This week in The Watch you can find out why Simon Pegg is pissed, why Shatner (with some help from Jason Alexander) is going country, why Koenig is in court, why Billingsley is taking on Superman, why Scott Bakula is dancing and where you can see Patrick Stewart, Brent Spiner and a bunch of other Trek stars this weekend…plus much more.
Pegg Is Pissed
Variety has announced that the Fox Network has ordered a pilot for an American version of Spaced, the popular British series that was co-created by the new Scotty, Simon Pegg. But Pegg, who is not involved with the adaptation, is hardly jumping for joy. It appears that the powers behind the Spaced deal didn’t bother to discuss the matter with the show’s creators. In an official statement regarding an American-made Spaced, Pegg writes:
The fact is, when we signed our contracts ten years ago, we had neither the experience or the kudos to demand any clauses securing any control over future reversioning. We signed away our rights to any input in the show’s international future, because we just wanted to get the show made and these dark days of legal piracy seemed a far away concern. As a result, we have no rights. You would perhaps hope though, out of basic professional respect and courtesy, we might have been consulted. It is this flagrant snub and effective vote of no confidence in the very people that created the show, that has caused such affront at our end.
To read the full statement, head to The Stage.
Pegg’s about to whip somebody’s a$$.
Altman and Wolfe dish on Zicree Podcast
Star Trek: New Voyages director (and TNG & DS9 story writer) Marc Scott Zicree started up his own podcast this year (along with Dresden Files and Blade showrunner and Angel producer Dave Simkins), focusing on in-depth interviews with fellow writers. In the first podcast in January Zicree talked about directing New Voyages as well has his own visit to the set of JJ Abrams Star Trek (Abrams is a Twilight Zone nut and Zicree wrote "Twilight Zone Companion" so they have bonded). Last month Zicree interviewed Farscape creator Rockne O’Bannon and DS9 writer Robert Hewitt Wolfe who talked extensively on his time with Trek. This week the podcast featured Mark A. Altman, co-writer and producer of the Star Trek tribute, Free Enterprise, and numerous other films. Along with his collaborator Steve Kriozere, who discusses his time on NCIS, the Sci-Fi Channel film Dead & Deader with Armin Shimerman and John Billingsley and more, Altman talks about covering Star Trek for Cinefantastique early in his career and, of course, working with William Shatner and the latest on Free Enterprise 2. You can download the Zicree-Simkins podcast at ITunes or go directly to zicreesimkins.wordpress.com.
Bill is a little bit country and a little bit hammy
William Shatner (the original Jim Kirk) and the man who hosted the Shat’s Comedy Central roast, Jason Alexander (Kurros in VOY’s “Think Tank”), have both been nominated as Supporting Character of the Year by the CMT (Country Music Television) Music Awards. They are each nominated for their appearances in Brad Paisley’s music video for the country song “Online.” Visitors can vote for their favorite at CMT.com; the first round of voting ended recently but you will get another chance when the polls reopen on later today. But that isn’t the only new ‘honor’ for the Shat, his performance in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan has ranked #15 in The Shiznit’s Top 20 Most Over-The-Top Performances Ever. Shatner beat out the likes of Terence Stamp (for Superman II), John Malkovich (for Con Air), but didn’t ham it up enough to defeat Gerard Butler in 300, or Jack Nicholson in The Shining.
Shatner and Alexander go country
Bakula Dancing
This week Scott Bakula began a run appearing in a new production of “Dancing in the Dark” at the Old Globe Theater in San Diego. The show premiered Tuesday and runs through April. Tickets and info at oldglobe.org. Bakula was interviewed about the show on the local SD news (click image below to see video).
Billingsley v Superman
NBC is putting together a horror anthology series called Fear Itself and Star Trek: Enterprise‘s Dr. Phlox, John Billingsley, is among the actors who will be appearing on the show. The series, which is modeled after Showtime’s Masters of Horror, is being shot in Canada. Thirteen episodes have been ordered, with production currently underway on the second episode. According to MovieWeb, Billingsley will be starring alongside Superman himself Brandon Routh, in the third episode, entitled “Community.” The synopsis for the episode reads as follows:
“Community” is directed by Mary Harron and written by Kelly Kennemer. When a young married couple, played by Routh and Appleby, find the perfect house in the perfect neighborhood, their lives seem…well…perfect. But as the dark underbelly of their neighborhood creeps to the surface, they soon realize that their neighbors will go to any extreme — even murder — to make sure that they comply with their twisted sense of conformity. John Billingsley also stars.
Billingsley with his Zombie pals from the upcoming "Alive"…
is horror his new thing?
Trek Stars Will Be ’12 Minutes from Manhattan’
Creation Entertainment’s ’12 Minutes from Manhattan’ Star Trek convention begins TOMORROW at 1pm. The event will be held at The Crowne Plaza Meadowlands Hotel in Secaucus, New Jersey — literally 12 minutes from Manhattan (apparently). Attending the event will be a plethora of Trek stars: Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Brent Spiner (Data), Rene Auberjonois (Odo), Armin Shimerman (Quark), Dominic Keating (Malcolm Reed), Chase Masterson (Leeta), J.G. Hertzler (Martok), Max Grodenchik (Rom), Casey Biggs (Damar), and Robin Curtis (Saavik). For more information, head on over to Creation’s official site.
How’s that for a crew roster?
UPDATE: Stewart and Regis
Patrick Stewart is in New York performing “MacBeth” and so he dropped by the Regis and Kelly show today. No Trek, but he did talk about “MacBeth,” his Yorkshire accent and ballroom dancing. You can watch both parts below (thanks Rocker for cap)
Madea’s Scouting Locations
Tyler Perry, the popular filmmaker who has a cameo as the head of Starfleet Academy in the new Star Trek movie, was recently spotted in New Orleans. According to The Times-Picayune, Perry was scouting locations for his upcoming film The Family That Preys Together, currently set to open September 12th. In the meantime, ComingSoon.net has an exclusive clip from Perry’s next film, Meet the Browns, opening in two weeks; you can watch the clip here.
So that’s how Perry keeps getting people to watch his movies…
Boner Back in Court
Remember when TOS star Walter Koenig’s actor/filmmaker/activist son Andrew Koenig (Tumak, DS9’s “Sancuary”) was arrested for protesting at the Rose Parade on New Year’s Day? Well, Koenig (who played ‘Boner’ on Growing Pains) was ultimately charged with a misdemeanor, fined $100, and sent on his marry way… but it appears Koenig will be heading back to court for a related matter. Pasadena Weekly is reporting that Koenig’s attorney will be arguing in court that Koenig’s right to free speech were violated. According to TV Squad, a pre-trial hearing was held on March 3rd.
I don’t think they got the joke, Andrew.
Visitor’s Wildfire Racing Away
A bit of old news I missed earlier: Wildfire, the horse racing drama starring DS9’s Nana Visitor (Kira Nerys) and co-created by the late Trek producer/writer Michael Piller, will not be racing back for a fifth season. ABC Family has opted not to renew the show, which began its fourth season on January 21st. The show is scheduled to air its final episode on May 26th, but that hasn’t stopped fans from starting a campaign to save the show. If you’re interested in trying to save Wildfire, check this out. Regardless, Visitor won’t be looking for work immediately — she currently has a recurring role in the fourth season of Ronald D. Moore’s Battlestar Galactica, which premieres April 4th.
Sorry, Nana, but you can’t keep the hat.
TrekBits
- George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) has signed up to narrate the he Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Sci-Fi Spectacular concert in January 2009. (Edmonton Journal)
- Meet the redshirts: Star Trek: Enterprise stunt coordinator Vince Deadrick, Jr. and his father, original series and Enterprise stuntman Vince Deadrick, Sr., will be doing a guest signing at the Grand Slam in Burbank, California from April 11th-13th
- Former DS9 star Avery Brooks (Benjamin Sisko) hosted a four-day event for the unveiling of a new pharmaceutical drug at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco late last month. There were also a lot of lights. (Digital Content Producer).
- Kate Mulgrew (VOY’s Kathryn Janeway) was the keynote speaker at the MetLife Foundation Awards for Medical Research in Alzheimer’s Disease which were held last Friday, February 29th. (Totally Kate!)
- The 10th Annual Craic Fest in Manhattan began yesterday with a screening of the Irish film Kings, starring Colm Meaney (Miles O’Brien). (Irish Voice)
- Star Trek composer Michael Giacchino will speak at a workshop on “How to ‘Score’ Big in the Movies” at the LA County Musuem on March 20th. (LACMA)
- Tim Russ (Tuvok) is currently scheduled to appear at the I-CON 27 convention in Stony Brook University, New York, April 4-6. (The Official Tim Russ Web Page)
- Canadian actress Linda Thorson (Gul Ocett, TNG’s “The Chase”) will be guest-starring in an episode of the BBC One series Doctors airing March 18th. (The Press Association)
- Alan Dale (Praetor Hiren, Star Trek Nemesis) has taken over the role of King Arthur in the London production of Monty Python’s Spamalot. (Playbill)
Explain again how sheep’s bladders may be employed to prevent earthquakes.
In Memoriam
- TV director Herb Kenwith (90), who directed the TOS episode “The Lights of Zetar,” died of prostate cancer on January 30th. (Variety)
- Fantasy author Janet Kagan (63), who wrote the TOS novel Uhura’s Song, died of acute COPD on February 29th. (SFF.net)
- Star Trek IV composer Leonard Rosenman (83) died on March 4th. See our coverage of his death here.
First? Gotta say Shatner was hilarious in “Online”.
I wouldn’t anger officer Angel….
Good for Pegg for also pointing out that co-creator Jessica Stevenson is utterly ignored in MG’s press releases. They clearly don’t care about the source material and they should just back the hell off. Get the Spaced DVD’s at the end of the year American cousins, unlike The Office, these guys have no interest in what makes the British show great in the first place.
I think it is disgusting how big TV networks like Fox behave. They are stealing the goods of creative people because their own writers only deliver them one piece of nothing after the other. And the audience is getting bored with that.
What happened to Pegg is disgusting. Not because of the money, I’m sure he’s going to win a legal fight even if he says he signed his rights away. I believe such a contract would be against nowadays basic rules anyway. So he should get his money anyway.
But what remains is the issue of respect rather than one of compensation.
If you consider somebody’s work good enough to go and pick up on it and make a remake, you might as well pay respect to the artist who created it, knock on his door and say:
Hey I thought your work was super. I’ve got plans, can we talk about it?
Unfortunately network managers are too arrogant to acknowledge anybody’s talent (that’s why hollywood writers went on strike, mind you). And they do not behave like human beings because human beings have sympathy and respect for each other
And most of all human beings: COMMUNICATE
If that’s the way they feel about moviemaking and art then I might as well boycott them. This viewer goes on strike as well. I’m not interested in stolen goods of business managers who call themselves network executives. What do they contribute aside from making a remake of somebody’s brilliant work without having ideas of their own.
I feel personally offended by the way they behave
I boycott this network and I advise others to do so as well. If hollywood writers can go on strike so can the viewers. Mark my words!
That ‘Online’ video is hilarious. Bill is great. And the guy’s Vulcan ears. Nice touch.
“KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!”
Over-The-Top – probably.
Great, emotional, and memorable moment – definitely.
Even more so, if you consider the events preceding that yell. To me, that moment always perfectly expressed the intense feelings of rage, hatred, extreme frustration, and the current helplessness Kirk is facing, and the yell is an instinctive, and deeply emotional reaction.
I never knew Koenig’s son played “Boner.” Interesting bit of trivia there. I’m almost curious to find out what exactly he was protesting at the Rose Bowl, of all places…then again…never mind, I don’t think I want to know
Cool. Free Enterprise 2.
Re: #6 – Someone set me straight if I’ve always been wrong about this, but wasn’t KIRK the one who was acting there? Kirk knew they weren’t abandoned by Khan. But he wanted Khan to think they were.
Scott B. out.
Andrew Koenig also played the Joker in Batman:Dead End. Interesting??
I also never knew he played ‘Boner’ on Growing Pains. Ha!!
Note that “pissed,” in British slang, means “drunk.” Pegg himself would read the term that way.
– Cool music….
#6 … Best. T-shirt. Ever:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7533437@N02/229666079
Oops. One more time…
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7533437@N02/2296660799
arrr… awk…
Tyler Perry seems to make at least two o’ those family films a year… and I heard he has a tv show as well… more prolific than a tribble…
Mr. Pegg-leg may be a tad displeased by me as well as I finally got me financing in place to make me own show ripping off his ideas… I call it “Khan of The Dead” in which evil-dead are walking about whilst our superhuman yet lazy hero whacks them about with cricket bats… all while arguing with Lt. Gyvers..
Fox offered me an 8-episode deal if i can get Shatner to scream for a promo of it… arrrr
The problem is that Simon Pegg did sign away the rights, so end result is,he has no control over what they do with Spaced so there is not much he can do. On the issue of them using him to promoter the remake, I think he does have a right to be angry about that.
“#6. Iowagirl – March 6, 2008
“KHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN!!!”
Yes? You called? :-)
…Alan Dale was in Nemesis?! Wow I’m really not very observant, am I…!
..I think the “Khhhaaaan!” line is really the only place in Trek 2 where Shat is “over the top”. The fact is, it’s actually the character of Kirk who is over the top here. There is no reason at all for Kirk to react like that. He knows perfectly well that Spock will be back to beam them up. He’s the one who hatched the plan.
So, what we have is Kirk, going WAY over the top in order to convince Khan that he is really pissed…when deep down, he hasn’t a care in the world.
Just in case anyone is interested, advanced tickets for Macbeth, with Patrick Stewart are now on sale. You will need an American Express card for the advance sale. I believe the general public gets access on the 21st of March. You can get em over at http://www.telecharge.com. Seats are pretty expensive, even the matinee was 100 bucks, but hey, it’s Broadway.
12. Trek Nerd Central – wrote:
Note that “pissed,” in British slang, means “drunk.”
Thanks Trek Nerd; I didn’t know about that one. I worked with guy from India who learned British English over there, then came to the United States only to find himself in a couple embarrasing situations because of the difference in British slang and American slang. He met with disbeleiving stares when in college he asked a classmate if he could borrow his rubber (eraser in Britain, a condom in USA), then asked a co-worker if he could borrow a fag (cigarrette in Britain, homosexual person in USA). A British vs. American slang dictionary would come in handy.
I thought Jason Alexander was hilarious in that video and deserves the award. The Shat was just being himself again, but he’s always entertaining.
Trek Nerd Central. Note that “pissed,” in British slang, means “drunk.” Pegg himself would read the term that way.
Correct. If Pegg wanted to say he was angry, he’s say he has a nostril full of haggas.
Thishshstttsssttththtpttt is Sthsssthpptthssparta!
beat
Khaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan!
??
What a rip-off!
also — Shatner is George’s real father? I guess that explains the genesis of the “mansierre.”
#4. Sarah James: Agreed!
Fox SUCKS. They screw up everything artistic, interesting and intelligent.
They only care about catering to the lowest common denominator for the most profit possible.
Stay strong Simon!
#6, #20—I don’t feel it’s over the top at all, and as #9 pointed out, he knows he isn’t really “buried alive”…Kirk is really putting on a show for khan—and a good one at that! The character’s performance for his adversary is likely aided by his genuine anger at Khan for the attack on Enterprise and the death of Capt. Terrell/ stranding of Reliant’s crew.
Great moment…not “over the top” at all.
#22 JBS –
Oh, yeah! So many of them. An American says, “He was wearing pants and a vest,” which translates into British as “He was wearing briefs and an undershirt.”
…. tis a slow day for news, eh? time to catch some Zeds maybe, so allow me to help ya along with some pointlessness…
Come hear tha tale of Simon Pegg
Shaun of the Fed vs. Griffin, Meg
As he fights the blodoy Fox network
Which robs, which takes, and crap uncorks
Oh- weee, the aggro thee
Taking the piss of poor Shaunee
Oh- weee, what are we faced
As Fox goes on with stolen “Spaced”?
(Be a’ start of purloined shows
With Bea Arthur cast in all tha roles?)
Fight ’em Pegg! And Fight ’em now!
Or it’ll be “Family Guy” on every hour
But what do I care? I’ve got BBC
Keep Simon Cawl forever please
Shove him with re-runs o’ the OC
Oh- weee, who’s Fox gunna hurt?
Gotta make more dime for Mr. Rupert
Revisit Brideheads with Locklear, Heather?
Maybe Johnny Knoxville would be The Prisoner?
Oh! Awk! What have I done with this all?
Just gave Fox their schedule for the fall!
awk! Arrrr….
#28. British Naval Dude, you crack me up.
#28 I second that great poetry bit of British Navel Dude.
I can’t boycott Fox — I would miss House and Family Guy. :)
I certainly won’t be watching the American re-hash of Spaced, though. If they can’t respect the source material and those who created it, then there’s no point in watching it.
I wouldn’t mind going Upstairs n’ Downstairs with Heather Locklear, BND.
But, I take your meaning.
I’ve never seen Wildfire, but I just gotta say that Nana Visitor is still looking way HOT.
Honestly, it’s been almost a decade (!) since DS9 ended and she’s looking great. Everyone always talked about Terry Farrell/Dax, but I always thought Nana/Kira was the “babe” of the show. And a dangerous one at that!
Good news about her appearing on BSG soon. I didn’t like the original miniseries, so I didn’t stick with the show, but I know a lot of people dig it. I may need to catch up with it before Nana appears, so I know what’s going on.
#19, 26
I was mainly referring to Capt. Ferrell’s sacrifice and to what Khan had done to him and to Chekov. Kirk knows from the events that took place 15 years ago that Khan is a serious foe, and he just realized once more that he’s a deadly enemy. A fellow captain’s refusal to kill Kirk – and to kill himself instead – wasn’t part of the plan Kirk had set up, and I think it was sort of a catalyst for his reaction. And that was how *I* understood “over-the-top”. It was sort of excessive, but only as part of the game, and at the same time it was very emotional and exposed resulting from the current events. So, I think it was a very conclusive moment.
#15
Like that one, buddy. This one should provide top wearing comfort, too. ;-)
http://www.cafepress.com/buy/kirk/-/pv_design_details/pg_7/id_18870530/opt_/fpt_/c_666/
#18
Hey Khan, answering from hell’s heart? ;-)
Shaun —
ety3 posted this in an earlier thread:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4DUraGnEMk
funny and educational (kinda)
this is also one of the best gag reels of all time:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=kdmo_KCsutI
Tango likes Wildfire–and sugur cubes!
“George Takei (Hikaru Sulu) has signed up to narrate the he Edmonton Symphony Orchestra’s Sci-Fi Spectacular concert in January 2009. (Edmonton Journal)”
I’ve got to say–when Nimoy had to bow out of the SF Symphony thing here in the Twin Cities and Takei stepped in, it was rather amusing the next morning when the main thing the reviewers were raving about wasn’t the music… but George Takei’s amazing narrating voice.
Which finally puts the lie to Jon Stewart’s claim that Leonard Nimoy’s over-the-phone voice is cooler than Takei’s.
:P
i’ve never seen “Spaced”, but it’s pretty weak that the network (and those involved) didn’t at least consult with Pegg and Wright about the American version.
Hopefully now that they pilot has been ordered and Pegg and Wright have voiced their concerns, Fox gets them involved somehow.
Shatner is the best. He has such a great sense of humor–I hope he lives long and continues to prosper.