12 April 2014

 Birthdays
Saoirse Ronan b. 1994 (How to Catch a Monster, The Host)
Brooklyn Decker b. 1987 (Battleship)
Jennifer Morrison b. 1979 (Once Upon a Time, Star Trek [reboot], The Chronicle)
Claire Danes b. 1979 (Stardust, Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines, Princess Mononoke)
Marley Shelton b. 1974 (The Lottery, Dark Shadows [TV movie], Sin City, Pleasantville, Warriors of Virtue, Hercules in the Underworld)
Shannen Doherty b. 1971 (Charmed, Category 7: The End of the World)
Nicholas Brendon b. 1971 (Buffy, Demon Island, Psycho Beach Party)
Kelly Donovan b. 1971 (Buffy)
Michael Wiseman b. 1967 (The X-Files, Planet of the Apes, Star Trek: Voyager, Perversions of Science, Predator 2)
Tracy Torme b. 1959 (writer, Carnivale, Odyssey 5, Sliders, Star Trek: the Next Generation)
Tom Noonan b. 1951 (The Astronaut’s Wife The X-Files, Last Action Hero, RoboCop 2, The Monster Squad, Wolfen)
Tom Clancy b. 1947 died 1 Oct 2013 (author, Tom Clancy’s Net Source, The Sum of All Fears)
Ed O’Neill b, 1946 (The 10th Kingdom, W.E.I.R.D. World)
Charles Napier b. 1936 died 5 October 2011 (One Eyed Monster, The 4400, Dinocroc, Alien Species, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Lois & Clark, Frogtown II, Future Zone, Alien from the Deep, The Incredible Hulk, Deep Space, Star Trek)
Alvin Sargent b. 1927 (screenwriter, Spider-Man 2 and 3)

Last year in the Picture Slot it was Nicholas Brendon and his twin brother Kelly Donovan. Nick was Xander on Buffy and Kelly was sometimes his double. But this year I went with Oh That Guy actor Charles Napier, with a picture of him from the "Planet O' Hippies" episode of Star Trek. (Regular watchers will remember the "Planet o'" episodes: Planet O' Gangsters, Planet O' Hippies, Planet O' Cowboys, Planet O' Nazis, etc.) I didn't know that Charles Napier was in a mess of Russ Meyer movies, which I found out doing research on imdb.com. Later in his career he plays a lot of gruff cops and military men. The other surprise was Alvin Sargent working on the Spider-Man movies. He is best known for his screenplays from the 1960s and 1970s, none of them genre, including The Sterile Cuckoo, Paper Moon, Bobby Deerfield and Ordinary People.

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

Predictor: William Eleroy Curtis, writer, asked to comment on the 20th Century in honor of the 1893 Columbian Exhibition held in Chicago.

Prediction: The manifest destiny of the United States is to dominate the American hemisphere. This will  be accomplished not by political intrigue, not by diplomatic negotiations, not by force of arms, not by the annexation of territory and not by the establishment of protectorates, but by the influence of example and by commercial relations.

Reality: First things first. Lovely beard.

And then there's the prediction. The United States does dominate the hemisphere and quite a bit of the other hemisphere as well.

If he had stopped at that first sentence, it would have been a big win. But all those things we weren't gonna have to do to accomplish the feat? We did all of them.

A lot.

Sorry, Mr. Curtis, influence and commerce are all well and good, but sometimes you have to cut corners, hit somebody upside their head and take their shit.

You know, just to speed things along.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

It's gonna be Sunday already, the day to sleep in, make a nice breakfast and get on the computer to read about nuclear war.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

11 April 2014

Birthdays
Marcus Johns b. 1993 (The Punisher)
Dakota Blue Richards b. 1994 (The Golden Compass)
Kelli Garner b. 1984 (Buffy)
Tricia Helfer b. 1974 (Battlestar Galactica, Bloodwork, No Ordinary Family, Warehouse 13, Supernatural, Them [2007], Jeremiah)
Jennifer Esposito b. 1973 (Dracula 2000)
Jerry Becker b. 1951 (Charmed, Spider-Man, Angel, The Cell, Mystery Men)
Bill Irwin b. 1950 (Interstellar, lady in the Water, Third Rock from the Sun)
John Milius b. 1944 (writer/director, Conan the Barbarian)
Joel Grey b. 1932 (Warehouse 13, Buffy, Star Trek: Voyager)

Okay, I'll say it. This is a short list. When it comes to iconic roles and the Pretty Girl = Picture Slot rule, Tricia Helfer dominates this group, much in the same way she dominates certain areas of my brain. I might go with Joel Grey from Buffy one of these days just because I'm such a Whedonverse nerd, but don't hold me to that.

'Cos she's purdy.

Many happy returns to the living on the list, and to the dead... wait a second!

Nobody's dead!

Yay! Let's keep it that way, folks!

Predictor: Dr. Paul Ehrlich in The Population Bomb, published 1968

Prediction: Scenario #1
1972: War in Thailand

Jan. 1973: China sends troops to Thailand

U.S. uses tactical nukes on Chinese air bases

China retaliates with five dirty bombs from subs sending fallout on the West Coast, 100,000,000 deaths

Reality: I cannot overstress how much Ehrlich's book sucks when he gets to specific dates. I may get labeled a concern troll when it comes to doomsday scenarios about current problems like climate change, but here is my defense.

There is no "believing" in climate change, much in the same way there is no "believing" in evolution or a heliocentric solar system. These things are real and anyone telling you otherwise is selling something, and what they sell isn't in your best interests.

I am not a climate change skeptic. I am a prediction skeptic and regular readers will understand why.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Back to 1893, an era of bold optimism and facial hair.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

10 April 2014

 Birthdays
AJ Michalka b. 1991 (Super 8, Birds of Prey)
Alex Pettyfer b. 1990 (In Time, Beastly, I Am Number Four)
Haley Joel Osment b. 1988 (A.I. Artificial Intellignce, The Sixth Sense)
Jamie Renee Smith b. 1987 (True Blood, VR.5, Dark Skies)
Mandy Moore b. 1984 (Southland Tales)
Ryan Merriman b. 1983 (Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader, Final Destination 3, The Ring Two, Veritas: The Quest, Smallville, Taken, Halloween: Resurrection, Rocket’s Red Glare)
Jamie Chung b. 1983 (Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, Once Upon a Time, Sucker Punch)
Charlie Hunnam b. 1980 (Pacific Rim, Children of Men)Orlando Jones b. 1968 (Sleepy Hollow, Cirque du Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant, Pushing Daisies, Primeval, The Time Machine, Evolution, Bedazzled)
Brad William Henke b. 1966 (Pacific Rim, Grimm, Lost)
Jeb Stuart Adams b, 1961 (They Live, Once Bitten)
Peter MacNicol b. 1954 (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Battleship, Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law, Baby Geniuses, Dracula: Dead and Loving It, Addams Family Values, Ghostbusters II, Dragonslayer)
Jim Burns b. 1948 (artist)
Hari Rhodes b. 1932 (The Powers of Matthew Star, Beyond Westworld, The Bionic Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Conquest of the Planet of the Apes, Earth II, The Satan Bug)
Max Von Sydow b. 1929 (Branded, The Wolfman, Solomon Kane, Minority Report, What Dreams May Come, Judge Dredd, Needful Things, Until the End of the World, Dune, The Ice Pirates, Conan the Barbarian, Flash Gordon, The Exorcist II: The Heretic, The Exorcist)Lee Bergere b. 1924 died 321 Jan. 2007 (Time Trackers, Wonder Woman, The Six Million Dollar Man, Star Trek, Mr. Terrific, My Favorite Martian, The Addams Family, The Munsters)
Chuck Connors b. 1921 died 10 November 1992 (Werewolf, Day of Resurrection, The Six Million Dollar Man, Soylent Green, Adventures of Superman [TV])

Last year, the Picture Slot went to Max von Sydow. In terms of iconic roles, only Haley Joel Osment is his match on this list. There are a lot of Pretty Girl = Picture Slot choices, but instead I went with the artist Jim Burns, a very prolific artist of covers for books and magazines. Lee Bergere is one of those hard working actors who make good trivia questions for hardcore trivia geeks, but I wouldn't have recognized his name on imdb.com except that he played Lincoln on an episode of the original Star Trek.

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

In the year 2000!

Predictor: Lee de Forest, "The Father of Radio", predicting the world of 2000 in the 17 January 1960 edition of the Sunday supplement American Weekly.

Prediction: Passenger-carrying helicopters (helibuses) will take you up and over congestion, turning the sky into radar-controlled, multilevel highways which, incidentally, will be much less costly than those on the ground. Inexpensive private airplanes equipped for vertical take-off and landing also will fill the air.

Reality: Dr. de Forest did so well predicting communications breakthroughs, but when it comes to transportation, it's all flying cars and helibuses. I know it's our dream of the future, but the reality is getting airborne and getting back on the ground for short trips eats up a lot of fuel and takes a lot of training. De Forest has a few more predictions about the future of transportation and they all suffer from the twin sins of being run of the mill and completely innaccurate.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

Speaking of inaccurate predictions, it's time to hear again from our Friday regular Paul Ehrlich.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

9 April 2014

 Birthdays
Isaac Hempstead Wright b. 1999 (Game of Thrones)
Elle Fanning b. 1998 (Maleficent, Super 8, The Lost Room)
Kristen Stewart b. 1990 (Snow White and the Huntsman, Twilight, Jumper, Zathura: A Space Adventure)
Lili Mirojnick b. 1984 (Grimm, Cloverfield)
Jay Baruchel b. 1982 (RoboCop, This is the End, Being Human, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian, The Worst Witch, Are You Afraid of the Dark?, Matthew Blackheart: Monster Smasher)
Cynthia Nixon b. 1966 (The Outer Limits, Addams Family Values, The Manhattan Project)
Mark Pellegrino b. 1965 (The Tomorrow People, Being Human, Revolution, Grimm, Supernatural, Lost, NYPD 2069, Astronauts, The X-Files, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Knight Rider 2010)
Fred Dekker b. 1959 (writer, Star Trek: Enterprise, RoboCop 3, The Monster Squad, House I and II)
Dennis Quaid b. 1954 (Legion, Pandorum, G.I. Joe: the Rise of Cobra, The Day After Tomorrow, DragonHeart, Wilder Napalm, Innerspace, Dreamscape, The Right Stuff, Jaws 3-D)
Marty Krofft b. 1937 (producer, Land of the Lost, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Wonderbug, Dr, Shrinker, The Krofft Supershow, Far Out Space Nuts, The Lost Saucer, Sigmund and the Sea Monsters, The Bugaloos, Lidsville, H.R. Pufnstuf)
Aubrey Woods b. 1928 died 7 May 2013 (Blakes 7, Z.P.G., Doctor Who, Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, The Abominable Dr. Phibes)
Michael Ward b. 1909 died 8 November 1997 (Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell)

In honor of Game of Thrones coming back on the air, the Picture Slot goes to young Isaac Hempstead Wright, who plays Bran Stark. This is a shot from the first episode where we meet the Stark clan, including Jon Snow, also in the picture, Ned Stark's bastard who knows nothing. Quite often, the youngest names on the list have done a lot of work I haven't seen, but the three actors under 30, Wright, Fanning and Stewart, are three of the best known faces on the list, ranking with TV star Cynthia Nixon and movie star Dennis Quaid. Marty Krofft's face isn't well known, but some of his creations will not leave my memory no matter how hard I try.

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

Predictor: T. Baron Russell in One Hundred Years Hence, published 1905

Prediction: We must have, instead of moving pictures, something which represents all objects as solid. The difference is the difference between an ordinary photograph and a highly-improved stereoscopic picture magnified to life-size. When these advantages are attained it will be possible to represent, exactly as it happened, any event which has been suitably photographed.

Reality: 3-D pictures certainly exist, as do 3-D movies. The most recent development that meets his "any event which has been suitably photographed" criterion is the 360 degree camera work that is used in replays of sporting events, most notably basketball. I give him full marks here. Nicely done, Mr. Russell.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

 Our Thursday regular Lee de Forest moves away from his field of expertise in communications and predicts the future of transportation, with less stellar results.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!

8 April 2014

 Birthdays
Gabriella Wilde b. 1989 (Carrie, Doctor Who)
Kristen Storms b. 1984 (Zenon: Girl of the 21st Century)
Taylor Kitsch b. 1981 (Battleship, John Carter, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, The Covenant, Kyle XY)
Katee Sackhoff b. 1980 (Oculus, The Big Bang Theory, Battlestar Galactica, Bionic Woman)
Rachel Roberts b, 1978 (The Host, In Time, FlashForward, S1m0ne)
Emma Caulfield b. 1973 (TIMER, Buffy, Darkness Falls, Weird Science [TV])
Robin Wright b. 1966 (Beowulf, Unbreakable, The Princess Bride)
Jim Piddock b. 1956 (Touch, Dollhouse, The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising, Epic Movie, The Prestige, Lost, Angel, From the Earth to the Moon, Independence Day, Multiplicity, The Twilight Zone [1986])
Tim Thomerson b. 1946 (Trancers, The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde [2006], Sliders, Lois & Clark, Xena, Dollman, Cherry 2000, Twilight Zone [1986], Zone Troopers, Metal Storm: The Destruction of Jared Syn, Jekyll and Hyde… Together Again, Quark)
Jack O’Halloran b. 1943 (Superman I and II, King Kong [1976])
Douglas Trumbull b. 1942 (director, Brainstorm, Silent Running)
Edward Mulhare b. 1923 died 24 May 1997 (Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica [1979], The Ghost & Mrs. Muir, The Outer Limits)

Last year, the Picture Slot went to Katee Sackhoff from Battlestar Galactica, this year it's Emma Caulfield in her terrifying bunny costume from Buffy. The list is certainly not lacking in fabulous babes, and Jack O'Halloran's role as the Kryptonian villain Non from the Christopher Reeve Superman movies also counts as iconic.

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

Predictors: ESPN panel of experts

Prediction: The teams that will be in the Major League Baseball playoffs in 2014.

American League division champions and wild card teams in parentheses:
Red Sox, (Rays), Tigers, Athletics, (Rangers)

National League division champions and wild card teams in parentheses:
Nationals, (Braves), Cardinals, (Pirates) , Dodgers

Reality: As with all predictions that will come to pass one way or another within the year, I will come back to report on this at the end of the season.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

T. Baron Russell returns with more insight about 2000 from 1905.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

7 April 2014

Birthdays
Ed Speleers b. 1988 (Love Bite, Witchville, Eragon)
Jack Johnson b. 1987 (Lost in Space)
Kyle Labine b. 1983 (Lost Girl, V, Reaper, Ogre, Flash Gordon, Supernatural, Freddy vs. Jason, Halloween: Resurrection, Goosebumps, My Secret Identity)
Jace Alexander b. 1964 (director, The Tomorrow People, Warehouse 13, Xena)
Russell Crowe b. 1964 (Man of Steel, Virtuosity)
Stan Winston b. 1948 died 15 June 2008 (special effects)
Gabrielle Beaumont b. 1942 (director, Star Trek, Beastmaster: The Eye of Braxus, SeaQuest 2032, The Greatest American Hero) Gordon Kaye b. 1941 (Brazil, Jabberwocky)
Francis Ford Coppola b. 1939 (director, Dracula [1999], Captain EO, Faerie Tale Theatre, The Terror, Dementia 13)
Del Monroe b. 1936 died 5 June 2009 (The Incredible Hulk, Wonder Woman, Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel)
Yvonne Fedderson b. 1935 (I Was a Teenage Werewolf)
Ian Richardson b. 1934 died 9 February 2007 (Dark City, Brazil, Hogfather, Strange, From Hell, Alice Through the Looking Glass, The Canterville Ghost, Highlander [TV])
R. G. Armstrong b. 1917 died 27 July 2012 (Millennium, Warlock: The Armageddon, Quantum Leap, Beauty and the Beast, Children of the Corn, Predator, Devil Dog: The Hound of Hell, The Car, The Invaders, The Time Tunnel, Twilight Zone)
Anthony Caruso b. 1916 died 4 April 2003 (The Incredible Hulk, Star Trek, The Time Tunnel, The Addams Family)
Stanley Adams b. 1915 died 27 April 1977 (Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Star Trek, The Clones, Batman, The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, The Atomic Kid, Captain Midnight)
Gavin Gordon b. 1901 died 7 April 1983 (The Bride of Frankenstein)

Okay, a little info on this very spread out list.

One role? Jack Johnson played Will Robinson in the forgettable big budget film Lost in Space, Yvonne Fedderson is second bill to Michael Landon in I Was a Teenage Werewolf and Gavin Gordon was Lord Byron in The Bride of Frankenstein.

Behind the camera: Francis Ford Coppola gets his mention mainly for Dracula, while Gabrielle Beaumont was very often in the director's chair in the Next Generation show and its spin-offs. Jace Alexander works a lot on TV. But the real behind the scenes genre star here is Stan Winston for make-up and special effects. Just a smattering of the highlights of his career includes Terminator, Predator, Aliens, Galaxy Quest, Avatar and Iron Man.

Movie stars? Well, Russell Crowe, obviously, but only two genre roles I could find.

Oh That Guy? Oh, yeah. Stanley Adams did comedy and was Cyrano Jones on The Trouble With Tribbles. Anthony Caruso played Italians, often mobsters, and was a gangster in the Piece of the Action on Star Trek. R.G. Armstrong played a whole mess of cowboys and rural folk, but was on The Invaders, The Time Tunnel and Twilight Zone  back in the 1960s.

And the Picture Slot goes to... Ian Richardson as Mr. Book in Dark City, one of the few sci-fi movies whose plot is as good as the look of the film, which is awesome.

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

Predictor: OMNI Future Almanac, published 1982

Prediction (reality in parentheses): Countries that would launch their first communication satellites after 1982 but still in the 20th Century.

Austria (not until 2013)
Brazil (1985)
Luxembourg (1985)
Sweden (1986)
Switzerland (not until 2009 by India)

More reality: Here is the list of countries that have satellites from the 20th Century that the OMNI Future Almanac did not mention.

Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Israel, Argentina, Pakistan, South Korea, Portugal, Thailand, Turkey, Ukraine, Malaysia, Norway, Philippines, Egypt, Chile, Singapore, Taiwan, Denmark

Never to be Forgotten: Mickey Rooney 1920-2014

Mickey Rooney has died at the age of 93. His film career started in 1926 and has a credit that is filming in 2014. For me, he gets on the list of genre actors because he was on the original Twilight Zone, but other roles in sci-fi and fantasy include Night at the Museum, Sinbad: The Battle of the Dark Knights, Conan [TV], Eric the Viking and the 1954 comedy The Atomic Kid, pictured here. Yes, a prospector is exposed to radiation and the laffs just keep on coming.

Of course, most people will remember him for his work with Judy Garland and in the Andy Hardy series. While much of his early career is in the era when what we would now call over-acting was the norm, he also has some beautifully played quieter work. My favorite is as the former jockey who becomes a horse trainer in The Black Stallion. My friend Ken Walter was in the orchestra playing trumpet for the touring show of Sugar Babies many years ago and says every night, Rooney was different and progressively better.

Best wishes to the family and friends of Mickey Rooney, a man who can fairly be called a show business legend, from a fan. He is never to be forgotten.

Looking one day ahead... INTO THE FUTURE!

We give Ray Kurzweil the week off and let ESPN tell us about the 2014 baseball season.

Join us then... IN THE FUTURE!
 

Never to be Forgotten:John Pinette 1964-2014

John Pinette, a stand-up comic who also acted in the finale of Seinfeld, as well as The Punisher and Alf, has died at the age of 50, suffering from liver and heart disease.

There are several fat comics who have joked about their weight that I have loved through the ages. Jackie Vernon, Victor Buono, the impressionist Joe Alaskey and Pinette stand out in my mind. One of Pinette's characteristic lines was "I say nay nay", which I my friend Mina Millett loved so much.

Here's to John Pinette, a very funny man gone much too soon. May he never be forgotten.