Sci Fi History: The Omega Man (1971)

Richard Matheson's novel, I am Legend,, had been adapted three times into motion pictures. Vincent Price starred in the first in 1964. The Omega Man with Charlton Heston came next. Will Smith starred in the third in 2007.

In the Heston version, biological warfare wipes out the planet in 1975. Robert Neville survives and creates a serum to cure survivors that were transformed into zombie-like albino nut jobs. These infected people, the Family, try to destroy technology because they feel that technology destroyed the world. In the end, Neville dies, but gives the serum to unaffected survivors who head for the hills.

On a side note, the film featured the first interracial kiss in movie history.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NUkU18MrBzU

Man of the Decade: 2000-2009

Here are the candidates for Person of the Decade:

The American Soldier: Without a draft, the volunteer force had to sacrifice more than anyone during the last decade. It's been a long time since so few have had to sacrifice for so many.

Bono: Not only did U2 return to prominence, but Bono began a crusade for third world debt relief. His efforts culminated in the Live Eight Concerts in 2005.

George W Bush: Bush led the country threw a very decisive and troubled epoch. His accomplishments include liberating Iraq, Afghanistan, and leading the country through 911. His failings include forgetting Afghanistan, not corrected the excesses of the prior decade which led to the economic collapse, and the appearance of federal incompetence in the aftermath of Katrina.

Simon Cowell: No one exemplifies the collapse of the music industry than Cowell. American Idol helped change music by creating stars out of karaoke singers.

Creators of Facebook, Google, etc: Technology took off this last decade. Lord only knows what is coming next.

The Curse Breakers: The Red Sox, the White Sox, the Angels, and others broke long droughts to win championships.

Rudy Giuliani: Rudy was the hero of 911. He ran for president, but his heart did not seem to be in it.

The Iraqi Information Minister during the early days of the Gulf War: Before Robert Gibbs, there was the Iraqi Information Minister. As American tanks entered Baghdad, he claimed Iraq was winning the war. After the war, he apparently retired and became the inspiration for current White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs.

Derek Jeter: In a decade of athletes behaving badly, Jeter was a beacon of light. He is the modern Joe Dimaggio. Oh yeah, he is also Captain of the New York Yankees and won two of his five world titles in the aughts.

Steve Jobs: I-Phones, I-Pods, etc etc.

Barack Obama: Obama became the first black American President and gave a nice speech at the 2004 DNC.

Vladimir Putin: Putin returned stability to Russia and is in the process of making them into a world power once more. The international geopolitical situation is now in a state of flux. Putin is largely to blame.

The Winner: The American Soldier

2007 Man of the Year

It's that time of the year again. No, not holiday season, but time for Time to consider their Person of the Year. The list of candidates was on CNN.Com the other day and make an interesting lot. Some are real candidates while others are transparently pet faves of the editors.
And now the candidates:
1. Al Gore. Al had a huge year. He won the Noble Prize, Academy Award, and got his propaganda piece...er scientific documentary distributed to the nation's schools. Gore even threw Live Earth concerts around the globe. Interesting that 20 years after attempting to suppress the music industry, so many artists jumped at Gore's beckon call. On the other hand, it turns out his documentary has several major errors in it, but that won't influence voters. He has to be considered the favorite to win the award and does deserve consideration.
2. Hillary Clinton. Not sure why Hillary is getting consideration. She is the Democratic front runner based on her last name, but other than that, she's done nothing. Also, Democratic front runners tend to lose in the primaries, so her future is unwritten.
3. Steve Jobs. The I-Phone was huge this year. Jobs and his Apple squad should get serious consideration. If Gore does not win, Jobs should. He's changing the face of technology...and Bill Gates won not too long ago.
4. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. I have given a name to my pain and it is Iran. Crazy Mahmoud is the type of fellow that could launch a nuclear holocaust upon the Middle East. He should be a contender for this award for years if voters are inclined to vote for negative influences.
5. Hu Jintao. His claim to fame is being in charge of China during all the toy recalls. Lead paint, GhB, Chinese toys have everything a child could want.
6. Barack Obama. I have no idea why he is included. He is a contender for next year if he wins the Democratic nomination even if he loses the general election.
7. David Petraeus. His candidacy is hard to gauge. The surge appears to be working despite the press. However, for Time to give him this award, they'd have to acknowledge the surge is working. Additionally, Iraq is a fluid situation and if they name him Man of the Year, and Iraq goes back to hell, then they look dumb.
8. Vladimir Putin. Watch out for this guy. He is setting up a dictatorship in Russia and re igniting the Cold War. On the other hand, normal Russians love him and he takes great photos. Even though we laugh at his shirtless wildlife shots, it is a signal to Russians that he is not a sick old man.
9. Condi Rice. Once again, it is unclear as to why she is in the top 10.
10. J.K. Rowling. Her impact on culture is immense. If she wins this award, it would be more of a lifetime achievement award for the Harry Potter series. She is a worthy candidate and probably #3 on my list behind Jobs and Gore.
When the ballots are counted, Al Gore will probably win. It's the media's way of recognizing the guy they thought won the 2000 election as well as a fellow that is morphing into a hip Elder Statesmen. Who would have thought Al Gore would be hipper than Bill Clinton when both moved into retirement?