William Shatner Replies 750
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.
French approximation :-) (Score:4, Funny)
He actually misspelled "Au contraire".
But I appreciate he suggest some slashdotter to "get a life"
In Soviet Russia... (Score:2, Funny)
His singing career? (Score:3, Funny)
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
You decide for yourself. (Score:5, Funny)
Ah... (Score:2, Funny)
Seemed a little short and rude to me, but what do I know. Still, I appreciate the answers and the person behind them. Maybe he just had to pee really badly or something.
You're right, but... (Score:5, Funny)
That's it in a nutshell.
Stop, Bill! I can't read that fast (Score:2, Funny)
Re:hehe (Score:2, Funny)
No, wait...That's just his career!
Not that cool... (Score:4, Funny)
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...
Re:You decide for yourself. (Score:3, Funny)
That last response... (Score:5, Funny)
Shocking insight! (Score:5, Funny)
P.S. I liked you better when you were Kirk.
I read this (Score:3, Funny)
"He's dead, Jim."
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:3, Funny)
To WIl (Score:5, Funny)
Is he calling you out or what, man?
Wow. (Score:1, Funny)
Maybe it's a zen thing.
Re:Theatrical Pauses (Score:4, Funny)
You may remember him as the kid on star trek who got abducted by the time-travelling child molestor.
Wesley/James stories (Score:1, Funny)
[snip]
I look forward to some personal time with you.
Jeez, those Wesley/Dianna...uh..."stories"...had it ALL wrong
Re:Short Replies (Score:1, Funny)
Huge Respect (Score:3, Funny)
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)
"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.
Re:Short Replies (Score:5, Funny)
The replies were much longer that way.
Cool interview. Good to see "Clever" chime in too.
God forbid! (Score:4, Funny)
That would be a sad mistake to make, when in reality we're a group of a hundred thousand pimply faced nerds not very far removed from Trekkies.
Re:guess bill doesnt like to type. (Score:2, Funny)
He's had a talking computer for 35 years and his typing skills may have suffered.
Computer! control-A meta-cokebottle!
Computer! fill-paragraph!
Computer! dabbrev-expand SPANG!
that was dissapointing (Score:4, Funny)
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)
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.
Re:In Soviet Russia... (Score:1, Funny)
The joke is that everything is backwards IN SOVIET RUSSIA.
So, if slashdot says "noun 1 verbs noun 2", the appropriate response is "IN SOVIET RUSSIA (note the caps, very important), noun 2 verbs noun 1!".
mmmmk?
IN SOVIET RUSSIA, joke explains SweetAndSourJesus!
A new winner! (Score:5, Funny)
Well done Bill. Well done.
Imagine Kirk delivering the answers! (Score:1, Funny)
Hey, now I get it!
Thanks. That actually works!
Mod the parent up!
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:4, Funny)
Shaddup ;) (Score:5, Funny)
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 :)
Re:Wow -- (Score:2, Funny)
Thanks.
Star Trek made me the person I am today...of course several people think I should hunt all people down responsible and kill them slowly because of that, but i'm of the opinion that things could have been much, much worse.
The best 'DAMNIT JIM!' (Score:5, Funny)
-- parody by Kevin Pollak (I think)
Re:How Bill Shatner responds... (Score:4, Funny)
Interviewer:
"Keanu, I was wondering yakkity yak yak blah blah; could you tell us more about that?
(1 minute, 39 seconds later)
Keanu:
"Not really"
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:5, Funny)
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Porn Trek? (Score:2, Funny)
"So, Wesley, do you like gladiator movies?"
Re:Short Replies (Score:5, Funny)
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:two 'L's? (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Shocking insight! (Score:5, Funny)
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:3, Funny)
In the spirit of Statistical fairness... (Score:5, Funny)
Quote of the day (Score:5, Funny)
Coincidence? I think not.
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:4, Funny)
There are only two questions that I see could use with longer answers, but the problem is, is that Shatner doesn't really care about the MPAA, and if he picked appart Galaxy Quest, it would have made him sound bitter about the spoofing of him.
Although, I must admit, I wouldn't mind hearing more about those lips...
Re:Ah... (Score:4, Funny)
Anyone who tries to analyze the deeper philosophical and/or psychological implications of a Saturday Night Live sketch does need to be told to get a life.
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:4, Funny)
This is Slashdot afterall. It's usually very hard for someone to go to all the trouble of making a post and not have a single mispeling. Cut the guy some slack.
Her Lips Were Full!? (Score:2, Funny)
Take note
War Tux!!!
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:5, Funny)
I can see Wil now.... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:5, Funny)
Well, longer anyway.
The best Shatner impersonation... (Score:3, Funny)
'A fiddler on the bla bla bla...'
-shatner trembles-
'KAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!'
Anyway I rather liked it
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:5, Funny)
weird (Score:2, Funny)
"He's dead, Jim."
Kinda cool, I thought.
Re:That last response... (Score:5, Funny)
+1 Disturbing
--paul
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:5, Funny)
No no no, he was referring to the way they portrayed Spock in Galaxy Quest. They got his head all wrong.
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:4, Funny)
Let's face it folks, the man is none too bright. Either that or he well and truly just doesn't care at all. Look at those answers. They're all done on autopilot. The closest thing to attention was his answer about regret and for a well-known actor, even that is just a prepared speech.
But at the end of day, does it really matter? Not to me. As long as I've got his face yelling "Khan!!!!!!!! I don't care if he can't even spell his *own* name.
Rustin
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:2, Funny)
well, i'll just go grab me a nice hot cup of STFU while I sit and ponder that for a while (and hit the refresh a few hundred times waiting for the next revelation of course).
Re:You decide for yourself. (Score:5, Funny)
They've been installed and working for years, but there's a huge waiting list to get a phone number. Ever since Hollywood started using the 555 area code, they've had a shortage of numbers.
Re:To WIl (Score:4, Funny)
Think about that, Wil. You interested in a (grand)father figure?
Now I know what "warp drive" really means.
P.S. Don't tell the wife. She might not understand.
Wrong Sci-Fi Captain? (Score:3, Funny)
Uh... were these questions accidentally submitted to Zaphod Beeblebrox instead?
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Shocking insight! (Score:5, Funny)
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
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:3, Funny)
That was outstandingly funny. Thanks.
Re:News Flash: Shatner blows off Slashdot (Score:4, Funny)
Or as dead.
regret quote (Score:3, Funny)
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.
So anyone know which Star Trek episode this quote is from?
Naw... he should've said this... (Score:1, Funny)
Shatner: Yeah Wil, we both are really cool... bu,...your character...you played...on Star Trek.......was a real dork!.
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:5, Funny)
You're thinking of France french, not Canadian french, which is an entirely different kettle of poutine. We make derisive comments about the strength of your beer (or lack thereof), then don't show up for the fight.
Re:You decide for yourself. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:To WIl (Score:4, Funny)
Re:These are awefully short answers... (Score:4, Funny)
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:5, Funny)
I surrender!
and
Deodorant? I don't need any deodorant!
and
Your mother was a hamster and your father smelled of eldeberries!
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:4, Funny)
Re:In Soviet Russia... (Score:3, Funny)
It's spelled "masturbate". Next time, use both hands while typing.
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:5, Funny)
I'm crying for you - honestly!
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Thoughts (Score:3, Funny)
Tintinitus? What is that? The sensation of little french dogs yipping in your ear all the time?
Yes! Please explain "The Balld of Bilbo Baggins" (Score:3, Funny)
Re:Shaddup ;) (Score:1, Funny)
Wesley: Wouldn't the end of Voyager have been better if the Traveller and I came to rescue it?
Janeway: Shut up Wesley.
---
Wesley: That new Dax chick is pretty young looking. Think I could steal her away from the doctor?
Sisko: Shut up Wesley.
---
Wesley: Warp 5? I can get that engine going at transwarp.
Archer: Who are you?
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:1, Funny)
Re:French approximation :-) (Score:3, Funny)
Rustin
Area Code?! (Score:3, Funny)
All this time, I've been thinking it was the exchange.
No wonder none of my calls ever get through.
Oh well, at least every car I hop into has keys already in it, and I never need change from a cabbie.
I vote for cool. (Score:3, Funny)
Thank you, Slashdot.
No, thank you! I...thank you!
Re:I vote for cool. (Score:3, Funny)
Well, quasi-geek. I'm sorry, Wil, but anybody whose photo has been in Teen Beat has a limit to how purely geek they can be.
Rustin
Teen Beed (Score:5, Funny)
Hey, I was young and I needed the money.