CelebWatch: Stardate 06.13.08 June 13, 2008
by Charles Trotter , Filed under: Celebrity , trackback
Trek Celebs are all over the place this week, from London, to New York, to Tulsa, Oklahoma. This week we got news on Patrick Stewart’s stache, Quinto’s charity, Bana’s comedy, Nimoy’s salesmanship, Park’s availability, Russ’s depth, Shatner’s campaign and so much more.
FedCon USA!
Europe’s Federation Convention, better known as FedCon, is coming to the US for the first time. If you’re going to be in or near Dallas, Texas, between June 13th and 15th, then stop on by the Hyatt Regency DFW hotel and you might could meet (or at least see) the likes of Star Trek: Enterprise’s Connor Trinneer (Trip Tucker), Anthony Montgomery (Travis Mayweather), and John Billingsley (Dr. Phlox); Star Trek: Voyager’s Garrett Wang (Harry Kim); veteran Klingons J.G. Hertzler (Martok) and Robert O’Reilly (Gowron); noted author, consultant, Star Trek: Communicator managing editor, and all-around good guy Larry Nemecek; and Star Trek ‘09’s Paul McGillion (some secret character). For more info, head over to FedConUSA’s official site. Check back to TrekMovie.com for updates from FedCon.
Stewart gives up Oxford post & the ’stache
Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) has handed over the reigns as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre at St Catherine’s College in Oxford to Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey (American Beauty). But that isn’t all he is giving up, the actor was spotted on June 8th at a showing of Cries From the Heart: Tyranny at the Theatre Royal Haymarket without the mustache he has been sporting while he was performing Macbeth. (The Stage)
Ah…much better
Nimoy promotes Trek
As reported by TrekMovie.com earlier in the week, Leonard Nimoy (Star Trek’s original Spock) attended the NYC Licensing Expo on behalf of CBS and the Star Trek brand. Here he is keeping it real…Vulcan style.
Leonard helps CBS pimp Trek
Carnival Quinto
Last weekend Zachary Quinto (Star Trek’s new Spock) took time out of his schedule to participate in the the "A Time for Heroes Celebrity Carnival" in LA, which benefits the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. People paid upwards of $1000 to hang out with the celebs and play carnival games. Learn more about the event and the cause by watching this video from the event (Quinto can be seen briefly).
Quinto showing up for a good cause
Nichols and Koenig at TrekFest
The Tulsa Trek Fest was last weekend, not a lot of reporting or blogging on this event and few pics, but here are a couple of pics found on Flckr.
Nichols and Koenig signing at Trekfest
Linda Park engaged, returning to theater
Promoting her appearance at the Tulsa Trek Expo this past weekend, Star Trek: Enterprise’s Linda Park (Hoshi Sato) revealed she is engaged to marry some lucky guy who remained nameless, according to Tulsa World. Currently residing in LA, Park is also planning on returning to New York and resuming her work in the theater, in addition to film.
We couldn’t find a shot of Linda from Tulsa, so we are going to re-use this old one…congrats to whoever is your new husband-to-be
Bana boards Apatow flick
It’s official: Eric Bana, the villain in 2009’s Star Trek film, has joined the cast of Judd Apatow’s new dramedy about stand-up comedians, according to Variety. The movie also has a title and a production start date – it’ll be called Funny People and shooting is set to begin in mid-September. As we reported last week, Bana, who began his showbiz career as in comedy, will be playing the role of Clarke (the boyfriend of Leslie Mann’s character).
Boris Karloff as Cyrono Jones???
As you all should know, in the classic TOS episode “The Trouble with Tribbles”, veteran character actor Stanley Adams portrayed Tribble hawker Cyrano Jones. If writer David Gerrold had had his way, though, the role would have been played by a certain horror movie legend. He explains at SyFy Portal:
I had wanted to suggest somebody for Cyrano Jones, but I was too shy. I wanted to suggest the actor that I really had in mind when I wrote the character: Boris Karloff. And I think if I had said that, they would’ve made an effort to get him. Stanley Adams did a wonderful job, and Stanley and I were good friends, and I certainly don’t fault Stanley’s interpretation of the character.
Gerrold also discussed his thoughts on the DS9 tribute episode, “Trials and Tribble-ations,” as well as his decision to leave TNG when the powers that be decided not to produce his proposed episode “Blood and Fire,” which served as allegory for AIDS and showed homosexuals in the 24th century. He explains his decision to leave:
“I didn’t want to leave Star Trek, but I also didn’t want to be on a show that was an imitation of what it once was. I didn’t want the credentials of being on a second-rate show.
Four Trek vets named top Hollywood designers
Ryan Church and James Clyne, two of the concept artists on 2009’s Star Trek, are listed among io9’s 10 Hollywood Designers To Watch Out For. Church is actually the lead concept designer on the new film and was responsible for the “new” old USS Enterprise. On why Church “rules,” io9 had this to say:
If you saw a cool giant machine or floating city in Star Wars episode II or III, there’s a good chance it was designed by Ryan Church. His designs for Revenge Of The Sith included a new generation of giant AT-AT walkers with longer legs, giant robot tanks, and a whole gaggle of dinosaur/dragon mounts for the Jedi and soldiers to ride on. And he designed the alien invaders from Steven Spielberg’s War Of The Worlds movie, including the fiery concept paintings we’ve marveled at before.
Also being profiled are friend of the site Daren Dochterman, a production illustrator on the pilot for Star Trek: Voyager and the visual effects supervisor for the Director’s Edition of Star Trek: The Motion Picture, and DS9 set designer Nathan Crowley.
Tuvok takes a dive
Star Trek: Voyager star Tim Russ (Tuvok) will be joining Eugene W. Roddenberry (Trek creator Gene Roddenberry’s son) and other divers at Anacapa Island in California on June 22nd as part of the Roddenberry Dive Club, according to SyFy Portal. Unfortunately, the event is limited to certified divers (apparently you need to know how to dive in order to actually partake in diving), but if you want to see them off, the trip begins boarding on the Peace Dive Boat at 6:30 a.m., and the boat departs at 7. Have fun not diving!
Forget Obama/Clinton — vote Shatner/Hasselhoff!
The Shatner/Hasselhoff campaign kicked off with a hilarious campaign ad now available on YouTube (see below).
TrekBits
- Vulkon Entertainment has announced that Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys) will be a guest at their Orlando, Florida convention on Saturday, July 19th.
- Denise Crosby (Tasha Yar) was at the Big Apple Comicon for one frickin’ day (June 8th), according to the calendar on her official site. In the meantime, you can catch Denise in the play Epitaph for George Dylan, currently running at the 45th Street Theater in New York City.
- Speaking of Trek actors in plays, Rene Auberjonois (Odo)’s The Imaginary Invalid is currently in previews at the Lansburgh Theatre in Washington, DC, and the play officially opens June 16th; see The Shakespeare Theatre Company for more details.
- Newsarama has a new interview with Robert Picardo; you can read it here.
- Jeffrey Combs (Weyoun, Brunt, Shran, etc.) has joined the cast of the horror movie Dark House, which began principal photography this week. (ShockTillYouDrop.com)
- Veteran Trek guest star John Schuck attended the ceremony celebrating actress Susan Saint James’ receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. (rrstar.com)
- Chase Masterson (DS9’s Leeta) will be attending the screening of her film Yesterday Was a Lie at the Riverside Saginaw Film Festival later this month. (The Bay City Times via mlive.com)
- Star Trek: Insurrection star F. Murray Abraham (Ru’Afo) discusses the use of theater and film to spread the message of peace, tolerance, and truth at JewishTheatre.com.
- Magnolia Pictures has grabbed domestic rights to the comedic drama film Humboldt County, starring VOY guest actor Brad Dourif, a.k.a. Lon Suder. (Variety)
- The 13th annual Stony Brook Film Festival will open with Emotional Arithmetic, a film starring Christopher Plummer, a.k.a. General Chang in Star Trek VI. (Variety)
- The Los Angeles Times has an article on Top Chef host and Enterprise guest star Padma Lakshmi (Kitaama in “Precious Cargo” aka “The Perfect Mate 2: The Beginning”); you can read it here.
Trek birthdays
Karl Urban, the man who fills DeForest Kelley’s shoes to play Dr. McCoy in the new Star Trek movie, turned 36 on June 7th. Also celebrating a birthday this week was James Darren, DS9’s Vic Fontaine, who turned 72 on June 8th. Other Trek luminaries who turned over an extra digit this week include: Adrienne Barbeau (63), the actress who played Senator Cretak in DS9’s “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges;” Felicia M. Bell (48), Jennifer Sisko on DS9; Bernie Casey (69), who played Calvin Hudson in DS9’s “The Maquis” two-parter; Tarik Ergin (47), seen as Lt. Ayala in at least 117 episode of Voyager; Gary Graham (58), who recurred as Ambassador Soval on Enterprise; Alex DeLarge Malcolm McDowell (65), the man who killed Kirk in Star Trek Generations; and William Shatner’s daughter, Lisabeth Shatner (47), who appeared in TOS’ “Miri.” To those listed here and to everyone not listed here, TrekMovie.com wishes you all a happy birthday!
In Memoriam: Bill Dial
Bill Dial, 64, who wrote or co-wrote the DS9 episodes “The Alternate” and “Tribunal” and the VOY episode “Eye of the Needle,” died on a heart attack in Beaufort, South Carolina, on July 2nd. He is perhaps best known for his work on the sitcom WKRP in
Cincinnati, most notably the classic episode “Turkeys Away.” For more on Dial, see his pages at IMDb and Memory Alpha.
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Comments»
Wow. Posted at 4:41 CST. Insomia Rules!
Linda Parker is HOT!!! They all should dress like that!
I wonder if Bana is going to tell the “Aristocrats” joke?
I am not going to post consecutively anymore. It looks like I’m spanning. I’ll post after a few others post.
Second! ;)
Great to see the TOS bunch still fanning out and being welcomed by avid folk.
And thanks to the new winning team Shatner/Hasselhoff we don’t have to worry anymore – they definitely are the right candidates to overcome people’s disenchantment with politics, presenting them a new, fresh approach, appealing to a wider audience, and thus re-imagining the world around us. :)
We’re in June…
Empress Sato is engaged?
Oh, meesa so sad. KHAN!!!
Good pic though. That should have been her duty uniform all along.
Oh, that Linda Park. That is one fine body she’s got.
Ooooooooooh, Karloff as Cyrano Jones? That would have been seven degrees of awesome.
Wow, yes, Linda Park is seriously hot.
Also, good to see a lot of Trek actors– Linda Park, Rene Auberjonois, Denise Crosby– being so involved in live theater. (I’m proud to say I got to see Stewart’s Macbeth on Broadway; it was /glorious./)
Shatner/Hasselhoff ‘08
O.M.G.
That is too funny. It’s too surreal to be weird-funny.
It would have been interesting if The Hoff was on TNG as a guest star, like if he played Okona or something. That would have been a hair.
uh…Shouldn’t that be Stardate — 6 13 08
Linda, Linda, Linda…Oh my. I’m going to take a little break now.
Linda Park is a little hottie, huh? Why wasn’t that her uniform in Enterprise??
Chuck- Good job finding the best-pic-ever of Linda. Now, when are you going to show us some bikini pics of Jeri and Jolene?
As usual, Leonardo looks fantastic. And Quinto really likes his hats.
Oh, Mr. Stewart, I’ve missed seeing that upper lip.
You’ve heard this before here Charles, but nice picture of the absolutely lust-worthy Linda Park. Did you write anything else in your little article there, boyo? I sort of got side tracked.
Shatner/Hasselhoff! I bought one of those shirts a while ago. Now that the election’s heating up so much, I’m totes gonna start wearing it. :)
Always thought it was a mistake for ENT to play down Linda Park’s obvious beauty.
Nimoy looks fantastic!
Re: Linda Park
YUM!!!