Nichols and Koenig Join Takei Wedding Party June 2, 2008
by Anthony Pascale , Filed under: CelebWatch, TOS , trackback
A couple of weeks ago TrekMovie first reported that George Takei and his long-time partner Brad Altman were engaged to be married. Now People Magazine is reporting that Takei and Altman have set a date and picked a location, plus Takei is bringing on board his former Trek co-stars to join in on the day.
Koenig and Nichols in the party
Takei tells People:
The best man is my colleague from Star Trek, Walter Koenig, who played Chekov, and the matron of honor is (Lt.) Uhura, Nichelle Nichols. And Leonard (Nimoy) and his wife Susan are on the (guest) list.
The pair will tie the knot September 14th in a formal affair at the Japanese American National Museum in Los Angeles. Details are still being working out, but People reports that they have settled on some details to “reflect their eclectic taste as well as their respective backgrounds” including Scottish bagpipes, a Mexican-American Buddhist minister officiating, and a fusion Japanese-Mexican cuisine for the dinner.
Takei and Altman at Night Out for Equality Gala, Sunday in Bethesda, MD (People)
Takei will next be seen in the new Adam Sandler comedy You Don’t Mess with the Zohan, opening this Thursday.
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I had the pleasure of meeting George in 1990 in Boston and took a Boston Trolley tour together. He is a wonderful human being, intelligent, articulate, funny and passionate about humanity. He has led a fascinating life and I think he is a great guy. I wish he and Brad all the happiness in the world. I remember that great line from “Friends:” Nothing makes God happier when two people — any two people — are in love. God bless you George and Brad!
He didn’t invite Shatner…? lol
Best wishes, George and Brad. Long and happy life to you.
It sounds like they are planning a lovely and joyous ceremony. Wish I could be a fly on that wall. Best of everything to them.
What????? No invite for Shatner???? ;-)
As I said before, Congrats to the couple. Everyone needs to find the one for them and it seems they have.
It’s great to see that Koenig and Takei have remained such good friends over the years. Congrats to the happy couple!
One little sticking point here: ‘ Japanese-Mexican cuisine’? OK, I got a renegade libertarian streak in me, and I’m an Andrew Zimmern kinda culinary adventurist, but how the f*** do you ‘fuse’ Mexican and Japanese cuisine? Iguana sushi? Tempura scorpion? Refried cactus? I mean, there has GOT to be a limit somewhere…..LMAO! The flora and fauna of the world tend to be indigenous to that locale for a reason - they generally don’t play well in a larger sandbox, gastronomically-speaking.
Curried kangaroo with pine nuts in olive oil, anyone? :-) *URP*
The Japanese-Mexican cuisine is probably a reflection of his time spent in East LA as a child. In his book he told an anecdote of his first time to a barrio in the neighborhood and how he fell in love with that culture.
I too think it’s awesome that Koenig is Best Man.
The story of this ceremony would be an excellent ending for a sequel to “To the Stars.”
Funny how life changes. When Koenig first started working on Star Trek, George Takei hated him, but now they’re good friends and Walter’s going to be the best man.
did anyone catch george’s quick cameo on the series ’scrubs’?
that was awesome…
OK, I can dig Japanese and Mexican cuisine, side by side. Now, ‘fuse’ it. I’m of German extraction to the core, but I can’t see how to ‘fuse’ Grandma Krause’s Old Country Schweinshaxe with Cypriot Kleftiko to save my life. The spices, meats, and cooking methods simply don’t compliment each other. Call me a purist.
That’s directed at #9, BTW. Being a culinary whirling dervish, my curiousity is piqued.
Awwww!
Aww…congratulations to them both! It sounds like the wedding is going to be a wonderful event. I wish them both continued happiness together.
Gotta say… Viking brings up the real (culinary) controversy here!
Whenever I whip up some leftovers that somehow combine Italian and Chinese I call it an “Eric Cheung.” I grew up with pretty fused food myself!
#2and #5
The Shat is going to crash their party instead. ;)
Met George at Comic -Con last year. Really a great person to talk to.. Best wishes guys! : )
Best Wishes to the happy couple :)
It has been a long time coming. Have a feeling that wedding and reception are going to rock. Good for the guys.
#17: Remember that if you ever get a lower gastroscopic exam. Your doctor may find that your esophagus and colon are up ‘fused’ together in ways that would make Dr. Moreau green with envy. LOL :-)
Sushi Burrito with verde sauce?? Chips and salsa with bits of octopus in it?
George, I’ll come to the wedding, but please have TUMS at the table.
Thanks.
“Here’s to ya’ lads.”
-The Late James Doohan
Japanese-Mexican cuisine should prove to be interesting. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that combination. But I suppose that if Trek has taught me anything, it’s that anything can happen. Enough strange things have happened to me to shrug off just about anything. Bigfoot, a werewolf, 2 UFO encounters, and a beaver named “Scott.”
Life is an adventure, and I’m glad these two are finally able to explore it as a true couple.
Wow, so who takes whos name?
#25
Is it still necessary to “take” a name?
#11 re “Scrubs” cameo
Yeah, Takei’s cameo was hilarious — and perfectly suited to this occasion, as he played the priest officiating at Turk’s and Carla’s wedding.
“I wanted the one who looks like Sulu!” :)
Best wishes for George and Brad on the very happy - and belated - occasion!
this site better have pics.
How amazing is it that a gay Japanese-American man in his 70s has become an American pop culture cult hero? Here’s to you, George - may you and Brad have many happy years together.
George Takei - what a guy! If he wants Japanese-Mexican fusion at his wedding he’s certainly earnt the right… Even if the mere thought makes me wanna barf!
All the best to the happy couple.
What Shatners not invited?
poor Shat snubbed by Abrams and now George….”Oh My!”. Dont worry Captain you can come to all my get togethers.
That is such wonderful news, I feel so excited for the both of them!
Trekmovie, I expect to see wedding pictures….
Congrats George and Brad. this has been long time in coming. May you live long and prosper.
That’s great news!
aNTHONY….
SPAM FILTER??? shame on you.
=h=
So…Cute…
*SPLODES*
*Sigh* I’m so happy for you two! Best wishes for a wonderful wedding!
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+ banned
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aw how cute.
‘To love another person is to see the face of God.’ (V. Hugo)
Best wishes for George & Brad, and many happy years together!
why did they make this legal again?
I’m envious. It’ll be a while yet before we have the same opportunity here in the South. I’m really happy for these 2 guys. May you be truly blessed.
Oh and please don’t feed the trolls.
Anthony, how did that comment get in there from # 38. Hannitized08 - What a FREAK SHOW! If that comment were made here in Canada, someone could get into trouble with the law. Hannitized08 opened the door for me to comment, and to say why his opinion Is Not From Scripture, I won’t quote here, but I would like to say just one thing. “judge not, least you be judged yourself” and keep your unkind comments to yourself.
NOW on to more important stuff, Congratulations George & Brad, and to quote 7 of 9 “May all your hopes and dreams come true, except for one. So that you will always have something to look forward to!”
That’s awesome - I can;t imagine making friends at work and still being that close forty years later. What a nice bunch of people they seem!
congrats to George and Brad!
too bad Shat isn’t invited
Who gives a flying f*** if Shatner is not invited.
This is George’s day, lets not forget that.
I’ve never had the opportunity to meet George in person, the nearest I got was an email from George after I left a message on his website congratulating his wonderful performance after watching ‘World enough and time”.
To say I was surprised at getting a personal email response is a massive understatement and I think a testament to his character.
My sincere congratulations to George and Brad.
P.S.
#47 and all other Shatner comments in this thread
1) Stop being so foolish and immature
2) My take is that if Shatner wanted to be long term friends with his co-stars, then he should not have tried to belittle what scenes they had and treated them with a lot more respect.
My opinions of course, your mileage may vary.
#48 Mark
I dont think anyone was being SERIOUS when they questioned why Shatner was not on the guest list.
I think they all were making fun comments because we all understand precisely why Shatner wasnt on the list.
It’s sarcasm.
#49
It’s not always clear whether the comments are serious or not. I just think it detracts from the event at hand.
Many congrats to George and Brad! I wish you all the best!
And to those like Hannitized08…
Get a life!
Mark Lynch,
Get a sense of humour! You don’t run this site so it’s not your business to start finger wagging!!!!!
#48
Congrats, you’ve just successfully contributed to the Shat comments list on this thread, and you’ve even mentioned him first, before mentioning the husband to-be, and then you’ve even finished your post with the Shat -nice frame, but a bit… distractive.:D
Not my cup of tea, but each to their own. Maybe the Shat can crash the party phasering away the justice of the peace and recreating that glorious scene from “Balance of Terror”? lol
#52
I’ve as much right to make a comment as you have about me, get over yourself.
They said “guest list” not invite list. How do we know that ‘the Shat’ wasn’t invited? Maybe he was and just didn’t RSVP? Who knows?
I’ve never met Mr. Takei personally, but I know two people who have met him (one on multiple occasions). Both have basically said what everyone else has said. He’s one of the nicest, considerate and giving people you’d ever meet. One of those people has also met Mr. Shatner on multiple occasions. I’ll leave that at that. ;)
Anyway, glad to hear that Mr. Takei has found happiness and I hope his wedding goes off as planned. Still trying to get my mind around Mexican-Japanese food fusion >shudders< :)
#53
I have actually sent an email to George Takei personally, congratulating him on this news…. I did not mention Shatner once. :)
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To #38 “Hannitized08″ — Everyone is entitled to an opinion and their own interpretation of God. My statement is not based on PC or a sitcom, it’s just a quote I’ve always liked. It’s based on a belief that God (loves ALL of us. Can’t we just be happy that two good people are in love? George is a great guy and he’s happy. Brad is happy. They are in love. That, for me, is beautiful. Your comments are your own. I don’t agree with them, but I respect your right to say them. Please respect mine (and the majority of the comments here).
ANTHONY WHERE ARE YOU???? THESE POSTS ARE DEFINETELY GETTING “INTOLLERANT”.
May George and Brad live long and prosper.
33. Adrian - June 2, 2008
That is such wonderful news, I feel so excited for the both of them!
Trekmovie, I expect to see wedding pictures….
ECHO THIS. With so much of TOS cast at the wedding
it will make a GREAT photo gallery.
Will he invite Grace Lee Whitney?
I am not sure why people seem to think that I read every comment on this site in real time, including those made at 4am Pacific time, but I do not. I have dealt with those who have attempted to divert this thread
I have said over and over and over that I do not want politics and intolerance (of any kind) on this site…there is no reason for anyone to ignore that.
Back to subject at hand
Congatulations and best of luck to both. Too bad that this is turning back into a political debate. Here’s my two cents. I’m Canadian. It is legal everywhere here. In our country, all men and women are considered equal. It took a long time for people to figure that out here. In my opinion, any democratic government that offers a service to one citizen must offer it to all. Marriage is a legal contract and the law applies to all. If you come at me with a religious argument I will summarily dismiss it out of hand. Noone is forcing your local Pastor, Priest, Rabbi or whatever to perform a religious ceremony to marry anyone. Be democratic, and keep government out of peoples personal lives.
Anthony, I was typing this prior to your post. No more politics from me.
yay for the post of 64, and 65 :)
I am very happy for George, let’s just hope this will be one of many more happy years they will spend together as a married couple
Anthony I hope that you finally get some sleep. You shouldnt have to be up at 4 am Pacific worrying about what people are posting on your site. I worry about you sometimes man, like, you need to take care of yourself and get some rest. I am the same way with my site so I understand. Have you ever tried Lunesta? Try that with some beers. It works pretty good.
BEST!!
=h=
So who saw the invite list? For all we know Shatner was invited! The best way for Takei to pick on him is to have Shatner stand by the guest book. It is the most useless job in the entire ceremony!
As for the Bible thumpers: I am a practicing Christian and I live my life asking “What would Jesus do?” in many decisions. Remember three things. First, the times in which scripture was written, the attitudes and biases who wrote the scriptures (or passed it on from the lips of the Lord), and also the many translations that the Bible has endured.
George and Brad, I raise my glass to you.
George and Brad, may the Great Bird of the Galaxy bless you and may you have a wonderful life up ahead
Hope it goes well for George & Brad. Congratulations. Have a drink for me
All the best you guys! :)
Kanpai, George and Brad!
I think the fusion menu could work out. I mean, you could put anything in a potsticker/gyoza. And rice–that’s common to Japan and Mexico….
Mark Lynch, that’s more than once you’ve dictated to posters about what they can say. That’s not commenting: that’s barking orders and acting like something from the Moral Highground Jackboot Brigade. I’m sure, if George saw no 47’s remark, he’d laugh at it!
We’re a friendly bunch around here who are pretty chilled out, unlike a lot of forums. I’m quite over and under myself thank you. At least I’m not up myself! :p
I wish the happy couple the best, although since they’ve been together for years, I should probably wish them ‘even better!’
I didn’t get to extend my best wishes to the happy couple in the previous thread on this subject, so a hearty Mazel Tov! to George and Brad… may the Great Bird of the Galaxy smile on your joyous day!
Viking
As a musician, I worked in Mexico for a year and never once did I find Iguana on a menu. Cactus, yes. Which can be used sometimes like bamboo shoots. And as a “culinary adventurist”, you should know that you can put tempura batter and deep fry ANYTHING and have a 75% success rate. I am counting inedible items in this equation such as chopped up tires, engine parts, and used batteries.
Japanese / Mexican fusion I find likely. Less likely would be a fusion of Japanese and traditional Scottish cuisine.
I bet The Shat doesn’t give a F**K that he’s not on the guest list.
Re: #76
It’s still ignorant though, not to invite him. I mean, the two of them (The Shat, & Takei) are not mortal enemies. They’re former co-workers. Shatner may have even decilined, but not to send an invitation was, for lack of a better word, tacky.
#73
I’m guessing I’ve touched a nerve with you.
If I heard people speaking like I have read people posting here, then I would have no hesitation in saying if I thought it was out of order. That is not taking the moral high ground, it is a case of speaking out when you believe it is right to do so.
Quite a different thing.
If I was as much up myself as you predict, then I would surely be able to tickle my own fancy. And probably be earning a lot more than I do now. :)
Anybody who embraces Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations couldn’t be anything but delighted for George Takei and Brad Altman.
At their wedding I hope they also enjoy some other California-legal activity, for medicinal purposes of course.
Congrats George and Brad!
I’ve met both of you guys on several occasions and if HALF the people in the world had your grace and class, it would be a much better place!
Now where’s my invitation??
(I really SHOULD be covering it for Starlog, you know ;)
-Donn
Congratulations to George and Brad!
As always, I’m way too late to put in the usual obvious Trek sentiments (Live long and prosper, Great Bird of The Galaxy, etc), so..
“Mr. Sulu… pick a course heading, and ahead warp factor two.”
and..
“Second star on the left, and straight on till morning.”
Congratulations to Mr. Takei and Mr. Altman. I hope they will be happy together.
As far as not inviting Shatner, Mr. Takei seemed to have nothing but nice things to say to Mr. Shatner and the horse he rode in on on the Comedy Channel Roast:)
Yeah Mark Lynch,
I’ve never stood much for people telling other people what to do or think. I give them the respect to do and say what’s decent and appreciate most jokes, even if they can be a little off-colour. If people say something untoward, ignoring them is the best thing to do. As you may have gathered from the other posts after your arrogant micro-tirade, everyone else considered it a mild joke, given the many, many reports we’ve had about Bill and George cracking jokes at each other’s expense.
I appreciate you must be new around here, but, having been here from the start, people keeping their mouths shut when a comment feels out of place is a far more effective tool than using it as an excuse to espouse some freaky-deaky pseudo-liberal credentials. If you want to make a name for yourself, well, congratulations, you have done: as a humourless outsider who gets some psycho-sexual gratification out of hijacking a thread to try to look like you’re above the rest of us.
FYI, this is a thread dedicated to congratulating the happy couple. It would have carried on being so had you not thrown your oar in over one clearly innocuous remark! At this rate you’ll force poor Anthony to close the thread!
I notice you made a point of saying how you ***personally*** sent a greetings message to Mr Takei about his wedding. So clearly you think you’re a ‘better fan’ than the rest of us, because we mere mortals only post on trekmovie.com! If you feel you’re so high and mighty, why do you have to tell the rest of us what you’ve done? What do you want? A medal because you have Mr Takei’s email address?
Be nice, come and have a chat about Trek and the people around it with this big community of happy, nice, inclusive people, but don’t strut around like you have the greatest moral authority on God’s green Earth!
Lynch and Dom…stop it.
I see people were just kidding about Shat and no need to turn it into a fight…and I know for a fact that David P was kidding about it.
everyone relax and go out and try and find some chinese-mexican fusion
The cast after De Kelley were the 2nd string. Pro players don’t hang with the 2nd string guys so why should Shatner or Nimoy? Takei only makes a fool of himself on Stern these days and Nichols and ah the Russian guy can only do 4th rate Star Trek home movies now.
This will be the most famous Star Trek celebrity wedding ever, and possibly the most famous gay marriage in the world. Who hasn’t heard of Mr. Sulu? I hope it opens a lot of minds.
This is a great site. I was happy to see that the admin (Anthony, is it?) deleted the hurtful posts. I used to go to trekweb.com for years but stopped because the forums were flame wars and out of control (still are) — here at trekmovie (which I visit at least once a day) everyone seems like a good bunch and the most heated debates seem to be whether the Enterprise could have been built on Earth and THEN flown into space. I like you guys and I love this excellent site. Keep up the great work!
Apologies, Anthony. Having wished the guys well, I’ll scarper off to another thread!
#83
Last I can be bothered to say. If you took your own advice, you would have not responded to what I originally said.
Anthony, if this earns me a ban. Fair enough. But I will not stand for this kind of hypocrisy.
I don’t know what it’s like for the posters who are confused about the fusion of Mexican and Japanese food, but in California, where I am writing and where this wedding is taking place, it’s already not very weird.
In many sushi restaurants here, I commonly see “Mexican” rolls which are (I believe) shrimp rolls with hot sauce on top. Ceviche is raw fish, sushi is raw fish. And don’t forget that Japanese food also includes teriyaki, which is grilled meats, and Mexican cuisine also does a lot with grilled meats.
I’ve even had a “Wasabi burrito” at a burrito joint up the street from my house, which has seaweed and battered fish with (you guessed it) wasabi wrapped inside a tortilla. Okay, I grant you, this one is kind of weird….
Oh, whoops, I never got a chance to do this on the thread that announced this wedding, ’cause it got closed down so fast — thanks to the homophobe trolls who feel it is their right to impose their dogmatic worldview on everyone else. Now then, Ahem…
Good tidings and best wishes to George Takei and Brad Altman!
^ Anthony administrator. Sorry, it was looking like #91 wasn’t getting posted, so I posted #92 without HTML tags. Feel free to delete #92.
I only wish I could be there! Being in Tennessee I’ll never have the chance to wed a man I fall in love with. But I do hope to eventually live in CA.
My most humble congratulations to George and Brad! My your life together always find new ways to express itself in love!
And on a quick side note and, Anthony, I’ll keep this short since it’s just a tad off-topic, but Ben said:
“The cast after De Kelley were the 2nd string. Pro players don’t hang with the 2nd string guys so why should Shatner or Nimoy? Takei only makes a fool of himself on Stern these days and Nichols and ah the Russian guy can only do 4th rate Star Trek home movies now.”
I say, “Don’t open one’s mouth unless one knows something of which one speaks.”
There was no 1st or 2nd string first of all…that’s just ridiculous. Nimoy is going to be at the wedding…did you not read? They’re all friends with each other with the exception of Shatner (who is friends with Nimoy, though). Takei has had a very successful career and though you may not like his turn on Stern that is your opinion. He’s also recently been a cast member on Heroes and will most likely return at some point (that’s my prediction anyway).
Nichols has also recently been on Heroes and as been a writer as well. Koenig (”the Russian guy” as you call him….are you even a Trek fan at all?), has also had one incredible career and is also very famous for his role as Bester on Babylon 5, proving as JMS said that “lightning can, indeed, strike twice.”
So please, find out the facts before you spew junk. Nothing personal, I just hate when people speak from ignorance.
CE
Shatner cannot attend as he will be busy filming his secret scenes for Star Trek XI ;)
Congrats again George and Brad! I expect there will be pictures of the wedding on George’s website. I would love to see a menu too.
Congrats to George and Brad!!! :D
No surprise that Shatner’s not invited since they don’t get along at all.
As for Japanese-Mexican fusion….Hmm…sounds fascinating…. Heh…there’s a Japanese-Mexican restauraunt in Austin, Texas called Sushi Caliente! You can see the menu at their website…fuuuuunky! I wanna try a Tex-Mex Maki roll! *lol*
http://www.sushi-caliente.com/
#96
Thanks for that. It looks like the most apparent crossover is on the sushi and sashimi menu, but it all looks good.
#90
Now don’t go showing off your Cali cred. We all know Californians will eat anything. (This was just a little joke, for the humor impaired patrolling the site)
The CA Supreme Ct has just denied the request to stay the Gay Marriage Ruling until after the Nov. election. That means that the way is cleared for George and Brad to marry!
96. Dierna are you serious? I live there. I love Sushi but I’m not not a fan of Tex Mex.
#97 — was it that obvious? ;-)
Okay, so, in all fairness, from #96’s link it is clear we have to include Austin, Texas among the locations where Mexican-Japanese fusion is already a done deal. Also, I recall from my visit to NYC a couple of years ago that the concept is well established there, too.
SAKUILA!
Japanese-Mexican food? I grew up in Los Angeles, eating a diverse range of food–occasionally at the same time, so if I attended the wedding, I would turn into a full-blown eating machine!
I’m happy for George. Seriously, I am. He’s marrying somebody he cares about - not everybody can say that.
As for no Shat - please, it then become a double ceremony, Gorge would be marrying his lover and Shat would be marrying himself. That’s the true scope of Shat’s ego.
But God bless them, I love all of them. I’m just sorry that D. Kelley and J. Doohan are no longer with us to wish Takai good luck and smooth sailing.
Brad Altman But Altman beat him to the punch. “We were at home in the kitchen and we had the TV going, and when the word came down suddenly Brad got on his knees in front of me and I said ‘What are you doing?’ He said, ‘George, will you marry me?’ I said ‘Yes. You beat me to it. I meant to ask you.”
That puts me in mind of a famous Motown song on the same subject:
You Beat Me To The Punch-Mary Wells
That day I first saw you
Whoa-whoa, passing by
I wanted to know your name
But I-I was much too shy
But I was looking (lookin’) at you so hard
Until you must have had a hunch
(You must have had a hunch)
So, you came up to me
And asked me my name
You beat me to the punch
(You beat me to the punch) that time
You beat me to the punch
(You beat me to the punch)
Whoa-oh-oh-oh
You beat me to the punch
(You beat me to the punch)
Oh-oh-whoa, after I hadn’t known you
For what seems like a long, long, time
I wanted, wanted to ask you
Would you please, please be mine?
Whenever you came around
(You came) my heart would pound
So, you must have had a hunch
(You must have had a hunch)
So, you came up to me
You asked me to be yours
You beat me to the punch
(You beat me to the punch) one more time
You beat me to the punch
(You beat me to the punch)
Whoa-oh-oh-oh
You beat me to the punch, yeah
(You beat me to the punch)
Since I love you
I thought you would be true
And love me tender
So, I let my heart surrender to you-hoo
Yes, I did
But I found out beyond a doubt
One day boy, you were a playboy
Who would go away
And leave me, blue-ooo
So, I ain’t gonna wait around (go around)
For you to put me down (what you oughta do)
This time I’m gonna play my hunch
(I’ll be here, you can blame my stunt)
Then walk away this very day
And beat you to the punch
(And beat you to the punch) this time (go!)
I’ll beat you to the punch, yes I will (go!)
(I’ll beat you to the punch)
FADES-
Let you know, now
(I’ll beat you to the punch) how little it feels
(Why don’t you)
Ho-ho-ho
(I’ll beat you to the punch)
Ho-ho-ho.