This week, the Watch brings you news on even more nominations for Patrick Stewart, disappointing news for Walter Koenig, Trek alumni participating in an Asian film retrospective, and DS9 stars discussing projects past and present, including Colm Meaney defending suicide? But the brunt of this week’s CelebWatch focuses on supporting actors from the various Star Trek films.
Trek Celebs are all over the place this week. Colm Meaney is getting tough, Kurtzman and Orci are going underwater, and Quinto is hanging with C-3PO. And in captain news we got Patrick Stewart taking the subway, Avery Brooks in mass, and William Shatner flipping off motorists. Plus lots of Trek celebs are headed to Germany this weekend for the big FedCon.
Star Trek is everywhere. This week in The Great Links we got a Trekified car, Kirk getting on the available list, Trek con men not getting respect, a Trek MacGyver, Worf helping out Readers Digest with some history, Star Trek The Motion Picture helping out the US Navy, Trekkie politicans. Check it all out below.
This week, The Celeb Watcher brings you casting news for Trek vets Scott Bakula, Connor Trinneer, Simon Pegg, and George Takei. We also got appearances for Nichelle Nichols and Jolene Blalock, confessions of a Star Trek: Voyager writer, Saldana getting the cold shoulder at a Beverly Hills jeweler, and more. Plus: Win a date with Paul McGillion!
Back in February we reported that Patrick Stewart (TNG’s Capt. Picard) had to ask fans not to come to his plays dressed in Starfleet uniforms. In a new interview with Newsweek, however, the actor gets a bit testy (much like Simon Pegg did recently) and shows his love for Trekkies, assuring that we are not, as Newsweek calls us, “weird.” He still doesn’t like those damn uniforms, though.
Over 40 years old and yet every week Star Trek still gets talked about all over the web…not just on Trek sites. This week the Great Links has discussions on the Prime Directive in relation to the real world, Trek making it into two different top 50 lists, and another chapter in the battle between Star Trek and Star Wars. Plus we have my favorite topic — Trek women!
This week, the Watch brings you news on George Takei’s singing lessons, James Cromwell getting presidential, Visitor’s role on Battlestar, Wheatong geeking out on gaming, Eric Bana’s concerns regarding his image, TV appearances for Scott Bakula and Ethan Phillips, a birthday wish for Marina Sirtis, and more!
Simon Pegg attended the premiere of his new movie, Run, Fat Boy, Run, in Los Angeles last night and the actor continued to discuss his role as the new Scotty with a variety of news outlets. He describes the difficulty he had in accepting of the role of Scotty, Trek fandom, fan reaction to his casting, and his approach to the role.
In a series of recent interviews promoting his latest film, Run Fatboy Run, Simon Pegg also talked more about his (now complete) time on Star Trek. The new Scotty again expressed his intent to honor (but not imitate) James Doohan. Pegg also revealed who visited him on set, what he was not able to pinch from the set and who is doing his Scottish accent coaching. He also again showed off his inner geek.
This week, the Watch brings you Quinto on Obama, Billingsley on life after Phlox, Winona Ryder’s latest possible five fingered discount, a TV deal for Kirstie Alley, Mulgrew out on the town, George Takei showing new talents, news from Trek’s "welder guy," and more. PLUS: The Watch now covers Trek celebrity birthdays!
In a new interview with Den of Geek, veteran character actor William Morgan Sheppard revealed he has a small part in JJ Abrams new Star Trek (and TrekMovie.com has verified the report). Trek fans should recognize Sheppard from his multiple Trek appearances, most notably as the Klingon commandant of Rura Penthe in Star Trek VI. Sheppard only revealed that the role is ‘small’ and he plays a race he hasn’t played before.
Howdy, folks. This week, the Watch brings you news on Zachary Quinto and other Trek stars singing (with William Shatner in attendance), Patrick Stewart losing an award but winning a chair (no, not a captain’s chair), Brent Spiner discussing Sinatra and online communities, a new movie for Alexander Siddig, Walter Koenig’s thoughts on his son’s arrest, and more!
Simon Pegg is currently out and about promoting his new film, Run, Fat Boy, Run, and naturally, he ends up discussing Star Trek. In an interview with the Australian Herald-Sun Pegg reveals how director/producer J.J. Abrams offered him the role of Scotty and that he wasn’t sure he wanted it at first. He also talked about the ‘sc-fi’ nature of the new movie.
There’s a strange new improvisational comedy series on VH1 called Free Radio, and Star Trek‘s Zachary Quinto (the new Spock) was a guest on last week’s episode. The show is set in a dysfunctional radio station where an idiot DJ interviews celebrities. Quinto appeared as himself, and talked a bit about the new Trek film… at least, when the DJ lets him. Details and video below.
A couple more press outlets caught up with the Star Trek’s Simon Pegg at the Empire Awards on Sunday (see previous story). He told the BBC “It’s a great script and it’s going to be a fantastic film. So I think, Trekkies relax!” Pegg tells the UK Sun that it’s “amazing fun” to be playing Scotty and also discussed Abrams, life on the set, ‘getting wet’ and literally following Doohan to the finally frontier.
Last week Chris Pine, Star Trek’s new James T Kirk, told the USA today that he was “not trying to copy” William Shatner’s portrayal of the original character. Now comes news that the actor may be looking to another famous action star actor for ideas. When asked where he looked for inspiration, Pine told IGN “Harrison Ford in either Indiana Jones or Star Wars.”
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.
Leonard Rosenman, the composer for Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, died today at the age of 83. Rosenman, a two-time Oscar and Emmy winner, died of a heart attack at the Motion Picture & Television Country House and Hospital in Woodland Hills, CA. His score for Star Trek IV received an Oscar nomination; the only other Trek music to be nominated was Goldsmith’s TMP score.
This week, CelebWatch brings you news on William Shatner going live, Patrick Stewart going Broadway, Whoopi’ going weepy over an Oscar snub, Mulgrew going political, Takei going snarky, Blalock going trooper, Greenwood going artistic… and Orci and Kurtzman going to ‘Michael Bay Jail’ (see artists rendition…right) Read below for more!
TrekMovie.com has confirmed a couple of more actors in small roles in the new Star Trek movie. 32-year-old actress Darlena Tejeiro has an unknown part and 46-year-old actor and stuntman Paul Townsend is playing a Starfleet security officer. Both actors have extensive experience and for Paul, this is not his first time in the Star Trek universe.
The 80th Annual Academy Awards were held tonight at the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles. As TrekMovie.com reported last month, nine Star Trek alumni (present and future) were nominated for an Oscar this year including Michael Giacchino, the composer for the new Star Trek film. Of the nine ‘Trek’ nominees only two left with trophies and Giacchino wasn’t one of them. See below for our full coverage including photos from the show and Trek celebs spotted at Oscar weekend events.
Greetings, Earthlings. This week, the Watch brings you news on upcoming Shatner projects, what Quinto was doing during the writers’ strike, a new Colm Meaney moment, interviews with Eric Bana, two Kurtzman/Orci movies getting pushed back, another award for Trek’s new composer, and much more! What, you don’t believe me? Just click “more” below and find out for yourself.
Several months ago we reported that the tiny town of Vulcan, Alberta was hoping to hold the world premiere of the new Star Trek movie. Paramount have yet to book the corporate jet for a trip to Canada next May, but that hasn’t stopped the Vulcanians who have now upped the ante by bringing in two more ‘Trek cities’ to bid on three global Star Trek premieres.
In this week’s CelebWatch we got lots of George Takei, including talking about his first meetings with Roddenberry to his recent resurgent career. Plus Patrick Stewart converts Trekkies to theater lovers, Avery Brooks celebrates Abraham Lincoln, Nichelle Nichols talks Spock, Wil Wheaton goes to the dark side, Leonard Nimoy gets grilled by Stephen Colbert (we got the video) and much more!
The American Film Institute has released their nominations for its “10 Top 10,” in which they will honor what they believe to be the ten greatest films of ten different film genres. Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan was among the fifty science fiction films nominated. The winners will be revealed when AFI’s 10 Top 10 TV special airs on CBS this June.
TrekMovie.com has confirmed two more actors appearing in the new Star Trek film. Up and coming actor Kelvin Yu has already filmed his role as a medical technician, while Holland-born boxer turned actress Lucia Rijker will begin shooting her role as a communications officer (not on the Enterprise) next month.
This week we’re bringing you news on nominations for Patrick Stewart and Simon Pegg, Robert Picardo getting more work than he knows what to do with, and it’s ladies night at the Trek Celeb Watch as we have news on Kate Mulgrew, Nichelle Nichols, Zoe Saldana, Jeri Ryan and Terry Farrell! Plus… Shatner for president?
NEW FEATURE: TrekMovie.com presents a new regular column where we stalk your favorite Star Trek celebrities and inform you on what they are up to. This week we have Shatner giving the smackdown, Patrick Stewart getting (yet another) award, Kate Mulgrew opining on the superiority of Voyager, Scott Bakula getting work, and much more!
Two new interviews show that the casting of Zoe Saldana gives the new Star Trek movie a ‘twofer’ when it comes to diversity. The actress talked to BlackFilm.com about her role as Uhura, explaining what attracts her to the part and describing her meeting with original Uhura actress Nichelle Nichols. In another interview with Latina Magazine, however, Saldana discussed matters a little more… personal.
It has already been reported that the new Star Trek movie will feature a young/adolescent Spock in addition to the two adult Spocks (Quinto and Nimoy). But it appears the movie will also feature a young James T. Kirk, as well as a young version of his older brother. TrekMovie.com has learned that George Samuel Kirk, Jr. will be played by 15-year-old actor Spencer Daniels, while ComingSoon.net is reporting that the younger James T. Kirk will be played by (almost) 12 year-old actor Jimmy Bennett.