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William Shatner Replies 750

Posted by Roblimo from the brevity-is-the-soul-of-wit dept.
You ask, Bill Shatner answers. (It seems just about everyone calls him Bill, so we might as well too.) A nice series of glimpses at the man behind the TV and movie face.

1) your reputation
by tps12

I happened to have seen both of your Twilight Zone episodes (the famous "something on the wing of the airplane" one and the less-famous-but-no-less-interesting one where you are obsessed with a prophecy-dispensing toy in a diner) recently. I have to say that in both episodes I was taken aback at the unexpected quality of your portrayal. Even though everyone associates your face with Captain Kirk, the characters in the TZ episodes came through loud and clear, drowning out my preconceptions.

For this reason, I'd like to ask what you think of your humorous reputation for bad acting. Would you blame some of the egregious hamminess of some of ST on the perception that TV (or SF) wasn't "real" acting or was it directing? Or some other thing?

Bill:

Of course, I don't hear the bad reviews or see them. All I know is the glowing notices that people read to me that some reviewer thinks I'm wonderful. So I've slowly come to think that I'm wonderful.

2) Favourite Parody
by hero

Star Trek has been parodied many times in many different formats; other television shows, movies, comics and so on. You yourself have probably been parodied as much or more in people's "Captain Kirk Impression" stand up skits and the like. My question is, do you recall a favourite parody for its comedy or cleverness of either yourself or the series?

Bill:

I think John Belushi probably did the best.

3) First Interracial Kiss
by Irvu

What was it like to do the first on-screen interracial kiss? How much effort did it take to make the studio go along with it, and how much of an effect did it have on you and the show as a whole?

Bill:

I think the whole interracial kiss thing has been overrated. Nichelle Nichols was a beautiful woman and her lips were full. I merely sought to make an impression.

4) Saturday Night Live
by billmaly

Years ago, when you hosted SNL, you participated in the now classic Trekkie sketch (actually, one of my all time favorite SNL sketches).

Was that sketch a catharsis for you, a means of finally casting off some chains and letting the world know what you think and feel, or was it just a sketch? I am not dissing you, your work, or Trek fans, but, let's be honest here, some people do need to, in your words, "Get a life!". Do you/did you feel that way, or was it just an act? Come on, be honest..... :)

Bill:

Ok, I'll be honest. It was a laugh. Pure & simple. You should have at least been mildly amused. It seems to me that you need to get a life.

5) MPAA
by jhines0042

Concerning the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA). Do you consider them to be a boon or a bane to actors and actressess?

Bill:

Actually, I don't think that actors think much about MPAA. They're more concerned about AARP.

6) Galaxy Quest
by vrone

I will preface this by saying I am a mild trekkie and as such, I immensely enjoyed the 1999 film Galaxy Quest.

I think everyone who has seen Galaxy Quest will agree that the show that it is based upon is, in essence, "Star Trek". It follows that Tim Allen's Character was essentially meant to be you.

So my two part question is this: Did you enjoy the show, and, how accurate was their portrayal of life after Trek?

Bill:

Yes, I enjoyed it. I think Tim Allen was very funny. As for accuracy, not at all.

7) Time at McGill
by peg0cjs

It's fairly well known (at least here in Canada) that you attended McGill University for some time. They even went so far as to rename the Student Union building the Shatner Building.

I've heard that you were invited to the renaming ceremony, but refused to attend. I've also heard that you generally speak very poorly of your time at McGill. What was it about McGill that was so dreadful/horrible/annoying/etc that has made you so sour on the subject?

Bill:

Oh Contrare. That's French, in case you need it, for 'to the contrary.' I had a great time at McGill. I did go to a ceremony at the student union building and my feeling about McGill is that it's a great university and it produced many great students. Unfortunately, I was not one of them.

8) Nerine Shatner Memorial Fund
by Tsar

After the tragic and untimely death of your wife Nerine, a recovering alcoholic, you took the courageous step of establishing a fund in her name to benefit Friendly House, an organization for recovering alcoholics. How is that work progressing, and has your involvement with this effort helped you work through this loss?

I know that this subject must be painful for you, but I'm sure there are many in the slashdot community who would benefit from your experience and insights here.

Bill:

Thank you for asking about Nerine's fund. It benefits a rehabilitation place called Friendly House. They do wonderful work. Nerine has a rehabilitation home with her name on it and my hope and sympathy is for these recovering women.

9) Seriously...are we cool?
by CleverNickName

Hey Bill,

Are we cool, or what? I mean, I always thought you didn't like me, but I had a good time with you at Weakest Link watching the World Series.

So are we cool, or was that just pre-game strategy?

Wil

Bill:

Dear Will,

We are so cool, we're beyond cool. We are in orbit man. I don't do pre-game strategy.

I look forward to some personal time with you.

10) The balance between Hollywood and Real Life
by Geek In Training

As a normal everyday guy from Canada, it seems hard for "the public" to grasp the diparity between "Bill Shatner, age 61, three adult children, loves horses" and "Actor/Singer/Producer/Writer William Shatner blah blah blah fourth wife ... blah blah blah personal tragedy .... blah blah blah inside scoop" that Hollywood and the Tabloid press seem to turn everyone's life into.

At the end of the day, has the fame been worth the price? Is knowing that you've raised three daughters and entertained people for several decades worth the cost of your privacy? Do you feel that overall, you've gotten a fair shake, even after all the public airings of your alleged failings as a person? Are you going to continue to live in the limelight during your golden years, or settle in and call it good, letting the cards land where they may?

Do you feel you've finished your professional legacy and are ready to leave it for media history, or do you fret over whether or not that legacy is "good enough?" And the same regarding your personal legacy as a man, a husband, a father, a son? What advice can you give to others so that they don't have any regrets?

Bill:

Regret is the worst of human emotions. There is no going back with regret. There is no future with regret. Regret is not something I live with. If there is something I wished I hadn't done, I don't do it anymore or I forgive myself and try better.

My life is my statement and I try to be true to myself and thusly to other people. Whatever my failings are, they are human and I try to perfect it each day.
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William Shatner Replies More

William Shatner Replies

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  • French approximation :-) (Score:4, Funny)

    by mirko ( 198274 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:19AM (#4818695) Journal
    Oh Contrare. That's French
    He actually misspelled "Au contraire".

    But I appreciate he suggest some slashdotter to "get a life" :-)

  • These are awefully short answers... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:19AM (#4818701)
    I thought he could a little more, um, effort into those answers

  • His singing career? (Score:3, Funny)

    by Blacklaw ( 311963 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:20AM (#4818705) Homepage Journal
    I'm amazed no-one asked about his singing career.

    Although I guess that his cover of 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' is a crime against sound that we're all trying *very* hard to forget...

    -Blacklaw

    • Re:His singing career? (Score:5, Insightful)

      by gosand ( 234100 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:31AM (#4818861)
      I'm amazed no-one asked about his singing career.

      Would it have mattered? He would have just given a short, uninformative answer anyway.

      Honestly, this was the most boring interview on /. ever. I am no fan of Star Trek, but jeez Bill, why agree to an interview if you are just going to give these types of answers?

      • Re:His singing career? (Score:5, Insightful)

        by NetFu ( 155538 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @01:21PM (#4819722) Homepage Journal
        I think it's called:

        CYA -- Cover Your Ass.

        The less he says, the less likely he is to be lambasted for it for years in the future. A lot of his answers were conservative, but at the same time seemed to be just having fun.

        I AM a long-time trekkie and a fan of the original series and Shatner's character Captain Kirk, but IMHO William Shatner has to be one of the most over-analyzed actors in human history. I mean, what did he REALLY do besides Star Trek and TJ Hooker (and how many people will still remember TJ Hooker in 10 more years if they even remember now)?

        The truth is that Shatner is a pretty average guy in the fact that most people could probably act as well as him, he just had a big break called "Star Trek". Maybe that's why so many people grill him. I don't think he merits an interview anywhere, but that's probably why he seems to tell so many people to "get a life" -- in other words, why does anyone care about him or his life?

  • Short Replies (Score:5, Insightful)

    by sp3c1alK ( 604261 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:20AM (#4818711)
    Mr Shatner seemed a bit rushed didn't he?

    • Re:Short Replies (Score:5, Funny)

      by MarkGriz ( 520778 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:31AM (#4818860)
      I thought so too at first. But then I went back and reread the replies as if he were actually speaking them (in.... that slow..... and..... choppy voice).
      The replies were much longer that way.

      Cool interview. Good to see "Clever" chime in too.

    • Re:Short Replies (Score:5, Insightful)

      by kcurtis ( 311610 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:33AM (#4818892)
      I think this may reflect the fact that he's less full of himself than the questions wanted him to be.

      The questions wanted him to have deep thoughts about parodies, interracial kisses, etc. He just doesn't seem to be the type of guy who gives a rats ass about these topics, so his answers were short and sweet. Not like he really dodged them.

      Also, it does show a pretty funny sense of humor, at his own expense.

      All in all, it reinforces my image of him as a pretty straightforward guy who lives his life, and isn't a Trekkie himself.

      • Re:Short Replies (Score:5, Funny)

        by Tablizer ( 95088 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:49AM (#4819048) Journal
        The questions wanted him to have deep thoughts about parodies, interracial kisses, etc. He just doesn't seem to be the type of guy who gives a rats ass about these topics, so his answers were short and sweet. Not like he really dodged them.

        That was my impression of him also based on questions asked during a trek convention. He is not a "deep and ponderous" guy for the most part, but one that seems to go with the flow and enjoys the moment with energy.

        The interracial kiss to him was just a great opportunity for a regular horny guy to suck a sexy face that turned out to be an historic event after the fact. (What a bonus!)

        That is why my question was about who bagged the most babes back stage, not ponderings and musings about bagging babes. But some pondering-hoping shmuck modded it down the last minute. Pox on your house. Now we will never know.

        • Re:Short Replies (Score:5, Interesting)

          by Alsee ( 515537 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:17PM (#4819259) Homepage
          my question was about who bagged the most babes back stage, not ponderings and musings about bagging babes.

          Well, I don't know who was "bagging babes", but I can contribute a data point in the general direction. I'm friends with a female convention staffer and she said that George Takei (Sulu) has a reputation for partying at the hotel when he gets off duty at the Con.

          Note: I'm NOT saying anything about sex. I have no idea how the parties actually go. Just saying that he seems to be a party-type-guy that enjoys hanging out with fans.

          The same friend also told me Armin Shimerman (Quark) let her and a friend of her's crash out in his hotel suite because he wasn't staying there that night. He had one rule though - check out the costume if you like, just don't touch the teeth.

          -

  • You decide for yourself. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Saint Fnordius ( 456567 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:22AM (#4818725) Homepage Journal
    Is it amazingly cool or amazingly sad that Mssrs. Shatner and Wheaton communicate through Ask Slashdot? I dunno. I'll go with "cool for Slashdot" for now...

  • A bit short (Score:3, Insightful)

    by WPIDalamar ( 122110 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:23AM (#4818735) Homepage
    This is one of the shortest replies we've had for a slashdot interview. Too bad, it could have been real great. I guess the myth might just be better than the man.

    • Answered as asked (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Oculus Habent ( 562837 ) <oculus.habent@gm ... m minus caffeine> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:41AM (#4818986) Journal
      Many of the questions didn't warrant long answers. He could have gone into long personal detail about the favorite parody, but he wasn't asked "why?"...

      Perhaps Mr. Shatner didn't feel like relating his life story for #7, and what more would you have him say to #9?

      The answers were much like answers on any typical television interview, they were to the point.

      The interview would have beet better, perhaps, if it was longer, but that is a Slashdot limitation, probably out of respect for the interviewees. It was a glimpse, just a glimpse, though, at a man.

      I for one enjoyed it.

  • Not that cool... (Score:4, Funny)

    by themaddone ( 180841 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:24AM (#4818755)
    Dear Will,

    We are so cool, we're beyond cool. We are in orbit man.

    You'd think that if Bill was actually down with Wheaton, he'd take care to spell his name right...

  • News Flash: Shatner blows off Slashdot (Score:4, Interesting)

    by dlb ( 17444 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:24AM (#4818759)
    Sounds to me that this is "just another interview" and Bill is being as polite as possible to say "leave me alone".

    At least he isn't as bitter as Alec.

    That quote about regret was nice through...

    ~dlb

  • That last response... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Viewsonic ( 584922 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:24AM (#4818760)
    Was it me, or did anyone else have a mental image of Kirk sitting at his computer in a replica Enterprise captains chair wearing nothing but some undies and mouthing his response in the "Kirk Voice"?

  • Shocking insight! (Score:5, Funny)

    by brutusbuck ( 192303 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:24AM (#4818761)
    I never understood the depths of this man until now. That you Bill (may I call you Bill?), your clever anecdotes and witty banter is refreshing. Great interview.

    P.S. I liked you better when you were Kirk.

    • Re:Shocking insight! (Score:5, Funny)

      by Mothra the III ( 631161 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:52AM (#4819068)
      Next time they need to interview Deforest Kelley. I doubt it would produce much less insight than this.

      • Re:Shocking insight! (Score:5, Funny)

        by Zordak ( 123132 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:47PM (#4819451) Homepage Journal
        I doubt it would produce much less insight than this.
        And potentially more profanity, which would have made the interview much more interesting. I think Deforest Kelley the Irrascible Grumpy Old Man would be much cooler than William Shatner, the washed-out, bitter actor. For Example:

        Shatner: Get a life.

        Kelley: What the hell are you damn computer geeks doing calling me in the middle of the night* again! That show was on like 50 years ago, dammit! Can't you let an old man get some sleep!

        *It is, of course, something like 4:30 in the afternoon

  • Uhmmm...? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by mcrbids ( 148650 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:25AM (#4818763) Journal
    Billy boy did as good as he could with the lame, suck-ass questions that were presented to him.

    Why couldn't we come up with some halfway DECENT questions? ("Seriously... are we cool?")

    Query by committee, I guess, produced borked results like these above.

    • Seriously? #9 (Score:3, Insightful)

      by MacAndrew ( 463832 )
      That's one of the only questions he ANSWERED.

      The open-ended questions could have been better, but this was an invitation for him to be reflective -- not cross-examined. I guess no one did the research to find out that "Bill can't reflect."

  • Was it just me... (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Cap'n Canuck ( 622106 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:25AM (#4818765)
    ...or did he manage sound flippant? He seemed to treat this whole thing as a joke.

    Good show, Bill!

    • Re:Was it just me... (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Xzzy ( 111297 ) <sether@tr u 7 h.org> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:39AM (#4818962) Homepage
      > He seemed to treat this whole thing as a joke.

      he's been like that for years. I don't consider myself a shatner fan and I don't put effort into following him around, but he IS a pretty big name so stories with him in it do pop up quite often.

      I wouldn't say he treats everything as a joke, but rather he's got an odd mix of humility and arrogance that makes everything he says come out like it did in the above interview.

      qualities the world could use more of, people who don't take themselves too seriously but also feel free to be honest about their place and station in life.

  • I read this (Score:3, Funny)

    by starfighter_org ( 530923 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:25AM (#4818771)
    At the bottom in the quotes bit...

    "He's dead, Jim."

  • To WIl (Score:5, Funny)

    by Henry V .009 ( 518000 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:26AM (#4818776) Journal
    I look forward to some personal time with you.

    Is he calling you out or what, man?

  • No offense but these were some boring questions. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by zaqattack911 ( 532040 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:26AM (#4818785) Journal
    Except for the one about his wife, none of those questions seem vaguely interesting to me.

    I don't mean to flame, but could someone PLEASE explain questions number 9 to me?! I don't follow Bill's every move.. so I might not (along with others) understand inside jokes.

    Also, questions asking actors about when they were called bad actors are USELESS. What the hell are they supposed to say to that? Of course Bill is going to give you a bunch of wisecracks... what else could he do?

    And none of you asked ANYTHING about his personal life!?! I didn't see a single personal question there, aside from "what do you think of this", and "what do you think of that".

    Christ.. at least ask when he lost is virginity or something.

    Ok... I've flamed, take it.

    • Re:No offense but these were some boring questions (Score:5, Informative)

      by vidarh ( 309115 ) <vidar@hokstad.com> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:34AM (#4818908) Homepage Journal
      Regarding question 9, "Wil" is Wil Wheaton, who played Wesley Crusher on ST:TNG Does it make more sense to you now? :)

    • Re:No offense but these were some boring questions (Score:4, Informative)

      by Doc Hopper ( 59070 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:16PM (#4819251) Homepage Journal
      Number nine was from Wil Wheaton, of "Stand By Me" and "Next Generation" fame. Wil has established himself as somewhat of a geek icon, largely from the Slashdot community, because he's plunged headfirst into GNU/Linux and running his own web site.

      I think the reason for number nine was because Wil Wheaton sells memorabilia of some of his artwork (I use that term loosely, but some are really cute). One of his pieces is a picture of a name tag that reads like this:

      "Hello, My Name Is
      William Fucking Shatner"

      From what I've read on WWDN (wilwheaton.net), Wil was worried that Bill would be offended by the piece, which is also featured on T-shirts sold by Wil. If I recall correctly, Shatner found it funny.

      My personal favorite is "Wil's Got A Posse!". I just smile, because it makes me realize that he's just a dude like you and me, who's excited that people like him for what he is and what he's doing now, rather than how they knew him as a child actor. I guess I'm part of the posse, I visit the site about once a week to catch up on what's new in Wil's life :)

  • Huge Respect (Score:3, Funny)

    by DaytonCIM ( 100144 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:30AM (#4818841) Homepage Journal
    I still giggle at the thought of Shatner sliding off the hood of the police car in "Showtime."

    So I've slowly come to think that I'm wonderful.

    I merely sought to make an impression.
    Damn wouldn't we all seek to make an impression on Nichelle Nichols... emmmmmmm.

    I look forward to some personal time with you.
    Whoa. A little too much info there. :)

  • How Bill Shatner responds... (Score:5, Funny)

    by Slashdolt ( 166321 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:30AM (#4818846)
    Slashdolt:
    "Mr. Shatner, I was wondering blah, blah, blah, blah (5 paragraphs later). So what are your thoughts?"

    Bill:
    I really don't think about that very much.

  • Brevity taken too far? (Score:5, Informative)

    by ajs ( 35943 ) <{moc.sja} {ta} {sja}> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:30AM (#4818847) Homepage Journal
    That really wasn't much of an interview, and as far as I can tell, it was no fault of the Slashdot crowd. Some of the questions were very interesting and informative, but he engaged only two of them, and only as briefly as he could possibly manage (one with a link and one with a quick pat on the back to Wil).

    Man, my opinion of him has always been mixed, but it went down a couple notches today!

  • typical shatner responses.. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Lumpy ( 12016 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:31AM (#4818862) Homepage
    Contrite and direct. no extra useless fluff thrown in just to rub egos.

    I really wish people would have asked about his writing and if he would like to do television writing again.

  • that was dissapointing (Score:4, Funny)

    by paradesign ( 561561 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:32AM (#4818876) Homepage
    but i guess it is better than just yea/nay answers.

    and not a single mention of the PL supercomputer. I thought we were nerds here people, i want numbers! bandwidth, gHZ, specnumbers... number of leds, cans of spraypaint. teh important stuff!

  • when gods attack (Score:3, Funny)

    by circletimessquare ( 444983 ) <circletimessquare@@@gmail...com> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:32AM (#4818877) Homepage Journal
    You should have at least been mildly amused. It seems to me that you need to get a life.

    Oh my god, Shatner telling Slashdotters to get a life. What do ants do when someone steps on their anthill? What do shaolin monks do when raiden destroys the temple? Doom is all around and i can't get a foothold anywhere. ;-P

  • Oh please you complaining sissies. (Score:3, Interesting)

    by juuri ( 7678 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:33AM (#4818884) Homepage
    Bill treated this as he would any media interview.

    Have you guys actually heard or listened to any of those recently? Actors/Politicians/Jerks are trained to give as short a response as possible. They know the average attention span of the American person is right around 2.32 seconds.

    What you guys think Slashdot deserved some indepth answers to such bland and tedious questions? I mean come the fuck on, the queries weren't even original.

  • A new winner! (Score:5, Funny)

    by rw2 ( 17419 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:34AM (#4818898) Homepage
    Finally we have someone who, upon seeing Marcelo throw down the gauntlet and declare his interview [slashdot.org] to be unbeatably bad, take the baton and run with it.

    Well done Bill. Well done.

  • Shaddup ;) (Score:5, Funny)

    by DarkHelmet ( 120004 ) <mark@@@seventhcycle...net> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:37AM (#4818942) Homepage
    CleverNickName: Are we cool, or what?

    I would have paid good money to hear him go "Shut Up Wesley."

    That would have been sweet.... 2/5 captains... I hope they send questions to Kate Mulgrew next week :)

  • This is just the way Shatner is. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by calm_rising ( 630750 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:38AM (#4818944)
    I saw Bill on Letterman last year... he behaved exactly the same way. Letterman tried to get him to talk about his reputation as a bad actor, and basically he joked about it and didn't seem to care. Personally, I believe that sees this whole thing as the best joke ever. Who cares whether he's a good actor; he has a permanent career as the ex-captain Kirk, a lot of great stories, and a heck of a lot of fun. He can ham it up whenever he wants and get tons of attention from a huge community of fans. I think he knew exactly what he was doing when he recorded "The Transformed Man," when he did the SNL skit, and whatever else. He was very funny on Letterman. He's got a great sense of humor, and love it or hate it, he has a history of answering probing questions by joking around. This is not special behavior reserved for slashdot. He's just having a great time, and the whining, criticism and complaining from his "fans" are all part of the joke.

    • Re:This is just the way Shatner is. (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Thagg ( 9904 ) <thadbeier@gmail.com> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:52PM (#4819487) Journal
      We worked on the movie Showtime, and I think it was among the better of Shatner's performances. He was playing himself, trying to show Robert Deniro and Eddie Murphy how to be TV cops, like he was in TJ Hooker. He's just halarious, showing how to dive onto the hood of a car, stuff like that. When he tells Rene Russo that DeNiro is "the worst actor he's ever seen", well, it was the high point in the movie.

      thad

  • Move over Shatner, bring on Nimoy (Score:5, Interesting)

    by tigre ( 178245 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:38AM (#4818953)
    Come on, we couldn't expect too much geek-wise from Shatner. He's a little too cool. Now science officer Spock, and host of "In Search Of", now HE would make a great, and quite erudite, interviewee.

    Or maybe Wil could suggest some other good interviewees from amongst the Trek casts.
    - Brent Spiner?
    - James Doohan? Get him before he's gone. I bet he'd have tons to say about fun stuff like inventing the first Klingon words.

  • The best 'DAMNIT JIM!' (Score:5, Funny)

    by ctimes2 ( 38940 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:39AM (#4818959) Homepage
    "I'm a doctor, not a gynecologist... ah, well, maybe just this once..."
    -- parody by Kevin Pollak (I think)

  • Which was funnier? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Wateshay ( 122749 ) <bill.nagel@g[ ]l.com ['mai' in gap]> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:51AM (#4819063) Homepage Journal
    I'm not sure which I find funnier. Shatner's hillariously dry wit when answering these questions, or the fact that 90% of /. seems to be completely missing the point and taking great offense at them.

    • Re:Which was funnier? (Score:4, Insightful)

      by nuggz ( 69912 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:21PM (#4819293) Homepage
      Stupid people.

      Stupid people are funny, and funnier when they try to prove they aren't stupid.

      Actually I was watching MIB 2, and they remarked how in MIB, Tommy Lee Jones didn't know he was funny throughout the taping of the movie. I for one found him to be the funnier half of the team.

  • Doesn't Surprise Me (Score:3, Informative)

    by chrisleonard ( 523594 ) <[slashdotter] [at] [databaseguy.com]> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:51AM (#4819064) Homepage Journal
    There is a little town in Iowa called Riverside which bills itself as "the future birthplace of James T. Kirk." Every year, they have a geeky trekkie party thing - you know, the kind of thing where lots of middle-aged, overweight guys dress themselves up in tin-foil outfits supposed to make them look like Enterprise crew members. Or worse yet, they dress like tribbles. But I digress.

    At least once, they tried to get JTK himself to come and grace their little party. I don't know if they offered to pay him or not, so I'm not saying he should have gone, but his response was basically something like "there's no way in @#^$% that I'm going to Riverside, Iowa." Whether or not he was going to accept the invitation, you'd think the guy could extend basic courtesy.

    So, it doesn't surprise me that Kirk seems a little curt. I just think he really might not care much about things trekkie, and he might not care much what other people think about him.

    Just my 0.02.

  • Quote of the day (Score:5, Funny)

    by digitac ( 24581 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:53AM (#4819078) Homepage
    Ok, who's the wiseass who put "He's dead, Jim." for the quote at the bottom of Slashdot?

    Coincidence? I think not.

  • Is it any wonder? (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Thedalek ( 473015 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @11:54AM (#4819084)
    Honestly, I'm not surprised -at all- that he was as terse as he was. If anything, I'm surprised he was as polite as he was. Consider how many people posted asking him why he killed his wife, how he got away with killing his wife, if he and his wife ever did any sexual roleplaying with Trek characters...

    Quite honestly, I think he probably read about the first dozen or so questions and then got to the point where he just got fed up with us asking stupid, insensitive, and downright hurtful questions. I'm amazed that some of you had the gall to call him a murderer, a pervert, and an egomaniac all in the same breath.

  • I can see Wil now.... (Score:4, Funny)

    by mbourgon ( 186257 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:03PM (#4819148) Homepage
    "He likes me! He really likes me!"

  • Thoughts (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Badgerman ( 19207 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:09PM (#4819195)
    Seeing the "Biography" of Shatner. It's really quite informative - and it helps put the interview in context. There is a lot to the man, he's a true original.

    Two quotes stand out:

    These are excellent words to live by:

    Regret is the worst of human emotions. There is no going back with regret. There is no future with regret. Regret is not something I live with. If there is something I wished I hadn't done, I don't do it anymore or I forgive myself and try better.

    My life is my statement and I try to be true to myself and thusly to other people. Whatever my failings are, they are human and I try to perfect it each day.

    And this statement, of course, should make sense to most straight men:
    I think the whole interracial kiss thing has been overrated. Nichelle Nichols was a beautiful woman and her lips were full. I merely sought to make an impression.

    Keep going, Bill ;)

  • Wil Wheaton's cooler (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ianscot ( 591483 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:15PM (#4819239)
    You know, I just hunted back and read the old Wil Wheaton /. interview [slashdot.org], and he answered the questions, you know? With some funny anecdotes and a measure of thought?

    Not that I scheduled my week around this, but Shatner's interview could have been worth the two minutes it took us to read it.

  • Here Goes My Karma... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Razzious ( 313108 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @12:44PM (#4819433)
    I think William showed just how lame some people are. He answered the stupid questions with a precise answer. When you realize that the lame questions asked were the results of the LAME MODS that modded UP the questions, you have to wonder HOW THE HELL did WE the Slashdot Community, ask Mr. Shatner, what it was like doing an "Interracial Kiss". Come on people. I would have sent back the answers BLANK and said "come up with something legit and we can talk."

    He probably thought the interview was some form of comedy relief here for /.

    I think its funny that /. found an interview that was not so stuck on themselves and their accomplishments that they felt the need to KATZ every answer into some long drawn out BS line of how big something was. Can you imagine the Kiss answer if KATZ had done it? "Well when I first pondered the life-changing moment of the first interracial kiss, I felt nothing but then it begged to be asked was the real world ready for such mindbending things? I wasn't sure but felt confident that the world needed to grow up read THIS BOOK(insert some amazon book) and you will see just how behind and backwards you all are and how much you needed that interracial kiss.

    Had all the questions been like the one asking about his late wife, we would all be saying man that was great. Instead we are shrugging wondering more about the man than we did before. Get out of your box or cubical and look around before you mod foolish questions in the future.

  • What did you expect? (Score:4, Insightful)

    by sirgoran ( 221190 ) on Thursday December 05, 2002 @02:13PM (#4820233) Homepage Journal
    When you stop and think, for a man that lives under a microscope and has most everything he does, says, where he goes, etc. printed and reported about him, I'm impressed that he was willing to answer the questions in the first place.
    What did you expect he to say?
    I'd be willing to bet that if he gave longer answers, folks would be complaining that he was gloating, bragging, or just being a windbag.

    What I got from the answers is that he likes to keep things short and to the point. Personally I like that, but that's just me.

    Take a moment to just be glad that he took the time to answer at all.

    Just my two cents. Now excuse me while I go and "Get myself a life."
    (Now where did I put that remote...)

  • That was beautiful (Score:5, Insightful)

    by pmancini ( 20121 ) <pmancini@y[ ]o.com ['aho' in gap]> on Thursday December 05, 2002 @02:50PM (#4820581) Homepage
    "Regret is the worst of human emotions. There is no going back with regret. There is no future with regret. Regret is not something I live with. If there is something I wished I hadn't done, I don't do it anymore or I forgive myself and try better.

    "My life is my statement and I try to be true to myself and thusly to other people. Whatever my failings are, they are human and I try to perfect it each day."

    Wow, my respect for Mr. Shatner just tripled. So well said. Such great words to live by. I thought overall his responses were a bit short (but the questions were pretty awful to begin with), however there was a great sense of humor and insight that I wasn't expecting. My hat is off for him. --P

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