and will reinforce global decentralization of wealth - information - power. The new abundance also accelerates development of intelligent technology which will cancel out subsistence work and labor force. Work will be transformed into a voluntary creative process, By 2010 the glut of energy will hasten phase out of money which in turn will help will help phase out profit and competition - conflicts of interest - imbalances of wealth - cycles of inflation/recession - exploitation. How absurd all this emphasis on finite resources and sacrifice at the very moment in evolution when we are opening up the infinite resources of the universe. We have superabundant resources to last us a million years - a billion years. Enough to last for as long as there is a Universe.

Reality: My new theory on FM-2030's punctuation choices is that he was abused by a comma in childhood. Clearly, he expected we were at the end of the fossil fuel age and something better was right around the corner. Hmm... not so much.

I do not understand how abundant energy translates into overflow food and limitless raw materials. You can't feed livestock on solar panels and ore and sand don't just magically turn into steel and glass. I should be able to find some positive feeling about the guy given what an optimist he was, but his slapdash ideas are like watching a really bad magician. The best thing about this section of his very inaccurate prediction essay is doesn't include any of his creepy free love crap.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another optimistic predictor who isn't nearly as creepy, the view of 2011 from an article in the 1911 New York World.  

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

4 October 2014

Birthdays
Ryan Lee b. 1996 (Super 8)
Dakota Johnson b. 1989 (Beastly)
Will Theakston b. 1984 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
Jimmy Workman b. 1980 (The Addams Family [1991])
Caitrona Balfe b. 1979 (Outlander, H+, Super 8)
Rachel Leigh Cook b. 1979 (Vampire)
Dana Davis b. 1978 (Heroes)
Craig Robert Young b. 1976 (Fringe, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest, Lost, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Charmed)
Alicia Silverstone b. 1976 (Vamps, Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed, Batman & Robin)
Trond Espen Seim b. 1971 (The Thing [2011])
Abraham Benrubi b. 1969 (Once Upon a Time, Buffy, Team Unicorn, Dark Angel, The X Files, Sleepwalkers)
Jennifer Gatti b. 1968 (Millennium Man, Star Trek: Voyager, Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Liev Schreiber b. 1967 (The Last Days on Mars, Repo Men, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Omen [2006], Sphere, Phantoms)
Sarah Lancashire b. 1964 (Doctor Who)
David Labiosa b. 1961 (Mega Piranha, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Entity)
Bill Fagerbakke b. 1957 (Jennifer’s Body, Halloween II [2009], Heroes, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, The Stand)
Christoph Waltz b. 1956 (The Green Hornet, The Zero Theorem)
Christopher Fairbank b. 1953 (Hercules [2014], Guardians of the Galaxy, Jack the Giant Slayer, Merlin [2008], Invasion: Earth, The Fifth Element, Alien³, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Batman)
Armand Assante b. 1949 (Judge Dredd, Prophecy)
Susan Sarandon b. 1946 (Cloud Atlas, Enchanted, Children of Dune, The Witches of Eastwick, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Rocky Horror Picture Show)
Mick Jackson b. 1943 (director, Strange World, Volcano)
Christopher Stone b. 1942 died 20 October 1995 (Manimal, The Howling, Galactica 1980, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Bionic Woman, Wonder Woman, Logan’s Run [TV])
Anne Rice b. 1941 (author, The Vampire Chronicles, Sleeping Beauty)
Horst Janson b. 1935 (Captain Kronos – Vampire Hunter)
Edward Judd b. 1932 died 24 February 2009 (First Men in the Moon)
James T. Callahan b. 1930 died 3 August 2007 (Return of the Living Dead III, Amazing Stories, Knight Rider, Automan, Holmes and Yo-Yo, Mystery in Dracula’s Castle, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, My Favorite Martian, Twilight Zone)
Charlton Heston b. 1923 died 5 April 2008 (SeaQuest 2032, Soylent Green, Planet of the Apes, The Omega Man)

Last year, the Picture Slot was Charlton Heston. This year I decided to go for an Oh That Guy, Bill Fagerbakke as The Moon Man from The Stand. He's had 103 credits, both in front of the camera and voice work. For the past fifteen years, he's been the voice of Patrick Star on Spongebob Squarepants, so he's probably not that worried about his next paycheck.

I've been noticing that now I am doing more research, nearly every day we have a Star Trek birthday. Today it was just one, but when we get a shutout - whenever that might happen, I have no idea - I'm going to make a new label "Hey.... no Star Trek!" It's not that I hate the franchise, far from it, but when you think of how many hours of film and TV have been made, most of the days of the year are going to have at least one person born who worked on a show or in a movie.

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

Movies released
Gravity released, 2013  

Predictor: Matthew C.D. Borden (1842-1913), industrialist

Prediction: I am inclined to think that in the next century, American cotton manufacturers will have wrested the markets of the world from the great manufacturers of England, who have for the greater part of this century controlled those markets.

Reality: Borden is right on the money. Of course, "England" is 1893 should have been called Great Britain and back then they had a huge empire. The top five exporters now are the United States, nearly twice as many tons exported as number two, India, followed by Uzbekistan, Australia and Brazil. In 1893, the output of India and Australia would have counted as British, but together they don't add up to U.S. export numbers.

Oh, I almost forgot! Great facial hair and uncomfortable clothes! Yay, 1893!

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Sunday, and it's another lazy day thinking about nuclear wars that didn't happen.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

3 October 2014

 Birthdays
Aramis Knight b. 1999 (Deadtime Stories, Ender’s Game, The Dark Knight Rises, Lost, Invasion)
Adair Tischler b. 1996 (Jack and the Beanstalk, Heroes, Dollhouse, Charmed)
Haily McCann b. 1995 (The Time Traveler’s Wife, Jericho)
Jessica Parker Kennedy b. 1984 (In Time, Collision Earth, Behemoth, Smallville, V)
Chris Marquette b. 1984 (Awake, Race to Witch Mountain, The Invisible, Freddy vs. Jason, Aliens in the Family)
Meghan Heffern b. 1983 (Lost Girl, Monster Warriors, The Fog, Insecticidal)
Tessa Thompson b. 1983 (666 Park Avenue, Heroes)
Erik von Detten b. 1982 (Dinotopia, Charmed, So Weird, Meego, Escape to Witch Mountain [1995 TV])
Sanya Hughes b. 1982 (Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides)
Amanda Walsh b. 1981 (Grimm, Smallville)
Seth Gabel b. 1981 (Salem, Arrow, Fringe, Gothica, Jonah Hex)
John Hennigan b. 1979 (Hercules Reborn, Legion of the Black)
Seann William Scott b. 1976 (Southland Tales, Dude, Where’s My Car?)
Alanna Ubach b. 1975 (Revolution, Jekyll, Virtuosity, Beakman’s World)
Lena Headey b. 1973 (The Mortal Instruments, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Dredd, The Adventurer: The Curse of the Midas Box, The Purge, Game of Thrones, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, The Broken, Ultra, The Brothers Grimm, Merlin, The Hunger [TV])
Richard Ian Cox b. 1973 (Fringe, Eureka, Ghost Rider, Stargate: Atlantis, Stargate SG-1, Sliders)
Neve Campbell b. 1973 (The Canterville Ghost, The Dark)
Keiko Agena b. 1973 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, The Nightmare Room)
Janel Moloney b. 1969 (The Leftovers)
Rob Liefeld b. 1967 (author, Deadpool, X-Force)
Clive Owen b. 1964 (Intruders, Children of Men, Sin City)
Jack Wagner b. 1959 (Lois & Clark, Trapped in Space)
Hart Bochner b. 1956 (Supergirl)
Peter Frechette b. 1956 (The Burning Zone, M.A.N.T.I.S., The Unholy, The Hills Have Eyes Part II)
Joel Polis b. 1951 (Stargate: Atlantis, Angel, The Invisible Man, NightMan, Star Trek: Voyager, Alien Nation, Misfits of Science, Twilight Zone [1985], Deadly Nightmares, The Thing)
Pamela Hensley b. 1950 (Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Six Million Dollar Man, Rollerball, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze)
Niall Buggy b. 1948 (Alien³, Hellraiser, Zardoz)
Alan Rachins b. 1942 (Stargate SG-1, Lois & Clark, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Time Walker)
Madlyn Rhue b. 1935 died 16 December 2003 (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Land of the Giants, Captain Nice, Star Trek)
Alvin Toffler b. 1928 (author, Future Shock)
Gore Vidal b. 1925 died 31 July 2012 (author, Visit to a Small Planet, actor, Gattaca)
Michael Hordern b. 1911 died 2 May 1995 (Labyrinth, A Christmas Carol [1977 TV and 1951], Theatre of Blood, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, Man in the Moon)
Henry Hull b. 1890 died 8 March 1977 (Master of the World, Werewolf of London)
Warner Oland b. 1879 died 6 August 1938 (Werewolf of London)
Charles Middleton b. 1874 died 22 April 1949 (Flash Gordon)

Last year, the Picture Slot was Lena Headey from Game of Thrones. This year, it's Lena Headey from The Sarah Connor Chronicles. I repeat her place in the pictures for several reasons, not least of which is that she's a fabulous babe. (D'uh!) Right now, she is one of those actresses whose fame is due to roles in genre, a list that includes Lynda Carter, Sigourney Weaver, Linda Hamilton and Lucy Lawless. Unlike any of those other women, she is a movie star and a TV star at the same time. Usually when an actor makes the transition from TV to movies or vice versa, that actor doesn't return to the media they were in, except in cases when TV stars try to become movie stars and fail then return to TV. (And yes, I'm looking at you, Shelley Long.) Because of the amount of down time Ms. Headey has on Game of Thrones, she can take movie projects and many of them are fantasy and sci-fi. Perhaps her career arc is the wave of the future, but right now you can count the number of people being stars in both media simultaneously on the fingers of one hand.

Now that I've written this, I may not make Ms. Headey next year's Picture Slot choice, but I make no promises. If she was out of contention, my top choices would be decidedly old school, Charles Middleton as Ming or Henry Hull in the title role of Werewolf of London.

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

Predictor: Henry A. Wallace, commerce secretary in November 1945, quoted in The Experts Speak

Prediction: During the next four years… unless drastic steps are taken by Congress, the U.S. will have nearly 8,000,000 unemployed and will stand on the brink of a deep depression.

Reality: Wallace had been vice-president until he was booted from the ticket in favor of Harry Truman in 1944. When he said this, there were 4,000,000 unemployed. The thing was, Congress had done something drastic, the G.I. Bill of Rights in 1944, which is on the short list of the most successful pieces of social legislation of all time.

Looking one day... INTO THE FUTURE!

Yet another trip back to 1893, where uncomfortable clothes, remarkable facial hair and bold predictions all come together.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

26 September 2014

 Birthdays
Emma Rigby b. 1989 (Once Upon a Time in Wonderland, Becoming Human)
Ashley Leggat b. 1986 (The Good Witch’s Charm/Destiny/Wonder, My Best Friend Is an Alien)
Talulah Riley b. 1985 (Thor: The Dark World, Inception, Doctor Who)
Christina Milian b. 1981 (Smallville, Charmed)
Mark Famiglietti b. 1979 (FlashForward, Premonition, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
Daniel Buran b. 1974 (True Blood)
Sheri Moon Zombie b. 1970 (Halloween I & II [2007 and 2009])
David Slade b. 1969 (director, Powers, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse)
Jim Caviezel b. 1968 (The Prisoner [2006], Outlander, Frequency)
Marc Gilpin b. 1966 (Earthbound, Jaws 2)
Lysette Anthony b. 1963 (Dark Realm, Highlander: The Return, Tale of the Mummy, NightMan, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, Dark Shadows [1991], Krull, Beauty and the Beast [1982 TV movie])
Melissa Sue Anderson b. 1962 (10.5:Apocalypse, Bewitched)
Patrick Bristow b. 1962 (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Elvira’s Movie Macabre, Charmed, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Black Scorpion)
Linda Hamilton b. 1956 (Defiance, Lost Girl, Bermuda Tentacles, Beauty and the Beast [1989], King Kong Lives, Black Moon Rising, Terminator, Children of the Corn, Wishman)
Olivia Newton John b. 1948 (Xanadu)
Mary Beth Hurt b. 1948 (Lady in the Water, D.A.R.Y.L.)
Togo Igawa b. 1946 (Street Fighter: Assassin’s Fist, Speed Racer, Primeval, Torchwood, Code 46, Lexx)
Victoria Vetri b. 1944 (Invasion of the Bee Girls, When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth, Land of the Giants, Rosemary’s Baby, Star Trek, Batman)
Helmut Bakaitis b. 1944 (The Matrix Reloaded, The Matrix Revolutions, Shirley Thompson vs. the Aliens)
Kent McCord b. 1942 (Farscape, Megiddo: The Omega Code 2, Dark Skies, SeaQuest 2032, Return of the Living Dead III, Predator 2, Galactica 1980)
Martine Beswick b. 1941 (Trancers II, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Six Million Dollar Man, Strange New World, Dr Jekyll & Sister Hyde, Prehistoric Women, One Million Years B.C.)
Jonathan Goldsmith b. 1938 (Knight Rider, Space, Manimal, Shadow on the Land, The Invaders)
Donna Douglas b. 1933 (Project U.F.O., The Twilight Zone)
Richard Herd b. 1932 (Star Trek: Renegades, InAlienable, Star Trek: Voyager, I Married a Monster, Buffy, SeaQuest 2032, Quantum Leap, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Beauty and the Beast [1987], Knight Rider, Trancers, V, The Powers of Matthew Star, The Greatest American Hero)
Patrick O’Neal b. 1927 died 9 September 1994 (The Stuff, The Stepford Wives, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone)
Charles Macaulay b. 1927 died 13 August 1999 (V, Splash, The Munster’s Revenge, Blacula, The Twilight People, Star Trek)
Joyce Jameson b. 1927 died 16 January 1987 (Project U.F.O., Death Race 2000, Mr. Terrific, The Munsters, My Favorite Martian, Twilight Zone, The Son of Dr. Jekyll)
Shug Fisher b. 1907 died 16 March 1984 (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Giant Gila Monster)
Edmund Gwenn b. 1877 died 6 September 1959 (Them!, The Walking Dead [1936])
Winsor McCay b. 1867 died 26 July 1934 (writer/illustrator, Little Nemo in Slumberland)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Last year it was Linda Hamilton, both a fabulous babe and several iconic roles in genre. Not wanting to repeat myself, we get this climatic shot from Eye of the Beholder, a very famous Twilight Zone episode. (Do I have to warn SPOILER ALERT for a show over fifty years old? I hope not.) She only had a little screen time, but that is in fact Donna Douglas, who would soon be famous as Ellie Mae on The Beverly Hillbillies. Next year, I can't be sure, but Charles Macaulay was Landru on an original Star Trek episode and Richard Herd has played a heck of a lot of admirals. If I want to throw the change-up, I might go with an illustration by Winsor McCay.

2. You might remember me from... We have some people with iconic work that isn't genre. From oldest to youngest, Edmund Gwenn was Santa in Miracle on 34th Street, Jonathan Goldsmith is The Most Interesting Man in the World, Martine Beswick was a Bond girl, Kent McCord was on Adam-12 and Jim Caviezel played Jesus in the torture porn classic Passion of the Christ.

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

Predictor: Economic statistician Roger Babson, September 1928, quoted gleaned from The Experts Speak, compiled by Christopher Cerf and Victor Navasky

Prediction: The election of Hoover in 1928 should result in continued prosperity in 1929.

Reality: We've heard from Babson before. He thought half the country would be living in trailers by 1955 and we would subsist on food in pill form by the late 1970s. It should be noted that a year later in September 1929, he was confident the market would crash. You could call it hedging his bets, but I'm going to be generous and say he correctly changed his mind when confronted with convincing data.

So that would make him 1 out of 4 correct, better than a lot of our predictors. But he failed to rock that beard type like John Elfreth Watkins did and food in pill form is my least favorite of all the cliche future predictions.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A forward looking fellow from 1893 with much better facial hair than Babson's.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

25 August 2014

Birthdays
Angelica Mandy b. 1992 (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Blake Lively b. 1987 (Green Lantern)
Rachel Bilson b. 1981 (Jumper, Buffy)
Toni Wynne b. 1980 (Oz the Great and Powerful, American Horror Story, Zombie Roadkill, Spider-Man 3, 2095, The Spirithunter, Blood Feast 2: All U Can Eat)
Kel Mitchell b. 1978 (Mystery Men, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)
Alexander Skarsgård b. 1976 (Hidden [2014], True Blood, Battleship, Melancholia)
Donavon Stinson b. 1976 (Mighty Mighty Monsters, Snowmageddon, Eureka, Reaper, The X Files: I Want to Believe, Fantastic Four, Dark Angel)
David Alan Basche b. 1968 (Real Steel, The Adjustment Bureau, War of the Worlds [2005])
Tom Hollander b. 1967 (The Invisible Woman, About Time, Pirates of the Caribbean)
Brad Dryborough b. 1967 (Falling Skies, The Cabin in the Woods, Fringe, Supernatural, Battlestar Galactica, Alien Trespass, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Stargate: Atlantis, Smallville, Alien Incursion)
Marti Noxon b. 1964 (writer/actor, Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog, Fright Night, I Am Number Four, Angel, Buffy)
Blair Underwood b. 1964 (The Event, Deep Impact, Gattaca, Knight Rider)
Joanne Whalley b. 1961 (Willow)
Billy Ray Cyrus b. 1961 (Sharknado 2)
Ally Walker b. 1961 (Kazaam, Witches of Eastwick [TV], Universal Soldier)
Ashley Crow b. 1960 (Supernatural, Heroes, Minority Report, Probe)
Tim Burton b. 1958 (director, Frankenweenie, Dark Shadows [2012], Alice in Wonderland, Corpse Bride, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Big Fish, Planet of the Apes, Sleepy Hollow [1999], Mars Attacks, Batman Returns, Edward Scissorhands, Batman, Beetlejuice, Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure)
Simon McBurney b. 1957 (Utopia, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, The Golden Compass)
Gene Simmons b. 1949 (Runaway, KISS Meets the Phantom in the Park)
John Savage b. 1949 (Demon Legacy, Bermuda Tentacles, Alien Rising, Dreamkiller, Fringe, Carnivale, Alien Lockdown, Dark Angel, They Nest, Star Trek: Voyager, Lost Souls, Firestorm, The X-Files, Carnosaur 2, Red Scorpion 2, Beauty and the Beast [1987 musical])
Michael Kaluta b. 1947 (artist, Bill the Galactic Hero)
John Badham b. 1939 (director, Supernatural, Heroes, Short Circuit, WarGames, Dracula [1979], The Sixth Sense)
Tom Skerritt b. 1933 (Ted, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [TV 2008], Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Fallen 2006 TV], Category 7: The End of the World, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Contact, Poltergeist III, The Twilight Zone [1986], SpaceCamp, The Dead Zone, Alien, The Devil’s Rain, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Time Tunnel, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, My Favorite Martian)
Peter Gilmore b. 1981 died 3 February 2013 (Doctor Who, Warlords of the Deep, The Abominable Dr. Phibes)
Sean Connery b. 1930 (The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, DragonHeart, Highlander I & II, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Sword of the Valiant: The Legend of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Time Bandits, Outland, Meteor, Zardoz, Darby O’Gill and the Little People)
Graham Jarvis b. 1930 died 16 April 203 (Strange World, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids [TV], The X Files, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Munsters Today)
Bruce Allpress b. 1930 (Power Rangers Jungle Fury, The Water Horse, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Mel Ferrer b. 1917 died 2 June 2008 (Nightmare City, Eaten Alive, The Great Alligator, The Visitor, Screamers, The Amazing Captain Nemo, Logan’s Run, Wonder Woman, The World, The Flesh and the Devil)
Van Johnson b. 1916 died 12 December 2008 (Killer Crocodile, The Purple Rose of Cairo, Batman, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Brigadoon)
Michael Rennie b. 1909 died 10 June 1971 (The Invaders, Batman, Cyborg 2087, The Time Tunnel, Lost in Space, The Lost World, The Day the Earth Stood Still)

Last year, the Picture Slot went to Blake Lively because... she's purdy. This year, looking for the iconic roles, the competition was between Alexander Skarsgård, Tim Burton, Tom Skerritt, Sean Connery (easily the biggest movie star on the list) and the winner, Michael Rennie from the original The Day the Earth Stood Still. He wins because he follows the important sci-fi rule, "You can tell they are from an advanced civilization because they are wearing aluminum."

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

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction: The five fastest growing economies 1980 to 2000
Brazil
Nigeria
South Korea
China
Mexico

Reality: According to the World Bank data, the greatest GDP growth in that era belongs to
Guinea-Bissau
Bolivia
Mexico
Paraguay
St. Vincent and the Grenadines

To be fair, OMNI was looking at big countries, so the top five for larger populations would be
Mexico (3rd overall)
Indonesia (14th)
Pakistan (15th)
United States (28th)
South Korea (29th)

By these numbers, Brazil was the 36th fastest growing economy overall, China was 74th and Nigeria 107th. Nigeria's GDP actually shrunk in that time period.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Our second visit from fm-2030. The more I read this guy, the more I think the competition for biggest jerk among the futurists is really no competition at all.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

15 August 2014

 Birthdays

Jennifer Lawrence b. 1990 (X-Men, Hunger Games)
Natasha Henstridge b. 1974 (The Secret Circle, Impact, Ghosts of Mars, Jason and the Argonauts [TV 2000], Species I, II & III, Homeboys from Outer Space)
Ben Affleck b. 1972 (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Paycheck, Daredevil, Dogma, Armageddon, Phantoms, Buffy the Vampire Slayer [movie])
Anthony Anderson b. 1970 (Transformers, Alien Avengers)
Debra Messing b. 1968 (The Mothman Prophecies, Prey)
Michael Berresse b. 1964 (Meet Dave, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Andy Forrest b. 1963 (The Future, Carnivale)
David Zayas b. 1962 (Grimm, Skyline, Angel)
Zeljko Ivanek b. 1957 (True Blood, Revolution, The Event, Heroes, Lost, From the Earth to the Moon, The X-Files)
Ann Ryerson b. 1949 (Constantine, Minority Report, Friday the 13th Part VI)
Jill Haworth b. 1945 died 3 January 2011 (The Mutations, Horror on Snape Island, Horror House, It!, The Outer Limits)
Nigel Terry b. 1945 (Doctor Who, Highlander [TV], Excalibur)
Barbara Bouchet b. 1943 (Star Trek, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Lou Perryman b. 1941 died 1 April 2009 (Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2, Poltergeist)
Michael J. Reynolds b. 1939 (Moonshot, Lexx, Earth: Final Conflict, The Lifeforce Experiment, Twilight Zone [1989], Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, Plague, The Neptune Factor)
Pat Priest b. 1936 (The Incredible 2-Headed Transplant, Bewitched, The Munsters, My Favorite Martian, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Mike Henry b. 1936 (The Six Million Dollar Man, Soylent Green)
Abby Dalton b. 1935 (Cyber Tracker, Viking Women vs. the Sea Serpent)
Lori Nelson b. 1933 (The Naked Monster, Day the World Ended, Revenge of the Creature)
Janice Rule b. 1931 died 17 October 2003 (Twilight Zone, Bell, Book and Candle)
Nicolas Roeg b. 1928 (director, The Witches, The Man Who Fell to Earth)
Mike Connors b. 1925 (Earthlings, Voodoo Woman, The Day the World Ended)
Signe Hasso b. 1910 died 7 June 2002 (The Green Hornet, The Outer Limits)

Last year, the Picture Slot was Jennifer Lawrence from The Hunger Games. This year, following the fabulous babe theme, it's Natasha Henstridge from Species. There are certainly other iconic roles on the list from genre and I have no idea who I will use next year, except probably not Ben Affleck as Daredevil, because that would be cruel. I actually like Affleck.

Extra note from my past: I used to have a blog about the supermarket tabloid covers. The Globe gave a Brave Last Days alert for Mike Connors in 2010. Four years later, he's still here and good for him.

Also, anyone working at the Globe can go to hell.

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

Movies released
The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension, released 1984  

Predictor: Edgar Cayce in December 1930

Prediction: Cayce predicts the Depression will last to 1934 or 1935.

Reality: Most sources say it ended in 1939 and some say it was World War II war manufacturing that finally ended it. In any case, it was still going on at the end of 1935, so another swing and a miss by Mr. Cayce.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another prediction about the 20th Century from 1893, this time about the arts.

Yes, there will be facial hair.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

23 July 2014

Birthdays
Daniel Radcliffe b. 1989 (Frankenstein [2015], Horns, Harry Potter)
Reece Ritchie b. 1986 (Hercules [2014], Atlantis: End of the World, Birth of a Legend, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, 10,000 BC)
Kathryn Hahn b. 1974 (Tomorrowland)
Charisma Carpenter b. 1970 (Supernatural, Legend of the Seeker, Charmed, Angel, Buffy, Strange Frequency)
Bill Chott b. 1969 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Invader ZIM, Dude, Where’s My Car?, Galaxy Quest, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Philip Seymour Hoffman b. 1967 died 2 February 2014 (The Hunger Games, The Invention of Lying)
Woody Harrelson b. 1961 (The Hunger Games, 2012, Zombieland, A Scanner Darkly)
Edie McClurg b. 1951 (Flubber [1997], Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Homeboys in Outer Space, A.J.’s Time Travelers, Elvira: Mistress of the Dark, Small Wonder, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Incredible Hulk, Carrie)
Belinda Montgomery b. 1950 (TRON: Legacy, Man from Atlantis, The Sixth Sense [1972])
Marianne Gordon b. 1946 (The Being, Rosemary’s Baby, Mr. Terrific)
Ronny Cox b. 1938 (Age of Dinosaurs, Stargate SG-1, Deep Blue Sea, From the Earth to the Moon, Time Trax, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Captain America [1990], Total Recall, Martians Go Home, RoboCop)
C.M. Kornbluth b. 1923 died 21 March 1958 (author, The Space Merchants [with Frederik Pohl])
Virgil Finlay b. 1914 died 18 January 1971 (artist)
Coral Browne b. 1913 died 29 May 1991 (Dreamchild, Time Express, Theatre of Blood)
Michael Wilding b. 1912 died 8 July 1979 (Frankenstein: The True Story)

Last year, the Picture Slot belonged to Daniel Radcliffe, and for iconic roles in genre, he's hard to beat. I might go all Whedonverse nerd and put up a picture of Charisma Carpenter, or maybe Woody Harrelson from The Hunger Games or Ronny Cox from one of the classic movies he was in. But when I saw Virgil Finlay's name on isfdb.org, I knew I wanted to have one of his terrific scratchboard illustrations gracing the blog today. (Scratchboard starts out all black and you scratch away to get the white. It's an extremely unforgiving method and Finlay was as good as it gets at the medium.)

Why this particular illustration? Hmmm... reasons.

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

Predictor: Herman Kahn in the 1972 book Things to Come, published by the Hudson Institute

Prediction: The Japanese economy will double or perhaps triple in the 1970s

Reality: Kahn isn't being precise, but he is clearly bullish on Japan's economy. The thing is, he wasn't bullish enough. According to the World Bank, the Japanese GDP was $209 billion (U.S.) and $1,040 billion in 1980, which means it almost exactly quintupled! It couldn't keep up that growth rate, but it did triple in the 1980s, then peaked in the mid 1990s and has been fluctuating up and down ever since.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The weekly schedule is interrupted for a prediction from a movie.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!