Need a laugh? How about a laugh that pokes a little fun at J. J. Abrams’s Star Trek reboot?
The folks at HowItShouldHaveEnded.com have posted a youtube video depicting an alternate ending for Star Trek. Embedding seems to be disabled, otherwise we’d post it here, but the best we can do is to provide this link so you can watch the video on YouTube.com.
Now, we’re off to go check out their alternate ending for Star Wars IV A New Hope.
Here are the results of last week’s poll, “Who is your favorite Star Trek captain?” With a total of 6 votes cast, James Kirk is the hands-down winner, receiving 50% (3 votes). Jean Luc Piccard, Kathryn Janeway, and Jonathan Archer split a three-way tie for second place, receiving 17% (1 vote) each. Benjamin Sisko did abysmally, not getting a single vote.
It’s no secret how I feel about J. J. Abrams’s 2009 Star Trek reboot, but this week I’d like to hear how you feel about it. After voting, please feel free to post a comment on this post explaining why you voted the way you did.
As usual, the poll will be visible in the sidebar at the right for the next week. Vote early and tell us how you really feel.
Technorati Tags: science+fiction, star+trek, j+j+abrams, reboot, movie, poll
While reading up on Leonard Nimoy’s career highlights for his celebrity birthday post yesterday I read that he appeared on Saturday Night Live‘s “Weekend Update” skit and commented that any long-time Trek fans who didn’t like the new movie were “dickheads”.
Today I did just a little bit of searching and found this video on NBC’s website showing the skit in question.
*DISCLAIMER* I have had absolutely zero problems with this computer since I got it in November, but after watching this video and reading the comments associated with it, suddenly my computer was infected with a virus that took me 4 hours to contain. I cannot say for sure that this website is where I picked up said virus, but during that session I had only been to 3 websites: Google.com, huffingtonpost.com, and the URL given above. If you have problems after visiting that link, it is in no way my responsibility. You have been warned.
I realize that the comment in question was made almost two years ago, but, since I choose not to watch Saturday Night Live, I only learned about it a couple of days ago. Delayed as it may be, I am writing this letter to Leonard Nimoy in response to that comment.
Leonard Nimoy, circa 1952
His landed his first major role at 17, as Ralphie in an amateur production of Clifford Odets’ Awake and Sing!. His career in film and television began in 1951, but after receiving the title role in the 1952 film Kid Monk Baroni most of his early career was spent playing small parts in B movies and television shows such as Dragnet and serials such as Republic Pictures’ Zombies of the Stratosphere in 1952.
Nimoy appeared as “Sonarman” in two episodes of the 1957–1958 syndicated military drama, The Silent Service, based on actual events of the submarine section of the United States Navy. He had guest roles in the Sea Hunt series from 1958 to 1960 and had a minor role in The Twilight Zone episode “A Quality of Mercy” in 1961. He also appeared in Highway Patrol. Throughout the 1960s Nimoy appeared in a number of other TV series including Bonanza, Two Faces West, The Untouchables, The Eleventh Hour, Combat!, Perry Mason, The Outer Limits, The Virginian and Get Smart. He appeared again in the 1995 Outer Limits, again in the episode “I, Robot”.
Nimoy and William Shatner first worked together in an episode of The Man from U.N.C.L.E. titled “The Project Strigas Affair”. Their characters were from either side of the Iron Curtain, though with his saturnine looks, Nimoy was predictably the villain, with Shatner playing a reluctant U.N.C.L.E. recruit.
Nimoy first worked with DeForest Kelley in an episode of The Virginian from season two titled “Man of Violence”, with Kelley as the doctor and Nimoy as the patient.
Nimoy was cast as the Vulcan science officer, Mr. Spock, for Star Trek‘s first pilot, “The Cage”. One of the things that NBC’s executives had to say about the show was, “get rid of the guy with the ears.” When NBC asked for a second pilot, Nimoy’s character was the only one not replaced.
The Vulcan salute, which is instantly associated with Star Trek by fans and non-fans alike, was created by Nimoy based on how Jewish priests held their hands when giving blessings. Nimoy also invented the Vuclan neck pinch because he felt that Spock should be able to incapacitate a foe without violently bashing them in the back of the head.
He continued to play Spock for Star Trek‘s original three seasons and, after the show was canceled, he reprised his role as Spock for The Animated Series, six feature-length films, and several video games.
After the cancellation of the original Star Trek series, Mr Nimoy co-starred with Yul Brynner and Richard Crenna in the Western movie Catlow. He also appeared in various made for television films such as Assault on the Wayne, Baffled, The Alpha Caper, The Missing Are Deadly, Seizure: The Story Of Kathy Morris, and Marco Polo. He also had roles in Night Gallery and Columbo (1973) where he played a murderous doctor who was one of the few criminals with whom Columbo became angry.
In 2003 Nimoy announced his retirement from acting so that he might concentrate on photography. Since that announcement, he has appeared in several priceline.com commercials with William Shatner and a commercial for Aleve which aired during the 2006 Super Bowl. In January of 2009 he was interviewed by William Shatner on the Biography Channel’s Shatner’s Raw Nerve.
In April, 2010, Nimoy again announced his retirement citing his age and the desire to let Zachary Quinto enjoy full media attention with the Spock character.
Leonard Nimoy’s photography can be purchased online at www.leonardnimoyphotography.com, but be warned, these photos are not necessarily what you think of when the name “Spock” comes up.
Technorati Tags: celebrity+birthdays, leonard+nimoy, spock,
Remember in the first Star Wars movie, Princess Leah had that hairstyle that involved braids wrapped into little circles that hung right over her ears? I was going to post a picture here with a caption talking about her stylish looking portable home audio speakers, but then it dawned on me that Mel Brooks already beat me to that one in Spaceballs.
Oh well. May the Schwartz be with you.