CelebWatch is back, baby! This week, we have news on Star Trek vets lending a hand for Haiti, more gossip for Chris Pine, Zoe Saldana’s revealing secrets and more in a new (and provocative) photo shoot, and Sir Patrick Stewart on his upcoming knighthood. Plus: the passing of an acting legend who graced the set of TNG. For all this and more, just click below.
Pine, Saldana, Ryan and other Trek vets for Haiti + more Pine dating gossip
If you watched the fund-raising telethon Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief on Friday, you may have noticed some Trek figures amongst the celebrities who were operating the phones. Star Trek (2009) stars Chris Pine (Kirk) and Zoe Saldana (Uhura) were there, as was their co-star, filmmaker Tyler Perry (Admiral Bennett). Voyager‘s Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine) was also answering the phones, along with Star Trek VI cameo-maker Christian Slater (Excelsior comm officer). For a complete list of celebrities who manned the phone lines, click here.
Helping Haiti
To learn more on what you can do, visit hopeforhaiti.com
Chris Pine at the Hope for Haiti Now benefit
On a side note last week Chris Pine was burning up the gossip press with reports of his break up with actress and G4TV hostess Olivia Munn (see People Magazine article that kicked off a frenzy). But the pair were spotted dining together on Thursday, as reported by JustJared, but last night Pine was spotted with actress Nathalie Walker, so perhaps the Captain continues to play the field. As reported from his recent Laker game spotting, Pine has an eye for the ladies.
Saldana on Leno + Makes Most Desirable Women List + New (NSFW) Pics
On Thursday, the beautiful Zoe Saldana (Uhura) made an appearance on The Jay Leno Show as part of the ultra-boring show’s “Ten @ Ten” segment. Leno asked Saldana ten questions about her life and career; for the last question, Saldana described her most bizarre Trekkie experience. As lovely as Saldana is, the interview was not worth watching the entire show for; fortunately, we have the Ten @ Ten segment itself below:
In more Zoe news, the new Uhura was — not surprisingly — included in the AskMen.com poll for the Top 99 Most Desirable Women, ranking at #33 according to PR-USA.net. In addition, some new photos of Saldana have surfaced which prove that she belongs on that “Most Desirable” list… only these photos show a bit of Zoe you may not have seen before. In other words, the pictures in the following link are *not safe for work*. You’ve been warned.
Zoe’s sheer beauty
Quinto seeks ‘Laughter’
On Thursday night, Zachary Qunito (Spock) attended the opening night of the Broadway play Present Laughter at the American Airlines Theatre. Quinto looked sharp in a Navy blue suit and black tie… yet still managed to maintain some of that Sylar creepiness. For the record, Present Laughter stars Victor Garber, who shot a scene as a Klingon in Quinto’s Star Trek, only to be cut from the final film.
Quinto (and his shiny suit) attending the opening night of Broadway’s Present Laughter
Sir Stewart talks knighthood, Shakespeare, and art
Sir Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard) will be on American TV again this year, this time on PBS who will be airing performances of RSC’s Macbeth and Hamlet featuring the actor.
In an interview with Canwest Stewart discussed his knighthood. And, naturally, he found a chance to throw in a Shakespeare reference in doing so.
There’s a line in Macbeth, spoken, I think, by Macduff, where he says, ‘Lest our old garments fit more easily than our new.’ And that’s how I’m experiencing it at the moment.
Stewart’s knighthood, which will officially occur in the spring, has also given the actor a nice advantage when it comes to traveling. He explains:
I can tell you, though, that it did get me an upgrade on British Airways. And, with my American girlfriend, we were fast-tracked through immigration — for which she was grateful. I’m finding this distinction a little bemusing, actually.
Stewart also talked a bit about Shakespeare, including why he feels it endures and his take on the “Macbeth curse.” Having acted in two Shakespeare plays in the past year (Hamlet and Macbeth), Stewart describes why this has been “the grandest year of [his] life.”
This is my 52nd year of [acting] professionally, and all I ever wanted to do was act in Shakespeare. … The depth of personal satisfaction that comes from having this language in your mouth every day, in your head and heart, being able to take oneself out of one’s ordinary life and examine and explore the richness and complexity of these lives created for us by the genius of Shakespeare, is such a huge privilege.
Macbeth and Hamlet will be broadcast by PBS later this year as part of WNET/New York’s Great Performances showcase. For the full interview with Stewart, head on over to Canada.com.
Patrick Stewart gets Shakespearean at the Winter TCA Tour on January 13, 2010.
RIP: Jean Simmons (1929 – 2010)
Finally today, we have some sad news to report. Legendary British actress Jean Simmons, who played Rear Admiral Norah Satie in Star Trek: The Next Generation‘s “The Drumhead,” died of lung cancer yesterday at her home in Santa Monica, California, as reported by the Los Angeles Times. While Trek fans may know her best from her TNG performance, Simmons is mostly known for starring in such films as Guys and Dolls, Elmer Gantry, and Spartacus. She received two Oscar nominations (for 1948’s Hamlet and 1969’s The Happy Ending), an Emmy Award (for the mini-series The Thorn Birds), and six Golden Globe nominations (winning one). Simmons was 80 years old.
The late Jean Simmons as Norah Satie
great job Chuck, glad to have you back on the case
and Jean Simmons assumed the role of Elizabeth Collins Stoddard in the 1990’s revival of Dark Shadows which was great for us crossover TREK-DS fans
and grew up loving her in “the Robe”
Zoe’s at the TOP of my “list”!!!
Zoe you are SO beautiful, you make me ache with lust and admiration!! =O
Jean Simmons was also Miss Havisham in the 1989 Disney miniseries version of GREAT EXPECTATIONS, which also starred Anthony Hopkins and John Rhys-Davies.
I just watched “The Drumhead” today – I didn’t even know Ms Simmons had passed away. She was a wonderful actress.
I’ll be seeing stars in my sleep tonight.
That’s because my teenaged son is in the room. So, I’ll have to wait until tomorrow to click that link.
Meanwhile…
RIP Jean Simmons.
Glad to be back, Tony, thanks. :)
And despite rumors to the contrary, I am *not* being replaced by Jay Leno. Just wanted to get that out there. :-P
Jean Simmons scared me in ‘The Drumhead’ and I thought she was great in ‘Guys and Dolls’. She was a very talented actress.
I neglected to add this in the article: Simmons also won a special Golden Globe award as “Most Versatile Actress” in 1958. So, really, she won two Globes.
For more information on Jean Simmons, see her profiles at IMDb and Memory Alpha.
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001739/
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Jean_Simmons
The Drumhead was one of my fav’s b/c of her performance. Thanks, Jean.
What?! Victor Garber got cut from the movie?? As a Klingon? He was Jesus you know!
Loved Jean Simmons. Her disrobing scene in Spartcus (which didn’t show anything really) was very sexy still. Greatness.
RIP Jean Simmons…. her performance in ST-TNG’s ‘Drumhead,’ like the episode, was inspiring.
I saw the film ‘Legion’ tonight… I liked it, a lot actually; I was expecting something far darker than it is… thankfully, it wasn’t…
Anyway, I was amazed how many movies Zoe Saldana has coming out in the months ahead. Busy woman (beautiful and talented too) she has been… and clearly will be in the future.
As a Shakespeare student I am always intrigued by the many interpretations of “Hamlet” that are performed, either professionally or on local levels. I’ve got both the Mel Gibson and Kenneth Branagh film versions on DVD, as well as the animated segment from HBO’s adaptation and a three-hour modern-dress stage adaptation from the New York Shakespeare Festival with Kevin Kline. Seeing Patrick Stewart in a RSC production of “Hamlet” will be da bomb! (Likewise for “Macbeth”!) I just hope that my former teacher George Pittman will be watching!
Dang Patrick Stewart is a shoo-in for elderly Dave Bowman in the 2001 remake…
#16: yikes, even in jest, don’t suggest remaking ‘2001!’ LOL
Hollywood would soooooo botch it up!
Oh hell, and here I thought I could get away from the Conan/Leno thing on this website. Guess I was wrong.
And for the record, I think Leno is f@#kin hilarious!
Love the Stars on Zoe’s dress :) it’s sorta like girls gone wild photos. The original photos does not seem to reveal her nipples.
I think J’s question’s were kinda f-ed up, if you ask me. “so what’s the worst thing that’s ever happened to you?”, “were you ever crapped on as a kid?”, “have you ever engaged in anything illegal?”. I was afraid of what he might ask next. “have you ever swam in bong water before?”, “have you ever had a vestigial tail?”
Seriously. WTF.
On a lighter note, Zoe is a babe.
I completely forgot that Jean Simmons was in “The Drumhead”. RIP.
RIP Jean Simmons. I loved her as Admiral Satie as well as in The Robe.
Can’t wait to see Sir Patrick on PBS doing Shakespeare.
#19 –
Ooooooooooooooh, yes they do! Go to the link, and click on the one photo with the “pink stars.” You’ll get a full-size version that is GLORIOUS and will set your phaser to, um, overload.
Chilly all of a sudden. Real nipply weather.
This is a little off the subject, but someone told me recently, that Karl Urban has dropped out of playing McCoy in any future Trek movies due to not wanting to be typecasted. Anyone else hear this? I really doubted it since i think I would’ve heard by now on this site!
Jean was a great actor.
May she rest in peace.
On a lighter note, I went to the site with the Zoe pics and found one of Madonna and could not resist.
http://tinyurl.com/yk4682l
:)
i had no idea Chris Pine and Olivia Munn were dating. Olivia is one of my favorites for sure.
The Zoe pics are not nearly as illicit as on would expect from the story and pink stars. Her avatar reveal more i think!
This is a little off topic, but I just found this great site about ST The Motion Picture and deleted scenes, etc. Here is a photo of Captain Kirk being attacked by crystal life forms before Spock phasers them off of him. I can’t believe they deleted this scene! http://www.ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/images/TMP/kirk_spock5.jpg
Here is the description and some photos of what they filmed!
http://www.ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/tmp_19.php
http://www.ottens.co.uk/forgottentrek/images/TMP/MW023.jpg
“Bill’s gonna do a nude scene in ST2012?!?”
cool, 28!
@18
Leno is not hilarious! He has some funny jokes but they are usually pretty bland. Not to mention his damn band going crazy after ever joke. Its soooooo annoying.
There is a reason so many people hate Leno. They all say the same thing, that he is a back stabber. No one has ever said bad things about Conan. Conan is a classy guy. Hell he graduated from Harvard. Leno didn’t. Leno didnt try to promote charity for Haiti last week while Conan did just about every night. Do the math.
I like Zoe, but in this picture she looks wiped out!
# 25 I don’t think that is true. I think they all have signed on for at least 2 more movies, and from what I have read, he loved playing Bones.
He was an excellent choice for the part- I hope to see more of him as well next time.
Saldana is a pretty woman but the old phrase “skin and bones” comes to mind. She would look better and be more attractive at a healthy body weight with muscle tone to match.
Just sayin’ (and sincerely),
C.S. Lewis
Oh TrekMovie…you had me hoping with that pic. Oh well…:-P
Zoe Rocks!! Leno Sucks!!
C.S. Lewis, it’s been discussed plenty of times before that most people think that her current figure is her natural figure. She is pretty tall and reflects the figure of many African women of similar stature both in this country and back in Africa as well.
If you watched the Leno clip she even mentions eating fast food. She always seems to come across as being very comfortable in her own skin so I doubt she’s doing anything unhealthy to maintain an unhealthy weight.
18. Syn4Ever — Hilarious? Sorry, even when he was good (many years ago), he was never hilarious. For the record, though, my critique of Leno’s show in the article had nothing to do with the Leno/Conan thing. I’ve seen a few episodes of The Jay Leno Show, and none of them were funny. The one with Zoe was no exception. (Not trying to get into a Leno debate here, just giving my opinion.)
19. somethoughts — If you want to see her … you know… you have to click on the photos to view their full and original size.
20. DJT — Ha! Leno has never been one to ask intelligent or appropriate questions.
25. mntrekfan — I have not heard anything about Urban dropping out of future Treks. Urban, like the others, is contracted to two more films, so if he were to drop out, you can bet it wouldn’t go unnoticed. My personal rule of thumb is, if you haven’t heard it on TrekMovie.com, then it isn’t true. :)
There’s a “healthy” thin and a “so-ghastly-they-must-be-starving-themselves” thin.
Zoe Saldana is very healthy, thankyouverymuch. She’s just petite. There’s a difference.
^35. Eli
I see. Well thanks for the background explanation. As a married man and father, I of course have no personal interest as such, but it is truly said “there is someone for everyone”.
Sincerely,
C.S. Lewis
The world of Trek is full of signs and wonders. So much to see, hear, and experience!
We now mourn the passing of Jean Simmons, whose memorable turn as Nora Satie grace a most sterling TNG story.
We recognize that there are myriads of stars … out there … and yet the loss of just one bears notice.
Jean Simmons, R.I.P.
Typo: “graced.”
As corrected.
Important things first.
Jean Simmons… a skilled and moving actor. Drumhead is still one of the best intellectual and philosophical ST episodes ever. May she rest in peace.
Next, Why all the Leno-hate? That guy has been #1 forever and he IS funny. He has the best band BECAUSE they interact so well with him. Conan… at first, I was embarrassed to admit I watched his show because it was so corny and lame! I actually used to avoid mentioning that I did haha… SO lame. And sure, he improved drastically in the Tonight Show time slot (not sure how, since he kept the same team he had before??) But lay off Leno. He’s a good and talented man. NBC did wrong, NOT him.
Meanwhile, really happy for Partick Stewart. Good luck to him. When he’s happy and making great work, I’m happy. :)
42. Ironhyde — All the Leno “hate” comes from the fact that today’s younger audiences just don’t find him funny I personally don’t hate him, but I do find him incredibly trite and dull; his material and his personality have become incredibly tiresome. Conan, on the other hand, was fresh and often hysterical. The fact that few people who use the internet actually like Leno comes more from his being boring and not so much from his involvement (or lack thereof, as the case may be) with the whole NBC/Conan fiasco.
As to whether he did or did not do wrong, that all depends on what he *could* and *could not* do. People keep saying he should have walked away and let Conan keep the Tonight Show, but I highly doubt it would have been that simple. Both were contracted to NBC so neither could just walk; NBC wanted to keep Leno but they didn’t care about Conan. According to Leno, he requested being let go of his contract and letting Conan stay, but NBC wouldn’t let him; they preferred to keep Leno and lose Conan.
Basically, I don’t blame Leno for Conan’s departure. If he could have done something but didn’t and word of that got out, then there would be something blame him for. Right now, all we have is speculation as to what he did or didn’t do and as to his intentions. As it stands now, I see no strong evidence suggesting that Leno could have really done anything short of what he claims to have done. Therefore, my criticism of his bland material and personality does not come from any potential wrongdoing … it just comes from me not finding him in the least bit funny.
And that’s all I have to say about this matter. :-)
#23 and #37
Thank You ;) Best episode ever…
#43 Charles Trotter…
I’m 26 and I find Jay Leno’s “In the News” to be one of the funniest segments in comedy tv – bar none. I find he is a deadpan comedian, a with a sort of straightman attitude, but he’s always been fun to watch in his routines at the beginnings of shows. I guess it’s all personal taste so neither of us can be RIGHT on this matter, but to write off my preference for subtle Leno over embarrassing Conan as an outcome of my age — that I’m not in with today’s comedy standards — is just nonsense. I bet I’m younger than you.
Leno was #1 for so long because he IS good. I’m not saying the “hate” comes from the fiasco with NBC, because Leno DID NOT do anything wrong there except step aside to let Conan have a shot at his dream-job hosting the Tonight Show. Leno has been accommodating and I will continue to tune in for his preambles until I stop laughing.
And good luck to Conan. If his next show doesn’t end up in front of me because I didn’t change channels fast enough after Leno, I probably won’t see much of it. But I hope he keeps up the quality of his recent run — better than he has EVER been.
#45. Ironhyde — What follows is my final word on the subject, because this discussion is getting wildly off topic. :)
First, my apologies, I did not mean to “write off” your preference as a result of your age. I was merely stating the fact that *most* younger viewers do not care for or watch Leno. This is not meant to insult you; this is just a fact based on A.) criticisms of him from the majority of younger people on the internet, and B.) the dominant demographic who actually watch his show. Based on TV ratings, roughly 70-80% of Leno’s audiences are over the age of 50; the much-coveted 18-49 demographic usually tend to favor O’Brien, Letterman, or Kimmel. Leno was #1 for so long because the vast majority of older viewers favored him over other late night hosts. Again, though, I also believe Leno did not do anything wrong in the NBC fiasco — I don’t think he *could* have done anything to have changed the outcome — but nobody knows for sure what goes on behind closed doors. It is because nobody outside NBC knows for sure that I don’t (and can’t) blame him for anything. Lastly, I am also 26. Just throwing that out there. :)
Guys…can’t believe ya’ll missed mentioning the mini-series from the eighties “North and South” that featured Ms. Simmons, Jonathan Frakes and Kirstie Alley and others like Jim Metzler and David Ogden Stiers.
Good work, Mr. Trotter. The Leno/Conan fiasco has been fascinating (OK, maybe too strong a word) to watch. Like a slow motion car wreck. NBC couldn’t have fumbled the ball with the way they have handled late night programming and yet they will probably end up on top. And I believe it’s still due to the man who perfected the genre: Johnny Carson. The Tonight Show is still relevant because of his lasting reputation. I am in my mid 40’s and I strongly urge some of the younger folks who may not have seen or heard of Carson to go Youtube those shows.
And for the record, I liked Conan better than Leno.
I can not wait for those Shakespeare plays to air on PBS. I’m looking forward to it.
#47. snoopytrek — Didn’t miss it, I just needed to keep the information in this report concise. I meant to add a link to both her IMDb page and her Memory Alpha page, but neglected to do so. For a full description of her notable acting work, including associations with other Trek alumni, see her Memory Alpha page (linked below), the majority of which I wrote.
http://memory-alpha.org/en/wiki/Jean_Simmons
#48. THX-1138 of 9 — Thanks! :) Considering how awful NBC’s ratings currently are, however, I highly doubt they will come out on top of anything. I also doubt Leno will be able to get the same number of viewers he had before he left The Tonight Show in the first place. Leno’s ratings had begun to taper over the years as people lost interest in him. Also, since it seems the majority of the nation believes Conan should still be host of The Tonight Show, Leno has a major stigma to overcome. I know he’s lost the vast majority of his already-limited number from the 18-49 demographic. How NBC hopes to keep Leno the late night king is beyond me.
And for the record, I, too, like Conan more. I guess that kind of goes without saying. Actually, more accurately, I like Conan and don’t like Leno. I haven’t liked him in years. His personality, his material, and his brand of humor have become tired and dull. Watching the entire episode with Zoe was near-torture for its sheer boredom and monotony. I think I chuckled twice during the whole show. Not even Billy Crystal could help give the show a lift. I understand Jay has his fans, but the majority of them are seniors who appreciate his “traditional” form of comedy. But new times call for fresher comedy styling, and that’s just what Conan brought to the table. And NBC gave him the boot. This, however, is just one of many mistakes NBC has made in recent years; mistakes like these are why their ratings are currently in the toilet. Will NBC come out on top? I doubt it, at least not until Comcast takes over, fires the current executives, and makes some changes. Maybe then they will stand a chance.
Wow, that was a longer reply than I had initially anticipated… :-P