William Shatner continues his quest to become king of the Internet with the addition of a couple of new online projects. Firstly a site called VideoJug announced today a new set of interactive videos of The Shat discussing his “candid and personal views on life, Star Trek and the entertainment business.” And if you want to get more personal, LiveAutographs.com is offering the opportunity to get a personalized video of Shatner signing memorabilia.
Shatner on Trek, the universe and everything at VideoJug
Video Jug, which describes itself as the ‘how-to YouTube’ has put up 30 clips of William Shatner discussing a range a topics in 6 categories (William Shatner…On Fame, On Acting, On Trek Books, On Parenting, On Education, and on Singing/Rapping). The clips were shot this month and VideoJug are discussing adding more from Shatner in the future. Below are the clips for ‘William Shatner on Star Trek Books.’
Check out the William Shatner Channel at VideoJug for the rest.
Get Personal with Shatner via LiveAutograph
William Shatner has also signed on with LiveAutograph a company that “moves autograph signings into the homes of fans. ” The service allows fans to get a personalized autograph from Shatner on items ranging from a photograph, to his cover of Time, to a Diamond Select Bust. In addition LiveAutograph will provide you with a video of Shatner signing your item and he will also personalize the video with a special message or even answer a question. Prices range from $200 to $650 depending on what you choose to have Mr. Shatner sign. More information available at LiveAutograph.
LiveAutograph also offer the same service with Nichelle Nichols (TOS: Uhura) and Walter Koenig (TOS: Chekov)
Some of the items you can get signed (on video)
Plus The Latest Shatnervision
Although Bill is branching out to these other video ventures, his video home on the web is still Shatnervision. Here is the latest from our Shatnervision pals…behind the scenes on for a new Priceline ad.
Good ole Bill! LOL
Wow
Move over Stern. The Shat is “The King of all Media!”
Oooooh my….
I admire William Shatner and his zest for life. I also believe he may well have pimped himself right out of the new movie with the endless product endorsements and media overexposure.
Oh goody, another round of complaining about Shatner not being in the new movie will start in 5….4….3….2…
#5
Yeah, why have someone who is popular and well known in a Star Trek film?
#6
I would like to kick off this round of complaining about Shatner not being in the new movie.
Only kidding…. I will do no more complaining (tonight that is)
6. NZorak – January 29, 2008
You called it.
When you say Shat, you’ve said it all.
Love ya, Bill!
As this is on topic Shatner and Shatnervision:
http://www.livevideo.com/shatnervision
Check out video “Weyland Stands In For Shatner”. He comments on team Abrams inability to have Bill in the movie as the “how” is a bit of a no-brainer even to the cast on Boston Legal lol
Has anyone noticed his hair and sideburns getting more “Jim Kirkish” than “Dennie Cranish?”
Look, I LOVED watching Shatner as Kirk many years ago, but now….NOW I’d pay real money if he’d disappear for,oh, a week or so….to say that the Shat is OVEREXPOSED is an understatement! That would be like saying Kirstie Alley has “a bit” of a weight problem! Enough already!!!
Man… “The Shat” still has it. I’ve been a fan for quite some time, and I think he walks that line of camp and talent.
Did anyone see the professionalism in the takes?
I have something the Shat can sign!!! LOL!
Darth “Long and straight” Ballz
Only 16 posts on a shat story! WOW. Must be a slow day at Shat Fans HQ.
All I can say is that William Shatner still played the one and only Starfleet captain I’d ever take orders from (from Picard, I’d take advice and I’d listen very seriously to that advice … with the other captains, I’d just smile politely and pretend to pay attention).
I wince a little whenever I see a Priceline ad, though. From Kirk, I’d take orders. From Salesman Shatner, I can’t even bear the sales pitch.
That said, the Shat is god, now and forever, and if he wants to amuse himself thus, it is not my place to question the Shat :)
Betty White just Shat-ner pants! Has nothing to do with anything, but it sounds funny:^)
I wish Bill wasnt so round now, hard to believe that guy in the video used to be Kirk.
#17
We couldn’t post; too busy perusing Bill’s online projects. But we are always lurking… :)
Still looks like Kirk to me. All be it Kirk at 76. Nothing wrong with that.
#12 yeah, i noticed that too…… (doesn’t mean anything, doesn’t mean anything……………………………… or………. does it????????????)
?
20. Battletrek – January 30, 2008
I wish Bill wasnt so round now, hard to believe that guy in the video used to be Kirk.
Dahling, where’s your sense of adventure? It’s just more cushion for the pushin’, honey. Live and let live. My husband, Harry and I are so much happier living by this motto. Perhaps you should try it as well? Hugs and kisses.
I don’t know what video people are watching, but the man isn’t nearly as fat as some of you want him to be.
Either way, his physical appearance isn’t why he’s not in the movie. Abrams came up with his weak excuse, that is bought only by the same people that didn’t want him in the movie in the first place.
Overexposure is a good thing when it comes to promotion. Bottom line is that this decision will affect box office negatively. Not too bright.
Well, it seems that people will take anything that Abrams dishes out because it has the label Star Trek on it. That’s not too bright either.
I still can’t understand why so many people feel that the movie NEEDS Shatner. It doesn’t. It probably could have been done without Nimoy too. Don’t get me wrong. I’m a huge fan of both of them &TOS (I was there from the beginning) but this is a new cast. Let them have their day. Most fans get it, and are looking forward to the new incarnation. The franchise needed new blood, and it finally got it.
27. Krik Semaj – January 30, 2008
The franchise needed new blood, and it finally got it.
Then Abrams should’ve been more original. He should’ve moved forwards instead of backwards. How is reinventing the wheel supposed to be an original concept? He’s not providing new blood – just clones.
#25–It is only seen as a “weak excuse” by people who think a Shatner appearance is necessary for a good Star Trek movie. How can the notion that bringing back Kirk does not fit into the story constitute a “weak excuse”. Do you feel that it is JJ’s responsibility to spend Paramount’s $130 million to “correct” what you see as someone else’s blunder? I wonder why Paramount did not make hiring Bill a prerequisite, if not doing so is such a “stupid business decision”. Surely they are conscious of the enormity of their investment.
#26–Not true. I have yet to see anything he has done. But I will give anything called Star Trek at least one chance to make me happy. So far, I like where this one is going. Resisting the temptation to bring back Shatner as Kirk may have been the best thing for this film. The truth is, it has been very difficult to enjoy Bill portraying James Kirk in the last three ST films he WAS in. In fact, I cannot enjoy STV at all. This way, I can just remember him as he was in Star Trek for the first 20 years, the great James T. Kirk, instead of seeing him, once again, as the bufoonish Shat putting on a Star Fleet uniform, fistfighting aliens in his golden years, and trying to deliver one-liners the way he has done in the last few films.
#29 “The truth is, it has been very difficult to enjoy Bill portraying James Kirk in the last three ST films he WAS in.”
Somebody press STOP. The CD is skipping!
:)
STV in its depiction of ShaKaRee and “God” comprises the most compelling film scenes that I have ever known. Inspiring and a masterpiece, although I do admit the rest of the film has flaws.
I hope to thank the Shat in person someday for this climatic sequence from STV.
#30–Cute, but you could have directed that at the first person to sink this thread into the abyss of the Shat/No-Shat discussion. If my words are repetitive to you, how about #25’s assertion that “… this decision will affect (the) box-office negatively”, or “…Abrams came up with his weak excuse…”? No. That’s not a broken record, is it?
#31–Are you serious???? That movie was a piece of crap!!! Flaws? Are you kidding me? The only thing “compelling” about that awful thing was when it was clear that it was about to end!
#28–The spinoffs were never the same. It was never as colorful, the characters never had the “magic” found in TOS, and the 24th Century was far too sterile, boring (last season of DS9 aside), and it just got stale. The only thing about the original feature films that became stale was the age of the actors and the lack of explanantion as to why they all seemed to be stuck under Kirk’s command (with the exception of Sulu). There is plenty of unexplored TOS-era Star Trek history that can be used to restore its original flavor. After all, we pay to see Superman–not Son of Superman.
#31 Unless he be pulling our pegleg, we have found someone that is actually fond of STV! Hell hath frozen over!
I wanna go to ShaKaRee! – he was the best Bond after all…
stating the obvious: Sean Connery was first for tha part of Spockie’s brother and the namesake of heaven, apparantly… say it slowly… ShaKaRee…
But I must admit, if I meet an obvious Almighty imposter, may I have tha moxy to beg the question: “Excuse me…Why does God need a starship?”
Flashing back to V, I think we all can look fore-ward to what a fine film XI will be thus compared…
No offense to ye, Mr. Shatner…
arrrrr….
Closettrekker, I’m going to pay $650 to have Shatner personalize a DVD of Star Trek V for you! The message will read: “Glad you enjoy my performance here. See you in ST XI! – Bill”
:)
#36–If you do, I’ll sell it to Mr. Regular, since he found it to be “compelling” and “inspiring”. And if I see Bill in the theater, I’ll be sure and hand him a tissue.
:)
#24 Mrs. Harry Ballz “just more cushion for the pushin'”
Yes, well trust my beloved wife to have this opinion…..
I would say that she’s a “little wide in the beam”, but that would be understating it…..let me put it this way….
If you paved her ass you could open a parking lot!
She was diagnosed with Flesh Eating Disease…..the doctors give her 17 years to live!
She was sunbathing this past Summer wearing a Malcolm X t-shirt and a helicopter tried to land on her!
If she gains six more pounds she’ll deserve her own zip code!
Well, you get the idea………. :)
#36–And if you are birthday shopping, throw in an autographed copy of Shatner’s “Rocket Man” (vinyl, please), or perhaps an autographed script copy of “Airplane II: The Sequel”. While you’re at it, maybe you can send me a photo of him in “TJ Hooker” garb, holding on to the hood of a moving car. You are so thoughtful, Shatner_Fan_2000!
#29–it’s seen as a weak excuse by anyone who wasn’t anti-Shatner in the first place. The only people who are buying it are the people that are buying into anything and everything Abrams was saying from the beginning. And those people are seeing the movie no matter what. This excuse is just spin control for something that the Abrams team botched very badly. They got negative press for this decision. Bottom line is that if the plot involves Spock time travelling, which it does, and Kirk’s life is saved as a result at any point, which is the rumor, then it makes no sense to say that you can save Kirk’s life at one point, but not the other. It’s just a company line.
As has been pointed out by others, Generations existed at every single point in the script writing process, but this excuse did not surface until recently. He never said, “we desperately want Shatner in the film, but the problem is Kirk died in Generations.” He just said, “we desperately want him in the film and want to write a part worthy of him.”
As for JJ’s responsibility to correct Generations, by taking on this job, it does become his responsibility–more so by choosing to revolve this movie around Kirk. Someone else once mentioned that as the main protagonist, Kirk’s life and protecting it becomes vital to the future of the franchise. Kirk’s death, for the betterment of the franchise, needs to go from the known to the unknown. So JJ would be failing if he doesn’t accomplish this task.
I get that Abrams screwed up and may have underestimated the disappointment over his failure to secure Shatner. But I don’t think too many people will buy into that excuse unless they were already on board with Abrams in the first place.
#40–Here we go again….
You said, ”
it’s seen as a weak excuse by anyone who wasn’t anti-Shatner in the first place. The only people who are buying it are the people that are buying into anything and everything Abrams was saying from the beginning. And those people are seeing the movie no matter what. This excuse is just spin control for something that the Abrams team botched very badly. They got negative press for this decision. Bottom line is that if the plot involves Spock time travelling, which it does, and Kirk’s life is saved as a result at any point, which is the rumor, then it makes no sense to say that you can save Kirk’s life at one point, but not the other. It’s just a company line.”
Let’s start by clarifying something. Wanting a film without Shatner is not the same thing as being “anti-Shatner”. It would be difficult to be a TOS fan without having some appreciation for the man’s past work.
People are “buying it” because they have no reason to believe that it is wrong. You do not know what the story is, and therefore do not know if Shatner’s return would benefit that story. And it does make sense that he could be saved at an earlier time and not during the events in “Generations”. If Spock (and all of this is speculation) saves Kirk at an earlier time, he is PROTECTING the timeline. If he saves Kirk during the events in “Generations”, he is CHANGING the timeline. That is not a “company line”, it is maintaining the integrity of Spock’s character!!!
You go on to say that it IS his responsibility because the film revolves around KIrk. THAT, my friend, makes no sense. JJ’s responsibility is to use that $130 million budget to make the best Star Trek film he can. The notion that a Shatner appearance (or more specifically, a story that resurrects Kirk) will make it so is an opinion. And the notion that he has to be saved for the betterment of the franchise is just as ridiculous. Are you saying that you cannot have a protagonist in a movie who you know is going to die at some point? I guess we should throw out movies depicting real people of whom we already know the fate. And as far as Star Trek’s unexplored history within the 23rd Century, it is unknown!!!
Why do you think he screwed up? If it was such a “stupid business decision”, then why did Paramount give JJ the right to make a film without Bill (could it be that Bill hasn’t made a really successful ST movie in 20 years)? As far as being on board with Abrams, I didn’t know who he was until I learned the name of Star Trek’s new writer/director, but I will give any new Star Trek movie a chance. If it sucks, it will have been a bad movie. It will have nothing to do with a lack of Shat (who did not save the last 3 Trek movies he was in). So far he has done nothing to give me cause to be pessimistic.
You are just disappointed that JJ is not telling the story you wanted him to. For all you know, this could be the best Star Trek film since TWOK–or even better (I know, it’s hard to imagine). We have all of the characters we know and love. We have the time period we know and love. We have people on board who have done their homework. Spock won’t be stepping out of character and making such an immoral decision as to risk altering the timeline (and possibly affecting billions) by going back to prevent Kirk’s death as it already happened. I don’t see the problem.
Just scroll up in this thread–you will find people talking about Shatner’s age, and calling him fat, and insulting him every which way. That is anti-Shatner, no matter how people try to claim otherwise.
And again, there is plenty of reason not to buy into Abrams’ excuse. The fact is, the way the Shatner thing was handled was utterly abysmal. At no point did this excuse pop up until last week, and it contradicts previous comments and actions. So you can buy into everything the man says all you want, but odds are, you weren’t in the “I want Shatner in the movie” camp anyway. The bottom line is that the Shatner debacle has negatively affected the film. Abrams knows this. He has to say something, but I doubt he convinced anyone that he upset with this excuse.
Who is to say that Spock is protecting a timeline in one instance, but not in Generations? Who is to say Kirk was supposed to die by Soran’s hand? Kirk’s appearance in Generations required a different form of time travel. And Relics certainly shows a scenario where Kirk is alive, after the events on the Enterprise B.
As for the integrity of the Spock character, if anything, it would be inconsistent. He is extremely loyal, and would see the waste of Kirk’s premature death–in any era. Spock would find a logical reason to save Kirk’s life, and do it. Look what he did just to give Captain Pike a chance.
If you are saying the it is JJ’s responsibility to make money, fine. But to ignore Shatner, who would bring in more business is hardly a wise decision.
Bill hasn’t made a successful Trek movie in 20 years? Are you really going there? Star Trek VI doubled its budget domestically. No Trek movie has done that since. PARAMOUNT hasn’t done anything that successful since they got rid of Bill. And bottom line is, Bill is synonymous with Trek. To imply that he wouldn’t be a draw is a sign of a desperate argument.
Of course I am disappointed in Abrams’ choice. I am angry at the way the situation was mishandled. So angry, that I will not pay to see this movie. I am not alone. I didn’t see the last movie either because it wasn’t the story I wanted to see. Given the results of the last movie, it is a mistake to alienate a portion of the audience. Even if just 10 percent feel as I do, they lost money.
And sorry, but it is not out of character for Spock to save Kirk’s life. There is no evidence that what happened in Generations was right either, and Relics shows if anything, that something is wrong. I’ll also add that Picard and Kirk travelled back in time to a point before Picard found Kirk in the nexus, and in the second timeline, no one retrieved Kirk, so there is a perfectly original, living Kirk, still there. But that’s another issue.
Using Generations as an excuse is just that–a weak excuse.
#18: And your polite smile would last right up to the moment when Sisko would knock your teeth out. After that, I imagine you’d probably listen a little closer.
#35: Count me as another who is fond of ST5. Oh, I’m under no illusions that it’s “brilliant” or a “masterpiece,” but when enjoyed for what it is — a profoundly bad movie — it’s a fun way to spend a couple hours.
#41: “JJ’s responsibility is to use that $130 million budget to make the best Star Trek film he can. The notion that a Shatner appearance (or more specifically, a story that resurrects Kirk) will make it so is an opinion. And the notion that he has to be saved for the betterment of the franchise is just as ridiculous.”
Kudos, Closettrekker, for these well-reasoned arguments. In a perfect world this would be the end of the discussion — but unfortunately I know full well that won’t be the case.
#41 Well said
#40 What? The only people upset with the decision to not use Fatner are the 20 or so people on this site who vocalize it everyday. The rest of us are looking forward to this backward look at ST. The rest of the worlds population ( the 5 billion or so that don’t visit this site) couldn’t care less that he is not in the movie. They just want a good movie.
Since the increasingly bitter Shatner/ST11 argument is now heating up in this comment thread as well, I’ll revisit the solution I posted in an earlier article: Shatner could appear as Kirk in a Star Trek: New Voyages episode. It’s a winning situation for everyone:
Shatner: he gets to play Kirk again
Shatner’s fans: they get another “one last adventure”
STNV: gets another huge injection of legitimacy due to Shatner’s appearance
STNV fans: get to enjoy another great episode
Abrams and Paramount: no pressure to shoehorn Shatner into the film (or come up with a contrived and awkward “resurrection” for Kirk)
Nitpickers/Canon police: STNV’s canon status is ambiguous enough that they can take the episode or leave it as they please
It’s a solution that really does cover all the bases and satisfy everyone. I can’t imagine James Cawley would say no to Shatner were he to ask (or vice versa).
I like STV. I’ll take it over any of the TNG movies.
#42–You are missing the point of my argument about Spock saving Kirk’s life. If Spock travels from what we know as the “Star Trek present” (where the spinoff shows left us) to prevent Kirk’s death years before, he is risking altering the timeline, thus potentially risking the very existence of billions of lives that have moved on since that time. Quite simply, ANY interaction between an “undead” Kirk and anyone else, could endanger that timeline. Think of what has taken place in that timeline since then–Borg Invasion, Dominion War, etc. Those are monumental events in the history of the Alpha Quadrant, and any seemingly subtle change in that could have an equally monumentous effect. For it to be within Spock’s character, such an act would have to take place immediately after the events in Generations–before the timeline would have significantly moved on. So much for tying “present day” Star Trek with the beginnings of the TOS characters!
For all you know, this could have been one of the key problems in developing a story, which included Shatner in a significant role. They did identify very early on that Kirk’s death was a problem for them in doing so. I’m not quite sure how you missed that. To me, it seems perfectly plausible that straying from the main plot of the story to “correct” Kirk’s death would not fit into the flow of their story. The only way for Shatner to appear would have been in a cameo role, which he stated (also very early on) that he did not want. No flashback scene, no role as a different minor character(like Robert Mitchum in Scorcese’s remake of “Cape Fear”), only a role he felt was important to the film. Why does Shatner get a pass in your disappointment, if you wanted to see him so badly? Generations is not an “excuse”–it is canon, however unfortunate that is. If Spock were to have some reason to visit Kirk in the nexus, assuming it had come around again, it would still have to be beneficial to JJ’s story. Apparently, it is not.
As for those who call Bill fat, old, or whatever else, I’m quite sure that they just feel his time as realistically playing Jim Kirk is over. Honestly, what was going through your mind when you saw him fist-fighting a shapeshifter in the snow–right smack in the middle of his “golden years”? Did you not think it was a little absurd? You may not like this, but in his last few performances as Kirk, he really couldn’t (or didn’t)deliver. At some point, he stopped being William Shatner as James Kirk, and started pandering to the SNL crowd by playing Jim Kirk as William Shatner. I didn’t like where he took the character, and felt he overstayed his role a bit. I am glad I won’t see that again in this film, as it was very unbecoming of the character I grew up adoring.
It’s unfortunate that you won’t see the movie. I guess there are Shatner fans, and there are Star Trek fans, and hopefully some who fall in-between. I didn’t see Nemesis either, but because I was never a big fan of TNG anyway, and I was tired of seeing those characters. From what I hear, I didn’t miss much.
I’ll be right there to see this one, with my wife, my kids, and alot of hope that for the first time in a couple of decades, I’ll see some really good Star Trek on the big screen. Just my not-so-humble opinion.
#46–I’m not much of a TNG fan, but I’d sit through a TNG movie marathon before I cursed my senses again with that abomination. As I’ve said before, I just pretend it didn’t happen.
#46 I agree with you.
STV rules. It is arguably the best Trek movie ever released in 1989. No other Star Trek movie of 1989 even comes close.
#37 “And if I see Bill in the theater, I’ll be sure and hand him a tissue.”
Good one! Just because I think it’s a mistake to exclude Bill from XI, doesn’t mean I don’t have a sense of humor. :) Let’s just hope we don’t all need tissues!
As far as ST V, I guess it depends on how much of your love for the series comes from the interactions of the Big 3. Because they nailed that in V. Bill, Leonard and De were all terrific together. ST V’s heart was in the right place, and it was better, IMO, than at least half of the bland TNG features.