Jay Leno Thrills Bill!

"I'll Bet You Could Balance Two of Those On Your Chin!"

On March 29th's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, William Shatner took part in a new bit called "Does This Thrill Bill?"  Just think of the awkward beauty of America's Got Talent and throw in Bill Shatner's special brand of potshot humor.  The Three Contestants were Rob from Orlando who balances egg topped tables on his chin, Champion Sumo Wrestler Kelly who performed "the strangest yoga class" Bill had ever seen by eating a cupcake while doing the splits, and Kathy who crushes cans under a 30 second timeclock.

You can watch Part 1 HERE on Leno's site and Part 2 HERE.  However, my favorite video to spawn from this skit is the backstage interview with Bryan Branly found HERE.  

When asked if he needed to be thrilled, Shatner responds "I don't need to be thrilled, I've got lots of thrills in my life...when Jay calls I answer...Ever year I put on a charity horse show that benefits children in need.  It's called the Priceline.com Hollywood Charity Horse Show sponsored by Wells Fargo and it's on April 30th.  Horseshow.org will give you all the information and that's why I wanted to do the show."

Later, when interviewing Kathy, Brian asks what she thought of Bill's dirty can-popping gestures.  Kathy responds, "He's a guy, what can you say.  Sometimes it's to be expected."  Oh, Bill.

"I Don't Have A Bomb, I'm William Shatner!" On Stage at MegaCon 2011

Last weekend, William Shatner was in Orlando, FL for the 2011 MegaCon.  Thanks to WhatJaneSays we can place out butts in the Audience for his Q&A session without paying airfare or the price of admission.  Have I told you how much I love the internet?!

Hightlights:
                 --Shatner hamming it up while explaining why air travel for him is such an embarrassing hassle.
                 --Revealing that The Captains documentary will be scored by the cool jazz styling of Avery Brooks' piano.
                 --On new book Shatner Rules, "I’m 80 years old and should be thinking deeper thoughts…talk a little bit about how we die—never occurred to me…frightening possibilities…I could fall off this stage and die right now.”
                 --After describing his new album Seeking Major Tom (It’s fun and its apropos, science fiction and everything I hope you’ll enjoy it”), Shatner jumps into a brief rendition of Cyrano De Bergerac!
                 --The new album will also feature Brad Paisley and "Sheryl Crowe has promised to sing Mrs. Major Tom!"
                 --Shatner considers this season of Aftermath to be "the most fascinating thing I've ever done!"

WhatJaneSays still hasn't posted Part 5, so we'll just have to wait with bated breath for the Megacon Conclusion.

Red Shirts: The Expendables!

Whoa, absolutely love the new cover of Star Trek Magazine #33!  Put that on a t-shirt, people!

William Shatner, Priceline Billionaire!?!?!

On his Fox Business Blog, Brian Sullivan postulates that William Shatner may very well be a billionaire thanks to his involvement with Priceline.com.  He writes:

"When Captain Kirk .. er, Shatner .. became Priceline's pitchman more than a decade ago, he smartly (or desperately) decided to be paid in stock. After a brief run during the tech boom Priceline shares went into the dump, bottoming out below $2. Then the run began.  While we don't know how many shares or options Shatner was given, or if he has held onto them, reports last year were that his stake was worth some $600 million dollars. And that was when Priceline was trading at a mere $300/share.  With the stock up nearly $200 more/share since then, its possible Mr. Shatner is getting darn close to being a good, old fashioned stock market billionaire."

Man, I hope this is true.  Shatner has had so many deaths and rebirths in Hollywood.  And his greatest rebirth is totally thanks to his surreal brilliance in those early Priceline ads.  As he states in his autobiography Up Till Now, "I've been told that David E. Kelley had seen me doing my Priceline .com commercials and had begun thinking about me for this role he was creating...I love the thought that David E. Kelley had decided to write the character for me after seeing me doing a Priceline.com commercial."

To think that he has now acquired that kinda cash thanks to weird commercials like those below fills this Shat Attacker with quite a bit of glee.

Shatner Arrives at the 2011 MegaCon!

Just a quick youtuber glimpse of Shatner arriving on scene at this year's 2011 Orlando MegaCon!

Shatner To Be Awarded Honorary Headbanger Award!!!

Blabbermouth.net is reporting that William Shatner will receive Revolver Magazine's Honarary Headbanger Award at this year's Golden Gods ceremony!  I say, it's about time!  Shatner's album The Transformed Man is a pop culture classic and the Has Been collaboration with Ben Folds is a flat out work of Genius!  Of course, this Honorary Award is timed perfectly for the Fall release of the new concept album Seeking Major Tom which features "hard-rock musicians, including Ritchie Blackmore and Ian Paice of DEEP PURPLE, and, on a cover of BLACK SABBATH's "Iron Man", Zakk Wylde of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY andMike Inez of ALICE IN CHAINS."

What did Shatner have to say about this award? "Short of receiving an Emmy for my superb voice, the Honorary Headbanger Award is the next best thing. Praise be you won't hear me sing."

Generations Cracked!

Love Star Trek?  The you must do yourself a great service and become familiar with both of Frederick McCloud's blogs.  Over on his relatively new My Star Trek Scrapbook 2, he's posted the 1994 Cracked comic strip lampooning the much maligned Star Trek: Generations.  Cracked has always kinda been the weaker version of Mad Magazine, but they get in a couple of good shots every now and again.  And I gotta say that I prefer Cracked's Generations climax much more than the film's Captain-On-The-Bridge/Bridge-On-The-Captain conclusion.

Collecting Shatner

Trekmovie has posted yet another interesting article celebrating William Shatner's birthday.  This time focusing on the Best of the Best William Shatner Collectibles, dubbed "Shatlectibles" by the site.

Featured items include:

Shatner Trading Cards

Shatner Comic Books

Priceline Bobblehead

The Shatner Show Art Book

His Kidney Stone (The Ultimate Shatlectible!)

It's a solid list of Shatner Memrobelia.  And you can't really argue with The Kidney Stone.  But, personally, one of my favorite Shatlectibles is my 2010 Breyfest Horse Figurine of Shatner's All Glory.  Crazy cool.

The Art of Khan!

And this is why I love the internet.

USA Today Picks Top Five Shatner Performances

For the March 24th USA Today's Pop Candy, reader "Michael H" selected his Top Five favorite William Shatner performances in honor of his birthday.  I square off with Michael H's pics below.

Michael H's 1.  "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan. Without a doubt, the best performance the man has given. Ironically, it's because directorNicholas Meyer did so many takes of certain scenes that Shatner stopped being Shatner and just acted the scenes."

Shat Attack's 1.  Star Trek III: The Search for Spock.  Well, as much as I'd like to be controversial and select Matt Stone from Impulse or Mark Preston from The Devil's Rain as my favorite Shatner performance, there really is no other choice but to go with a Kirk outing.  But I wouldn't pick Wrath of Khan.  Sure, it's my favorite Trek movie, but my favorite Trek Shatner is the Kirk found in The Search for Spock.  Khan is the Badass Trek, but the Trek that really gets me to well up is 3.  It's a saga of friendship, in which Kirk has to save not just Spock's soul but save his other BFF Bones from Katra infection.  And the whole film rests on Shatner's ability to convey love for his two friends.  It's powerful stuff.

Michael H's 2. "Free Enterprise. Shatner plays a guy named Bill, a colorful caricature of the Shatner image. Worth seeing to hear Shatner rap at the end and for the scene where fantasy Bill gives one of our young heroes advice. (The guy is getting beat up and Shatner finds out the fight began because the bully said Han Solo could beat up Captain Kirk. Shatner's reply: "Kick his a--!")"

Shat Attacker's 2.  Boston Legal, "Son of the Defender."  Free Enterprise is fun, but come on!  #2!  No way!  Next to Kirk, Shatner's greatest creation is that of the mad cow suffering law partner Denny Crane, Denny Crane and my absolute favorite single episode of BL is "Son of the Defender" in which the viewer is rewarded with not one, but two great Shatner performances.  Held hostage by the son of a wrongfully convicted suspected murderer, "Son of the Defender" splices scenes from the classic Studio One TV movie revealing a Denny Crane still haunted by past actions.

Michael H's 3. "Star Trek, "The Enemy Within." It's easy to cite "City on the Edge of Forever" as a great performance by Shatner in classicTrek. But this early, first season episode is a true showcase for Shatner with two Kirks (good and evil) thanks to a transporter accident. It shows why producers and NBC thought getting Shatner as a leading man for Trek was such a coup."

Shat Attacker's 3.  The Intruder.  Two Kirks?  That's cheating!  Nope, I'm going with Shatner's disgusting and terrifying Adam Cramer from Roger Corman's classic The Intruder.  It's probably the toughest movie to watch for a Shatner fan cuz Bill is so damn despicable.  But it's a must-see.  Shocking and quite powerful.  

Michael H's 4. "The Twilight Zone, Terror at 20,000 Feet. Outside of Captain Kirk, this may be Shatner's best-known bit of television acting."

Shat Attacker's 4.  The Twilight Zone, Nightmare at 20,000 Feet.  Ding.  We have a winner.  Except the title is "Nightmare" not "Terror."  Shatner did a lot of great pre-Star Trek tv appearances (The Fugitive, Burke's Law, The Big Valley, Thriller) but his two outings in The Zone are impossible not to adore.   And I've always felt for Bob Wilson.  Will someone just look out on that damn wing!  Gremlin!

Michael H's 5. "Third Rock From the Sun. Shatner won his first Emmy for his portrayal of the Big Giant Head. Best moment is when Shatner and John Lithgow talk about a plane being delayed due to seeing something on the wing. (For those of you who don't know, Lithgow played the role Shatner did in the Twilight Zone: The Movie version of Terror at 20,000 Feet.)"

Shat Attacker 5.  The Horror at 37,000 Feet.  Honestly, I've never been a huge fan of Third Rock From The Sun or The Big Giant Head.  Sorry, sitcom banality.  And I recognize that Horror at 37,000 Feet is not necessarily a good movie.  But Shatner is incredible in it.  He sells the hell outta his fallen priest.  And his performance here is the perfect example of what I love about Shatner.  He gets a script.  Whatever.  He's all in.  Beautiful.

Extremely Awkward "More Power" Trek Commercial

Thanks to @StarTrekUpdate for the link to the above commercial.  I definitely don't remember seeing this bit of awkward madness before.  Kirk's under fire, gets beamed up, wacky uncomfortableness.

Time Magazine Picks Top 10 Unforgettable William Shatner Moments!

Over on their website, Time Magazine celebrated Shatner's 80th Birthday by listing their picks for The Shat's Most Unforgettable Moments.  

10.

9.  

8.  

7.  

6.  

5.  

4.  

3.  

2.  

1.  

Founder Maurice LaMarche Judges The 3rd International Talk Like William Shatner Day!!!

Co-Founder and Co-Creator of International Talk Like William Shatner Day judges the entries in TrekMovie's contest, does his own Bill, and reveals some pretty stellar Futurama news.  He also got a good belly laugh from this viewer for that Dudley Moore line "Tell Me Why Arthur Had To Be Remade?"  Amen to that brother.

Yes, there are synch issues.

Anyway, I'm happy to see that my personal favorite entry by Barry Dennen made the finalists if not the Top Three.

Grand Prize Winner:  Jeff Nelson who got points for brevity and was envyed by LaMarche for its vocal accuracy.  Wow!  And yeah, I gotta agree, its dead-on.  Congrats!  But FYI, this is not the first time we've heard of Nelson's excellent Shatner.  In 2007, his Discs of Evil got an honorable mention from the William Shatner DVD Club.

First Runner Up:  Michael (albadore) definitely got a chuckle or two from me.  Shatner taking a ride on Lady Gaga's Disco Stick?  Oh yeah, I'm there.  LaMarche even says it's "The Funniest" of the entries.  And again, appreciate the brevity.  

Second Runner Up:  James Cathcart's entry is a little long, but I definitely dig the concept and the impression. LaMarche gives him the high points for the strength in the impression, the sound effects, and the editing.

So there you have it.  The 3rd Annual International Talk Like William Shatner Day has come to a close.  I just want to give a big thanks to the brave folks over at TrekMovie for taking this Holiday to new heights with their contest.  Be sure to jump on over to their site to witness the rest of the runners-up, or click here for the 3rd Annual International Talk Like William Shatner Day playlist.

And, of course, thanks must go to both Maurice LaMarche and Doug VanHorn for creating such a wonderfully bizzare Internet phenomenon.  If you haven't already, check out the official Facebook Page here. Till Next Year, Shatner Out.

An Appreciation: The Devil's Rain

"Heaven Help Us When...The Devil's Rain!"

During those Lost Years between the cancellation of The Original Series and the release of The Motion Picture (1969-1979) William Shatner never stopped working, and even though the majority of the scripts that came across his desk were dogs he still managed to throw himself into every role.  During this period, he made a lot of thoroughly enjoyable cheese--Impulse, Big Bad Mama, Kingdom of the Spiders--but my absolute favorite is The Devil's Rain.

Released in 1975, the plot attempts to cash in on the satanic success of The Exorcist which struck mainstream gold just two years earlier.   After his eyeless father melts before him and his mother (Ida Lupino!!!) is kidnapped by mysterious cloaked madmen, William Shatner dons his straw cowboy hat and heads into the desert to battle faiths with Ernest Borgnine's Dark Master.  

Honestly, you're not here for the plot.  What makes The Devil's Rain something special is the direction of Robert Fuest (The Abominable Dr. Phibes, And Soon The Darkness) and cinematographer Alex Phillips Jr (Bring Me The Head of Alfredo Garcia).  The film is just gorgeous.  Widescreen Glory.  Masterful tracking shots, fantastic blocking.  Seriously, pop the DVD into your player and I dare you tell me that it doesn't look beautiful.

And then there is this great scene between Shatner and Borgnine within the Ghost Town.  Shatner has brought The Book as a bargaining chip.  But Borgnine really doesn't care.  He wants Shatner as a vessel for "The sacred right of the holy water."  Basically, way back when in Pilgrim Times, Shatner's ancesstor's wife gave Borgnine's ancestor over to some Witch Burners and now Borgnine is pissed.  Naturally, he's gonna open wide the gates of hell!  It's a phenomenal scene in which both actors really throw themselves into the crazy of the plot.

What is so amazing about this hokum mumbo jumbo is that Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan,  served as a technical advisor for the movie.  WTF?  In the early 70s, LaVey received quite a bit of media attention in Time Magazine, Newsweek, and even appearing on Johnny Carson.  And I'm sure he just loved the thought of helping Hollywood understand his nuttery, but to think that any of the ridiculous proceedings found inside The Devil's Rain could be part of any religion, even that of the Church of Satan, is ridiculous.

I would be lying if I said this was Shatner's movie.  Shortly after the Ghost Town confrontation he leaves the story for a while and his brother, Tom Skerritt steps in to do most of the battle with the satanists.  A man of science, he quickly learns to believe when forced into hand-to-shotgun battle with a Welcome Back Kotter John Travolta.  Obviously, Skerritt is no Shatner, but he makes for a fine lead especially when the Satanic shenanigans start cracking his noggin.  

To say the least, The Devil's Rain did not do well upon it's release.  And I would even argue the validity of its cult film status.  Seriously, is there anybody out there besides myself that thinks it's a classic exploitation gem? Please, prove me wrong.  I'm happy with my standard def DVD, but I want my Blu Ray!  Alex Phillips Jr deserves it!  But the box office failure, and the critical lambasting pretty much ruined director Robert Fuest's career.  Shatner, Skerritt, Travolta, Borgnine, Eddie Albert, Keenan Wynn...actors can almost always survive, but Fuest was relegated to the world of crap TV movies (seriously, The Big Stuffed Dog???).  

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY, WILLIAM SHATNER!!!

Today is The Day.  William Alan Shatner aka James T. Kirk, aka T.J. Hooker, aka Denny Crane, aka The Rock-Et-Man, aka so many other pop culture icons turns 80 years young.  How can one possibly celebrate a day so momentous?  Well, of course, there's International Talk Like William Shatner Day!

Sadly, due to technical difficulties and a complete lack of computer talent, I could not contribute to this brillainmt day via youtube.  Instead, I present you my favorite entry in TrekMovie's contest so far:  Barry Dennen performing his very Shat version of How To Handle A Woman:

You Get My Vote, Sir

And I'm guessing that since you've stumbled upon this blog you are definitely a belilever, but if you have any doubts that Shatner is Badass than I suggest you click here and behold at least 80 Reasons Why Shatner is Awesome!

78. Co-wrote "Believe," a book about hypothetic match between Houdini vs. Arthur Conan Doyle
65. Is friends with Henry Rollins pair did a duet "I can’t get behind that"
61. In "Fight Club" when Brad Pitt asks Edward Norton what celeb he would fight, he replies "Shatner"
42. Was guest photographer for Playboy
18. Inspired a ballet

Personally, I'm going to celebrate by watching one of my favorite underrated Shatner gems The Devil's Rain.  While wearing my Star Trek robe and drinking coffee from my Shat Attack 4 mug.  Enjoy the day my friends.

"Leprekhhhaaaaaan!!!"

Okay, I'm a little late on this bit of Saint Patrick's Day silliness but couldn't stop myself from posting this Internet Crazy courtesey of Geeks of Doom.

Apparently, Night of the Living Trekkies author Kevin David Anderson sent this Holiday Greeting to the GOD staff.  If you haven't read the book, I recommend you do so.  It's kinda in the same vain as those Pride and Prejudice and Zombies books but I thought it to be far superior mondo fiction.

TrekMovie Contest: International Talk Like William Shatner Day!!!

TrekMovie.com is celebrating William Shatner's 80th Birthday Tuesday by throwing an International Talk Like William Shatner Day Contest.  As reported earlier in this blog, this soon-to-be National Holiday was created by Canadian voice actor Maurice Lamarche (Inspector Gadget, The Critic, Duckman, Pinky and the Brain, Futurama) just three years ago, and TrekMovie and Think Geek are doing their part to make this special day even more special.

As they say, the rules are simple:

                   -Create a video showing off you (or a group of you) talking like William Shatner
                   -Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes
                   -1 Submission per person (or group)
                   -Submit video to YouTube (or any video service that allows embedding)
                   -Videos should be family friendly (no profanity, no adult content, etc)
                   -Submissions should be made by 5:00 PM Monday March 21st (Pacific Time)
                   -Contest open to all countries

The Grand Prize Winner will receive:

                   

                   -Command Gold Star Trek Robe (courtesy of ThinkGeek)
                   -Signed DVD of "Mind Meld" (courtesy of WilliamShatner.com)
                   -Rare Free Enterprise II Poster (courtesy of Robert Meyer Burnett)

Tricky, tricky.  I'd love to participate myself.  Maybe do something quick and short like Captain Kirk's Guide To Women author Bones Rodriguez:

And not something awkward and terrible like this:

Or maybe I can just accidentally channel the great Shat like Hugo Weaving did in this scene from The Matrix Reloaded?

Or even better yet!  I can magically acquire a talent for animation and whip up a really killer cartoon like this Family Guy Star Trek paradoy, which just happens to be my personal favorite Shatner impression.

Whatever the case, I'm just happy to see nerds and dorks celebrating Shatner in whatever way they can.  Kudos to Trekmovie & Think Geek.  And Kudos to Maurice Lamarche for ushering in this brilliant bit of Internet Shat Madness.

Zapp Brannigan!

All week, TG Daily has been listing their favorite Sci-Fi Captains.  Mal Reynolds of Firefly.  Nemo of the Nautilus.  Next Generation's Jean Luc Picard.  And, of course, Captain James T. Kirk.  But my favorite article has to be the one focusing on Futurama lunatic Zapp Brannigan. which points to all the Trek inspirations behind the blowhard.  It's all well-known, obvious stuff but enjoyable nonetheless.