30 March 2015

Birthdays
Cassie Scerbo b. 1990 (Sharknado, Bering Sea Beast)
Marley McClean b. 1987 (Serenity, Star Trek: Voyager)
Tessa Ferrer b. 1986 (Extant)
Simon Baker b. 1986 (Journey to the Center of the Earth, I, Robot, DreamKeeper, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven)
Helena Mattson b. 1984 (Iron Man 2, The Legend of the Seeker, 666 Park Avenue, Surrogates)
Jason Dohring b. 1982 (The Messengers, The Tomorrow People, Supernatural, Roswell, Deep Impact, Moonlight)
Lindsay Parker b. 1980 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Shocker, Critters 2, Beauty and the Beast [1987 TV])
Jose Pablo Cantillo b. 1979 (Constantine, The Walking Dead, Elysium)
Rupert Evans b. 1977 (The Man in the High Castle, Hellboy, Lexx)
Matt Doran b. 1976 (Battle of the Damned, Star Wars II: The Attack of the Clones, Farscape, The Matrix)
Mili Avatal b. 1972 (666 Park Avenue, Haunted, Arabian Nights, Minotaur, Stargate)
Mark Consuelos b. 1971 (American Horror Story, My Super Ex-Girlfriend)
Roland Kickinger b. 1968 (Terminator Salvation, Team Knight Rider)
Juliet Landau b. 1965 (Monster Mutt, Angel, Buffy, Millennium, Theodore Rex)
Ian Ziering b. 1964 (Sharknado, Lava Storm, Tyrannosaurus Azteca)
Maurice LaMarche b. 1958 (Futurama, Harvey Birdman: Attorney at Law, Adventure Time, Dilbert, Pinky and the Brain, The Tick)
Paul Reiser b. 1957 (Aliens)
Lisa Harrison b. 1956 (Superman Returns, Invasion [2006])
Robbie Coltrane b. 1950 (Harry Potter, Van Helsing, From Hell, Alice in Wonderland [1999 TV], Blackadder’s Christmas Carol, Krull, The Crystal Cube, Luna, Flash Gordon)
Gabrielle Drake b. 1944 (UFO, The Champions)
Kenneth Welsh b. 1942 (Haven, Survival of the Dead, Bionic Woman, Stargate: Atlantis, The Covenant, Smallville, Category 7: The End of the World, The Fog, The Day After Tomorrow, Witchblade, The X-Files, The Twilight Zone)
John Astin b. 1930 (Betaville, The Frighteners, Harrison Bergeron, Killer Tomatoes Strike Back, Eerie, Indiana, They Came From Outer Space, Gremlins 2: The New Batch, Teen Wolf Too, The Charmings, Otherworld, Batman, The Addams Family, Twilight Zone)
Richard Dysart b. 1929 (Back to the Future III, The Thing, Gemini Man, The Terminal Man)
Ray McAnally b. 1926 died 15 June 1989 (High Spirits)
Turhan Bey b. 1922 died 30 September 2012 (Babylon 5, VR.5, SeaQuest 2032)
Herbert Anderson b. 1917 died 11 June 1994 (Bewitched, Batman, I Dream of Jeannie)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot featured Robbie Coltrane from Harry Potter and Juliet Landau from Buffy and Angel. With those two worthies removed, my choice for the next most iconic role betrays my geezerhood as we look at the picture of John Astin as Gomez Addams. If I had been feeling like a dirty old man instead of just an old man, I might have had Gabrielle Drake in one of her ridiculous outfits from UFO, a Gerry and Sylvia Anderson live TV show that was actually worse than Space: 1999.

2. Spot the Canadians! The actors taking advantage of the 21st Century boom in genre production tend to be in theirs 20s, 30s or maybe 40s, but today we have three with a wide age range. Kenneth Welsh is celebrating his 73rd and is the actor with the most Canadian looking resume. Maurice LaMarche is 57 and his resume is not a giveaway, since he is one of the biggest stars in voice over acting, most especially cartoons. Simon Baker turns 29, which is more in the usual age range, but his credits do not make his Canadian heritage obvious.

3. Nepotism FTW. Juliet Landau is the daughter of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Tessa Ferrer is the daughter of Gabriel Ferrer, who really is not much involved in show business, and Debby Boone, who had that awful hit song so many years ago. Ms. Ferrer's well-known grandparents are Pat Boone, Rosemary Clooney and Jose Ferrer.

4. The Guy at the Door. The oldest living person on the list is Richard Dysart, who turns 86 today, and no one younger than him is dead. Most folks probably remember him from L.A. Law, but for me, his big genre role is in the John Carpenter version of The Thing. As always, special best wishes to the person who is in this particular demographic situation.

5. Obviously, cancer has been cured. My dear friend Mina, seeing that a lot of money was being spent on something monumentally stupid, used to say "Obviously, cancer has been cured." Sadly, Mina died of cancer back in 2006, so it falls on me to plagiarize her.

There are now three Sharknado movies. Obviously, cancer has been cured.

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


Movie released
Spy Kids released, 2001

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published in 1982

Prediction: Small scale hydrofoil buses will be in use as ferry services in many locations in the near future, including Puget Sound, the San Francisco Bay Area and New York City. With top speeds of 50 knots in good weather and 40 knots in bad, they will trim commute times dramatically. 

Reality: Not a bad prediction, but the top speeds are seriously over-estimated. The hydrofoil ferry in San Francisco is somewhat bigger than 30 passengers and has a top speed of about 27 knots.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We get another prediction from the 1936 book A Short History of the Future, a source of bold and often wrong prognostications.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

28 March 2015

Birthdays
Jenna Berman b. 1990 (iZombie, Halo 4: Forward Unto Dawn)
Jimmy Wong b. 1987 (Misscliks D&D Demigods, Video Game High School, John Dies at the End, The Guild)
Michael Wayans b. 1985 (Blankman)
Gareth David-Lloyd b. 1981 (Enoch the Traveler, Warehouse 13, Red Faction: Origins, Torchwood, Doctor Who)
Annie Wersching b. 1977 (The Vampire Diaries, Extant, Revolution, Touch, No Ordinary Family, Journeyman, Supernatural, Charmed, Angel, Birds of Prey, Star Trek: Enterprise)
Richard Kelly b. 1975 (writer/director, The Box, Southland Tales, Donnie Darko)
Shanna Moakler b. 1975 (Timecop, Lois & Clark)
Nick Frost b. 1972 (Syrenia, Doctor Who, The World’s End, Snow White and the Huntsman, Paul, Hyperdrive, Shaun of the Dead)
Vince Vaughn b. 1970 (The Watch, The Cell, The Lost World: Jurassic Park)
Brett Ratner b. 1969 (director, Hercules [2014], X-Men: The Last Stand)
Max Perlich b. 1968 (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Charmed, Dinocroc, Buffy, The Butcher’s Wife)
Darcy Laurie b. 1966 (Strange Empire, Arrow, Continuum, Supernatural, Fringe, V, Battlestar Galactica, Kyle XY, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Stargate SG-1, The Chronicles of Riddick, Jeremiah, Dark Angel, The Chronicle, Atomic Train, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The X-Files, Highlander: The Final Dimension, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven)
Orla Brady b. 1961 (Doctor Who, Fringe, Sinbad [2012], The Deep, The Magical Legend of the Leprechauns)
Chris Barrie b. 1960 (Red Dwarf, Lara Croft)
Stephen Ure b. 1958 (The Hobbit, Legend of the Seeker, Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, Lord of the Rings, Xena, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Reba McEntire b. 1955 (Tremors)
Jason Robards III b. 1949 (They Live)
Dianne Wiest b. 1948 (Category 6: Day of Destruction, The 10th Kingdom, Practical Magic, Edward Scissorhands, The Lost Boys, The Purple Rose of Cairo)
Conchata Ferrell b. 1943 (Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, K-PAX, Buffy, Edward Scissorhands, Faerie Tale Theatre)
Mike Newell b. 1942 (director, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire)
Jeff Burton b. 1924 died 18 January 1988 (Bewitched, Batman, Planet of the Apes)
Frank Lovejoy b. 1912 died 2 October 1962 (House of Wax)
Charles Starrett b. 1903 died 22 March 1986 (The Mask of Fu Manchu)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. The previous Picture Slotter was Chris Barrie from Red Dwarf. This year, the competition was between Reba McEntire is her first role in Tremors and the winner Nick Frost, pictured here with Simon Pegg from Shaun of the Dead, which still gets my vote for funniest zombie movie.

2. Spot the Canadians. Darcy Laurie has a typical Canadian resume, and sure enough he is. Jenna Berman is also Canadian, but it's not quite as obvious.

3. The Guy at the Door. As will happen from time to time, the deceased are all at the bottom of the list and the oldest person alive gets the title of The Guy at the Door. Today it's director Mike Newell, who is only in his early seventies. Here's hoping Mr. Newell lives long and prospers.

4. Nepotism FTW. Not sure if it's exactly a "win", but Jason Robards III had a brief career in movies.

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

Movie released 
G.I. Joe: Retaliation released, 2013
  

Predictor: Walter Wellman (1858-1934), journalist and explorer, predicting the world of the 20th Century in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in 1893

Prediction: The speeds of trains will climb to 80 to 100 miles per hour, and within 10 years, some electrical railways will achieve 150 miles per hour in ease and comfort. Railways in the western hemisphere will stretch from Alaska to Patagonia.

Man will be able to extract magnetism from the earth and convert it into electricity.

Heavier than air navigation will be solved in the next century.

The greatest advance will be elevated electric trains over the main thoroughfares of the great cities, at once beautiful and practical, keeping the rain and snow off the pedestrians below and keeping the street from being covered in mud.

Reality: Wellman scores a lot of points here, not just for the uncomfortable clothes, magnificent mustache and the pince nez. Predicting airplanes in 1893 is very bold indeed. So is extracting magnetism from the earth, one of those sources of energy we aren't even close to tapping. The major thing he misses in his prediction is the automobile, which is a less bold prediction than the airplane, since Benz had a patent in Germany in 1886. He loses points for the 150 mph electrical railway by 1903 and tapping the magnetic field of the earth, but still, a solid performance.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Let's see what Robert A. Heinlein has to say about the second half of the 20th Century, shall we?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

20 March 2015

Birthdays
Samantha Weinstein b. 1995 (Darknet, Carrie [2013], Swarmed)
Christy Carlson Romano b. 1984 (Infected, Wolvesbayne)
Talia Russo b. 1980 (Beauty and the Beast [2012], Lost Girl, ReGenesis)
Bianca Lawson b. 1979 (Witches of East End, Teen Wolf [TV], Beauty and the Beast [2012], The Vampire Diaries, American Horror Story, Big Monster on Campus, Buffy)
Georgia Craig b. 1979 (Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Stargate SG-1, The 4400, Dawn of the Dead)
Freema Agyeman b. 1979 (Sense8, Doctor Who)
Paula Garces b. 1974 (Warehouse 13, Knight Rider [2008], Clockstoppers)
Jane March b. 1973 (Jack the Giant Killer, Clash of the Titans, Blood of Beasts, Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula, Dark Realm, Relic Hunter)
Ingrid Kavelaars b. 1971 (Lost Girl, V [2009], ReGenesis, Stargate SG-1, Jeremiah, Code Name: Eternity, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Alien Abduction: Incident in Lake County, Millennium, Specimen)
Liam Waite b. 1971 (Vampire Bats, Ghosts of Mars)
Michael Rapaport b. 1970 (The 6th Day, Deep Blue Sea)
Lawrence Makoare b. 1968 (The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, Xena)
Marc Warren b. 1967 (Dreams1997, Dracula [2006], Hogfather, Doctor Who, Alice Through the Looking Glass [1998], Highlander [TV])
Leif Tilden b. 1964 (Monkeybone, Invader, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1991])
David Thewlis b. 1963 (Harry Potter, The Zero Theorem, The Omen [2006], Timeline, Dinotopia, The Island of Dr. Moreau [1996], DragonHeart, Erasmus Microman)
Stephen Sommers b. 1963 (director, G.I. Joe: Rise of Cobra, Van Helsing, The Mummy, The Mummy Returns, Deep Rising)
Kathy Ireland b. 1963 (Journey to the Center of the Earth [1988], Alien from L.A.)
Karen M. Waldron b. 1961 (Space Cowboys, Return of the Killer Tomatoes!)
Holly Hunter b. 1958 (Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice)
Theresa Russell b. 1957 (The Legends of Nethiah, Fringe, Spider-Man 3, Earth vs. the Spider [2001], Good vs Evil, A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court)
Chris Wedge b. 1957 (director, Ice Age, Robots, Epic)
Bruce Wagner b. 1954 (writer, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors)
Tom Towles b. 1950 (Halloween [2007], House of 1000 Corpses, Firefly, Star Trek: Voyager, 3rd Rock from the Sun, VR.5, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Night of the Living Dead [1990], The Pit and the Pendulum)
William Hurt b. 1950 (Humans, The Host, Hellgate, The Incredible Hulk, Nightmares & Dreamscapes, Neverwas, Frankenstein [2004 TV], The Village, Tuck Everlasting, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Dune [TV], Lost in Space [movie], Dark City, Michael, Until the End of the World, Altered States)
John De Lancie b. 1948 (Zombie Hamlet, Cloned: The Recreator Chronicles, Torchwood, Gamer, My Apocalypse, Invader ZIM, Charmed, Andromeda, Stargate SG-1, Star Trek, Multiplicity, Legend, Time Trax, The Twilight Zone, Battlestar Galactica [1979], The Six Million Dollar Man)
Chip Zien b. 1947 (Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Undead, Breakfast of Champions, Into the Woods, Howard the Duck)
Hal Linden b. 1931 (Supernatural, Light Years Away, Time Changer)
Karen Steele b. 1931 died 12 March 1988 (Star Trek, Cyborg 2087, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Jack Kruschen b. 1922 died 2 April 2002 (Lois and Clark, Tucker’s Witch, The Time Machine [TV], The Incredible Hulk, Batman, The Angry Red Planet, The War of the Worlds)
Carl Reiner b. 1922 (director, The Man with Two Brains)
Wendell Corey b. 1914 died 8 November 1968 (The Astro Zombies, Cyborg 2087, Women of the Prehistoric Planet)
B.F. Skinner b. 1904 died 18 August 1990 (author, Walden Two)
Fredric Wertham b. 1895 died 18 November 1981 (author, Seduction of the Innocent, The World of Fanzines)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. There are plenty of well-known names on the list, either movie or TV stars: Carl Reiner, Hal Linden, William Hurt, Teresa Russell, Holly Hunter, David Thewlis. Are they iconic in genre? Well, Hurt and Thewlis maybe, but I didn't go in that direction. The previous Slot winners were the pain in the ass writer Wertham and the Star Trek actor John de Lancie. I got in a fabulous babe mood this morning, (I know, that almost never happens, right?) so the three finalists were Karen Steele as one of Mudd's Women, Bianca Lawson as Kendra the vampire slayer and the winner, Freema Agyeman as the companion Martha Jones.

2. Spot the Canadians! Oh That Guy actor Jack Kruschen was born in Canada but worked in the states, back in the dark days when Canada didn't have a TV production industry. The other four Canucks listed here are much younger and all of them did work in Toronto or Vancouver, Ingrid Kavelaars, Georgia Craig, Talia Russo and Samantha Weinstein.

3. MST3K. There's plenty of films on the list that deserved the treatment, but the only one I know for sure that got it was Women of the Prehistoric Planet.

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

Predictor: H.G. Wells in the 1902 book Anticipations

Prediction: It is easily conceivable that once the omnibus roads are in existence, cyclists and motors other than those of the constructing companies will be able to make use of them.

Reality: I have written this before, but I would not have known about Sutherland's 20th Century Inventions had it not been mentioned by Wells in Anticipations. Sutherland also speculates on how roads will be improved, but he assumes it will be largely public funding instead of private, while Wells takes the other side of that bet.

Point for Sutherland.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

As usual, Saturday means another trip back to 1893. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

18 March 2015

 Birthdays
Madeline Carroll b. 1996 (Astro Boy, Resident Evil: Extinction, Lost)
Lily Collins b. 1989 (The Mortal Instruments, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Mirror Mirror)
Duane Henry b. 1985 (The Dark Knight Rises, Doctor Who)
Adam Pally b. 1982 (Iron Man 3)
Chris Geere b. 1981 (After Earth)
Vanessa Evigan b. 1981 (Zombie Hamlet, Sand Sharks)
Sophia Myles b. 1980 (Transformers: Age of Extinction, Outlander, Moonlight, Dracula [2006], Doctor Who, Underworld, From Hell)
Danneel Ackles b. 1979 (Charmed)
Jareb Dauplaise b. 1979 (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen)
Dane Cook b. 1972 (Mystery Men)
Queen Latifah b. 1970 (The Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, Sphere)
Tamer Hassan b. 1968 (Robot Overlords, Dracula [2014], Clash of the Titans [2010], Kick-Ass, Batman Begins, Sucker Punch)
Vanessa Williams b. 1963 (666 Park Avenue, WW 3, Futuresport, The Odyssey, Deep Space Nine)
Thomas Ian Griffith b. 1962 (Timecop: The Berlin Decision, Vampires, Kull the Conqueror, The Guardian [1997])
Richard Biggs b. 1960 died 22 May 2004 (Babylon 5, The Alien Within, Twilight Zone [1986])
Steve Kloves b. 1960 (writer, Harry Potter, The Amazing Spider-Man)
Luc Besson b. 1959 (director, Lucy, The Fifth Element)
Jim Knobeloch b. 1950 (Predestination, The 25th Reich, Iron Sky, Knowing, King Kong)
Brad Dourif b. 1950 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., End of the World, Child’s Play, Malignant, Once Upon a Time, Fringe, Halloween I & II [21st Century], The Lord of the Rings, Soulkeeper, Prophecy 3, The Hunger [TV], Alien: Resurrection, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5, Escape to Witch Mountain, The X Files, Tales from the Crypt, Critters 4, Graveyard Shift, The Exorcist III, Deadly Nightmares, Dune, Desire, the Vampire)
Drew Struzan b. 1947 (illustrator)
Susan Tyrell b. 1945 died 16 June 2012 (Digital Man, Tales from the Crypt, Rockula, Deadly Nightmares, Forbidden Zone)
Carl Gottlieb b. 1938 (director, Caveman)
John Updike b. 1932 (author, The Witches of Eastwick)
Jack B. Sowards b. 1929 died 8 July 2007 (writer, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan)
Peggy Dow b. 1928 (Harvey)
Peter Graves b. 1926 died 14 March 2010 (Addams Family Values, The Invaders, Attack of the Eye Creatures, Beginning of the End, It Conquered the World, Red Planet Mars)
Alexander Leydenfrost b. 1888 died 16 June 1961 (illustrator)
Edward Everett Horton b. 1888 died 29 September 1970 (2000 Years Later, Batman, Down to Earth [1947], Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Lost Horizon, Alice in Wonderland [1933])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to the late Richard Biggs from Babylon 5 and the illustrator Drew Struzan. Not wanting to repeat myself, the actors with the most iconic roles on the list for me are Brad Dourif and Peter Graves. I chose Graves partly because the monster from It Conquered the World is an odd combination of obviously fake and still terrifying, but also as a nod to how the cheaply produced sci-fi of the 1950s was the starting point for a lot of actors who would have very successful careers on TV within a few years. 

2. Nepotism FTW. Graves and his brother Jim Arness both got their starts at about the same time, so I don't know how much nepotism is involved. Among our younger birthday celebrants, Lily Collins is the daughter of Phil Collins and Vanessa Evigan is the daughter of Greg Evigan.

3. Living Canadian free. I found no one born north of the border today in today's research. Not quite as rare as no Star Trek, but unusual.

4. MST3K. Of the cheesy sci-fi movies Peter Graves made in the 1950s, only Red Planet Mars avoided being an experiment on the Satellite of Love. He was also in the non sci-fi SST: Death Flight which got the treatment before the show was on Comedy Central.

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

Predictor: George Sutherland in the 1901 book Twentieth Century Inventions

Prediction: By its agency not only will the transport of goods along well-made roads become less costly and more expeditious, but localities in sparsely settled countries--such as those beyond the Missouri in America and the interior regions of South Africa, Australia and China--will become much more readily accessible. A traction-engine and automobile which can run across broad, almost trackless plains at the rate of fifteen miles an hour will bring within quick reach of civilisation many localities in which at present, for lack of such communication, rough men are apt to grow into semi-savages, while those who retain the instincts of civilisation look upon their exile as a living death. It will do more to enlighten the dark places of the earth than any other mechanical agency of the twentieth century.

Reality: Ooh, fifteen miles per hour! Won't that frighten the horses?

It is interesting to note how Sutherland viewed the world and how much it has changed. While the interiors of South Africa and Australia may still be sparsely populated, China is the populous country on earth and not just a population near the sea or the rivers but nearly everywhere. As for America beyond the Missouri, I do not view my life as exile or living death and I am not yet a semi-savage, though the opinions of some may differ on that.
 

Never to be Forgotten: Ib Melchoir 1917-2015 Danish born screenwriter and author Ib Melchoir has died at the age of 97. He wrote the screenplays for Planet of the Vampires, The Outer Limits, The Time Travelers, Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Angry Red Planet, Men Into Space and Reptilicus. His story The Racer was the basis for Death Race 2000.

He was also well known for claiming a lot of things were stolen from him. He pitched a story he called Space Family Robinson to Irwin Allen and when he got no credit for Lost in Space, he consulted with lawyers who told him suing would hurt his career. He got paid as a consultant for the 1998 remake, but sued when he didn't get a cut of the profits. He also claims he pitched the original idea of a starship with a brave captain and an alien first officer to Gene Roddenberry, but no one involved with Star Trek ever rolled over and gave him any credit.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Ib Melchoir. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another less than accurate prediction from The Experts Speak.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
  

9 January 2014

 Birthdays
Nicola Peltz b. 1995 (Transformers: Age of Extinction, The Last Airbender)
Nina Dobrev b. 1989 (The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, Never Cry Werewolf)
David Ellison b. 1983 (producer, World War Z, Star Trek Into Darkness, G.I. Joe: Retaliation)
Julia Dietze b. 1981 (Iron Sky)
Joshua Harto b. 1979 (Iron Man 1 & 3, The Dark Knight, Invasion, Carnivale )
Patrick Sabongui b. 1975 (Almost Human, Arrow, Warm Bodies, Sucker Punch, TRON: Legacy, Stargate: Atlantis, Caprica, The Cabin in the Woods)
Angela Bettis b. 1973 (Carrie [2002], Sliders)
Howard J. Ford b. 1973 (director, The Dead 1 and 2)
Marco Sanchez b. 1970 (Star Trek Into Darkness, Super 8, Dollhouse, Tyrannosaurus Azteca, Star Trek: Enterprise, Charmed, SeaQuest 2032)
Joey Lauren Adams b. 1969 (Coneheads)
Rhoda Griffis b. 1965 (The Hunger Games, Surface, The Rage: Carrie 2, From the Earth to the Moon)
Joely Richardson b. 1965 (Vampire Academy, The Day of the Trifids [2009], The Last Mimzy, Event Horizon, Loch Ness)
Tyrone “Muggsy” Bogues b. 1965 (Space Jam)
Joseph Culp b. 1963 (Cyxork 7, Deep Space Nine, Apollo 13, The Fantastic Four [1994], The Arrival [1991], The Greatest American Hero)
Anthony Harrison b. 1961 (Fringe, Supernatural, Aliens vs., Predator: Requiem, The 4400, Smallville, White Noise, Dead Like Me, The Core. Strange World, The Sixth Day, The X-Files)
Imelda Staunton b. 1956 (Maleficent, Harry Potter, Doctor Who, Psychoville, Nanny McPhee)
J. K. Simmons b. 1955 (Terminator Genisys, Spider-Man, Jennifer’s Body, The Astronaut Farmer)
Vincent Grass b. 1949 (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian)
John Doman b. 1945 (Gotham, Mercury Rising, Deep Space Nine)
Kathryn Walker b. 1943 (D.A.R.Y.L., )
Susannah York b. 1939 died 15 January 2011 (The Ray Bradbury Theatre, Superman, The Awakening)
K Callan b. 1936 (Heroes, Carnivale, Lois & Clark, Deep Space Nine, The Unborn, Quantum Leap)
Bob Denver b. 1935 died 2 September 2005 (Meego, ALF, The Invisible Woman, Far Out Space Nuts, I Dream of Jeannie)
Paul Mantee b. 1931 died 7 November 2013 (Apollo 13, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, The Manitou, Logan’s Run [TV], Day of the Animals, The Six Million Dollar Man, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Batman, Robinson Crusoe on Mars)
Algis Budrys b. 1931 died 9 June 2008 (author, The Falling Torch, Rogue Moon, Who?)
Lee Van Cleef b. 1925 died 16 December 1989 (Escape from New York, My Mother the Car, Twilight Zone, It Conquered the World, Space Patrol, The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms)
Fernando Lamas b. 1915 died 8 October 1982 (The Lost World)
Steve Plytas b. 1913 died December 1994 (Batman, Superman 4, Doctor Who)
Karel Capek b. 1890 died 25 December 1938 (author, Rossum’s Universal Robots)

The Picture Slot. Last year I had a picture of a production of Rossum's Universal Robots in the Picture Slot, honor Karel Capek as the originator of the word robot. This year I had many iconic choices, including Lee Van Cleef, Paul Mantee from Robinson Crusoe on Mars, Susannah York from Superman, J.K. Simmons from Spider-Man and Imelda Staunton from Harry Potter. But instead we are looking at Julia Dietze from Iron Sky. She is not quite as iconic as the others, but if you saw the poster for the movie, she was featured front and center. The main reasons she gets the honor are:

1. Fabulous babe-osity.
2. Zombie Rotten McDonald might buy a ticket to California and stalk me if I didn't.


Canadian real and faux. There is one natural born Canadian on today's list, and one credit list that  looks Canadian, but belongs to a Brit. See if you can tell the difference.

That MST3K Feeling. The new label marking the appearance of movies used on Mystery Science Theater 3000 gets used today because of Lee Van Cleef's appearance in It Conquered the World. The gang at Best Brains also made fun of his TV show The Master, but that wasn't fantasy or sci-fi. Van Cleef played a ninja, but not that well.

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

 Predictor: H.G. Wells in his 1902 book Anticipations

Prediction: It is not too much to say that the London citizen of the year 2000 A.D. may have a choice of nearly all England and Wales south of Nottingham and east of Exeter as his suburb, and that the vast stretch of country from Washington to Albany will be all of it "available" to the active citizen of New York and Philadelphia before that date.

Reality: Like our pal from The New York World, Wells was of the opinion that insane commutes were going to become the norm in the 20th Century. Granted, when I worked in the video game industry I often had at least one co-worker who lived someplace crazy because they were dead set on owning a home; one commute was Bakersfield to San Mateo three times a week, another was Manteca to San Rafael every day. But these were the exceptions to the rule and with the wild fluctuations in gas prices, a lot of people are seeing the value in not being slaves to their internal combustion engines.
 

Never to be Forgotten: Rod Taylor 1930-2015

Rod Taylor, the handsome Australian actor who starred in the 1960 version of The Time Machine, died on Wednesday, four days short of his 85th birthday. Two other well known genre appearances are in The Birds and The Twilight Zone. He was also in some less well-known genre productions, including Kaw, The Warlord: Battle for the Galaxy, Colossus and the Amazon Queen and World Without End.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We go back to 1893 to hear views of the future from... a bodybuilder?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

1 November 2014

 Birthdays
Max Burkholder b. 1997 (The Purge)
Penn Badgley b. 1986 (Parts Per Billion, The Nightmare Room)
Natalia Tena b. 1984 (Harry Potter, Game of Thrones)
Dominique Croix b. 1984 (Beneath the Surface)
Mary Kate Schellhardt b. 1978 (Infection: The Invasion Begins, Apollo 13)
Jordan Johnson-Hinds b. 1979 (Robocop [2014], Beauty and the Beast [2012])
Martin Copping b. 1977 (Zombie Hunter, Ocean Girl)
Logan Marshall-Green b. 1976 (Prometheus, Devil)
Chad Lindberg b. 1976 (Rise of the Zombies, Supernatural, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Mercury Rising, The X Files, Buffy)
Mariya Poroshina b. 1973 (Night Watch, Day Watch)
Toni Collette b. 1972 (The Sixth Sense)
Susanna Clarke b. 1959 (won the 2005 Hugo for Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell)
Jaymes Butler b. 1959 (Night of the Living Dorks, Resident Evil, Ice Planet)
Rachel Ticotin b.1958 (Lost, Aftershock: Earthquake in New York, Tales from the Crypt, Total Recall)
Peter Ostrum b. 1957 (Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)
Dennis Muren b. 1946 (special effects, Paranormal Activity 4, Super 8, War of the Worlds, Hulk, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, Jurassic Park, Terminator 2, The Abyss, Ghostbusters II, Willow, Innerspace, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, Star Wars, E. T., Dragonslayer, Battlestar Galactica, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Flesh Gordon, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Rocketship X-M [1979 revision])
Marcia Wallace b. 1942 died 25 October 2013 (Vampire Mob, My Mom’s a Werewolf, Teen Witch, Small Wonder, ALF, Bewitched)
Robert Foxworth b. 1941 (Reaper, Star Trek: Enterprise, Jeremiah, Stargate: SG-1, Deep Space Nine, Babylon 5, SeaQuest 2032, Deadly Nightmares, Beyond the Stars, Prophecy, Damien: Omen II, The Questor Tapes, The Wide World of Mystery, The Sixth Sense)
Jo Morrow b. 1939 (Doctor Death: Seeker of Souls, Three Worlds of Gulliver, 13 Ghosts)
Barbara Bosson b. 1939 (Lois & Clark, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, The Last Starfighter, Capricorn One)
Emmaline Henry b. 1928 died 8 October 1979 (I Dream of Jeannie, Rosemary’s Baby, The Munsters)
Betsy Palmer b. 1926 (Bell Witch: The Movie, Out of This World, Friday the 13th parts 1 & 2)
Gordon R. Dickson b. 1923 died 31 January 2001 (Dragon Knight, Hoka series)
Victoria Horne b. 1911 died 10 October 2003 (Harvey)
Malcolm Smith b. 1910 died 11 June 1966 (artist)
Edward Van Sloan b. 1882 died 6 March 1964 (Dracula’s Daughter, The Mummy, Frankenstein, Dracula)

Last year, the Picture Slot went to the prolific artist Malcolm Smith and this year it's the prolific special effects artist Dennis Muren. Next year, I'll likely go with an actor, maybe Natalia Tena from Game of Thrones, Peter Ostrum in his only screen appearance as Charlie in Willy Wonka or possibly Edward Van Sloan, who played Van Helsing in the Bela Lugosi version of Dracula.

We had zero Canadians to spot today, and I decided switching to Spot the Australian! was not a fair game (Toni Collette is fairly easy, Martin Copping is not).

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

Movies released
Ender's Game released 2013 

Predictor: Warner Miller (1838-1918), predicting the 20th Century in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago.

Prediction: The Nicaraguan Canal is as sure to be built as tides are to ebb and flow and the seasons to change... I do not believe any man, however vivid his imagination, can fully suggest the enormous influence which this artificial water highway will have on teh commercial destiny of the United States. If I should suggest one-half of what I believe to be possible, I might be regarded as an absurd dreamer.

 Nicaraguan canal? Of course, we know the Central American canal that was finally built was the Panama Canal, but many people were in favor of one in Nicaragua instead. The San Juan River is very navigable, though I don't know if the huge freighters of today could manage it. It leads to Lake Nicaragua, the only lake that is home to fresh water sharks. The idea was to cut across the land at the narrowest point and get to the Pacific somewhere near San Juan del Sur. 

This month's splash illustration: Regular readers might recall the splash from early October, the comic strip panel about synthetic food and direct voting on every issue. From that same 1965 publication, we get this prediction for 2016 about brains, drugs and computers. As it stands right now, we might not get anything more than Red Bull and FitBit, and I hardly think those actually count.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another pleasant Sunday, another nuclear war we missed.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

20 September 2014

Birthdays
Sammi Hanratty b. 1995 (Salem, Jack and the Beanstalk, A Christmas Carol, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, Charmed)
Spencer Locke b. 1991 (Resident Evil, The Vampire Diaries, Phil of the Future)
Aldis Hodge b. 1986 (The Walking Dead, Supernatural)
Olivia Grant b. 1983 (Fishtales, Stardust)
Daniella Evangelista b. 1982 (Pacific Rim, Alien Trespass, Supernatural, Stargate SG-1, The 4400)
Charlie Weber b. 1978 (Warehouse 13, Reaper, Charmed, Buffy)
Jon Bernthal b. 1977 (The Walking Dead, Eastwick, Day Zero)
Enuka Okuma b. 1976 (Odyssey 5, Dark Angel, MythQuest, Andromeda, The Dinosaur Hunter, NightMan, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven)
Moon Bloodgood b. 1975 (Falling Skies, Terminator Salvation, Journeyman, Street Fighter: The Legend of Chun-Li)
Asia Argento b. 1975 (Dracula 3D, Transylvania, Land of the Dead, Demons 2)
N’Bushe Wright b. 1970 (Blade)
Ben Edlund b. 1968 (writer, Gotham, Revolution, Supernatural, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Venture Bros., Angel, Firefly, Titan A.E., The Tick)
Kristen Johnson b. 1967 (Vamps, Third Rock from the Sun)
Robert Rusler b. 1965 (Star Trek: Enterprise, Babylon 5, Sometimes They Come Back, Vamp, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Weird Science)
Robert LaSardo b. 1963 (Waterworld, The X Files)
James Colby b. 1961 (The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Sliders)
Ghassan Massoud b. 1958 (Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End)
Michael Hurst b. 1957 (Legend of the Seeker, Treasure Island Kids: The Monster of Treasure Island, Power Rangers, Andromeda, Hercules, Xena, Death Warmed Over)
Gary Cole b. 1956 (Vamp U, True Blood, Supernatural, The Ring Two, Crusade, From the Earth to the Moon, American Gothic, Twilight Zone)
Betsy Brantley b. 1955 (Deep Impact, From the Earth to the Moon, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Princess Bride, Beauty and the Beast, Shock Treatment)
Brinke Stevens b. 1954 (a jillion credits, most direct to video, including Bad Girls From Mars, Slave Girls from Beyond Infinity, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama)
Steve Gerber b. 1947 died 10 February 2008 (writer, Man-Thing, Howard the Duck)
George R.R. Martin b. 1946 (writer, Game of Thrones, The Outer Limits, Beauty and the Beast, The Twilight Zone)
Jonathan Hardy b. 1940 died 30 July 2012 (Farscape, Death Warmed Over, Mad Max)

Last year, the Picture Slot belonged to George R.R. Martin and I couldn't be faulted for using his picture again. Few writers are known by sight and fewer still if you only count genre. I'd say only J.K. Rowling and Stephen King are better known to the general public than Martin and possibly Neil Gaiman is about equally famous. But I like to mix it up, so Kristen Johnston is here in a publicity still from her most famous role on Third Rock From the Sun. The next most iconic role in my opinion would be Rigel XI from Farscape, which was voiced by Jonathan Hardy. I also admit that I got the "Wait... he's dead?" feeling from both Hardy and Gerber. Usually our lists include artists born in the 1930s or 1920s or earlier still, and to have two dead on this young a list is disconcerting.

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

Predictor: Alfred Van Santvood (1819-1901), predicting the changes seen in the 20th Century on the occasion of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chicago.

Prediction: I do not believe Robert Fulton's invention of the paddle wheel will ever be improved upon for inland navigation. While there may be minor changes, the principle of the paddle wheel will remain supreme.

The development of the inland marine will be prodigious in the next century, enough to rival the railways as a means of transportation.

Reality: All right, first things first. No facial hair and a grumpy looking bastid, not even wearing a high and uncomfortable collar. His appearance is more 20th Century than 19th.

That said, he didn't do a good job of predicting what the 20th Century would look like in his field of expertise. The paddle wheel is an antique method of engine for boats, tossed aside once the propeller technology was perfected and there was no big revival of canals after the 1840s when the railroads began to surpass them. In 1893, it was hard to see that the railroads' main competitors would be interstate highways and air freight.

So, at the risk of making the 1893 version of Grumpy Cat even grumpier, I can't award any points for this prediction. You get a big fat goose egg, Alfred, and it will be sent to you by railroad, so there!

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's another lazy Sunday, sleeping late and maybe a brunch, waking to a story of yet another nuclear holocaust.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

18 September 2014

 Birthdays
Chris Riggi b. 1985 (Vampires Suck)
Alison Lohman b. 1979 (Drag Me to Hell, Beowulf, The Thirteenth Floor Kraa! The Sea Monster)
Travis Schuldt b. 1974 (Fringe, Big Bang Theory)
James Marsden b. 1973 (X-Men, Superman Returns, Enchanted)
Michael Landes b. 1972 (Lois & Clark)
Jada Pinkett Smith b. 1971 (Gotham, The Matrix Revolutions, The Matrix Reloaded)
Tara Fitzgerald b. 1967 (Game of Thrones)
John Mann b. 1962 (Supernatural, Bionic Woman [2007], The Butterfly Effect 2, Battlestar Galactica, Underworld: Evolution, Catwoman, The Chronicles of Riddick, Smallville, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Stargate SG-1, Dark Angel, Strange Frequency, The Girl from Tomorrow Part Two: Tomorrow’s End)
James Gandolfini b. 1961 died 19 June 2013 (Fallen)
Andrew Airlie b. 1961 (Intruders [2014 TV], Once Upon a Time, Collision Earth, Caprica, Fringe, Reaper, The Butterfly Effect 2, Eureka, Supernatural, Neverwas, The 4400, Stephen Kings’ Dead Zone, Fantastic Four, Stargate SG-1, Smallville, Earth: Final Conflict, Mysterious Ways, Total Recall 2070, Poltergeist: The Legacy, The X Files, M.A.N.T.I.S, The Odyssey, Nightmare Cafe)
Tim McInnerny b. 1956 (Outlander [2014 TV], Doctor Who, Erik the Viking)
Anna Levine a.k.a. Anna Thompson b. 1953 (The Crow, Leonard Part 6)
Beth Grant b. 1949 (Mockingbird Lane, Futurestates, Jericho, Southland Tales, Wonderfalls, Evil Alien Conquerors, Donnie Darko, The X Files, Angel, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Doctor Doolittle, The Wizard)
Nicholas Clay b. 1946 died 25 May 2000 (Merlin [TV], Highlander [TV], The Odyssey, Excalibur, Terror of Frankenstein)
Veronica Carlson b. 1944 (Freakshow, Old Drac, The Horror of Frankenstein, Frankenstein Must be Destroyed, Dracula Has Risen from the Grave)
Fred Willard b. 1939 (My Future Boyfriend, Wizards of Waverly Place, Stargate SG-1, Good vs Evil, Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Lois & Clark, Superman 50th Anniversary, Out of This World, Salem’s Lot, Americathon, Space Force, Tabitha)
Frankie Avalon b. 1939 (Panic in Year Zero!, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
William O’Malley b. 1931 (The Exorcist)
Phyllis Kirk b. 1927 died 19 October 2006 (Twilight Zone, House of Wax)
Grayson Hall b. 1922 died 7 August 1985 (Dark Shadows)
Jack Warden b. 1920 died 19 July 2006 (Alice in Wonderland [1985 TV], The Invaders, Bewitched, Twilight Zone)
June Foray b. 1917 (hundreds of voice acting credits, including Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Twilight Zone)
Harry Townes b. 1914 died 23 May 2001 (The Warrior and the Sorceress, Voyagers!, The Incredible Hulk, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Ark II, Planet of the Apes [TV], The Sixth Sense, The Immortal, The Invaders, Star Trek, The Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, Men Into Space)


Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot and a new label.  Regular reader Zombie Rotten McDonald brought up that he is sometimes startled to see that someone is dead when he reads the birthday list. I get the same feeling on a regular basis, though possibly not for the same deceased actors. Today's Picture Slot goes to the late Nicholas Clay, the ridiculously good looking actor who played Lancelot in Excalibur and was the young cad in the non-genre Evil Under the Sun. I had no idea he had died. He was 53 and it was liver cancer fourteen years ago. The new label is "Wait... he's dead?"

2. Rectifying an error. I didn't give James Gandolfini a Never to Be Forgotten post when he died because I forgot he was in Fallen, the only credit I've found of his that counts as genre. I am a big fan and I apologize for the error. Clearly, he is never to be forgotten.

3. Wait, he's 75? I am somewhat clear on the concept that everyone is getting older, but for me Fred Willard is perpetually this cheerful, clueless guy who is about 40 or so, no older than 50. He's 75 today and so is Frankie Avalon. For some reason, I have no problem with the idea that Frankie is in his seventies. Go figure.

4. Next year's Picture Slot? I used June Foray last year, a voice actor I make an exception for because I love her so much, and next year if I don't repeat myself, the Oh That Guy Harry Townes is a front runner, probably with a still from Twilight Zone or Star Trek. Because that's how I roll.  

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

Predictor: Firebird 2015 A.D., released 18 Sept. 1981

Prediction: In one of many unpopular and unsupported policy decisions, the US government of the near future outlaws vehicle petrol in an effort to curb the overuse of limited natural resources - except, of course, for official purposes. There are many renegades who oppose the authorities, and will stop at nothing to allow themselves the freedom of burning around the countryside.

Reality: Yeah... no. Not a chance. The writers of this film have the tail wagging the dog. The government might regulate the fossil fuel industry, but outlawing sales isn't going to happen. It's too big a creator of tax revenues and it's too big a contributor to political campaigns.

On the plus side, the movie does star Darren McGavin and Doug McClure, so you know it must have been good.

(Once again, I have put a sarcastic sentence in the Reality section, hoping the keen eyed will spot it.)

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A brand new Friday regular predictor is introduced.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

12 August 2014

 Birthdays
Leah Pipes b. 1988 (The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Angel)
Electra and Elise Avellan b. 1986 (Grindhouse)
Charlotte Salt b. 1985 (Beowulf)
Natalie Mendoza b. 1981 (Code 46, BeastMaster [2000 TV], Farscape)
Maggie Lawson b. 1980 (Gamer, Smallville, Pleasantville, Meego)
Casey Affleck b. 1975 (Interstellar)
Rebecca Gayheart b. 1971 (Dead Like Me, Invasion, Sliders, Earth 2)
Yvette Nicole Brown b. 1971 (Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, Repo Men, The Island)
Michael Ian Black b. 1971 (Reaper)
Ellory Elkayem b. 1970 (director, Return of the Living Dead: Rave to the Grave, Return of the Living Dead: Necropolis, Eight Legged Freaks, They Nest)
Katherine Kendall b. 1969 (Southland Tales, Firefly)
Andras Jones b. 1968 (The Attic Expeditions, Alien Nation [TV], A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master, Sorority Babes in the Slimeball Bowl-O-Rama)
Brett Sexton b. 1967 (Surface, Birds of Prey, Vanilla Sky, A.I. Artificial Intelligence, The X Files, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Angel)
Peter Krause b. 1965 (Beastly, The Lost Room, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Bruce Greenwood b. 1956 (Star Trek Into Darkness, Star Trek, Super 8, National Treasure: Book of Secrets, Mee-Shee: The Water Giant, I, Robot, The Core, Sleepwalkers [TV], Deadly Nightmares [TV])
Sam J. Jones b. 1954 (Ted, Flash Gordon [2007 TV and 1980], Black Scorpion, Stargate SG-1, Earth Minus Zero)
Ray Abruzzo b. 1954 (The Burning Zone, Lois & Clark)
Jim Beaver b. 1950 (Revolution, Supernatural, Tremors [TV], Star Trek: Enterprise, 3rd Rock from the Sun, The X Files, Lois & Clark)
Bruce Solomon b. 1944 (Night of the Creeps, Twilight Zone [1986])
Dana Ivey b. 1941 (Addams Family Values, The Addams Family, Explorers)
Oliver Ford Davies b. 1939 (Game of Thrones, Star Wars: Episodes I, II and III, Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story, The Cloning of Joanna May, Moonbase 3)
George Hamilton b. 1939 (The Little Unicorn, Love at First Bite)
Carol Eve Rossen b. 1937 (Mr. Merlin, The Fury, The Stepford Wives, The Invaders, Twilight Zone)
Michael Coles b. 1936 died 26 April 2005 (The Satanic Rites of Dracula, Dracula A.D. 1972, Doctor Who and the Daleks)
Elizabeth Shepherd b. 1936 (The Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, Poltergeist: The Legacy, PSI Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal, Damien: Omen II, The Tomb of Ligeia)
William Goldman b. 1931 (screenwriter, Dreamcatcher, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, The Princess Bride, The Stepford Wives)
John Bluthal b. 1929 (Dark City, The Fifth Element, Spellbreaker: Secret of the Leprechauns, Leaping Leprechauns, Superman III, The Return of Captain Invincible, The Flying Sorcerer)
Dan Curtis b. 1927 died 27 March 2006 (writer, Dark Shadows, Frankenstein [1973 TV])
Ralph Nelson b. 1916 died 21 December 1987 (director, Charly, Twilight Zone)
Richard L. Bare b. 1913 (director, Twilight Zone)
Jane Wyatt b. 1910 died 20 October 2006 (Amityville: The Evil Escapes, Starman [TV], Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Gemini Man, Star Trek)
Oskar Homolka b. 1898 died 28 January 1978 (The Invisible Man [1976 TV], The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, The Invisible Woman)
Marion Lorne b. 1883 died 9 May 1968 (Bewitched)

Today's list spans a long time, and for my money there are several iconic roles on the list. Marion Lorne played Aunt Clara on Bewitched and Jane Wyatt was Spock's mom Amanda on Star Trek.  Katerine Kendall was Inara's female client on Firefly, which gives us the deathless tagline "I'll be in my bunk." Sadly, I didn't think the still shots of her were very clear. So we get Sam J. Jones in his most famous role as Flash Gordon from the movie of the same name. As usual, there are famous actors (Casey Affleck, Peter Krause, George Hamilton) who are not best known for their genre work.

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

 Predictor: Geoffrey Hoyle in his 1972 children's book, 2010: Living in the Future

Prediction: At the town depot there are also other pipes—giant pipes that run the length and breadth of the country. This is a clean, efficient way to ship anything from a box of nails to a crane.

If someone buys a new electric car, this is the way it is delivered. The car is wrapped at the factory and dropped into the pipe full of liquid. Large pumps along the pipe keep the liquid flowing. Detectors at the pumping stations make sure there are no blockages and that the goods arrive at the right place.

When the car reaches the town’s main depot, it is lifted from the pipe, unwrapped, and delivered.

This is a very fast way of shipping goods. If you buy a car in the morning it will be delivered the same day.

Reality: I'm very sorry to say this is the last prediction from Hoyle's book. I'm sorry because I've enjoyed his work and doubly sorry because this prediction stinks sooooo much. What he is talking about is kinda sorta like pneumatic tubes, which of course this blog deeply loves, as do all right thinking individuals. But pneumatic tubes pick a single size container and that makes the system work. The idea that you could move anything from a box of nails to a crane with a system of hydraulic tubes that criss crosses a nation is massively impractical and I know of no such system working at any scale anywhere on the planet.

Sorry, Geoff. It's been fun but... we live in what you called the future and it's nothing like this.

Never to be Forgotten: JJ Murphy

The Irish actor JJ Murphy was cast for season 5 of Game of Thrones as Ser Denys Mallister, the oldest member of the Night's Watch. He shot his first few scenes for the show but died a few days later. The show's producers have decided not to recast the role. "We will not be recasting J.J. Murphy. He was a lovely man, and the best Denys Mallister we could have hoped for. And now his watch is ended."

He only had ten roles on film total, and his other genre work was in Dracula Untold. I couldn't find Mr. Murphy's birth year online, but he was 86 when he died.

Best wishes to the family and friends of JJ Murphy. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Herman Kahn gets to make his guesses about the 1970s and 1980s again tomorrow. This time he almost gets it right.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

8 July 2014

Birthdays
Jaden Smith b. 1998 (After Earth, The Day the Earth Stood Still)
Jamie Blackley b. 1991 (Snow White and the Huntsman, Myths)
Jake McDorman b. 1986 (Aquamarine)
Alexis Dziena b. 1984 (Invasion, Witchblade)
Milo Ventimiglia b. 1977 (Heroes, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch)Iyari Limon b. 1976 (Buffy)
Kathleen Robertson b. 1973 (Tin Man, Psycho Beach Party, The Hidden Room, Maniac Mansion)
Amanda Peterson b. 1971 (Explorers)
Amy O’Neill b. 1971 (Honey I Blew Up the Kid, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, The Twilight Zone [1985])
Michael Weatherly b. 1968 (Dark Angel, The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Charmed, Asteroid)
Billy Crudup b. 1968 (The Watch, Watchmen)
Marcus Chong b. 1967 (The Crow: Wicked Prayer, The Matrix, Hard Time on Planet Earth)
Michael B. Silver b. 1967 (Heroes, Supernatural, The X-Files, Virtuosity, Deep Space Nine)
Lee Tergesen b. 1965 (The 4400, Weird Science [TV], Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show)
Rocky Carroll b. 1963 (Invasion)
Robert Knepper b. 1959 (The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, Arrow, R.I.P.D., Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters, SGU Stargate Universe, Heroes, The Day the Earth Stood Still, Carnivale, Species III, Seven Days, Brimstone, E.A.R.T.H. Force, Star Trek: The Next Generation, The Twilight Zone [1987])
Kevin Bacon b. 1958 (R.I.P.D., X-Men: First Class, Hollow Man, Apollo 13, Flatliners, Tremors, Friday the 13th)
Angelica Huston b. 1951 (The Addams Family, The Mists of Avalon, The Witches, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Ice Pirates)
Kim Darby b. 1947 (The X-Files, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, Teen Wolf Too, Star Trek)
Jeffrey Tambor b. 1944 (Paul, Hellboy, Muppets From Space, Meet Joe Black, Dr. Doolittle, Max Headroom, The Twilight Zone [1985/6])
William Cort b. 1936 died 23 September 1993 (Quantum Leap, Ghost, Small Wonder, Galactica 1980)
Marty Feldman b. 1933 died 2 December 1982 (Slapstick (Of Another Kind), Young Frankenstein)
Craig Stevens b. 1918 died 10 May 2000 (The Incredible Hulk, Project U.F.O., The Invisible Man, The Deadly Mantis, Abbott and Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde)
Glenn Langan b. 1917 died 26 January 1991 (The Andromeda Strain, Women of the Prehistoric Planet, Mutiny in Outer Space, The Amazing Colossal Man)

I'll admit it. I'm showing my age by thinking of The Amazing Colossal Man as iconic. When I go to imdb.com for research,  a lot of the early names on the list will be young actors I couldn't pick out of a police line-up. For example, today Kathleen Robertson was the top of the list in front of Kevin Bacon, Angelica Huston and Billy Crudup, who to my mind are actual movie stars. When we get past the 50th best known person, a name has to jump out at me, and when it does, it's usually a guy like Glenn Langan, who is forgotten by younger audiences.

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

Movies released
Fantastic Four released 8 July 2005
 

Predictor: Geoffrey Hoyle in his 1972 book, 2010: Living in the Future

Prediction: All public transportation within the town is free. You have to pay only when you travel from one town to another.

The bus stops in front of a large group of buildings, surrounded by beautiful country. The Center and grounds are so big it would take weeks to walk around them. Every afternoon professional games are played somewhere in the grounds. You can watch football, tennis, swimming, basketball, or play games yourself with your friends.

There are also places in the grounds where you can get away from the crowds and go fishing, horseback riding, climbing, or just walking.

Reality: Nice to see the commie Hoyle let free enterprise work on some level. Paying for transportation to other towns! Professional sports! At least freedom isn't completely dead.

Of course, I'm kidding. Hoyle's 2010 sounds like a paradise. Sorry I missed it.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Herman Kahn is our new Wednesday regular. No idyllic commie collectivism from old Blow 'Em Up Hermie.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

30 June 2014

 Birthdays
Angela Sarafyan b. 1983 (Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 2, Buffy)
Lizzy Caplan b. 1982 (Hot Tub Time Machine, True Blood, Cloverfield, Smallville)
Aaron Perilo b. 1981 (In Time, True Blood)
Desi Lydic b. 1981 (Stan Helsing, Invasion Iowa)
Rick Gonzalez b. 1979 (Reaper, War of the Worlds, Buffy)
Molly Parker b. 1972 (The Road, The Wicker Man, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Highlander [TV])
Megan Fahlenblock b. 1971 (Warehouse 13, Resident Evil: Apocalypse, Mutant X, Witchblade, The Fifth Quadrant, Relic Hunter)
Chris Conrad b. 1970 (Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Marton Csokas b. 1966 (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Alice in Wonderland [2010], AEon Flux, Lord of the Rings, Xena, Cleopatra 2525, The Lost World [TV], BeastMaster [TV], Farscape, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys)
Rupert Graves b. 1963 (Doctor Who, V for Vendetta)
Predrag Bjelac b. 1962 (The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Omen [2006], Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Children of Dune, The Immortal [TV])
Rebecca Tilney b. 1960 (True Blood, Lost, Heroes, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines)
Vincent D’Onofrio b. 1959 (Daredevil [2015], Jurassic World, The Cell, The Thirteenth Floor, Men in Black, Strange Days)
David Alan Grier b. 1955 (Bewitched [2005 movie], The X-Files, Jumanji, Blankman, ALF)
Leonard Whiting b. 1950 (Frankenstein: The True Story)
Charlene Polite b. 1943 died 21 June 1999 (Star Trek)
Jeri Taylor b. 1938 (writer/producer, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager)
Clifford David b. 1932 (The Exorcist III, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure)
Harvey Vernon b. 1927 died 9 October 1996 (Deep Space Nine, The Twilight Zone [1985], Teen Wolf)
Nestor Paiva b. 1905 died 9 September 1966 (They Saved Hitler’s Brain, Jesse James Meet Frankenstein’s Daughter, The Addams Family, My Living Doll, The Three Stooges in Orbit, Atlantis, the Lost Continent, World of Giants, The Mole People, Tarantula, Revenge of the Creature, Rocky Jones, Space Ranger, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Mighty Joe Young)

The Picture Slot was a tough choice today. There are several living actors on the list whose work I've liked, Molly Parker as Alma Garrett in Deadwood, Rupert Graves as Lestrade in Sherlock, Vincent D'Onofrio in several projects, and D'Onofrio in Men in Black would count as genre and iconic. But my main debate was between two of the actors no longer with us, The bald Oh That Guy actor Nestor Paiva (300 credits on imdb.com!) and our winner, Charlene Polite, who played the revolutionary Vanna in The Cloud Minders. On the other end of the spectrum form Paiva, she had only eleven screen roles, one of them uncredited. The only thing they have in common is that they both died from cancer in their early sixties.

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

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

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac published 1982

Prediction: By 2010, most tourism travel will be in vertical take-off and landing craft or high speed trains. The speeds will range from 500 to 3,000 mph and the cost will be five cents a mile, measured in 1981 dollars.

Reality: Oh, pull the other one, it's got bells on it! Nobody has VTOL commercial flights and the United States never got behind supersonic air travel or high speed trains. Now, the high speed train issue is a left-right split based on the recent conservative view that conserving energy is for commies. As for five cents a mile in 1981 dollars, that's about 12 cents a mile now. That's in the ballpark if you get a cheap flight across the country or a good price on a train ticket for shorter distances, but not at the speeds being discussed.

Looking on day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Our weekly routine is broken up by a prediction from Dale Brown that does NOT involve an act of war. Crazy, right?

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

24 June 2014

Birthdays
Kaitlin Cullum b. 1986 (Galaxy Quest)
Lotte Verbeek b. 1982 (Outlander [TV])
Sarai Givaty b. 1982 (The Legend of Hercules)
Joanna Kulig b. 1982 (Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters)
Minka Kelly b. 1980 (Almost Human)
Liane Balaban b. 1980 (Supernatural, Alphas)
Carla Gallo b. 1975 (Carnivale)
Iain Glen b. 1961 (Game of Thrones, Kick-Ass 2, Doctor Who, Resident Evil, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider)
Dan Gilroy b. 1959 (writer, Stan Lee’s Annihilator, Real Steel, Freejack)
Tommy ‘Tiny’ Lister b. 1958 (The Lazarus Papers, Super Capers: The Origins of Ed and the Missing Bullion, Monster Ark, The Dark Knight, Saul of the Mole Men, Vegas Vampires, Dracula 3000, Star Trek: Enterprise, The Fifth Element, The Meteor Man, Universal Soldier)
Joe Penny b. 1956 (Reign of the Gargoyles, Threshold, The Twilight Zone [1986], Tucker’s Witch)
Michael Reid MacKay b. 1953 (X-Men 2, Batman & Robin, Sleepwalkers, The Monster Squad)
Mercedes Lackey b. 1950 (author, Valdemar, The Ship Who Searched)
Nancy Allen b. 1950 (My Apocalypse, RoboCop, Poltergeist III, The Philadelphia Experiment, Strange Invaders, Carrie)
Peter Weller b. 1947 (Star Trek Into Darkness, Fringe, Star Trek: Enterprise, Odyssey 5, Dark Prince: The True Story of Dracula, Screamers, RoboCop. Leviathan, Buckaroo Banzai)
Paul L. Smith b. 1936 died 25 April 2012 (Gor, Haunted Honeymoon, Red Sonja, Dune, Wonder Woman)
Jack Carter b. 1923 (3rd Rock from the Sun, Time Trax, Lois & Clark, They Came From Outer Space, Arena, Amazing Stories, Alligator, Beyond Westworld, I Dream of Jeannie, Batman, Tales of Tomorrow)
Sir Fred Hoyle b. 1915 died 20 August 2001 (scientist/author, A for Andromeda, The Molecule Men)

Two surprises in my research today. Paul L. Smith is dead and Jack Carter is alive. I was also thinking Carter wouldn't have any genre credits when I went to his imdb.com page, but obviously I was wrong.

And to the Picture Slot choice. Everyone less than 40 years old is female and fabulous, but they have one or maybe two genre roles. Nancy Allen could also qualify for Pretty Girl = Picture Slot, but her best known role is in RoboCop, so Peter Weller has her trumped and he was the Picture Slot last year. When I did my first research, I had Iain Glenn's birthday wrong, so he's had a Picture Slot as well. Wanting to show someone new, I considered Paul L. Smith from Dune as Beast Rabban, but instead went with the Number One Oh That Guy on our list, the former wrestler Tiny Lister, here seen in his role as the president in The Fifth Element. For me, he's at the "Hey, It's Abe Vigoda!" level of fame, but your mileage may vary.

One last note: Sir Fred Hoyle was an astrophysicist, the father of our regular predictor Geoffrey Hoyle. The elder Hoyle is given credit for coining the term "big bang", though he didn't accept the theory and used it derisively. Now it's the dominant paradigm in physics, but the term used to deride it is the name everyone calls it, whether a proponent or a detractor.

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

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

Predictor: Geoffrey Hoyle form his 1972 children's book 2010: Living in the Future, illustrations by Daniel Sinker

Prediction: Your school classes finish every day at one o’clock. After lunch it is time to meet friends at the Sports and Social Center. You can travel by electric car or in a bus. The bus services are very good and run twenty-four hours a day. You can go anywhere in the town and know there will always be a bus back. With very little traffic on the roads it is safe for children to travel by themselves.

There is no fare to pay on the bus.

Reality: Two words.

Fukkin' commie!

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

The regular weekly schedule gets a three day break as we celebrate a future that is now just around the corner.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

21 June 2014

 Birthdays
Benjamin Walker b. 1982 (Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter)
Chris Pratt b. 1979 (Jurassic World, Guardian of the Galaxy, Her, Jennifer’s Body, Path of Destruction)
Erica Durance b. 1978 (Painkillers, Smallville, The Butterfly Effect 2, Stargate SG-1, Andromeda, House of the Dead)
Maggie Siff b. 1974 (Push)
Juliette Lewis b. 1973 (From Dusk Till Dawn, Strange Days, My Stepmother Is an Alien, Meet the Hollowheads)
Carrie Preston b. 1967 (True Blood, Lost, The Stepford Wives [2004], Wonderfalls)
David Morrissey b. 1964 (The Walking Dead, Earthbound, Doctor Who, The Reaping)
Doug Savant b. 1964 (Godzilla [1998], Teen Wolf)
Josh Pais b. 1964 (The Crow: Stairway to Heaven, Deep Space Nine, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles [1990])
Berkeley Breathed b. 1957 (writer, Mars Needs Moms)
Michael Bowen b. 1953 (Revolution, Lost, The X-Files, Night of the Comet)
Robyn Douglass b. 1953 (Galactica 1980)
Michael Gross b. 1947 (Tremors, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court)
Mariette Hartley b. 1940 (Conan [TV], Encino Man, The Incredible Hulk, Logan’s Run [TV], Genesis II, Mystery in Dracula’s Castle, Earth II, The Return of Count Yorga, Star Trek, Twilight Zone)
Ron Ely b. 1938 (Superboy, Wonder Woman, Doc Savage: The Man of Bronze)
Monte Markham b. 1935 (Fringe, Millennium Man, Deep Space Nine, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, The Incredible Hulk, Beyond Westworld, The Invisible Man, The Six Million Dollar Man, Project X)
Bernie Kopell b. 1933 (The Creature of the Sunny Side Up Trailer Park, Charmed, Bug Buster, Charmed, The Charmings, The Six Million Dollar Man, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Bewitched, My Favorite Martian)
Lyman Ward b. 1941 (Black Scorpion [TV], Independence Day, Weird Science [TV], Sleepwalkers, A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy’s Revenge, Battlestar Galactica [1979], Man from Atlantis)
Maureen Stapleton b. 1925 died 13 March 2006 (Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Cocoon, The Electric Grandmother)

Happy middle of the sunny half of the year to my Northern Hemisphere readers. If I have any Southern Hemisphere readers, well... it gets better. The Picture Slot was a three way race today. Being a geezer nerd I could easily have gone with Mariette Hartley from Star Trek, and I did love Michael Gross in Tremors, but David Morrissey as The Governor from The Walking Dead is pretty gosh darned iconic to modern genre fans.

A few random thoughts from this morning's research.
1. Carrie Preston, best known from True Blood, certainly qualifies as a Fabulous Babe and well enough known, but I stopped watching True Blood because it's such a dangerous world depicted and there are multiple characters too stupid to live, including hers. As always, I blame the writers, not the actors.

2. I hate having to type a year after Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was a comic book reader when this thing started and I thought it was cute, but never bought it. I knew it was a phenomenon when parodies started popping up. Then it was a TV cartoon, then a video game, then a live action movie and now a live action movie reboot. At each point, I thought "Okay, it's had a good run, but now it's over, right?" No, it's not over yet.  Sheesh.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list and to the late Maureen Stapleton, thanks for all the memories.

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

Predictor: John Swinton (1829-1901), journalist and activist, looking forward to 1993 in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition in Chaicago.

Prediction: I guess that in 1993:
1. The functions and powers of our government shall be greatly enlarged.
2. Railroads, telegraphs and a great many other things now held as private spoil will be public property.
3. Law, medicine and theology will be more reasonable than they now are.
4. Inventions and discoveries will be greater than we have ever yet had.
5. The welfare of mankind will be higher than it is in this age of confusion.

Reality: Okay, first things first. We usually look to the facial hair in the 1893 predictors and he has a fine soup strainer, but that hat. I was gonna say you buy that hat you should get a bowl of soup with it, but that may actually be the soup bowl.

Oh, but John, it looks good on you.

Here I am, making fun, but as a predictor, he is vague but not incorrect for the most part, though the railroads and telegraphs stayed private spoil for the most part and are not today the strangling monopolistic octopi they were 120 years ago.

Also, I have to work the phrase "private spoil" into my vocabulary more and gentle reader, so do you.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

As much fun as a weekly nuclear holocaust is, I'm going to introduce a new Sunday regular that will tag team with the Old Goom and Doom.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

17 June 2014

 Birthdays
Arthur Darvill b. 1982 (Doctor Who)
Scott Adkins b. 1976 (Metal Hurlant Chronicles, The Legend of Hercules, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Mutant X)
Heather Mazur b. 1976 (Journeyman, Night of the Living Dead [1990])
Joshua Leonard b. 1975 (Touch, Shark Night 3D, Dead in Love, The Shaggy Dog, The Blair Witch Project)
Matthew Senreich b. 1974 (writer, Robot Chicken)
Louis Leterrier b. 1973 (director, Clash of the Titans [2010], The Incredible Hulk)
Jason Patric b. 1966 (Powers, Frankenstein Unbound, The Lost Boys, Solarbabies)
Erin and Diane Murphy b. 1964 (Bewitched)
Greg Kinnear b. 1963 (What Planet Are You From?, Mystery Men, Blankman)
Thomas Haden Church b. 1960 (John Carter, Spider-Man 3, Zombie Roadkill, Idiocracy, Monkeybone, Takes from the Crypt: Demon Knight)
Jon Gries b. 1957 (Skinwalker Ranch, Supernatural, Lost, The Astronaut Farmer, Carnivale, Men in Black, The X-Files, Quantum Leap, The Twilight Zone, The Powers of Matthew Star)
Joe Piscopo b. 1951 (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
James Shigeta b. 1933 (Space Marines, Babylon 5, SeaQuest 2032, The Greatest American Hero, The Outer Limits)
Peter Lupus b. 1932 (Giant of the Evil Island, Challenge of the Gladiator, Hercules and the Tyrants of Babylon, The Brass Bottle, Muscle Beach Party, Goliath and the Conquest of Damascus)
Wally Wood b. 1927 died 2 November 1981 (artist)
Beryl Reid b. 1919 died 13 October 1996 (Doctor Who, Dr. Phibes Rises Again)
Ralph Bellamy b. 1904 died 29 November 1991 (Amazon Women on the Moon, Twilight Zone, Space, Search for the Gods, Rosemary’s Baby, The Invaders)
M.C. Escher b. 1898 died 27 March 1972 (artist)

The finalists for the Picture Slot today were the artists M.C. Escher, Wally Wood and this year's winner Arthur Darvill as Rory Williams from Doctor Who. Some of the other actors might make the cut in other year's but I can say this for certain.

It's not Lupus.

I kid. I'm a kidder. I might put in Peter Lupus from one of his Italian muscle man movies. The guy I will never put in is Joe Piscopo.

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

Predictor: Geoffrey Hoyle from his 1972 book 2010: Living in the Future

Prediction: With few people traveling to work there are no morning or evening rush hours—no streets crowded with cars, buses, and people. Gone are the oily smells and fumes of traffic. When people travel, they go by electric car, bus, or train.

In 2010 people can live and breathe in clean, fresh surroundings, but it was not always like this.

Reality: That would be a great advantage of nearly universal telecommuting, but as we know, that didn't become the norm. Still, there are a lot more environmentally conscious options now than there were back in 1972, though the pushers of petroleum really are doing everything they can to keep from being knocked out of their dominant position, the more's the pity.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

A new predictor joins the weekly line-up, and he is said to be the inspiration for several movie characters from the 1960s.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!