16 July 2015

Birthdays
Taryn Southern b. 1986 (Battle Los Angeles)
Calum Gittins b. 1986 (Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers)
Rosa Salazar b. 1985 (Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials, American Horror Story)
Michelle Morgan b. 1981 (Supernatural, Dominant Gene, Stargate: Atlantis, Diary of the Dead, Fire Serpent)
Jayma Mays b. 1979 (Heroes)
Corey Feldman b. 1971 (Zombex, The Zombie King, Puppet Master vs Demonic Toys, Dark Realm, The Toxic Avenger IV, Sliders, The Lost Boys, Friday the 13th, Gremlins, Time After Time)
Will Ferrell b. 1967 (Land of the Lost [2009], Bewitched [2005])
Daryl Mitchell b. 1965 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Galaxy Quest)
Phoebe Cates b. 1963 (Drop Dead Fred, Gremlins 1 and 2)
Faye Grant b. 1957 (The Omen IV: The Awakening, V, Voyager from the Unknown, Voyagers!, The Incredible Hulk, The Greatest American Hero)
Jerry Doyle b. 1956 (Storm Watch, Sliders, Babylon 5)
Ruben Blades b. 1948 (Fear the Walking Dead, The X Files, Preator 2)
Ann Turkel b. 1946 (The Hunger [TV], RoboCop [TV], Highlander [TV], Deep Space, Worlds Beyond, Knight Rider, Death Ray 2000, Humanoids from the Deep)
Richard LeParmentier b. 1946 died 15 April 2013 (Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Superman II, Space: 1999, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Rollerball [1975], The People That Time Forgot)
Jeremy Spenser b. 1937 (Fahrenheit 451, Beauty and the Beast [1952)
Barnard Hughes b. 1916 died 11 July 2006 (The Lost Boys, TRON, Mr. Merlin, The UFO Incident, The Borrowers, Dark Shadows [TV], ‘Way Out)
Sonny Tufts b. 1911 died 4 June 1970 (Cat-Women of the Moon)
Mary Philbin b. 1902 died 7 May 1993 (The Phantom of the Opera [1925])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Will Ferrell is the big star on the list, but he is not iconic in genre, so the Picture Slot has gone in previous years to Jerry Doyle from Babylon 5 and to Pheobe Cates from Drop Dead Fred. This year it goes to the late Richard LeParmentier as the choked General Motti from Star Wars. My favorite meme from this picture is Peter Cushing getting a thought bubble reading "Drama queen!"

2. Spot the Canadian! Yet again, I think the hint that there is only one makes our Canadian spottable my the well-informed public, which certainly describes my loyal readers.

3. Hey, no Star Trek! it is somehow fitting that a shot from a Star Wars film (who are we kidding? THE Star Wars film) is in the Picture Slot on a day when Star Trek has zero love.

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

Movies released
Inception released, 2010
I, Robot released, 2004
 

 Predictor: Andrew Carnegie in 1900, quoted in The Experts Speak

Prediction: To kill a man will be considered as disgusting in the Twentieth Century as we in this day consider it disgusting to eat one.

Reality: In his day, Andrew Carnegie was probably in the top 1% of the top 1% of the top 1%, which is to say one in a million when it comes to being crazy rich, but this is a noble sentiment, even if it is flat out wrong.

Never to be Forgotten: Aubrey Morris 1926-2015 Veteran British character actor Aubrey Morris, shown here in a publicity still from The Prisoner, had died at the age of 89. I have to admit that when an actor plays a very ill person like Morris did in Deadwood last decade, my brain decides he is gone, which wasn't true until today. Besides The Prisoner, Aubrey appeared in genre productions including Mermaid Chronicles Part 1: She Creature, The Others, Legend of the Mummy, Bordello of Blood, Babylon 5, Alien Nation, Beauty and the Beast, Lifeforce, The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy [TV], Space: 1999, A Clockwork Orange and Blood from the Mummy’s Tomb.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Another corker from H.G. Wells.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

15 July 2015

 Birthdays
J. B. Gaynor b. 1990 (Buffy)
Taylor Kinney b. 1981 (The Vampire Diaries)
James Devoti b. 1979 (White Space, Jericho, Heroes)
Lana Parilla b. 1977 (Once Upon a Time, Lost, Spiders)
Diane Kruger b. 1976 (The Host [2013 American movie], Fringe, Mr. Nobody)
Brian Austin Green b. 1973 (Chromeskull: Laid to Rest 2, Monster Heroes, Smallville, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Small Wonder)
Scott Foley b. 1972 (True Blood, The Last Templar)
Reginald C. Hayes b. 1969 (Roswell, Being John Malkovich, Space: Above and Beyond)
Amanda Foreman b. 1966 (Star Trek Into Darkness, Super 8, Star Trek [2009], Future Shock)
Brigitte Nielsen b. 1963 (Galaxis, The Cave of the Golden Rose, Red Sonja)
Joy Smither b.1963 (Mad Max: Fury Road)
Forest Whitaker b. 1961 (Repo Men [2010], The Twilight Zone, Battlefield Earth, Amazing Stories)
Willie Aames b. 1960 (Zapped!, The Wide World of Mystery)
Terry O’Quinn b. 1952 (Falling Skies, 666 Park Avenue, The X-Files, Roswell, Lost, Earth 2, The Rocketeer, SpaceCamp, The Twilight Zone)
Franklyn Seales b. 1952 died 14 May 1990 (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Celia Imrie b. 1952 (Doctor Who, Nanny McPhee, Star Wars Episode I- Yes, That One, The Borrowers, Frankenstein [1994], Highlander)
Jesse Ventura b. 1951 (Batman & Robin, The X Files, Demolition Man, Abraxas, Guardian of the Universe, The Running Man, Predator)
Richard Franklin b. 1948 died 11 July 2007 (director, The Lost World [TV], Beauty and the Beast [TV], Cloak & Dagger)
Jan-Michael Vincent b. 1944 (Jurassic Women, Lethal Orbit, Xtro II, Alienator, Damnation Alley)
Larry Cohen b. 1941 (writer/director, Wicked Stepmother, It’s Alive, A Return to Salem’s Lot, The Stuff, Q)
Patrick Wayne b. 1939 (They Came from Outer Space, Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger, Beyond Atlantis, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Steven Gilborn b. 1936 died 2 January 2009 (Buffy, The Tick, Evolution, Lois & Clark, Beauty and the Beast [TV])
Lee Wallace b. 1930 (Batman [1989], World War III)
Joe Turkel b. 1927 (The Dark Side of the Moon, Blade Runner, The Shining, Land of the Giants, Village of the Giants, Visit to a Small Planet)
Wayne Heffley b. 1927 died 18 November 2008 (King Kong [1976], The Invaders, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Twilight Zone, Adventures of Superman)
Philip Carey b. 1925 died 6 February 2009 (Monster [1980], The Bionic Woman, Kolchak: The Night Stalker)
Robert H. Harris b. 1911 died 30 November 1981 (The Six Million Dollar Man, Holmes and Yo-Yo, Land of the Giants, The Invaders, Bewitched, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Invisible Boy)
Ken Lynch b. 1910 died 13 February 1990 (Battlestar Galactica, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, The Invaders, Star Trek, The Munsters, Twilight Zone, I Married a Monster from Outer Space)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. Today's list is dominated by Oh That Guy actors. Terry O'Quinn became sort of a household name after Lost, and he had the Picture Slot once, as did Ken Lynch, who was never a household name. The person who was almost a movie star if you squint real hard is Brigitte Neilsen, and while she is allegedly physically my type, she fills me with inertia, so no Picture Slot for her. Instead it's Oh That Guy Joe Turkel as the bartender from The Shining. He is the oldest living person on the list but since someone younger than he is died already, he doesn't count as The Guy at the Door.

2. Living Canadian free. I found no Canadian actors in my searches today.

3. MST3K. Our Picture Slot pal Joe Turkel was in Village of the Giants. I was planning to use a picture from that movie for him, but he wasn't considered important enough for a publicity still.

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


Movies released
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince released, 2009
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 released, 2011

Predictor: George Sutherland in his book Twentieth Century Inventions

Prediction: During the twentieth century the proportion of the fruit eaters among the peoples of the great manufacturing countries will be very largely augmented, and this result will be brought about mainly through the instrumentality of methods of keeping perishable produce free from deterioration by maintaining it almost at the freezing point…

Reality: Longtime readers with keen memories will recall how much fruit consumption meant to Sutherland's American contemporary and my personal man crush John Elfreth Watkins. In this case, great minds are heading down the same path.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Thursday is that little break in the week from The Experts Speak where we are pretty much guaranteed some tone deaf silliness, and who doesn't enjoy that?


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

14 July 2015

Birthdays
Sean Flynn b. 1989 (Return of the Killer Shrews, Sliders)
Sarah Canning b. 1987 (The Vampire Diaries, Primeval: New World, Supernatural, Kyle XY, Smallville)
Scott Porter b. 1979 (Caprica, Speed Racer)
Kristy Wright b. 1978 (Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, BeastMaster, The Lost World)
David Mitchell b. 1974 (The Incredible Adventures of Professor Branestawm, Doctor Who)
Matthew Fox b. 1966 (Lost, World War Z, Speed Racer)
Simon Merrells b. 1965 (The Tomorrow People, Judas Ghost, The Wolfman)
Jane Espenson b. 1964 (Writer/producer, Once Upon a Time, Torchwood, Caprica, Battlestar Galactica, Dollhouse, Buffy)
Jackie Earle Haley b. 1961 (RoboCop [2014], Dark Shadows [2012], A Nightmare on Elm Street [2010], Watchmen, Shazam!, Planet of the Apes [TV])
Jane Lynch b. 1960 (Paul, Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events, The X-Files, What Planet Are You From?, 3rd Rock from the Sun)
Vladimir Kulich b. 1956 (Angel, The X-Files, M.A.N.T.I.S., Necromicon: Book of Dead, Highlander)
Joel Silver b. 1952 (producer, The Book of Eli, Splice, Speed Racer, The Invasion, V for Vendetta, Gothika, The Matrix, Thir13en Ghosts, Dungeons & Dragons, House on Haunted Hill, Perversions of Science, Tales from the Crypt, W.E.I.R.D. World, Demolition Man, , Jekyll & Hyde… Together Again, Predator)
Stan Shaw b. 1952 (The X-Files, The Monster Squad)
Sid Haig b. 1939 (Zombex, The Inflicted, Mimesis, Creature, Halloween [2007], Night of the Living Dead 3D, Wizards of the Lost Kingdom II, Werewolf [TV], Amazing Stories, Misfits of Science, Automan, Galaxy of Terror, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, Jason of Star Command, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, The Six Million Dollar Man, Beyond Atlantis, Beware! The Blob, THX 1138, Star Trek, Batman)
Peter Duryea b. 1939 died 24 March 2013 (Star Trek, Bewitched, The Outer Limits)
Roosevelt Grier b. 1932 (The Thing with Two Heads, I Dream of Jeannie)
Polly Bergen b. 1930 died 20 September 2014 (Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde, Making Mr. Right)
Laurie Mitchell b. 1928 (The Addams Family, Missile to the Moon, Queen of Outer Space, Attack of the Puppet People, Adventures of Superman, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea)
Nancy Olsen b. 1928 (Flubber [1997], Son of Flubber, The Absent-Minded Professor)
Harry Dean Stanton b. 1926 (The Avengers, Alice [2009], Alien Autopsy, The Green Mile, Faerie Tale Theatre, UFOria, Repo Man, Escape from New York, Alien)
Charles Pierce b. 1926 died 21 May 1999 (The Butcher’s Wife, Wonder Woman)
Hugh Gillin b. 1925 died 4 May 2004 (Quantum Leap, Back to the Future III, Doin’ Time on Planet Earth, Amazing Stories, V, Knight Rider, The Greatest American Hero, Mork & Mindy, The Six Million Dollar Man)
Dale Robertson b. 1923 died 27 February 2013 (Son of Sinbad)
John Paxton b. 1920 died 17 November 2011 (Spider-Man 1, 2, and 3, Brain Dead)
Terry-Thomas b. 1911 died 8 January 1990 (Dr. Phibes Rises Again, The Abominable Dr. Phibes, 2000 Years Later, Munster, Go Home!, tom thumb)
Zita Johann b. 1904 died 20 September 1993 (The Mummy [1932])
George Tobias b. 1901 died 27 February 1980 (Tabitha, Bewitched)
Martha Mansfield b. 1899 died 30 November 1923 (Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde [1920])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, I had Jackie Earle Haley from Watchmen and Harry Dean Stanton from Alien. Barring repeats from those gentlemen, the choices come down to Oh That Guys, writers and one TV star, Matthew Fox from Lost. I have to say with some pride that I gave up on Lost  rather early on because I was completely convinced they were just making shit up as they went along, and judging from the general hate for the last episode, I'm going to do the unethical and give myself a grade of Absolutely Fucking Correct.

Let me also say that Mr. Fox is not to blame for suck-ass writing.

2. Spot the Canadian! If I tell you that there is just one Canadian, I think this is enough info for the readers to do the spotting. Knock yourselves out.

3. Nepotism not so much. Like with Steve McQueen's grandson, I'm going to say that being Errol Flynn's grandson has not made that much of a difference in Sean Flynn's career.

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

Movies released
The Sorcerer’s Apprentice released, 2010
I Am Legend released, 2007
 

Predictor: John Langdon-Davies in his 1936 book A Short History of the Future

Prediction: By 1975, parents will have ceased to bring up their children in family units.

Reality: Looking up his personal life, I find references to him getting married in 1918 and losing a scholarship because of it, but not to any children or a divorce. I thought this might be the prediction of a lifelong bachelor, but I'll have to find another reason for him being this dense about how much people love their kids. 

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

For me, Wednesday is that calm break in the week for our sensible friend from the Victorian era, George Sutherland. 

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

13 July 2015

 Birthdays
Leo Howard b. 1997 (Conan the Barbarian [2011], G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)
Matt Weinberg b. 1990 (FreakyLinks, X-Men)
Colton Haynes b. 1988 (San Andreas, Arrow, Teen Wolf)
Steven R. McQueen b. 1988 (The Vampire Diaries, Piranha 3D, Minutemen, Threshold)
Chris Sheffield b. 1988 (The Last Ship, The Maze Runner, Transformers: Dark of the Moon)
Michael Mando b. 1981 (Orphan Black, The Colony, Lost Girl)
Fran Kranz b. 1981 (Bloodsucking Bastards, The Cabin in the Woods, Dollhouse, The Village, Donnie Darko)
Ashley Scott n. 1977 (Jericho, Lost, Birds of Prey, Dark Angel, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Ken Jeong b. 1969 (Transformers: Dark of the Moon, Vampires Suck)
Robert Gant b. 1968 (The Tomorrow People)
Peter Buchman b. 1967 (writer, Eragon, Jurassic Park III)
David X. Cohen b. 1966 (writer/producer, Futurama)
Kenny Johnson b. 1963 (Smallville, The Huntress, Blade, Sliders, The Burning Zone)
Michael Jace b. 1962 (Planet of the Apes [2001], Strange Days, Deep Space Nine)
Lance E. Nichols b. 1955 (The Fantastic Four [2015], Left Behind, American Horror Story, The Haunting in Connecticut 2: Ghosts of Georgia, Creature, Swamp Shark, Green Lantern, Benjamin Button, Charmed, Buffy, Firestarter 2: Rekindled, The Invisible Man, K-PAX, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Alien Nation [TV], Project X, Amazing Stories, Twilight Zone [1985])
Gil Birmingham b. 1953 (Twilight, NightMan, Buffy, House II)
Rosemary Dunsmore b. 1952 (Orphan Black, Red: Werewolf Hunter, Lost Girl, ReGenesis, Poltergeist: The Legacy, Last Exit to Earth, RoboCop [TV], Total Recall [1990], Beauty and the Beast [1989 TV], Twilight Zone [1988])
Cheech Marin b. 1946 (Lost, Planet Terror, Spy Kids, From Dusk Till Dawn, Ghostbusters II)
Harrison Ford b. 1942 (Star Wars, Indiana Jones, The Age of Adaline, Ender’s Game, Cowboys & Aliens, Blade Runner)
Robert Forster b. 1941 (Heroes, Dragon Wars: D-War, Alligator, The Black Hole)
Sir Patrick Stewart b. 1940 (X-Men, The Wolverine, Ted, Star Trek, Lifeforce, Dune, Excalibur)
David Westburg b. 1940 (The Amazing Captain Nemo, Once Upon a Brothers Grimm, Logan’s Run, Genesis II, Blacula)
Bob Crane b. 1929 died 29 June 1978 (Twilight Zone)
Rene Laloux b. 1929 died 14 March 2004 (director, Gandahar, Time Masters, Fantastic Planet)
Sidney Blackmer b. 1895 died 6 October 1973 (Rosemary’s Baby, The Outer Limits)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot(s). July 13th is one of those fairly easy decisions. You can argue for someone other than Sir Patrick Stewart or Harrison Ford, but I'm not listening. This year, I put them both up. These guys not only represent the two pillars of modern on-screen sci-fi, Star Trek and Star Wars, but they also have other iconic genre roles and successful careers even if you don't count their genre stuff. Nobody else here comes close.

2. Spot the Canadians! Usually, the Supernatural/Smallville daily double tells us we've got Canadians, but today it's the Orphan Black/Lost Girl pairing. Michael Mando and Rosemary Dunsmore are our pals from north of the border.

3. The Guys at the Door. The oldest living guys on the list just turned 75, the aforementioned Sir Patrick Stewart and the hard working David Westburg. While that is way too young to be The Guys at the Door, that's how this randomness works sometimes.

4. Nepotism more of less. Steven R. McQueen is the grandson of Coolest Person Ever Steve McQueen, but he was born eight years after his grand-dad died, so I don't know if it should count as nepotism.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, especially Sir Patrick Stewart and David Westburg, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

Predictor: The OMNI Future Almanac, published in 1982.

Prediction: The most visible educational development of the 1980s will be the widespread introduction of automated teaching devices that marry the medium of the videodisc to the microcomputer. Such systems will permit massive amounts of audio-visual information to be introduced to students at their own rate of learning.

Reality: Picking the laserdisc as the way of the future in 1982 is just as obvious as can be and dead fucking wrong at the same time. If I'm being generous, it's not unlike people thinking the pneumatic tube would be ubiquitous or our sensible friend George Sutherland thinking the internal combustion engine had too many drawbacks to ever be fixed.

But I'm not being generous. I love pneumatic tubes and George Sutherland's mistake are always forgiven, while laserdiscs in particular are complete junk in my book and I have bad memories of Philips deciding (briefly) they were going to enforce the patents they held on the CD-ROM. I'm glad the Internet swept that nonsense away, most especially Philips' blackmail threat.  

Looking on day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

How are you fixed for Commie predictions? Well, even if you are topped off, we get another one tomorrow from John Langdon-Davies, Commie!

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE! 

12 July 2015

 Birthdays
Vivienne Jolie-Pitt b. 2008 (Maleficent)
Erik Per Sullivan b. 1991 (Wendigo, Armageddon)
Phoebe Tonkin b. 1989 (The Originals, The Vampire Diaries, The Secret Circle, H2O: Just Add Water)
Melissa O’Neil b. 1988 (Dark Matter)
Mikaela Hoover b. 1984 (Zombie Basement, Guardians of the Galaxy)
Natalie Martinez b. 1984 (Self/less, Under the Dome, Death Race)
Walter Perez b. 1982 (The Avengers)
Kristen Connolly b. 1980 (The Whispers, The Cabin in the Woods, The Happening)
Michelle Rodriguez b. 1978 (Resident Evil: Retribution, Battle Los Angeles, Lost, Avatar, BloodRayne, Resident Evil)
Topher Grace b. 1978 (Interstellar, Predators, Spider-Man 3)
Steve Howey b. 1977 (Stan Helsing, Ctrl)
Anna Friel b. 1976 (Neverland [TV], Land of the Lost [2009], Pushing Daisies, Bathory: Countess of Blood)
Phil Lord b. 1975 (writer/director, The Lego Movie, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Clone High)
Jaason Simmons b. 1970 (Sharknado, Frankenstein & the Werewolf Reborn!, Frankenstein Reborn!)
Byung-hun Lee b. 1970 (Terminator: Genisys, G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra)
Tamsin Greig b. 1966 (Doctor Who, Neverwhere, Shaun of the Dead)
Charlie Murphy b. 1959 (Frankenhood, Mattie Fresno and the Holoflux Universe, Night at the Museum)
Mel Harris b. 1956 (Stargate SG-1)
Jamey Sheridan b. 1951 (Arrow, The Stand)
Cheryl Ladd b. 1951 (Charmed, Millennium, The Fantastic Journey)
Brian Grazer b. 1951 (writer, Splash)
Jay Thomas b. 1948 (Horrorween, Dragonfly, C.H.U.D.)
Edwin Neal b. 1945 (Halloween: Harvest of Souls 1985, Power Rangers, Knight Rider 2000, Future-Kill)
Denise Nicholas b. 1944 (Ghost Dad, Blacula)
Bill Cosby b. 1937 (The Meteor Man, Ghost Dad, Journey Back to Oz [TV])
Gordon Pinsent b. 1930 (Relic Hunter, Ray Bradbury Theatre, Blacula, Colossus: The Forbin Project)
Kathy Staff b. 1928 died 13 December 2008 (Mary Reilly)
James Gunn b. 1923 (writer, The Immortal, This Fortress World)
Buckminster Fuller b. 1895 died 1 July 1983 (inventor)
Cheerio Meredith b. 1890 died 25 December 1964 (The Wonderful World of the Brothers Grimm, The Three Stooges in Orbit)
Edgar Stehli b. 1884 died 25 July 1973 (Seconds, Atlantis, the Lost Continent, Twilight Zone, 4D Man)
Tod Browning b. 1880 died 6 October 1962 (director, The Devil-Doll, Mark of the Vampire, Dracula [1933])

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, the Picture Slot went to Michelle Rodriguez from Lost and Jamey Sheridan from The Stand. This year, I decided to remind folks that 51 years, Time magazine wanted to let its readers known that Bucky Fuller was the future. Living in their future, I would have to say... not so much.

2. Spot the Canadians! There is little likelihood you can spot the Canadians from the credit lists today. Melissa O'Neill has only one credit and Gordon Pinsent has some Canuck-fi credits, but he's old enough to have work before his home and native land had its production boom.

3. Nepotism FTW. Vivienne Jolie-Pitt is in her one movie playing a scene opposite her mom. Charlie Murphy is the brother of Eddie Murphy and that definitely was how he got his start, though now he best known for Charlie Murphy's True Hollywood Stories.

4. Hey... no Star Trek! I can promise we will NOT be using this label tomorrow.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, except for the guy who needs to be shipped off to Monster Island, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.


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

Predictor: Robert A. Heinlein in his 1957 book The Door Into Summer

Prediction: At the dental-supply house I bought ten kilograms of gold, isotope 197, in the form of fourteen-gauge wire. I paid $86.10 a kilo for it.

Reality: This scene takes place in 2000, when gold was selling for $9,000 per kg.There's missing a numerical prediction and there's missing by two orders of magnitude. Ouch.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

For me, the great comfort of Mondays is knowing the OMNI Future Almanac is waiting for me.
 
Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

11July 2015

Birthdays
Kelsey Sanders b. 1990 (10,000 Days, Wizards of Waverly Place)
David Henrie b. 1989 (Wizards of Waverly Place, Monster Makers)
Rachael Taylor b. 1984 (666 Park Avenue, Transformers, Man-Thing)
Serinda Swan b. 1984 (The Tomorrow People, Creature, TRON: Legacy, Supernatural, Smallville, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief, Reaper, Beyond Loch Ness)
Hailey Dawn Birnie b. 1982 (Supernatural, Level Up, Smallville, Monster Warriors, Ultra)
Jonjo O’Neill b. 1978 (Constantine, Doctor Who)
Michael Rosenbaum b. 1972 (Smallville)
Greg Grunberg b. 1966 (Star Wars: Episode VII – The Force Awakens, Big Ass Spider!, End of the World, Super 8, Heroes, Lost, Stephen King’s Dead Zone, Hollow Man, Frankenstein: The College Years)
Greg Mottola b. 1964 (director, Paul)
Lisa Rinna b. 1963 (Nick Fury: Agent of Shield [TV movie 1998], Robot Wars)
Mark Lester b. 1958 (Farhenheit 451, Spaceflight IC-1: An Adventure in Space)
Sela Ward b. 1956 (The Day After Tomorrow)
Mindy Sterling b. 1953 (UFOria)
Stephen Lang b. 1952 (Avatar, Salem, Terra Nova, Conan the Barbarian [2011], Project X)
Tim De Zam b. 1952 (The Cabin in the Woods, Lost, Spider-Man, Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space Nine, Alien Nation: The Udara Legacy, Tales from the Crypt: Demon Knight, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Quantum Leap)
Bruce McGill b. 1950 (No Ordinary Family, Deep Core. Area 57, Star Trek: Voyager, Babylon 5, Timecop, Quantum Leap, Tales from the Crypt, The Man Who Fell to Earth [TV])
Tom Holland b. 1943 (director, Twisted Tales [TV], Thinner, The Langoliers, Amazing Stories, Fright Night)
John Stride b. 1936 (The Omen, Once Upon a Time)
Tab Hunter b. 1931 (The Six Million Dollar Man, Damn Yankees!)
David Kelly b. 1929 died 12 February 2012 (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Merlin of the Crystal Cave, Stardust, Whoops Apocalypse)
Yul Brynner b. 1920 died 10 October 1985 (Futureworld, Westworld, The Ultimate Warrior)
Cordwainer Smith b. 1913 died 6 August 1966 (Author, The Instrumentality of Mankind)

Notes from the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, Michael Rosenbaum from Smallville was used in the Picture Slot because a good Lex Luthor is always iconic and Sela Ward from The Day After Tomorrow, not quite so iconic but I do feel somewhat virtuous lusting after women my own age. This year it's the late Yul Brynner, who was definitely iconic in Westworld, playing a rip-off of his iconic character in The Magnificent Seven. As you can see, the big selling point on almost all the posters was a picture that made it clear "Yul Brynner is a freaking robot!"

And oh yeah, that font they use for WESTWORLD. Back in the 1960s and 1970s, that font just screamed "This is the future!". It is the extension of the MICR e13b font used for numbers on checks and my copy of Word doesn't have it available at all.

Sorry, people from the 1970s. This is the future calling and we like you to take your font back.


2. Spot the Canadians! As a tell-tale sign, showing up on both Smallville  and Supernatural is a pretty indication of Canadian birth, and that is true for our two young Canadians today, Serinda Swan and Hailey Dawn Birnie. On the other hand, being a regular on one of the Canuck sci-fi series is not a proof of Canadian origin, and Michael Rosenbaum was born in New York City.

3. The Guy at the Door. Yul Brynner died at 65 thirty years ago, which was not all that young at the time, though fairly young by today's standards. In any case, we have one of those lists where everyone younger the the oldest living person on the list is also still alive, which means 84 year old dreamy dreamboat Tab Hunter is the Guy at the Door. It is the standard operating procedure of the blog to send special birthday wishes to anyone who is in this random demographic position.

Many happy returns to all the living on the list, most especially dreamy dreamboat Tab Hunter, and to the dead, thanks for all the memories.

Movies released
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes released, 2014
Journey to the Center of the Earth released, 2008
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix released, 2007
 
 

Predictor: Morris L. Ernst in his 1955 book Utopia 1976

Prediction: The matrix of our communal existence by 1976 will have shifted from elected officials to many millions of people united in a common purpose for the better park, playground, sewer system or art gallery of their city.

Reality: Or maybe even forcing the states to stop giving formal approval to the racist symbols of America's darkest era.

Oh, wait, that's 2015, not 1976. My bad.

Regular readers know that I chide Mr. Ernst almost always, but let me say that his view that Americans would have more leisure was noble, unlike Jeb Bush's idea that American workers should show some pride and work longer hours to sustain 4% growth rate. It would be nice if the American government would show some pride and give us a health care system that brought our life expectancy and infant mortality numbers in line with all the rest of the industrialized world, but we haven't and if we elect Republicans, we never will.

I say this to apologize to Mr. Enrst and hope that no Republican becomes president in 2016.

 

Never to be Forgotten: Roger Rees 1944-2015 Welsh actor Roger Rees has died at the age of 71 after a brief illness. His first big break was in the lead role of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickelby, an eight hour play based on one of Dickens' lesser known novels. Theatergoers had to go to the theater for two nights to see the whole play and it became a huge hit in both London and New York. On the strength of that performance, Rees was cast in his first genre film, the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott as Scrooge. Rees played the nephew Fred Holywell (pictured here) and was also the narrator. Appearance in other genre productions include Forever, Warehouse 13, The Invasion, The Prestige, Veritas: The Quest, The Scorpion King and M.A.N.T.I.S. His best known role in the U.S. is probably playing Robin Colcord on Cheers.

As a math guy, I really hate the myth of the Rule of Threes about celebrity obits, but there is not question that sometimes obituaries come in flurries. Rees is the sixth person to get a Never to be Forgotten mention on the blog this week. I certainly hope he is the last for a while, but there are no promises.

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

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

 We get another guess for Robert A. Heinlein about the state of ate 20th Century technology.


Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

10 July 2015

 Birthdays
Hector David Jr. b 1989 (Power Rangers Samurai, Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief)
Wyatt Russell b. 1986 (The Walking Dead: Webisodes, Cowboys & Aliens, Solider, Escape from L.A.)
Thomas Ian Nicolas b. 1980 (Halloween: Resurrection, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court, Harry and the Hendersons [TV])
Jeremy Ray Valdez b. 1980 (Constantine, The Nightmare Room)
Adam Croasdell b.1980 (Supernatural, Dark Realm)
Lucy Gaskell b. 1980 (Misfits, Being Human, Vampire Killers, Doctor Who, Dungeons & Dragons: Wrath of the Dragon God)
Adrian Grenier b. 1976 (Goodbye World, A.I. Artificial Intelligence)
Chiwetel Ejiofor b. 1977 (Doctor Strange, The Martian, 2012, Children of Men, Serenity)
Peter Serafinowicz b. 1972 (Guardians of the Galaxy, Shaun of the Dead, Star Wars: Episode I – The One We Don’t Mention, Jack and the Beanstalk [TV 1998])
Jamie Glover b. 1969 (An Adventure in Space and Time, Jupiter Moon)
Fiona Shaw b. 1958 (True Blood, Harry Potter, Super Mario Bros.)
Sue Lyon b. 1946 (Alligator, The Astral Factor, The End of the World)
Ron Glass b. 1945 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Serenity, Firefly, Star Trek: Voyager, Deep Space, The Twilight Zone [1985])
Robert Pine b.1941 (The Event, Journeyman, Star Trek: Enterprise, Black Scorpion, Star Trek: Voyager, Indepencdence Day, Quantum Leap, ALF, Knight Rider, Empire of the Ants, Munster, Go Home!)
Lawrence Pressman b. 1939 (Dr. Dolittle 2, Dark Angel, The X-Files, Mighty Joe Young [1999], Deep Space Nine, Man from Atlantis, Tucker’s Witch)
Tura Satana b. 1938 died 4 February 2011 (The Astro Zombies)
Nick Adams b. 1931 died 7 February 1968 (Mission Mars, Invasion of Astro-Monster, Monster of Terror, Frankenstein Conquers the World, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Outer Limits)
Susan Cummings b. 1930 (Twilight Zone)
George Clayton Johnson b. 1929 (writer, Logan’s Run, Star Trek, Twilight Zone)
William Smithers b. 1927 (The Amazing Spider-Man [TV], The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek, The Invaders, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea)
Fred Gwynne b. 1926 died 2 July 1993 (Pet Sematary, The Mysterious Stranger, Harvey [1972 TV], The Munsters)
Earl Hamner Jr. b. 1923 (writer, The Invaders, Twilight Zone)
Joe Shuster b. 1914 died 30 July 1992 (writer/artist, Superman)
Thomas Gomez b. 1905 died 18 June 1971 (Beneath the Planet of the Apes, Bewitched, Twilight Zone)
John Wyndam b. 1903 died 11 March 1969 (author, Day of the Triffids, the Midwich Cuckoos)
Nikola Tesla b. 1856 died 7 January 1943 (inventor/writer)

Notes on the birthday list.
1. The Picture Slot. In previous years, The Slot went to Peter Serafinowicz for being the voice of Darth Maul and Ron Glass as Shepherd Book on Serenity and Firefly. I truly love the work of Chiwetel Ejiofor in Children of Men and Serenity, but instead, for personal reasons, I went with Fred Gwynne out of the make-up that makes him iconic as Herman Munster.

Ever since I was a kid, I felt sorry for typecast actors, and for Fred Gwynne more than most. We can look at his picture and say he is not movie star pretty - see below for further proof - but he had a remarkable talent. I was really stunned by how good he was in drama when I saw him in Clifford Odet's Paradise Lost on PBS in the early 1970s, and in the late 1980s movie Ironweed, starring Meryl Streep and Jack Nicholson and featuring Tom Waits, I was blown away by how beautiful his baritone voice was. The thing a suburban kid in California couldn't know was how much Broadway loved Fred Gwynne. He was a working actor his entire life. He didn't need my pity, but he certainly deserved my admiration and love.

2. Wait... he's alive? Earl Hamner's most famous work is as the creator of The Waltons, but he also wrote some genre as well. Because we have people who died very young like Nick Adams and relatively young like Fred Gwynne, Hamner is not the Guy at the Door, but I do want to show my respects to Mr. Hamner and hope him many happy returns.

3. Nepotism FTW. Regular commenter Jay M. points out that Wyatt Russell is the son of Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn.

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 1901 book Anticipations

Prediction: In the present Empire of Germany there are no other great figures to balance the Imperial personage, and I do not see how other great figures are likely to arise.

Reality: I was reading an essay recently that re-told many stories about Kaiser Wilhelm being a Donald Trump sized asshole. I'm going to give Herbert a pass that he didn't foresee the rise of Hitler thirty after he published this book.

Never to be Forgotten: Omar Sharif 1932-2015

Movie star pretty. See Omar Sharif.

Like most honest to Odin movie stars from the 1950s and 1960s, Sharif didn't make any genre until later in his career, He is pictured here as Captain Nemo from the 1973 version of The Mysterious Island and he played a sorcerer in 1996 version of Gulliver's Travels. Commenter Jay M. also nominates Oh Heavenly Dog as genre, but like with angel stories, I'm idiosyncratic about what I count and what I don't with these type of films.


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


Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Saturday means a visit from our (overly) optimistic pal Morris Ernst and his book Utopia 1976.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!