Showbits

As my friend Andy put it: that which is seen cannot be unseen.

William Shatner, who launched his musical career in 1968, has not let his lack of talent deter him from staying the couse. "Bohemian Rhapsody" is part of a twenty-track album that Shatner released last week:

Captain Kirk lives! With an eclectic set of songs about space, William Shatner continues his hilarious, touching, inspired, and insane approach to music. Since he isn’t really a singer, he surrounds himself with folks like Brad Paisley, Sheryl Crow, and Lyle Lovett to help with the heavy lifting.

Seeking Major Tom is currently available for $11.99 from Apple iTunes, $7.99 from Amazon, or $13.99 as a physical CD. Though before making an investment, you may want to consider how far Shatner's musical abilities haven't come:

(Hat tip to Roddenberry.com)

Star Wars has inspired some fantastic fan films, from Chad Vader to Ryan vs. Dorkman. As artistic and engaging as these creations are, they are usually limited in their budget and scope; few are more than a few minutes in length. Meanwhile, more ambitious projects, such as Heart of an Empire or 5/25/77, never see the light of day.

Finally, a feature-length film inspired by Star Wars will get a nationwide theatrical release — thanks in no small part to a cast that includes Kevin Smith, William Shatner, Carrie Fisher, Billy Dee Williams, Kristen Bell, Seth Rogen, Ray Park, and Superman Returns' Jimmy Olsen, with Kevin Spacey producing. The first trailer for Fanboys brings to life every geek's hopes and dreams:

Although I'm not always a fan of either Seth Rogen or Kristen Bell, this star-studded film looks like a ton of fun for anyone who knows Star Wars and Star Trek as well as the typical Showbits reader. A healthy dork is one who can laugh at himself, and I suspect I won't be alone in counting myself among that crowd come Fanboys' opening night of February 6, 2009.

(Hat tip to ComingSoon.net)

I admit it: I'm a Star Trek fanboy. Almost anything bearing the Star Trek name is instantly fantastic — it's just a matter of degree. Within that realm is a wide variety, from the awesomely fantastic (Deep Space Nine, First Contact) to the pathetically fantastic (Nemesis), but I'll still be first in line for all of them. Such zeal may make me a laughing stock… but I've found the most valuable trait of any hardcore geek is a healthy sense of humor.

Over the years, there have been multiple instances when the combination of geekdom and comedy intersected with brilliant results. The most mainstream occurrence was in 1999, when an all-star cast including Tim Allen, Sigourney Weaver, Alan Rickman, and Tony Shalhoub appeared in the feature film Galaxy Quest. The trailers of the time made the movie look like weak sci-fi fare intended for the unsophisticated masses, so I didn't see it until 2002 — at which time I wished I hadn't waited so long. I rewatched it this weekend and was again impressed with how much fun it was.

Galaxy Quest doubles as the name of a fictional cancelled television series, its cast of washed-up has-beens since having taken to the tour circuit, making their living signing autographs and reciting famous lines. But their reruns have been misinterpreted as historical documents by an alien civilization that has made into reality all elements of the show (think "A Piece of the Action"). These xenoforms abduct the thespian crew of the NSEA Protector to help their new ship and stave off extinction at the hands of a tyrannical despot (whose vehicle my 80-year-old movie buddy immediately identified as reminiscent of the Doomsday machine — a fitting homage!).

As an amalgam of fantasy and reality, Galaxy Quest succeeds in mocking the synonymous Star Trek as well as its actors and fans. Via the show-within-a-show device, everyone gets their turn: from the pomposity of William Shatner to the inevitable expendability of the red shirts to the obsessive fanboys. Even Star Trek alumni had the sense to appreciate the film.

It's likely many fans of Home Improvement saw Galaxy Quest as a Tim Allen vehicle, but I can't imagine the film being nearly as entertaining for those who have not seen Star Trek themselves. And if you're lucky enough to be one of those veterans of the original material, there are more hands-on opportunities to lampoon the franchise. RiffTrax, the downloadable audio commentaries from the talent that brought you Mystery Science Theater 3000, has thus far parodied 49 movies, and Star Trek has the dubious honor of being three of them. For a limited time, you can buy all three Star Trek RiffTrax for $8.99. Though admittedly that's a savings of only one dollar, it's still a great excuse to grab the MP3s to play alongside The Final Frontier, The Undiscovered Country, and Generations — the latter of which is sampled here:

Don't ever laugh at a Trekkie — but by all means, please do laugh at yourself. As Data would say, "It's a wonderful feeling!"

I have never seen CSI, West Wing, Law & Order, or any number of other popular dramas. Not only do my television tastes lean more to The Dick Van Dyke Show, Quantum Leap, and Buffy — you know, fun stuff not likely to be mistaken for the evening news — but I also have not had television service in eight years. I am not secluded from popular culture, though, and I absorb the gist of shows like Lost and 24 rather easily. But one show had me stumped and required direct exposure.

After years of not comprehending the concept of a "legal dramedy", I finally got my hands on the first season of Boston Legal, which has been on ABC since 2004. Before I returned the DVDs, I watched only the pilot episode; without any following or even previous experience (The Practice falls within my blackout zone), I'm hardly qualified to offer an informed opinion. But I'm happy to share my uninformed one, based on first impressions.

The cast was what first struck me. William Shatner was a given, but Rene Auberjonois' inclusion as a changeling lawyer (talk about two-faced!) had escaped my memory. More surprising was Mark Valley, who played Jack Deveraux (or one of them, anyway) on Days of our Lives — a show my overindulgence of which prompted my kicking the TV habit. I don't think I'd ever seen a soap star get a "real" acting job, so it seemed fitting that he's described in this episode as a "Ken doll".

Also notable in the pilot was Larry Miller of Christopher Guests' films — and, of course, James Spader, who I now find unrecognizable from his Stargate stardom.

As for the show itself, I was a bit surprised and relieved that it is not a comedy in the sense of a spoof; it does not do for for the glut of legal dramas what Get Smart did for James Bond. Nothing about the show is infeasible, which probably makes it more consumable and popular to the masses sitting on their sofa seats, waiting for CSI's other shoe to fall. The situations all seemed realistic, but the snappy dialogue that would be used to dramatic effect elsewhere is effectively comedic here.

Though it cannot compete with a show that focuses on doing either drama or comedy well, Boston Legal makes up in breadth what it lacks in depth, successfully straddling the line between the two genres. I don't know that any show can hook someone after just one episode; if first and last impressions were one and the same, how many of us would've become Trekkies? I liked the pilot episode, but I'd have to see more before I fall in love with it. Unfortunately for Boston Legal, I too am a creature of breadth, and rather than explore the show further, I am moving on to my virgin showing of Firefly. If lines are to be straddled, let it be with cowboys and aliens!

I recently saw the CGI animated film Over the Hedge. I'd not read the comic strip upon which it is based, but like any good adaptation, it didn't seem necessary to enjoy the film.

And enjoy it I did! Like most good animated films, it had plenty of content aimed at kids and adults alike. It was fun to pick out the well-known actors' voices, especially those not typically associated with animation, such as Bruce Willis and Avril Lavigne. Of course, one of the dangers of such top-tier talent is the difficulty disassociating them from their images. They played to William Shatner's and Eugene Levy's nicely, but I had a hard time not seeing "The Verminator" character, played by Thomas Haden Church, as akin to Lowell from Wings (or perhaps even Spider-Man 3's Sandman?).

I was a bit disappointed the film didn't have a stronger moral, though. Wikipedia suggests that, unlike the 1994 animated Japanese film Pom Poko, Over the Hedge "does not… develop the themes of environmentalism or anti-urbanization." OTOH, perhaps that's my own political beliefs viewing a missed opportunity; such may've been misplaced in "just a cartoon" (as some felt it was in Happy Feet).

In November, when I expressed a conflict between seeing Casino Royale or Happy Feet, a group of "adults" mocked me for even considering the latter, especially since I have no grandchildren with whom to see it. I'm disappointed that people are willing to judge, and thus limit themselves, art based on the medium. Something being animated does not necessarily make it a "cartoon"; just watch Richard Adams' Watership Down or Plague Dogs — as a friend of mine recently did, commenting, "I can't believe anyone would let their kids watch this!" (which she thought they would, since it's "just a cartoon", right?) Comic books, video games, Dungeons & Dragons — they too have been criticized by outsiders. Until they learn, I'll happily continue enjoying these media, while the critics don't even know what they're missing…

Days after announcing that William Shatner (Kirk)'s game show Show Me the Money would be picked up for six more episodes, production has been shut down after a drop in key demographics. [Story continues]

Last Thursday the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) — the organization behind the Emmy Awards — formally inducted William Shatner, along with four other individuals with legendary TV careers, into its Hall of Fame. [Story continues]

These are both good news to me. That game show was wretched and vile — more sensationalism than substance. William Shatner should never have more women than Captain Kirk did.

Courtesy Trek Nation, Matt Damon says he would consider playing Kirk in Star Trek XI, if he liked the script… and was offered the part.

Like the article says, no one but Shatner has ever played Kirk. Can any Trekker separate the two? Could we accept anyone else? If the eleventh film is to be a potential basis for a new television series, then I think it needs to not be a prequel. Sandwiched between Enterprise and TOS, it'd be too constrained. Give us something entirely new — something we haven't seen before. Surprise us. Be refreshing!

Speaking of which, why has Star Trek always stuck to one genre? Let's have a bunch of Friends hanging out in Ten-Forward — or some sort of Section 31/CSI. Klingon Eye for the Starfleet Guy, hosted by Worf, perhaps?

What are your thoughts on the direction(s) Star Trek should take?