I have nothing but respect for the work that DC Comics' scribe Geoff Johns accomplished with the entire Green Lantern universe. In fact, many folks credit Johns with finally crafting a take on the unique superhero that made people a believer. On this day in 2011, Ryan Reynolds tried (and failed miserably) to bring that same passion to life on the silver screen, but that take on the Green Lantern should've turned in its ring to the nearest jeweler.
SCI-FI BIRTHDAYS
It may not be much, but when you're given the futile task of teaching the android Data how to tell a joke (as part of Star Trek: The Next Generation), I think the effort deserves an honorable mention. That's precisely what comedian Joe Piscopo brought to the Trek mythology, and that counts for something. Piscopo was born on this day in 1951.
If you haven't figured it out yet, then let me be perfectly clear: I have a lot of respect for the 'little guys.' Why? Well, first, they get so little attention in fandom. Second, when haven't the rest of us felt like the little guy? Actor Jon Gries has had a wonderful workmanship career, popping up in great character roles all across fandom. He first popped on my radar with NBC's The Pretender, and I've kept an eye on him ever since ... especially when he showed up in ABC TV's Lost. Gries was born on this day in 1957.
Actor and fitness muscleman Scott Adkins has appeared in the Metal Hurlant Chronicles, Universal Soldier: Day of Reckoning, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and a host of other sci-fi-friendly projects. Hopefully, he'll keep at it long enough until he finds his own promising franchise. Adkinds was born on this day in 1976.
Arthur Darvill landed one of the best gigs in all of fandom: his character Rory Williams was handpicked to serve as one of the companions to the time-traveling Doctor himself. Nice job ... but it didn't end all that well. (Does it ever end anything other than bittersweet for the Companions of Doctor Who?) Darvill was born on this day in 1982.
SCI-FI TELEVISION
On this day back in 1989, Star Trek: The Next Generation aired an hour titled "Manhunt" in syndication. Here's the plot summary as provided by our friends at IMDB.com:
"Deanna Troi's Mother - Lwaxana Troi - shows up on the Enterprise with the plan to marry Captain Jean-Luc Picard. When Captain Picard hides in the holodeck. She announces she is engaged to Commander William T. Riker. When Lwaxana finds them both in the holodeck she falls for a holodeck character."
"Deanna Troi's Mother - Lwaxana Troi - shows up on the Enterprise with the plan to marry Captain Jean-Luc Picard. When Captain Picard hides in the holodeck. She announces she is engaged to Commander William T. Riker. When Lwaxana finds them both in the holodeck she falls for a holodeck character."
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