With all the talk about the new Star Trek (and Anthony’s ringing review of the new Kirk), did you think we forgot about the Original? Not for a second. We have been and always shall be keeping a Watch on Bill Shatner and today we have vids of him talking about the new Enterprise and UFOs, a rundown on ‘Shatcember’ and much much more Billness going on.
The Original Captain Kirk thinks the new Enterprise is ‘ship shape’
In a brand new Shatner Project Video, Bill has some words for those who fret over the details of the new Enterprise.
Get Ready For Shatcember
Shatner owns December. In fact, there are so many Shatner appearances on television that at Trekmovie, we have decided to rename the month Shatcember. While his six year run as Denny Crane (counting both Boston Legal and The Practice) ends this December, William Shatner (of course) shows no signs of stopping. In addition to the usual reruns of Star Trek (locally, TVLAND), TJ Hooker (METV Chicago), and Boston Legal (locally, ION), Shatner has these new offerings for fans to TiVo.
Raw Nerve Premier (December 2 at 10/9 Central, Biography Channel)
Shatner’s talk show Raw Nerve starts the month of Shatcember. Shatner is a very good interviewer, and the show promises to talk about issues and concerns often ignored by other venues with celebrities such as Leonard Nimoy, Tim Allen, Drew Carey, Jimmy Kimmel, Howie Mandel, Judge Judy, Valerie Bertinelli, Jenna Jameson, Jon Voight and fellow captain Kelsey Grammer (Morgan Bateson, "Cause and Effect," TNG). There is a new video available to watch at the official website, and goto WilliamShatner.com for behind the scenes photos of the Raw Nerve set.
Shat and Nimoy on Raw Nerve
(NOTE: date for Nimoy episode is still unknown)
Boston Legal Finale (December 8 at 9/8 Central, ABC)
Entitled "Last Call" the last episode of Boston Legal is a sad farewell for a show that garnered Emmy and Golden Globe wins for William Shatner. This evening, ABC is showing two episodes of the show, making the finale a two hour event. Denny Crane! Before then there are two more episodes, including "Thanksgiving" airing this Monday, here is an image (more at boston-legal.org)
Shatner and the cast of Boston Legal give thanks in “Thanksgiving”
Gotta Catch Santa (December 21, Teletoon Canada)
The holiday special Gotta Catch Santa features William Shatner as the voice of St. Nick. Filmed in the Rankin-Bass style, the show will also be shown in the United States this Shatcember (to be announced). The show features a quantum physics themed narrative.
Image from "Catch Santa"
Million Dollar Password (December 21 at 8/7 Central, CBS)
The very popular Million Dollar Password, hosted by Regis Philbin, returns for its second season this Shatcember. Appropriately, CBS has decided that the Shat should be the first guest, who along with CSI’s Aisha Tyler, will help contestants win big money.
Regis prepares to face Shatner on "Million Dollar Password"
You can dress like Denny Crane…literally
Need something to wear in Shatcember? With the end of Boston Legal you can actually wear a memento from the show. To do so, head to Manhattan Beach, CA this weekend for the Studio Lot Sale being conducted by Premiere Props. Their announcement reads:
Premiere Props, on behalf of David E. Kelley Productions, is holding a two-day public lot sale of thousands of high-end wardrobe and costumes from David E. Kelley Productions’ hit shows including Ally McBeal, The Practice and Boston Legal.
A wide variety of timeless and one-of-a-kind formal, casual and children clothing, shoes, accessories and wedding gowns from David E. Kelley’s hit shows will be up for sale including Ralph Lauren’s “Purple Label,” Frye, Armani, Dolce and Gabana, BCBG, Charles David, UGG, Manolo Blahniks and many more!
More info at PremiereProps.
Autograph Magazine takes on Shatner
Shatner even dominates in the world of magazines this Shatcember. Autograph Magazine each year offers its list of 10 Best and Worst Signers among celebrities. In the December 2008 issue, unfortunately for the Shat, he is listed as the #2 worst signer. This is his second year in a row on the worst side of the list. The article says:
If nasty were a virtue, William Shatner would be a saint. He seems to take such joy in torturing fans and collectors that Shatner is known around Autograph as the "Marquis de Sign
Ouch. Although the article praises Shatner for making his autograph available to everyone via his website store, the editorial is scathingly critical. The problem, though, is that Autograph Magazine’s Best and Worst lists are sometimes based on reports from dealers asking for signatures they intend to sell. When Shatner is at a restaurant, and someone just happens to have an 8X10 picture of him as Captain Kirk on them, chances are Shatner knows the person is an autograph dealer who was tipped off to his presence. I have always found Shatner to be a very gracious signer. While the article criticizes him for not interacting with fans, he has always had a smile or kind word when signing for us, even during busy lines at conventions. In fact, he congratulated us on our son’s birth during a convention signing. Shatner might not be very kind to autograph dealers who sell his autograph, but he is not necessarily that way towards his fans.
Bill hasn’t seen aliens?
In our birthday tribute to William Shatner "77 Reasons Why William Shatner Is Awesome," coming in at #66 was that he "reported seeing a UFO in the Mojave Desert in 1967." Our friends at the Shatner Project asked Bill about this, and apparently it may have to come off the list.
Obama to step in to end Shat/Takei war?
What were the two biggest stories this Fall. One is the US Presidential Election, and the other is the ongoing Feud between George Takei and William Shatner. SF Chronicle political cartoonist Don Asmussen found a way to put those stories together.
CLICK TO SEE FULL SIZED
I agree with the Shat! The ship is AMAZING!
The Shat is happy with JJ’s Enterprise design – that’s good enough for me!
SO PRETTY
Rejected month names:
Deshatner
Shatnember
Decetner
Shacembner
Maybe what Shatner said will shut the canonistas up.
Canonista: Copyright Shane West 2008
#5—“Maybe what Shatner said will shut the canonistas up.”
Not likely.
With that said, I agree with him. I like the ship.
Thanks, Bill!
Well said, Bill… couldn’t agree with you more.
“JJ is holding on to the ideals of construction which means he will be holding on to the Ideals of Star Trek. For me the ship looks great.”
I’ll bet Ryan Church will sleep well tonight ;))
Shatner’s signed for me on numerous occasions and has always been nice. I know at one point he was under contract for those plaques they used to sell and so he couldn’t sign autographs. Can’t wait for his interview with Nimoy!
The ship will fall apart in space because the wind is stronger in space.
My shock at finding out about the *end* of Boston Legal, next month, is matched only by my awe that pieces of the wardrobe can now be purchased at auction.
Good for Bill Shatner and what a gracious person he is. JJ and Paramount should send him a check because for me, in one video, he has managed to put it all in perspective in a kind and gracious way,. more than all the interviews, or film clips, or reviews I’ve read and seen have been able to do. No wonder we love ya Bill and to many of us you will always be “the” Kirk by which all others will be measured.
Hats off to your busy schedule and I can’t wait for the Raw Nerve premier!
Good for Bill! All that nonsense about him not being supportive of the new film will soon fade, as I’ve always said it would. He was disappointed that he wasn’t asked to be in it. Who wouldn’t be? Especially after being initially courted by JJ. But he’s over it. The man has quite a full life.
Yikes – come on, Bill. The narrow end of your tie is longer than the wide end. What’s up with that?
I would not be that kind to obvious autograph dealers either.
Every dealer who has ever approached me for one has been curtly rebuffed.
As for the ship, nothing I have seen of it yet convinces me that the changes they have made are for the better. I fully understand the need to make it more detailed, but that could be done without changing the dimensions and overall look of the individual sections.
Those ship comments- he should go into politics.
But what does he care anyway? Seriously.
Still don’t much care for the redesign of the ship, and if my feelings for it change in the coming months it won’t be because Bill Shatner gave it his seal of approval. Sorry.
6. Closettrekker
Yup… you were right!
#5—”Maybe what Shatner said will shut the canonistas up.”
What a wonderfully democratic attitude.
Phooeeyyyy!!!
Oh come on SHAT! You cant REALLY like that garbage hauler of a ship!!!!
LOL! ITS HORRIFIC!
But I know what Bill is all sugar and sweet.. he wants in, in the NEXT movie!
He cant say something bad now!
Closet 6,
Refer to post 21. It apparently didn’t.
#4 LOL
Actually, the Shatcember thing reminded me of a peculiar British past-time which involves replacing parts of the names of London Underground stations with the ‘C’ word (no, not Canon). The objective of the game is to mitigate the intense annoyance involved in using said transportation system.
Anyway, it prompted me to commence a whole new lexicon of Shat inspired words, which I hope will be used by Shatnophiles (there’s one)and perhaps enter the dictionary at some far flung point in the future.
Feel free to add more. Some meanings are obvious, others I spell out.
In no special order other than that in which I think of them…..
Shat-tastic, Shatmongous, Shat-tacular (generally good)
Shatorific (generally bad. e.g., Star Trek V)
Shatly (of an object or person to be Shat-like [or shat-ine]). See also,un-shatly.
Shatology (the study of The Shat, and his Shatnerisms. Note that shatological is quite distinct from spockological).
Shatnerisms (The Shat’s pronouncements)
Shatophilia (Love of The Shat inspired by his personality, acting style, and all round oddness)
Shatophobia (Fear, generally inspired by working with The Shat)
Shatolalia (c.f. Shatoglossia. Strangely….stilted… style of…. speaking, caused by Shatoclonus… a type of spasm in the jaw musculature)
Shatolite (no, it’s not Sean Connery talking about the Moon….it’s a Shat Follower,or worshipper)
Shatmas (non-denominational festival in Shatcember)
contra-shat (going against a Shatnerism)
anti-shat (George Takei)
post-shat (Chris Pine)
micro-shat (Jimmy Bennett)
identi-shat (Martia in Star Trek VI)
epi-shat (a hairpiece)
entre-shat (the most horrific ballet move ever imagined)
contra-shat (the evil version of Kirk)
Shatniscient (occurring in all forms of media)
Shatocracy (government by The Shat)
Shatorrhea (constat unneccesary verbiage)
Shatogogue (leading light in the field of Shatology,or in the promulgation of Shatodox thinking)
Shatomatic
Shatmatic (insistently Shatnerian)
Shatward (veering towards Shatophilia)
Shatosphere (the world of The Shat)
Shatography (The Shat’s writings) also, Shatogram, Shatogrammatical
Shatnician (hairpiece manufacturer)
Shatlexia (inability to understand what The Shat says or writes)
Shatolith (carved stone figurine of The Shat…. er…)
Shatomancy (divination of The Shat’s meaning from various Shatologues and Shatnerisms) see also shatnostication
Shatomorph
Shatnominy (embarassment or shame caused by Shatnophilia)
Shatonymous (identical to something said by The Shat)
Shatoplexic (really really annoyed)
Shatnique (Shat chic)
….head explodes……..
you forgot “Shat-ligual” …. due to the fact that he is also French speaking from Montreal ;)
5: …maybe if Captain Kirk himself says he likes the new E. :-)
Alright, what else do we need now. We have Bill’s blessing on the design of the Enterprise and Nimoy’s co-signing of the script. So, I don’t think anyone should be saying “This isn’t Star Trek” anymore.
I liked the new ship before Shat said I should, but I’m glad he likes it too.
With the Great Bird of the Galaxy and Robert Justman gone, I put my faith in Shatner and Nimoy.
26: I’m still saying “Could very well be that this isn’t Star Trek anymore”. What does Shatner’s personal opinion have to do with it?
Wow, Kelsey Grammer -AND- Kelsey Grammar – fantastic!!! ;-)
#2 i agree
if the shat is happy – im happy.
this ship is GREAT and thought so when i first saw it.
Greg UK
#19—“6. Closettrekker
Yup… you were right!”
It wouldn’t have mattered what they did with it, IMO. Some faction or another would have been disappointed.
I always thought that I was a “canonista”, since I have had fun with ‘canon’ for over 30 years…and will probably continue to do so.
I guess I’ll have to join a new club! :)
Maybe “left-wing canonistas”, or something to that effect…
#22—“Closet 6,
Refer to post 21. It apparently didn’t.”
I would have been shocked if it had….
But what does he think of his chair.. ;-)
To put it in perspective, if Shatner said he hated it, would you “canonista”-haters have shut up? I doubt that very much.
Can’t we all just acknowledge that we all have our own opinions, and that Trek means different things to different people?
#29 – This “may not be your Star Trek anymore”, and for that I really feel bad for you. I really hope it is “My” Star Trek and from what I’ve seen so far it looks like it will be… for me. My hope is that it will be my daughter’s and son’s Star Trek. They need to see a bright future portrayed now more than ever!
Yep- The ship ROCKS!!!
Well, everybody‘s entitled to his/her own opinion, even the Shat…;)
Anyway, it‘s very gracious of him to say he likes the USS Quasimodo.
The Shatner/Nimoy photo is rather heart-warming – good to see that they’re both in “ship shape” and I’m looking forward to the interview.
#29 Holger, it helps to have the person who played the character most associated with Star Trek to give his blessing.
IMHO, if it weren’t for Mr. Shatner’s portrayal of James T. Kirk and the way the other main characters interacted with each other Star Trek could very easily have ended up like Lost in Space: three years of episodes and one so-so remake movie 30+ years later.
As we learned in Star Trek 3 and 4, even thou the Enterprise is a main character, Star Trek is mainly about the crew. They spent nearly the whole Voyage Home movie in a Klingon Bird of Prey and that was one of the best Trek movies ever.
#34—“Can’t we all just acknowledge that we all have our own opinions, and that Trek means different things to different people?”
I think it would be difficult to sift through the posts after any article posted on this site ‘without’ acknowledging that.
LOL, so Shat is an egotist until he agrees with the fanboys on something. Then he’s right.
Go figure
34: I believe this IS widely acknowledged among us. And I think that ‘hate’ is much too strong a word, anyway.
But you’re right, had Shatner gone the other way, nobody would have changed his mind either. Well, probably it would have been said that Shatner deprecates the movie because he isn’t in it. (Sorry I had to bring it up. I hope this doesn’t stir up another Why isn’t the Shat in the movie? debate ;-)
@ 41
“Hate” might not describe your feelings for the more canonically-minded among us, but some people here seem to hate even hearing the word, much less hearing from those of us that put high value on its integrity.
look what George has been getting up to… http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=aACBDnQPjh4
38, Mike T: I don’t argue that Shatner’s opinion or his blessing means something to people, and far be it from me to criticize people for that.
My take is rather that for a “right-wing canonista” the question is probably how the new E looks as compared to the TOS E, considered from an in-universe perspective, as it were. That’s a point where I think Bill Shatner isn’t any more or any less qualified that any of us fans.
42: I’m a canon hardliner and I would describe myself as a “movie skeptic”, but I don’t feel hated here. Emotions run a little high sometimes, harsh words are used, but usually people cool down again.
OK, on the other hand I’m no native speaker of English, so maybe the word ‘hate’ is weaker than I thought. You tell me.
#42—“…some people here seem to hate even hearing the word, much less hearing from those of us that put high value on its integrity.”
I, too, value its integrity.
The existence and possibility within the Star Trek Universe of alternate timelines being created by interference with the past is very much ‘canon’ in itself.
I can hardly see any wiggle-room on that.
As for the “integrity” of the storyline continuity established in the original timeline, it is not only still there, but inherently relevant and even essential to this story.
Without everything playing out the way it has in the timeline with which we (as ‘canonistas’) are all so intimately familiar, the story cannot progress to this point—Nero and Nimoy’s Spock (both of whom are products of that timeline) cannot take action to alter the past or, in Spock’s case, take action to prevent that from occuring.
Orci and Kurtzman have handed Mr. Abrams one giant canon loophole with all of this. He can pretty much change anything he wants, and quite ‘canonically’ at that.
That includes the look of the new/old Enterprise (although “asthetics” have never been part of what I consider to be ‘canon’ anyway).
“Anything which appears to violate canon will have a canon explanation.”—Roberto Orci.
That seems to be about right.
Shatcember? Feels like Rocktober was only yesterday.
For a second you had me worried that monicker was Bill’s idea.
Haven’t watched much Boston Legal, only because of my schedule and its ever-changing schedule seeming to cancel each other out. Maybe I’ll catch it in reruns.
Finally! Some support from the Shatman for the new movie. Thank you Bill for being so magnanimous. Last thing I wanted to endure was a Star Trek Civil War. And his point is valid — who cares if the nacelles are slightly bigger or Quinto’s sideburns aren’t perfect? This saga is bigger than those piciune details.
46. Closettrekker
Closet, as always, just wanted to say I’m in total agreement with you. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The new movie’s central conflict springs from a Romulan plot do destroy the very canon we’ve all held so dear. What better jeopardy to reinvigorate the franchise? And if the timeline we’re left with by movie’s end is a slightly different timeline? Why not? We already have our ‘original’ undisturbed timeline available to us in the ‘historical documents’ (i.e. our TOS, TAS, TOS-movies, TNG, DS9, VOY episodes and TNG-movies) to revisit over and over again ad infinitum. Bring on the new!
If Shatner says that it’s cool, then that’s good enough for me.