The other day, I went on a grand quest for fabric and materials for the Vulcan robes, necklace and headdress that I was going to create for Comic Con. Unfortunately, after hours of searching I found that the materials I would have needed came to more that 600 dollars. I walked home, defeated, drinking orange juice and singing Roses in the Hospital.
But then I decided to stop in at the mall to cool off. I walked in, and saw that the Hallmark shop had the new Star Trek ornaments in - my day got ten times better with that sight. Walking through the mall to get to the bus loop, I also decided to look inside HMV. My day then got 100 times better.
This talking Dalek plush is one of the most adorable things I have ever seen. Not only does it look adorable, but it sounds adorable as well. When pressed upon, it says one of two things: "Exterminate! Exterminate!" or "You would make a good Dalek". There are only three sense globes in each row around the lower casing, but it makes up for this inaccuracy with it's clear sounding phrases and charm.
The next day, I brought the Dalek with me everywhere - to work, across the street for a Monster, and around the city in general. I also took pictures while we were out (see above) and made a video about it, with which I will conclude this post:
At the beginning of March, as some of you may recall, I had a chance to meet Michael Dorn at the Comic and Toy Expo - I took a lot of video and a few pictures, but I never quite got to uploading them as I promised. This changes today.
I actually saw him on the Saturday, but I was to shy to go up and speak with him. He was sitting at the desk, but there was nobody there - people seemed to be ignoring him. I tried to get up the courage to say hello, but to no avail. I did, however, manage a greeting as I passed him in the hall later that day - to which he responded and practically melted my brain with his charm.
I did go over to talk to him the next day, and had him sign a DS9 publicity photo. We spoke for a while, and then I gallivanted off to search through the comics.
And then came the Q&A session. He is hilarious - a very funny guy. He answered a lot of questions, including a couple of mine, and spoke about how he got the role, the shenanigans going on when the camera wasn't rolling, and how the DS9 cast was much more serious than the TNG cast. I would highly recommend watching the video I took, even if the picture quality gets pretty bad for a couple of minutes. For those who do not wish to watch the videos, I wrote out some quotes as well.
"They called (About TNG casting), and they said 'Aw, too late - we've already had everybody cast, and if anything happens in the future we'll let you know'. And to me, that's a big brush off, so you kind of go 'Okay, thanks, goodbye, later.' And then two weeks later, I get a call - and my manager says 'Hey Michael, they want to see you for the role of a Klingon' - and I knew, I mean I was a fan of the original so I knew what they wanted. So that's - that's how it happened.
"I was in an acting class at the time, and this wonderful teacher taught me how to - you know, you walk in the building - you walk in the set - you walk, wherever you're gonna go to audition as the character.
And so I walked in, very stern, and not very talking to people, and people are like 'Hey Michael, how you doing?' (Michael glares sternly) And I went up to the secretary and I said (in what we now know as Worf's voice) 'Excuse me. Is there a place where I can be by myself.' And she goes 'uh... yeah, over there' ... 'Thank you.' And I walked in there and I sat by myself, and then I went into the audition, and I knew - you know, I've seen Gene Roddenberry, and Bob Justman, and all these people - and they're sitting there. And I wanna go 'Hey, Gene! Hi!' you know, but - I was very stern, I didn't crack a smile and just did it, and left. And said, 'thank you very much.' and left. And that's how it happened. And I guess they probably just went, '... he's nuts.' you know? 'We like him.'"
"I think the Worf and Dax thing was a great story line."
"I still think she (Nicole) should have ended up with Worf. At the very end, when he's leaving, she goes... looks at Julian, and says 'I'm sorry, Julian, I can't do this. I belong with Worf.' and goes off with him - but that didn't happen."
I got to ask a couple questions of my own - I asked, first of all, if he related at all to Worf:
"I'm kind of the same - I'm a little gruff and surly at times - you know, I didn't think I was, but I am."
"I actually learned a lot, or admired a lot, about Worf - because he was really a strong character and all that, but he was also learning, and trying to understand , you know, Klingons, and aliens, and things like that and he was struggling with it, but he was, he was learning."
"Worf wasn't exactly the brightest bulb in the world - I mean, it wasn't he was stupid, but he was just sort of like - he didn't understand... people. In general. 'You want me to do that? Really?' You know? And I'm kind of like that too."
And then I asked him if he like swimming, or if it was too much like bathing: "Too much like bathing. No, actually, I like to bathe... (starts laughing) I'm sorry..."
"My favorite piece of technology, which was on Deep Space Nine, was... the Defiant. Yeah, you know - that's a very cool ride."
"There's a youtube video that somebody put together of Worf getting shit down every time he says something, you know? Which is pretty funny. 'Well Captain I think we should -' 'No, Mister Worf, Shut up!'... It's a very funny video..."
"Whenever Patrick and Jonathan would be standing at the screen, and I'm back there and I have to be very serious, and they'd turn and walk back to their seats - they were always making faces at me." "And you'll see in a couple episodes, I'm like this - (looks down, pretending to concentrate on the console,, pressing buttons)"
"One time he (Patrick Stewart) actually ran, jumped on his chair and jumped over the horseshoe to get at me - I don't know why... but he jumped up and I caught him - and I'm holding him like this (arms stretched out in front of him) and he looks at me and he went 'Aaaw, I love you Mister Worf.'"
A local news crew also asked him to, for the camera, repeat the line from First Contact - "If you were any other man, I would kill you where you stand". He did - but Michael, that's not how you said it in the movie! I'll forgive you, though - it's been a little while.
This is somewhat in response to a post on the Star Trek Sci Fi blog HERE, where "Spacerguy" introduced to me the "Vulcan Anthem":
The lyrics are shown on the video. I did not quite understand at first why they mention "Koon-ut Ka-li-fee" (marriage act of challenge) within the anthem, but I suppose it is a tradition passed down from the times before Surak and is therefore an important part of Vulcan culture as a whole. The anthem would have been created only for Vulcan, without any thought having been given to out-worlders.
(I still have the sneaking suspicion that they included "Koon-ut Ka-li-fee" because that was one of the only Vulcan phrases they knew, but suspicion is not logical.)
I also feel that Mount Seleya would be more appropriate to mention than Vulcana Regar, as it has been one of the most important religious temples on Vulcan since the time of Surak.
On a more positive note, this is an absolutely beautiful song. The melody, I feel, captures the peaceful, haunting power of Vulcan. I am obsessed with it, listening to it on repeat. The one thing I would have like to have seen/heard is the lyrics sung in Vulcan. In fact, I have just taken this upon myself:
My Version: (With small alterations)
Dif-tor heh smusma (Live long and prosper)
Ashaya - sochya eh katra (Love, peace and soul)
Heya Seleya (Mount Seleya)
Maut Vaksurik (Very Beautiful)
Dif-tor heh smusma (Live Long and Prosper)
koon-ut Ka-li-fee (Marriage act of challenge)
Ozhika na'smusma'es na'mnu (Logic for prosperity for mastery)
x3
Ovsot mnu (Total mastery)
It was quite a dilemma, deciding whether or not to change the "Koon-ut ka-li-fee". For whatever reason, I decided to keep it in. I cannot explain.
One of my favorite parts of Comic Con was seeing William Shatner again. I got in line right away, so I could get as close to the front as I could - fortunately, there was an empty seat in the first row. We had to sit the room for an hour before the show, so I conversed with some of the people I was sitting with. We talked about Star Trek and Doctor Who, and watched Night Court (with Brent Spiner as Bob Wheeler) on somebody's iPhone.
Finally, he came down the stairs and made his way to the stage:
This time he was wearing jeans and a leather jacket, as opposed to the suit he wore for "How Time Flies". He looked amazing, and hearing him answer questions was great. Fortunately, we were allowed to take video (which I did!). Unfortunately, the sound was terrible. So here are some quotes from the session:
"And if you can move one molecule, you can move... two. And you still have nothing..." (When talking about the transporter and how scientists are working on teleportation technology)
"I am involved in trying to invent shows... Um, one - I'll tell you about because I'm in the process of doing it right now. It will open with a monologue by someone, maybe me, like the Twilight Zone - where the guy says 'I think people are basically bad. They scheme, they plot... they conspire all the time. And here are some of the conspiracies.' And the hour will be a conspiracy that may or may not exist. Was there a JFK conspiracy? But this is from the point of view of the conspirator.
All I know is, that you hear about... as you get older your brain's more foggy (?), and sticky, and - and you lose... it doesn't have to happen. I'm here to tell you, it doesn't have to happen if you just allow yourself to be creative in your own way.
I struggled for twenty years trying to come up with a couple thousand dollars in the bank, brought up three kids, it was tough. I got ahead, the last several years, I have a little money. And I got a little prestige.
But I'm doing it! It's the one percent! I've never been one of the one percent! I'm telling you, if you can ever get a limo to drive you to a private airport to get get on a private plane and go someplace... do it!
You know, I've grown as an actor, I'm growing all the time - I'm finally finding out how to do it... you know, it's such a shame.
He also speaks about how people get addicted, his site "MyOuterSpace", "Weird or What?" and horse competition he was in the day before. He also tells us that around the time when one of his children was born, he was watching the television and a March of Dimes commercial came on. He watched as the "tiny tim" polio poster child made his way across the screen, and this affected him greatly - he was lucky, his child was healthy. But sickness can happen so suddenly. He is now a spokesperson for March of Dimes.
One person said to Shatner - they heard that he does math problems in his head before a show. He got a big laugh out of that one, and told us that the only math problem he does is "I'm one... where's my other one?".
And remember the show "How William Shatner Changed the World"? He tells us about how Paramount would not let him use "How Star Trek Changed the World" or even "How Captain Kirk Changed the World".
Now, for the video! I will leave you with part one, and the links to the continuing videos. I hope you enjoy - and I do apologize for the sound quality. (Also you can hear me giggling throughout the entire thing.)
Part Two (on the brain, his horses, how his life has changed, and March of Dimes) Part Three (where he talks about "stupid Paramount") Part Four (on Weird or What, acting on stage, and doing math problems in his head) Part Five (where he explains his "singing" and his spiritual views) Part Six (where he talks about careers and such)
A couple of days ago I had the privilege of seeing William Shatner's show, "How Time Flies", from the ninth row. As soon as he walked out onto the stage, I swear my heart stopped. I could feel it. The show lasted about three hours, and was absolutely amazing.
Before the show, I stopped of at the merchandise table to get a T-shirt. I did not expect for there to be a triple vinyl version of Seeking Major Tom, and a limited edition poster (which I quickly bought!). There were also copies of his book, "Shatner Rules", and his CD - but I had already gotten those days before.
Waiting non-patiently for the show to resume
A lot of what he told us is also explained in his book. I sat there, watching him speak with my SLR camera and a piece of random receipt paper - upon which I was writing notes. I took pictures, when I could, and wrote down my favorite parts.
He spoke about a six year old boy who showed up outside while he was living on the road in a truck. "One morning, a six-year-old boy knocks on the door, and says, 'Are you Captain Kirk?' I said, 'Yes.' He said, 'Can I see your space ship?' I said, 'Sure come in." He brought the boy inside, and showed him the shower, "where I beam up" and the stove, where the controls were. He says that somewhere, there is a middle aged guy who believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that he was on the Enterprise with Captain Kirk.
Looking sharp in a pinstripe suit
After taking off his jacket to show us how to fold it properly
He also spoke a lot about horses, a special passion of his. He spoke about Great Dane, his black stallion, and how he lived and died. He had agreed to breed him, but was saddened by it when he found that he had been "incarcerated". Great Dane later got founder, and had to be put down. He later spoke of Great Dane's son, "Call Me Ringo".
He recalled riding a three year old horse as an amateur rider, and having it rear. He accidentally leaned back and brought the horse back with him, and quickly thought of the stories where people had been crushed by their horses. Luckily, the horse went to the side at the last minute, and only landed on his leg.
Heavenly suspenders
Showing off is what the Shat does best
He broke his leg, and an ambulance was called. "Every Rescue 911 I did, they tied the gurney down!" In the hospital, to check if he had inner bleeding, he had to pee in a bottle. "Captain Kirk is peeing in a bottle." A nurse comes and opens the curtains, looks at him, and says (gasp) "I'm your biggest fan!".
And here's a few more interesting little bits of information:
The tour bus was rented from a company called Star Fleet.
William Shatner sold his Kidney Stone for $100,000.00 to donate to Habitat for Humanity
He states that he got his stereotyped acting style on Broadway when he had to start speaking gibberish and yelling to stop people from leaving the audience when his fellow actor kept freezing up in an attempt to get fired.
At an important show with agents and everything, he replaced a piece of paper that is fellow actor was to rip in half powerfully and angrily with a piece of parchment paper. Parchment paper doesn't rip.
He was an assistant manager twice, hired because he had a degree (which he just barely got). He was promptly fired both times, and has never had a job other than acting since then.
According to William Shatner, the four sweetest words in the English language are "Say goodbye to Grandpa"
Koko the Gorilla grabbed him by the balls.
Signing to Koko... "I love you"
And then Koko reached down and grabbed him by the balls.
At one point he quotes a philosopher by saying "nothing is everything"... and follows up by yelling "what the fuck does he mean by that!?" He also uses the word onomatopoeia.
I could go on, but you would be reading for hours, and I would be typing for days. I would highly recommend purchasing the book "Shatner Rules" for more.
As an epic conclusion to the show, William Shatner asked us (rhetorically, I would imagine) what Canadians loved most. After people from the crowd shouted "Beer!" he corrected us - we all love hockey. With this, he sang his rendition of "The Good Ol'Hockey Game" by Stompin' Tom Connors, which I recorded on a terrible camera like I was drunk. See the video and all of it's terrible quality below. And remember - "We don't know anything. We know nothing. We see glimmers."
We all know Spock - that green tinted, matte skinned pointy eared Vulcan. What many don't know is that it took plenty of trial and error to get Leonard Nimoy to look that way, and even when a professional knew what he was doing it took an hour and a half to apply the prosthetics and makeup.
I scanned these from the Files Magazine Spotlight on Spock (and they scanned it from something else in 1967) - a series of photographs showing the hour-and-a-half long procedure.
According to good Mr. Nimoy, the ears were very painful wear and to take off because of the glue. I recently read a cute story in "The World of Star Trek" by David Gerrold about his Girl Friday, Teresa Victor.
After working for Leonard for a while, she wanted to do something special to show her appreciation. She decided that on the last day of her trial period she would wear Vulcan ears. Now, it was difficult enough for Leonard to get the right ears - for Teresa it was almost impossible.
One of the casting directors eventually got a pair for her, but they were molded to Leonard's ears and she had to use a strong adhesive. She spent an hour putting them on and wore them all morning, trying to cover her ears with her hair so nobody would notice (although the tips kept poking out). They were immenslely painful, but finally at the end of the day she met with Leonard and pulled back her hair to show him the ears. "I am dying from the pain!" He cracked up laughing, but realized how important is was to her that she show him how she felt.
More problems arose when she had to go to a party that night and she couldn't get the ears off - and none of them knew who Mr. Spock was.
Here's another interesting fact: Spock's skin was originally going to be red, but Leonard pointed out that most people still had black and white TVs, and on those sets Spock would look pitch black. (It would also make him look even more "demonic".)
I will leave you with this wonderful clip of the great Leonard Nimoy speaking on that exact subject:
