Genie Awards: William Shatner Jokes ‘Not Bitter’ About Star Trek 2009 + Bruce Greenwood (Doesn’t) Talk Star Trek 2012

Last night Star Trek’s ‘Kirk Classic’ was in Ottawa to host the 31st Annual Genie Awards, Canada’s answer to The Oscars. During the show Bill made a few Star Trek quips, including one introducing the new Christopher Pike, Bruce Greenwood. See below for a first-hand report from the event, pictures, and an audio interview with Shatner following the show. (plus a Canada only link to video)

 

Shatner Hosts The Genies – jokes ‘not bitter’ about Star Trek 2009 success

Report by John Holt

William Shatner was tapped to host 31st Annual Genie Awards, recognizing the best of Canadian film, to bolster viewer interest in the show, which wasn’t even nationally broadcast last year. “They wanted a host that appealed to a younger, hipper demographic,” Shatner quipped at the top of the show. “Then they watched the Oscars…” But unlike the much maligned recent Oscars, Shatner made hosting the Canadian award show seem effortless.


Shatner delights the crowd at 31st Annual Genie Awards at National Arts Centre – Ottawa Canada, March 10th, 2010

Shatner started The Genies with a plea for a life-time achievement Genie, noting that it’s one of the few awards missing from his collection. “Golden Globe? Got it. Emmy? Got it. Governor General’s Award? Getting it. Genie? Need it!” But even he admitted that his body of Canadian work was limited. “But Star Trek II happened and c’mon, what was I going to do?”

Bill kept up the Trek jokes when introducing the first first two presenters, one of which was Bruce Greenwood (Star Trek’s Captain Pike – who also starring in the Genie Best Picture nominated Barney’s Version), saying:

He was in the most successful Star Trek movie ever made…not that I’m bitter.


Bruce Greenwood and Kristen Kreuk at 31st Annual Genie Awards in Ottawa Canada, March 10th, 2010

The host jokingly slammed his Star Trek VI adversary, Christopher Plummer (General Chang). “I took the stage from him at Stratford when he got sick… with syphilis.” (Turns out it was kidney stones, but as Shatner noted, “My story is better.”). The Shat had the crowd at the National Arts Centre in his hands the whole night. From my seat, I could read the teleprompter, and it was amazing to see how many of his lines were ad-libbed on the spot.


William Shatner hosting 31st Annual Genie Awards in Ottawa Canada, March 10th, 2010


Greenwood doesn’t bring up Star Trek + Backstage with Shatner

Unfortunately Mr. Shatner did not attend the post-awards banquet, but Bruce Greenwood did and I had a chance to speak to the actor, who was very gracious. The actor spoke passionately about his work, but when it came to talking about the future the 2012 Star Trek sequel was not mentioned as he listed off some of his next projects. Not sure there is anything to be read into that, but it was noteworthy.


Bruce Greenwood on red carpet for 31st Annual Genie Awards in Ottawa Canada, March 10th, 2010

Shatner did attend the Genies backstage press conference with his wife Liz. Here is audio from the press room (courtesy of Richard Crouse).

And here are some pics from back stage.


William Shatner and wife Liz  backstage at 31st Annual Genie Awards in Ottawa Canada, March 10th, 2010


William Shatner at Genie Press event

If you live in Canada, you can watch the entire Genie Awards broadcast at www.cbc.ca.

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You have to love the shat. I say next year for the Oscars. Get the Shat to host. I bet he would bring the best ratings the Oscars have ever seen.

The Rug is lookin’ fab.

William Shatner is still a household name. And he will be 80 in 2 weeks!

I for one am sick and tired about hearing about people talking about Shatner not being in the 2009 film, and weather or not hes upset about it: WHO THE HELL CARES!

He’s said he doesn’t, please stop bringing it up, I don’t want to hear about weather or not this crotchety old coot is upset.

1.

Shatner hosting the Oscars … great idea!

The Shat’s rug has changed from just a week ago. It looks thicker now. Mistake.

Well, I hope he won’t be bitter about ST2012, either. Liked Greenwood in the last movie, but don’t know that he’s necessary moving forward.

I don’t watch award shows but good on Bill. He is just amazing. What is there left to say about the man?

As for Bruce being in the next film- its a no brainer.

……so when will he talk Star Trek 2012?

Shatner’s approaching 80 and he’s just looking great, he’s an incredibly funny guy and a great entertainer. Kudos!

Wow, Mr Shatner doens’t look like 80 – he looks much younger!

Nothing wrong with young people and appealing to them. But when you make choices soley based on that, you get James Franco and Anne Hathaway hosting the Oscars. Franco looked bored after ten minutes. Whereas the old coots can still entertain. Kirk Douglas stole the show during his Oscar presentation. William Shatner has always had great comic timing. And I hope I have his energy if I live to eighty.

How does this relate to Star Trek? Let’s hope the Star Trek Supreme Court doesn’t make artistic decisions based on demographics.

“He was in the*most successful Star Trek movie ever made*…”

Let it not be said ,anywhere,that William Shatner never complimented Jeffrey Jacob Abrams………..I hope he wasn’t joking.

:)

But STTMP had higher profits, updating the dollar!!!!! Shat’s Trek still rules!!!!

Yes, very big hair on Shat. Very Kirkish.

How old is Shatner again? Does he look even half his actual age?

Has anyone looked for a portrait of some kind aging as Bill Shatner stays the same age?

Many years ago, I appeared on CBC. I know how big CBC is in Canada.

Almost as big as the man himself.

A wild Andorian female named Gray Schel has an aging portrait in her basement.

But, it has nothing to do with Mr Shatner. Christopher Plummer is the culprit…I think.

“He was in the most successful Star Trek movie ever made…not that I’m bitter.”

LOL! Shatner always does this… Gives with the one hand. Takes it back with other. :-}

I just don’t know. I think the truth between the lines is the comment he made just the other week. That he thinks Star Trek has moved beyond him appearing as James T Kirk again. It’s been that way since Generations.

Although that’s never precluded him appearing as somebody else. They tried tempting him with a guest appearance on Enterprise (either the Mirror Universe, Tiberius or the NX-01’s unseen Chef) and he turned it down. Either that or Paramount wouldn’t pay his asking price. Shame though. His appearance could have boosted the ratings.

#4: Who brought it up? Shatner’s quip about the movie, and being bitter, was because it was “the most successful.” Absolutely no reference about Shatner’s involvement, or lack thereof, was intended.

I watched the Genie telecast and it was great to see Bruce there.

I would expect he didn’t mention the Star Trek sequel because he doesn’t know if Pike is there or not yet. Nobody does except the writers. No script as yet—right?

I agree—it’s a no brainer. Pike absolutely should be there.

William Shatner did a bang-up job with the hosting duties. He was so funny!

Isn’t it hilarious, how the Shat manages to toss himself into the center of every conversation? No matter what?

Here he is, NOT tapped to appear in the new Trek movie — and still, we’re talking about him. This is some funky existential performance art he’s practicing, here.

Also: his new hair. I like it. Very dapper.

Shatner should host the Oscars

go shat!!!

But I reckon there’s plenty out there that WOULD be bitter again…if ‘ol Shat (or his voice) somehow don’t feature in the sequel either…

Including me. ;)

The new Trek universe is such an obvious one for straight-to-Blu-ray/DVD spinoffs. Rather than have Pike taking up space in the next film, do a spinoff film about Admiral Pike. You could have him on board a Constitution Class ship, using sets and CGI models created for the main movies and tell a smaller, more traditional Trek story. For that matter, they could do an alt-universe version of The Cage! ;) Pike’s the mystery man of the Trek saga and I’d love to see his character explored more!

I don’t really want to see Kirk have a mentor in the next film though: I want him to be fully in charge of the ship and his crew and one hundred per cent his own man!

24

Dude, you need to get over it.

Are we tweeting TWOK tomorrow night?

25. “I don’t really want to see Kirk have a mentor in the next film though: I want him to be fully in charge of the ship and his crew and one hundred per cent his own man!”

Is it really realistic though? nu Kirk doesn’t seem to have had the years of experience his counterpart had. He jumped straight into the Captain’s chair, without working his way up through the ranks.

During the Academy, he could have been posted to different ships for a few months at a time. Then returning to the classroom for exams, I suppose.

I’d like to see Captain Kirk have the same kind of relationship with Admiral Pike that Captain Archer had with Admiral Forrest. One that is based on friendship and common interests. With Kirk now in command of the Enterprise, Pike doesn’t have to be as much as a mentor as he was in the first movie, but should still be there to assist the captain in any way possible.

The Shat’s looking good! I don’t like the new hair though – little too thick and dark, and you can see the lines where the toup meets his real hair. His other toup was more mysterious — even created a debate over whether he had a toup or a transplant.

That man does not look 79

28. Christopher Roberts – March 12, 2011

Not really realistic. In a real military a battlefield promotion or commission can occur, but not from a substantially lower rank to command of a vessel, let alone the flagship of the fleet. However, Starfleet is not a real military, and realism went out the window with faster then light travel, transporters, and a whole host of psudoscience, anyway. Given that, I suppose an ensign on the verge of court martial could be promoted to Captain.

How awesome would it be for Bill to host the Oscars? It would be great for science fiction as well as Star Trek.

The Academy would never do it, though. I tend to think it looks down its nose at science fiction, with the occasional exception made for films such as Avatar.

And The Shat would be considered too Canadian these days.

Although, if they can have a Brit host (and make a hash out of, as some say) of the Golden Globes, why not a Canadian? Also, lots of American actors have Canadian connections. Kiefer Sutherland, of the uber-American series “24,” for example, is Canadian, and I think most people don’t even know that.

The people in charge of the Academy Awards are a bunch of stuffy stiffs with rods up their asses. They’ll never want to hire Shatner because they know he has a sense of humor and they might get offended.

34, I tend to agree that humor and the Oscars don’t seem to go together. This last Oscars telecast was about as funny as watching cows chew cud.

What can I say? The Shat rug has even changed colour on other occasions. Gotta love the Shat rug. Gotta love the man!

@ 34, 35

Like I said, don’t make decisions based on demographics. Yeah, Hat Rick you’re right. Remember when Chris Rock made a joke about Jude Law being in every movie and who the heck he was. Sean Penn, as a presenter came back and commented on who Jude Law was. It was a joke, Sean. He didn’t have a sense of humor when he said it.

The best hosts were comedians. Bob Hope. Billy Crystal. If the Academy could just endure a little comedy, think how much fun Robin Williams would be.

The weirdest part of the last Oscars was when they had the holographic Bob Hope. What was even weirder was that he classed it up even as a hologram, and made it more enjoyable despite the fact that he’s been gone for years.

(There was a comment I read or heard somewhere that they didn’t understand how they needed someone to do the “Voice of Bob Hope” as it appeared in the credits, since they were using the hologram. I’m pretty sure they needed it because Jude Law and another actor (I can’t remember then name), who the hologram introduced, weren’t exactly active when Hope last hosted the show in 1977. (Jude was about four years old.) Although, I guess they could have digitally sampled and manipulated Hope’s actual voice to construct the names. Apparently they didn’t. Interestingly, technology has advanced such that virtual actors — a virtual TOS-era Shatner, for example — could eventually be used to great effect, whether in the Oscars or in a new Trek production.)

Man Shatner looks like hes lost a bit of weight.

I have no idea why everyone complained about the Oscars. Yes, the ceremony was too long (always is). Yes, most actors can’t deliver believable comedic banter to save their lives. However, I thought James Franco’s sardonic approach was pretty hilarious. My favorite exchange: “How To Train Your Dragon? Disgusting!’.

Shatnerize the Oscars? Why not? Kirk Classic?

25.

Would cheapen the franchise.

38 – Voice of Bob Hope at the Oscars was Dave Thomas, who often played Hope on SCTV. Yes, they could have sampled his voice, but it’s still more difficult to recreate voices digitally than it is to create video. Inflection is still hard for computers to simulate a natural cadence.

Ok I read this really fast and skipped over the comments but should the caption’s on the pic’s above say 2011, not 2010?

you know im one of ‘the shat’s’ biggest fans..actually flew out to LA to see him get his star on h’wood walk of fame in 83..i know, young crazy, but what else did i have to do..anyways, i finally figured out what has been bothering me bout him appearing or not appearing in the new movie…

ok, kirk was dead in generations, but where was all the fan buzz of ‘why dont they bring him back like they did spock’ in one of the NG’s movies?? if it hadnt been for Nimoy appearing in T09 and they had done it without spock prime, would there ever had been a debate then and now if Bill was gonna be in either movie?

yes, jj’s story had spock…but, at this point i agree it would just be a cheap publicity stunt to have kirk prime appear. if they are going to continue with this alternate crew, let them go on their own

#4. “He’s said he doesn’t, please stop bringing it up, I don’t want to hear about weather or not this crotchety old coot is upset.”

The only “crotchety coot” I see is you! Calm down! lol

Shatner should be involved in the new Star Trek film.

I hope Greenwood is in Star Trek 2 – the movie will need someone with his gravitas and experience even if he is based at star-fleet academy.

42. DeShonn Steinblatt

How so? The only issue with straight-to-Blu films that I can see is that they are often not very good! Supervised by the current Trek team, I see no reason such a film couldn’t work! Paramount can’t make a TV show, so this is a good way around it!

Of course a section of idiot ‘fans’ would kick off because ‘it’s never been done before!’ It amazes me how uptight and conservative sci-fi fans, particularly a portion of Trek fans, are where it concerns doing something new. The whole attitude of what Trek can’t do, rather than what it can is an unfortunate legacy of the Berman era and the Roddenberry Box. Let’s face it, we had years of idiots moaning about ST09 before its release!

#48

Absolutely—Bruce Greenwood should be in the sequel as PIKE.
.
What a GREAT photo of Bruce from the Genies at the beginning of this thread!! It doesn’t get any better than that!!!

I’ll be SO looking forward to the Star Trek sequel if Pike is there.