The latest Entertainment Weekly counts down the 50 Smartest People in Hollywood and Star Trek producer-director J.J. Abrams comes in at number 29. EW cites Abrams nabbing of the Trek franchise as evidence of his smarts. The list includes various agents, executives, and creative professionals with Abrams beating out the likes of Hellboy director Guillermo Del Toro, Sascha Baron Cohen (aka Borat) and Amy Powell (a Paramount marketing executive). Topping the list were three other directors Judd Apatow, Steven Spielberg, and James Cameron.
EW’s blurb on Abrams:
29. J.J. ABRAMS
AGE 41
JOB TITLE Producer/director
SMART BECAUSE He also writes screenplays and designs entire marketing campaigns. Used his clout from directing Mission: Impossible III to persuade Paramount to let him make January’s monster flick Cloverfield and reboot the Star Trek franchise. Already conquered TV (Alias, Lost); now modeling his career after Spielberg, and just may get there.
EXTRA CREDIT Appeared in Six Degrees of Separation, starring fellow Smart Lister Will Smith.
At least now JJ has something to fight back with when Star Trek co-writer Roberto Orci brags about his ranking as the 35th most powerful Latino in Hollywood.
LAST!
Daniel Broadway, is that a subtle attempt at referencing Mark 10:31, or just an attempt at mocking the FIRST!’ers. Either way, you have my kudos.
29, eh? Too bad. I was hoping for 47.
The man wants to make a TOS film and is a TOS fan…..very smart indeed!
#1 I guess we cant say FIRST(it will be deleted) any more so i say NOT FIRST.
C´mon, people that has issues with this FIRST comments is ridiculous. Its was obvious only for fun.
p.s. okey its seems Abrams is smart cookie. hopefully its good news for Star Trek
As the man who created Lost, the most amazing show on television & the one who, I hope, is going to revive Star Trek, and the man who gave us these mysterious numbers “4 8 15 16 23 42”, I was expecting him to be number 4 or at least 8 on this list :-)
Lets hope that Star Trek XI will be as good as they say it will be.
Do you mean to tell me that there were 28 smarter people to whom Paramount could have handed over the keys to the franchise???
Now more than ever…I’m Boycotting! ;)
#2…. Obviously that scripture is proved true every time I try to pick the short line at the bank or Wal-Mart. :)
We’ll see.
If ‘Cloverfield’ hits big, I hope it actual DIRECTOR…Matt Reeves…gets a little of the credit… ;)
Not to sidetrack the dialogue, but Orci’s appearance on the Latino Power is great for us Latinos. How bad of me to have missed the news back in July. I love what he said about his gramma and Fidel Castro:
Orci’s background is not: He was born in Mexico City, and his grandmother attended university with Fidel Castro. (“She thought he was a jerk before he took over and really a jerk afterwards,” he notes.)
eleventh!
. . . . and the people listed at the bottom of the Smartest People List are well known for camping out on message boards and typing “First!”
They finished just ahead of a tic on the original Lassie, and Robert Redford’s jock itch outbreak while filming The Natural.
Paris Hilton was ranked 5,999,999,984.
JJ better watch out for hot, dumb chicks in go-go boots who drive Ions.
#8- Stanky,
Stanky- #8–
“We’ll see?”
That is the most open-minded statement you have made on the movie to date. But I’m on to you. By becoming a bit more open-minded you are merely trying to foster doubt that you are a cynical Paramount plant to be an extreme naysayer, in order to generate a counter-reaction of positive openness to the movie.
But you didn’t fool me. I’m still onto you.
“DAMN YOU Paramount! Damn You Straight to Hell!”
Well, at this point, Lost is pretty lost as far as I’m concerned.
JJ’s got his work cut out.
I enjoy the Trekmovie “first” tradition!
I think there should be a contest- most creative entry, most frequent, etc.
#15
I thought the “who’s on first” bit was fun. But I was wrong.
I’m waiting for the list of ridiculous “lists”.
He makes a good movie, one that I like, and I might concede his smart ranking.
and I don’t quite understand the thrill of being “first” poster.
news from trekweb:
“According to the lastest issue of Starburst magazine, which features an exclusive interview with TOS actor George Takei, he will appear in J.J. Abrams upcoming Star Trek movie.
Ian Cullen from Sci Fi Pulse, who got a copy of the magazine, reports “It’s TRUE. Takei is in the new movie and it will be a brief Flash Foreword scene between him and Spock.”
No word if Takei will be playing an older Hikaru Sulu or other character.
TrekWeb will post an update and the full details of it later on tonight.”
soure: trekweb.com
another quiet day in Hollywood Land then.
i would imagine it wouldn’t take much to drop out of favour!
As another poster said- we’ll see!
#20 Takei is in? Yawn.
Takei is in? Oh, that is going to make Shatner reeeeally happy…
TrekWeb is Reporting that George Takei will be in the new film…’Sulu confering with Spock’..any truth to this Anthony?
OHH MY!! Ah-HAAA!
He better be playing Sulu.
I still think NV’s John Lim would have been a better choice.
Twenty-FIFTH! (It’s like a compuslion…)
If it is true that Sulu will be in the next Star Trek movie, I bet many Shatner fans will demand that the Shat is to be in the movie.
Ugh
#26
Demand for the Shat to be in the movie?
Well, that’s real news…!
OH MY
Being 29th smartest person in Hollywood is not saying much.
And all this praise for him now is ironic, given that regardless of how good or bad the movie is, at least half of fandom will end up wanting his head.
If George Takei is in the new movie….the producers should INSIST that he take some acting lessons before he arrives on set!
He seems like a nice guy, but a HOPELESS ACTOR!!! :)
I bet he’d get a higher rating if he included Shatner in the movie.
I am absolutely fed up with this situation.
I’d like to clairify something for the people who think that not including Shatner is good thing, and for the people of who think the movie will do fine without him; about 70% of TOS fans do not traverse the internet looking for info on the new movie. Most of theTOS fan base is older, and they actually DO HAVE LIVES, contrary to popular opinion. What this means is about 70% of the vote hasn’t really been heard. I am approximating of course, but I think I’m close to this figure. Most TOS fans grew up loving the show not only for its content, but also because of the cast.
Do you really think these people are going to be indifferent to him not being included? This simply is not logical (pun intended). This situation is Generations all over again. I have felt alienated from the franchise ever since fricikin Generations and now my hopes of that being resolved seem to be diminishing. J.J. has really pissed me off to the point of feeling like he’s just another Berman. If I speak for about 70% of the TOS fan base, then this movie at best may have a “meh” type impact.
For those of you that make up the alleged 30%, I highly doubt you are original TOS fans and are probably jumping on the current Star Trek bandwagon.
Your obviously from the fanbase that was created with TNG. The hating “TOS is old, Shatner is too fat and old, get Deforest Kelley a wheel chair” people. You’ll always dis Shatner and the original crew no matter how absurd the reasoning. The fact that you call yourselves Star Trek “fans” is appaling when you make such superficial comments, the very type of thinking that Star Trek fights against. Yet you are the most vocal, because your young, don’t have a life, and spend too much time on the internet. So your opinion is not the majority. Indeed, I don’t believe that the majority has even been heard yet!
So now, Sulu is in it, but still no Shat. Unbelievable. How is this suppose to make me warm up to this movie? At this point, its not worth $9.00 to see it. I’m curious to see what will happen (just like I was curious about Nemesis and waited until the DVD came out)., but I can wait.
Yeah, maybe the movie will be good, maybe it will break even at the box office, but resurrect the Star Trek franchise and heal the split in the fanbase created by Generations (essentially reclaiming that fanbase alienated by Generations)…………..well, Good luck with that J.J
Oh Yeah, 1 million seven hundred and sixty fourth!!!!!!!!!!!!
For the record, destroyer1138 is no relation.
I have no wish for Shatner to be left out of this movie. I also don’t pine for his inclusion (no pun intended). I will watch and enjoy in either case. I may be counted among the “30%” that destroyer1138 is speaking of. I started watching Star Trek in first run syndication, as I was 3 when it was cancelled so I consider myself to have some of this elusive and, IMO, ill-conceived “Trek-fan cred” that seems to be worn with some sort of badge of honor.
Comments like those in post #31 are themselves divisive by nature. I sure am glad that I like all the Star Trek incarnations in some way or another. That way I don’t have to be confused by what I’m supposed to not like. To me, Star Trek is bigger than the actors who were in it. Please note that I said “to me”. Opinions, obviously, vary.
destroyer1138 (#31 &32): I don’t think you’re approximating. You’re speculating. Big difference. If we haven’t heard from some (or even most) “old school” TOS fans, it’s more likely because they really don’t care whether Shatner is in the movie or not. I believe that the vast majority of Star Trek fans are looking at this new cast and adopting a wait-and-see attitude, much like when a new actor is announced to play James Bond.
Most Trek fans want good Trek, regardless of who’s cast in the roles. Of course they love the original cast, but they’re willing to be open-minded about what this new cast will do with these roles.
If Shatner’s involvement is the only thing that you think will make this a good movie, I have one phrase for you: Kingdom of the Spiders. Trek has already proven that is can be successful without the original cast. If the production crew doesn’t feel it’s necessary to include him, I’m okay with that.
On another note: JJ Abrams and I are the same age?! Egads! For some reason, that’s a blow to my psyche. Feels like I missed a turn on the road of my life somehow. Yeesh.
Takei plays an older KIRK!
;-]
I’m glad JJ seems to be going this route and I hope we see as many of the TOS cast in this as he can get…
…and by my count, JJ is the 28.7th smartest person in Hollywood.
;-]
With this movie about time travel and Romulans, does anyone remember the first season of Star Trek : Enterprise, an alien that could stretch and slide under a door. It seemed that they were in communication with Romulans from the future you only could see a shadow of them when they were communicating together. They were helping the Romulans changing time in the past of the Vulcans and Humans. But the story line changed when Daniels a time traveler took over the story line. Now the Romulans are taking the changing of the past in their own hands in the movie?
#36: If the strike weren’t going on, I’d totally push for a Future Guy reference being dropped into the movie. B&B’s three great errors were: starting the Temporal Cold War, writing TATV, and the ridiculous “resolution” of the Temporal Cold War. Among others, of course. I’m not bashing B&B here–they get enough of that–but the TCW was badly done and I REALLY want to know who Future Guy is.
#31: It is remarkable that someone who has been a fan as long as you have could be as superficial and as closed-minded as you just demonstrated. I am one of those “TNG bandwagon” types, since, seeing as I was born four days after “Samaritan Snare” aired (yes, I know that), I didn’t have the same opportunity you did to develop a strong sense of old-man Trekkie snobbery. I -love- Shatner, Nimoy, and Kelley. I have known their names since before I can remember. I still remember that TOS syndicated at 7 AM weekdays when I was two years old, because I watched it at breakfast -every day-. In my freaking highchair!
You, on the other hand, are a member of that much larger bandwagon that jumped ship on Star Trek when the rest of the mainstream did, with Generations. You didn’t see Nemesis in theaters, and you have the unmitigated gall to claim that the REST of us aren’t true fans? Are you just a demagogue, or are you really warped enough to believe that?
The numbers you make up are random; the assumptions you make about the rest of the fanbase are unfounded; you claim to speak for tens of millions of people without basis for doing so; and you didn’t even know that the Takei rumor was false before Tony posted it. Try ranting with facts next time.
Anyhow, most of that was directed at you and not your main point, because you were such a jerk about it. As for the main point about Shatner being in the film or not: it might be good for the movie; it might not. As an aspiring writer, I absolutely understand how difficult it can be to get a desired element into a script where, literally, every single line has to move the story forward and can’t just be a throwaway piece of fan service… much as I enjoy fan service. If J.J. could have found a way to get Shatner into the script, I would have been extremely pleased. I’d love to see him on the screen again.
But Star Trek isn’t William Shatner. As you so ironically spouted off, that’s exactly the kind of thinking Star Trek was against. Star Trek is an idea, and, as Benny Russell pointed out: “Those people, that future – they exist in HERE and in the minds of every one of you who reads it! You cannot destroy an idea. That future is real – I made it real! You hear me? It is REAL!”
Trek is bigger than Shatner. When the small percentage of middle-aged fans who act like you finally grow up, you’ll realize that, as well.
#2
Yes, I was indeed mocking people who say “First!”
It was not a Bible reference, because I don’t have any Bible verses memorized, so I don’t know of which you speak.
#37 At first I thought the Future Guy was a Vulcan maybe it was just the Vulcan Leader that was telling the Humans where to go or not to go, from the future . But the last season of Star Trek: Enterprise now it has to be the Romulans in the future. I think with time travel in this movie maybe it will explain where the Romulans have been time traveling in Star Trek.
re: 37
“But Star Trek isn’t William Shatner”
The more I think about it….it really is.
Y’know, Stanky……..after watching TOS for forty years, I tend to agree with you. If Shatner HADN”T starred in the friggin’ series, I sincerely doubt whether we would all be raving about the show to this day!
C’mon, HONESTLY……….if you washed it all away………and had Jeffrey Hunter at the helm of this particular show……………would it have CAPTURED your attention to this degree???
I THINK NOT!!!!!!!!!
Shatner was one reason for Trek’s success. One reason… among many, many more. I don’t mean to attack the man’s legacy; he did tremendous things as Captain Kirk, and I love him for it. But Trek does not need Bill Shatner to be great. Never has. Never will.
If Trek really were reducible to one actor, it wouldn’t be worth the effort.
No, I’m not saying Shatner was the “end all and be all”………….he simply nudged us in the right direction!!!
With his “particular” style of acting, he embodied what “other life” could be………..
Oh… oh, yeah, I’ll give you that.
RE: 41. Harry Ballz – November 30, 2007
“…had Jeffrey Hunter at the helm of this particular show……………would it have CAPTURED your attention to this degree???”
YES!
I’ll never forget thinking as I watched The Menagerie parts 1 & 2 as a six year old how cool Pike was, the overall style of that show and how funny the green lady made me feel! You see, my Dad loved Trek and we watched every week. in 1968 my mom let me have a Spock haircut! I was the coolest nerd in the 3rd grade and I’ve got the class photo to prove it!!
Star Trek was Spock!!
…And even then the Nemoy vs Shatner thing was in TV Guide, Variety, and the talk of Hollywood. Back in the day it was a well known part of the inside story that the two of them were at odds. Just read the best book ever writen about TOS…”Inside Star Trek” by Herb Solow and Bob Justman. It’s the SHAT!
;-]
…anyway
Yes, if NBC had said “YES” in 1964, who knows what would have happened, but my money is on Trek having been GREAT even then. The mind power was there and if the money was there, who knows, it may have been even bigger than it became…
…maybe the evil Romulans went back in time and told NBC to make changes so Hunter would get out of the picture and we would be stuck with SHATNER in our timeline….
;-]
“we would be stuck with SHATNER in our timeline…”?
Ooooh, boy…………I can live with that remark, but watch out for other “rabid” fans lurking here……………if I were you, I’d run and hide NOW!! :)
Of course, since Jeffrey Hunter has been deceased for quite some time, we can also assume that there wouldn’t have been as successful a movie franchise and certainly no vitriolic threads about who should be Pike. Oh wait. We’re Star Trek fans. We have already had threads about who should be Pike.
I guess we’re stuck with Shatner in our time-line.
(Easy, that’s a joke)
Shatner in our time-line is a joke? Yeah, I guess you’re right! :)