Star Trek fan films are certainly nothing new, however this particular one is old. REALLY old. In fact, it dates back to 1971 and was a school project. As it stands, it's probably the oldest Trek fan film in existence.
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Star Trek. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Remembering William Campbell
It is our sad duty at StarTrek.com to report the passing of William Campbell. The actor, beloved in Star Trek circles for his roles as Trelane in the TOS episode “The Squire of Gothos” and as the Klingon Koloth in the TOS episode "The Trouble with Tribbles” and the DS9 episode “Blood Oath,” passed away in the early evening of April 28 following a long illness. Campbell died peacefully and, appropriately, in Woodland Hills, California, at the Motion Picture & Television Country Home and Hospital, a facility for which he worked tirelessly as an advocate, volunteer and fundraiser. Campbell was 84.Though hundreds of actors and actresses have guest starred on the various Star Trek shows and in the features over the years, few made as much of a personal connection with fans as Campbell. A big, burly man with a booming voice, charming smile and playful demeanor, Campbell loved Trek fans as much as they loved him. He attended numerous conventions over the years and was a familiar face on Trek cruises, and never was he more thrilled than when he reprised his roles as Trelane in the video game Star Trek: Judgment Rites and Koloth on DS9, as they gave him plenty of fresh stories to share with convention attendees. Though slowed by health problems in the early 2000’s, Campbell found the strength to attend Creation’s 40th anniversary Star Trek convention in 2006, and, as usual, he held the audience spellbound.
It should be noted that Star Trek was not Campbell’s only claim to fame. He sang with Elvis Presley in Love Me Tender; starred in Dementia 13, produced by Roger Corman and directed by a first-timer named Francis Coppola; and co-starred in The High and the Mighty, Hush, Hush, Sweet Charlotte and Pretty Maids All in a Row, that last one a post-Star Trek feature written and produced by Trek creator Gene Roddenberry. His many television credits include Cannonball, The Millionaire, Perry Mason, O’Hara, U.S. Treasury (with George Takei), Gunsmoke, Quincy, M.E., The Return of the Six Million Dollar Man and Bionic Woman, and Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.
Campbell is survived by his wife of nearly 50 years, Tereza. Funeral services will be private, but Mrs. Campbell asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Motion Picture & Television Country Home and Hospital.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Urban To Appear In Priest
Priest is the story of a world ravaged by war between humans and vampires.
According to Urban, Priest is more than just a vampire flick. “It’s a post-apocalyptic, futuristic, vampire western,” he said. “It’s about a man who chooses to go against the system, to walk away from his life and everything that he has worked and fought for in order to do what is morally right. That’s the heart of the film.”
Preparation for Priest included plenty of training for Urban. “…it was a massive physical undertaking,” said Urban. “Paul Bettany and I underwent extensive training for the fight and action sequences. Blood was drawn. We were fortunate to work with some extremely talented people whose job it was to make us look good.”
Urban enjoyed working on the movie. “It was fun,” he said. “I had a really great time working with Paul,” he said. “He’s a professional. He’s very charismatic, witty, and a real gentleman. Even when I accidentally crushed his fingers while shooting the epic train fight.”
Priest opens in the U.K. on May 11th and in the U.S. two days later.
Source: mb.com.ph
Friday, April 15, 2011
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Back To Space-Con
A new documentary shows the early days of Star Trek conventions in the Bay Area.
In Back to Space-Con, fans are transported back in time to Northern California’s first Star Trek convention, held on February 22, 1975.
Older Star Trek Fans can remember the days when it was very uncool to be a Trek fan, and the joy in finding others who liked Star Trek and getting to see one’s favorite original series actors at those first conventions.
Fan enthusiasm for the show abounded in the early days and was expressed in the creation of home-made costumes, props and souvenirs. Some fans went a bit too far, though, including one man who changed his name legally to James T. Kirk. “Well, I never liked my previous name,” he said, explaining his action.
The documentary, a preview of which can be seen below, features forty minutes of 1970s convention footage
Search Amazon.com for star trek
In Back to Space-Con, fans are transported back in time to Northern California’s first Star Trek convention, held on February 22, 1975.
Older Star Trek Fans can remember the days when it was very uncool to be a Trek fan, and the joy in finding others who liked Star Trek and getting to see one’s favorite original series actors at those first conventions.
Fan enthusiasm for the show abounded in the early days and was expressed in the creation of home-made costumes, props and souvenirs. Some fans went a bit too far, though, including one man who changed his name legally to James T. Kirk. “Well, I never liked my previous name,” he said, explaining his action.
The documentary, a preview of which can be seen below, features forty minutes of 1970s convention footage
Search Amazon.com for star trek
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Mark Allen Shepherd Was Born to be Morn - Part 2
Did you love or hate your makeup team?
Shepherd: Award-winning makeup artists Hank Edds and David Quashnick were my makeup artists, although there were others. David probably did the makeup for Morn more than anyone else. I have nothing but love and respect for those guys. They were my buddies. From 4:30 a.m. til the makeup came off when I was wrapped for the day, whenever the makeup needed touch up on the set or cleanup after lunch, (they were there). They were there when the mask became unglued around my eyes or needed a little extra color or KY jelly to give it a healthy shine.
What more can you tell us about the Morn mask?
Shepherd: I will always be very proud of the work that I did on DS9. Wearing the Morn mask is an inseparable part of that and at the time I just accepted it. An average work day in makeup was about 13 hours. Vincent Niebla, I understand, sculpted the first Morn head that was then used to make the mold from which all of the future Morn masks would come. I think there were 12 or possibly 13 masks made that I know of that were used in filming of DS9. The average was about two masks per season of filming. The first Morn mask was filled and set with glass eyes and went on the Star Trek traveling world tour. Other Morn masks were filled and sent out to various Star Trek exhibits. After the end of the show, Michael Westmore told me, “I think you should have one of these,” and he gave me the last Morn mask. I asked Michael if he liked I would be very proud to give him one of my art pieces. So I went to visit Michael at his home with about five or six of my favorite pieces. The one that Michael picked was a photo mosaic made up of black and white photos that were cut into one inch squares and glued onto an A3-size piece of showerboard that I finished with a clear polyurethane coat. It´s a dark and complex composition with abstracted faces that somehow has a Picasso-esque charm in an alien or otherworldly sort of way. Definitely one of my favorites.
How amazed were you by just how popular a cult figure Morn became? Fans loved – and still love -- him. You were everywhere, magazine covers, etc.
Shepherd: I was so amazed that I had to collect at least one copy of every magazine that had Morn on the cover or featured somehow inside: covers of Entertainment Weekly, Starburst, MAD magazine, Fangoria, DS9 comic books, as well as Newsweek, TV Guide, Star Trek Magazine, Starlog, Deep Space Nine Magazine, etc. It was unbelievable when the studio started delivering me large manila envelopes filled with fan mail. That went on during the entire run of the show. I´m told that every piece of fan mail represents an estimated 15,000 fans and when I received 1,000 pieces of fan mail that means that some 15 million fans love Morn -- a character that never said a word in the seven years that he was on the show. That´s how amazed I was. I was told by a publicist for the show “Did you know that we´ve been told by production to tone down your character a bit because we are starting to get more requests for pictures of Morn in print than some of the stars of the show.” In Germany, where I live now, there was a Star Trek 50th anniversary feature done in the local TV Guide & Movie magazine that had Morn listed number five in a top 10 list of the Most Curious Stories in Star Trek History. It´s just one of those things that has almost a magical quality to it and seems to take on a life of its own – and it’s something I´m very grateful for.
You also provided your artwork to the show. Take us through that. How did it happen? What pieces were you proudest to see on TV?
Shepherd: Well, I remember the week after Morn appeared on the cover of Entertainment Weekly magazine that at lunchtime the production crew opened the big doors to the stage and in walked Mickey Michaels and Penny Juday of the DS9 art department. And they both at some point noticed me and said something about the magazine cover and my reply was, “Thank you and, if you like, I´m also an artist and would love to show you some of my work.” I was working the next day, so I brought in a large-format 24x48-inch Kodak photo pager box filled with paintings that I did. I showed it that day to Penny and Mickey Michaels, who were immediately impressed and told me that it was exactly the sort of thing they were looking for to use as set dressing in quarters of the main characters on the show.
So, the following day, I had the day off and came back and worked out a deal. And since then I had some 24 works of art of mine used as set dressing, including bold and colorful abstract water color paintings, photomosaics, collages, as well as works of mixed media. I was also referred to a local prop house that supplies props for set dressing to the entertainment industry in Hollywood. There I was fortunate to have several other works of mine, including large format photographs, paintings and others that continue even to this day to go out periodically to work as set dressing on various productions. I still get checks a couple times a year from them for the use of my artwork.
Where are those pieces now?
Shepherd: Not all of the pieces were accounted for. After the show ended and I went to pick up my art, it was discovered that some pieces had mysteriously disappeared. For those that disappeared, I can´t say. Many pieces got auctioned for charity at William Campbell´s Fantasticon, which donated proceeds to the Motion Picture and Television Fund -- which supports the Country House and Hospital for Actors and their families. Campbell some might remember played the Klingon Captain Koloth in the TOS “The Trouble with Tribbles” and the super-being Trelane in “The Squire of Gothos” (and also guest starred as Koloth on DS9). Some of my prop art pieces were sold and some I still have.
Who from the old days are you still in touch with?
Shepherd: I am always happy to see old friends from DS9, other shows and of course the fans at conventions. I have a Facebook page, which I find is a great way to stay in touch with friends and family that I would probably be out of touch with otherwise. I have a lovely wife and a family, which take up most of my time. Other than that, I´m in love with my private life, which, fortunately for me, (was protected by) wearing the mask of Morn for seven seasons of DS9. I can go anywhere I like and be anonymous, with the exception of conventions or when I choose to break my anonymity. That´s not to say I´m not interested. I love to work and will work with anyone that wants to work with me.
What would you like to think Morn is doing these days?
Shepherd: Morn found life outside of the bar and is perhaps gallivanting across the galaxy somewhere on the adventure of a lifetime. Morn will be back though, if only to visit Quark´s -- his favorite bar. It’s a familiar haunt that possibly still echoes with the laughter of his friends and the sound of his name.
What have you been up to post-DS9?
Shepherd: I act whenever I can. I have an English conversation class that I teach every week and a qigong class I´ll teach that starts later this month. I’m continually studying photography and now work mostly in Camera Raw, a professional digital format. Most of my artwork today is digital as well and exists virtually by the miracle of computers. I spend two or more hours a day studying my craft.
I played the character role of King Fernando in a feature film that takes place in the Middle Ages and has a story that centers around the Knights Templar. It’s called the Knights of St. Albans, directed and produced by Axel Loh, a German filmmaker. That is scheduled to be finished sometime next year. I periodically get asked to do English-speaking voiceover work. I produced a DS9 parody music video to the Steppenwolf song “Born to be Wild” called “Morn to be Wild.” My lovely wife Tanja and two beautiful kids are by far my greatest achievement and what I´m most proud of. And I´m involved in project called Gatekeeper, which I´ll be filming in Sweden and Norway later this year. That also coincides with a sci-fi convention in Stockholm, Sweden, in the beginning of December.
Where do you keep your Morn action figure?
Shepherd: Morn stands just in back of the right-hand corner of my computer keyboard and in front of my computer screen. He´s always there in front of me, just a little reminder of my own adventure of a lifetime and the tremendous experience I had playing Morn on DS9.
Search Amazon.com for star trek deep space nine
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Mark Allen Shepherd Was Born to be Morn - Part 1
By StarTrek.com Staff
April 12, 2011
Mark Allen Shepherd’s story is one of Star Trek’s coolest, quirkiest and most unusual tales. For the entire seven-year run of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Shepherd played Morn, the alien barfly who frequented Quark’s, apparently was the life of the party, but never uttered a word – at least not on camera. Beyond portraying Morn, who was a Lurian, Shepherd appeared on DS9 as a Starfleet civilian and even as a Bajoran asked to sit in Morn’s usual spot at Quark’s after Morn’s supposed death. Shepherd also made cameos as Morn on Voyager and The Next Generation. And Shepherd’s contributions to Star Trek didn’t end there. Also a talented artist, Shepherd licensed two dozen pieces of his artwork to the DS9 production team, pieces which were used to decorate the quarters of several major characters, including Major Kira and Dr. Bashir. StarTrek.com recently caught up with Shepherd, who now lives in Germany, for an exclusive two-part interview in which he recounted his days on DS9 and filled us in on what he’s doing now. Below is part one of our conversation, and be on the lookout tomorrow for part two.
Give us a quick sense of what your life was like before DS9?
Shepherd: I graduated from Roger Williams University with a Bachelor of Science degree and then studied music, video, motion graphics, editing, Tái chi chuan and theater at CalArts, a dream school started by Walt Disney. After that, I was looking for a job and basically took whatever I could get at the time to support myself. I worked as a photographer’s assistant G5 at the local V.A. medical center. I was doing some production work and took any acting jobs I could find. In March of 1992, I was working on a David Lynch project called On the Air. It was based on live television of the 50´s and 60´s. I worked on it in March, I guess, for about six weeks or so. It premiered in July. It showed three episodes and then On the Air was off the air. I thought it was funny, but unfortunately it didn’t fly with the networks.
You soon after went in and won the role of Morn on DS9. What did the producers tell you about the character in advance? Did they say it was a one-off or recurring?
Shepherd: Not a word. OK, maybe sometimes. Usually, I was the last person to find out anything. And it always seemed to be an “Oh, by the way, you’re doing such and such in the next scene. Can you do that?” And I´d always reply, “Sure, I can do anything you want.” I think that they always had in the back of their minds that if I worked out that they would continue to use the character. Working in a full makeup like that for 12 hours is challenging for anyone, but finding someone to work for seven years in that kind of outfit with makeup is difficult. Most actors don´t want to do it.
Did they tell you you'd have no dialogue?
Shepherd: The circumstances surrounding my first day on the show were so unusual. When they shot the bar scene in Quark’s where Morn is telling the funniest joke in the universe, they told me I could go ahead and tell my joke. And when Sisko gets off of the turbolift and just as he walks towards Quark’s, if you listen carefully to the background sound you might actually hear Morn saying “Finalism finger fink. Obligatory quotient yokefellow, coconut kachina cosmological argument. Bank swallow fish story, inculpate minuteman. Stress certifier in lecithin. Hard-hearted dill, divine minded domineer, mind reader sextuplet, garden fly honey suckle garbage. Palter rimfire, green peace. Change is the ultimate solution. Twenty-fourth century humor. You may not get it right away.”
In the book The Making of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, the first chapter of the book is “The Funniest Joke in the Universe” and it is about exactly that and how I came to be on the show. That was the only time I got to say anything while the cameras were rolling, but it´s not the only time that they considered Morn for a speaking part. There have been numerous scripts where they originally had Morn speaking. One such script had to do with the alternate universe. Unfortunately, they always got written out.
Before the writers filled in details about the character in actual episodes, did you create your own back story for him? Shepherd: I didn’t have any preconceived notions about Morn. The first two years I worked on the show I didn´t have a car, so whenever I worked I always had to take a bus to Hollywood the night before and stay up all night in a Denny’s restaurant or the Insomnia Cafe´ drinking coffee to stay awake. So, when I worked, I didn´t get any sleep. It was all I could do not to fall asleep while I was on the set. There was even an occasion where, in the pilot, after two days with no sleep, a 110-degree heat wave and no air conditioning on set, I started to fall asleep standing up. A group of guys came over to me and, after asking me if I was OK, said that they were taking bets on whether or not I would fall over. Whenever the writers talked to me I was always interested in what they would tell me next. I think mostly I just tried to keep an open mind and have a good sense of humor about the role.
Which episodes did you enjoy most, and why?
Shepherd: I grew up watching the original Star Trek series. Kirk and Spock were my heroes. So whenever I got a call to come in I was excited to be there. One time I got a call to come in for a fitting for Morn. Now, it wasn´t a fitting for Mark, it was a fitting for Morn. I thought that was funny. So when I came in, they put my makeup on first and then sent me to the wardrobe department. I found a tailor waiting for Morn to fit Morn for a tuxedo. I don´t remember the name of the episode, but it was somehow based on “Our Man Bashir,” where Morn is wearing a tuxedo, comes out of the holosuite and walks down the spiral staircase. Quark is shaking a drink and Morn says “Shaken but not stirred.” Unfortunately, at the last minute it got cut. I think I enjoyed “Who Mourns for Morn” the most, though, and especially when Morn comes back to the bar after faking his death, (and also) the introduction from Odo and the surprise of Quark and his reaction when Morn regurgitates a shot glass worth of liquid latinum and gives it to Quark for his trouble. That was a proud moment for me.
Did the writers tell you in advance that they were planning “Who Mourns for Morn” or did they surprise you with that one? What did you discover about the character as a result of that episode?
Shepherd: Yes, the writers did, in fact, tell me bits and pieces about an upcoming episode where they said Morn was going to die. I thought my career on DS9 would be over. But every time they spoke to me it changed a little bit. Sometimes I thought they were just joking with me to get a reaction of some sort. And as the time came to see a rough draft of the script, I got a copy. Then I started collecting the changes that they made almost on a daily basis. I think there was even a part where Morn was going to say something, but that, like so many other times, got written out. I was deeply flattered and intrigued by the story. It really gave me an opportunity like no other episode to discover who Morn really was in the eyes of the writers.
I learned Morn was a rascal in a nefarious sense who was involved with a group of almost sympathetic thieves that heisted 1000 bricks of gold-pressed latinum. Morn had extracted the liquid latinum from the gold-pressed latinum and kept it in his second stomach. (I also learned that) that Morn had hair almost 10 ten years earlier and that Morn was probably there during the end of the Cardassian occupation. These were all things I never imagined about the character, but things like that give the character depth in a way that sight gags alone never can. The writers had a way of keeping me wondering what they would do next. Coming back at the end of the show was somehow a proud moment.
Who came up with the idea of you playing a Bajoran sitting in Morn's seat? And how much of an out-of-body experience was doing that bit?
Shepherd: You know it´s funny, to this day I don´t know whose idea that was. I think it might have been something someone said at a production meeting, like, “Wouldn´t it be funny if Mark Shepherd is the Bajoran sitting in Morn’s seat at the memorial service as an inside gag?” And as I say that I seem to recall that Ira (Behr) might have said that to me on the set. Well, as far as out-of-body experiences go and being a fan of the original show since I was old enough to pick up a phaser, I must say that every time I had a chance to act or just watch and learn, it was a tremendous opportunity for me, which fascinated me to no end. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the actors and the level of concentration and organization that the production company must on a daily basis achieve to reach such outstanding production values. I would not hesitate for a moment to do something like that again.
To learn more about Mark Allen Shepherd, visit his official site at http://www.garrisonent.com/morn/. And be sure to check out part two of our interview with Shepherd tomorrow on StarTrek.com.
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Friday, April 8, 2011
Jonathan Frakes Talks Bar Karma, Star Trek, and Yes, Gargoyles
By Kevin Fitzpatrick April 7, 2011
These days, Jonathan Frakes is a captain in his own right.
The former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor and director makes his living mostly behind the scenes with a plethora of directing gigs, notably on The Glades, Leverage, Burn Notice and even V, to keep on fresh sci-fi.
Jonathan's latest gig is to direct tomorrow night's episode of the Community TV series Bar Karma, an interactive experience engineered by The Sims creator Will Wright and Spike TV founder Albie Hecht, where the internet community literally creates the story for each individual episode.
For those unfamiliar with the show, the official description reads:
“Set at a mystical watering hole at the edge of the universe, Bar Karma stars William Sanderson (True Blood, LOST, Deadwood) as James, the 20,000 year-old bartender, Matthew Humphreys (Obsessed, Big Love, The Forgotten) as bar owner Doug Jones, and Cassie Howarth (Deranged High, Deathclock) as the lone waitress, Dayna. The series answers the age-old question: 'What would happen if you could change your fate?’ Set in a time-traveling bar owned and operated by members of the mysterious organization Karma, Inc., each weekly episode follows a new bar patron as they enter at happy hour and must make a life-changing, and possibly world-saving, decision.”
The former Commander Riker was kind enough to talk to UGO recently about his experiences working with the Bar Karma group and his own wife Genie Francis on Friday, April 8th's episode "Three Times A Lady," and even talk about the current state of sci-fi!
And no, we couldn't resist a few Star Trek: The Next Generation, or even Gargoyles questions.
Check it out, and dont forget to check out Jonathan's episode of Bar Karma Friday night, April 8th at 10/9 CST on Current TV!
__________
Bar Karma, as a user-generated TV experience is absolutely wonderful. How did you get involved with this project? What attracted you to it?
Frakes: Years ago, I did a movie called Clockstoppers by Albie Hecht. Albie is the Executive Producer and Creator of Bar Karma. He called in into the editing room on NCIS: LA and asked if I wanted to come and play with him on his new show, and have Genie [Francis] do a part. And because it’s Albie, and how much I love working with him, I said "absolutely, I’ll do whatever you want." He threw me for a loop with the concept and the input from what they refer to as "the community." And it all sounded me to me as a very high-concept show, especially on its amount of content. It turns out it’s not unlike Twilight Zone, in that respect.
How was it working with your wife as an actress? Have you ever directed her before?
Frakes: I directed her in the movie in Thunderbirds, and we’d acted together before, but here it was such a great shoot in lovely downtown Newark, New Jersey, especially to see her play these diametrically different characters. She played a nine-year old, and a woman with OCD, and she played a hooker! And she was awesome, it was a blast.
I saw in the trailer her character was talking about having aliens inside her. I wont ask you to spoil the plot, but can we expect any Trek references?
Frakes: Very subtle ones. Although I am the official spokesperson for the paranormal, so anything can happen.
Tell us a little bit about how the whole process of being a director on this high-concept series works. Do they have the story fleshed out before they even approach you, or was it a fluid, on-the-go thing?
Frakes: The story was developed from two ideas that seem to have risen to the top of the cream. One was that she was playing her own twin, and the variation on that theme would be her dealing with a character with multiple personalities, which clearly had the most interesting storytelling potential. Once that was in place, we had a situation where we had a rough draft of a script. It’s a really a non-union, tightly-budgeted show, so there’s a lot of stuff going on the fly, and it was like being in film school. It was like in student film, the crew are like New York indie-movie crews given this opportunity by Albie to actually make a television show. The personnel were game for anything and that’s how I roll too, so it was a great experience out of the tradition of regular episodic shooting,
Between Cassie Howarth, Matthew Humphreys and Will Sanderson you really have three different generations of actors working on the set. With Sanderson as the eldest, how do you approach each differently as a director?
Frakes: Well I was a fan of Sanderson, with the Newhart show's Larry, Darryl and Darryl, and Deadwood. I've been a fan of his since he was in Blade Runner. He’s one of our guys, one of the great American character actors, I was happy to be in his company. He has a very special on-camera presence.
Is there a future in community-developed TV, users having more interaction in the media through the internet and fan communities? How do you think that’s going to play in the future of TV?
Frakes: I think that’s a very smart way to go. Because there’s less and less interest in traditional scripted television, due to reality shows and video games and a number of kids who don’t even have a TV who stream everything off their computers. I think between Will Wright and Albie, whoever decided to go this route, they will not be the last. The downside obviously is, then that the community begins to assume ownership over something in which they are merely participants. But that’s for someone else to handle.
Would you like to revisit the experience in the future, go back and direct more episodes?
Frakes: Absolutely, all they have to do is get picked up and I’m back. I think that the character Genie’s plays can come back as well, given the premise of the show is that you can change your fate, and she does. So I’d love to see her character return as well.
Was there anything about the distinct presence that Karma plays on the series has that spoke to you as a director?
Frakes: I was more about trying to honor the complicated subject matter of multiple personalities. It needed to be specific, and dealt with with a certain amount of respect. There's a direct line to post-traumatic stress that causes multiple personalities, as the medical research shows us. And members of the community, of the Bar Karma staff were also concerned that the characters that Genie plays were medically accurate. The focus of our storytelling isn’t just to be entertaining and fun, there was a certain commitment to doing the right thing by this particular medical phenomenon.
The user experience of creating the show is addicting, and to be an internet fan community that sees its ideas come to life, the fans are very strong and loyal.
Frakes: Yeah, my understanding is that theyre nothing if not loyal, sort of like Trekkies.
I know music is very big part of this show as well.
Frakes: Yeah, that’s Albie’s thing, he’s an old rock video producer. He created a lot of the music for Spongebob Squarepants when that became a huge hit. He’s all about music, he’s an old rocker. He’s got a very eccentric taste in music. We have country music in the show, we have jazz in the show, we have the traditional bar karma score, it’s all a huge part of the texture of the show.
You mentioned jazz, are we going to see any of your famous trombone skills?
Frakes: [Laughter] No trombone this time.
What’s next with your career with Leverage?
Frakes: I’m doing The Glades now, and then I do Burn Notice, and then I’m going to Portland to work on three or four episodes of Leverage.
What TV is out there that you would love to get your hands on directing, what are you watching?
Frakes: I love Nurse Jackie, Justified and Damages, all shows I'd be thrilled to work on. Having said that, I like returning to the shows I’ve been working on. I'm In Florida on The Glades, and we’re doing a huge NASCAR show this week. We've got Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Brian Vickers, four big NASCAR stars coming in to the homestead race track. Episodic TV can also become like a mini-movie, and that’s what’s happening here this week.
How do you feel about the current zeitgeist of fantasy and sci-fi, with all these huge fantasy epics like Avatar or even Star Wars, vs. the more grounded and structured, maybe even noble Trek?
Frakes: Very good question. Specifically with Star Trek I was really impressed with J.J [Abrams]' reboot out of our franchise, I thought he was loyal to the Roddenberry philosophy. The scope of the show was spectacular, the casting and storytelling Unlike some in the Star Trek family, I’m thrilled with what J.J. has done with the franchise. I was watching some reruns of Firefly because I was doing Castle with Nathan Fillion and I was always curious to see what that was. And I got a memo from Wil Wheaton, who’s working on Eureka which is also sci-fi-ish. It’s a genre that always needs to have a life on television. It had avid fans, for both the dark sci-fi and the fantasy sci-fi and I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon. It’s like medical shows and procedurals; they’re part of what the audience expects on their menu.
I've heard you speak about your children slowly developing an interest in your Star Trek episodes, what was their take on the Abrams movie? Did they find it any more accessible?
Frakes: [Laughter] I don’t think my kids saw it. I mean they haven’t even seen my Star Trek movies. I keep thinking they’ll find some interest and see that Star Trek: First Contact was actually pretty good.
It’s been a few years since Star Trek's been on TV. How much longer do you think until it makes the leap back to the medium it started on?
Frakes: I had a Star Trek that I developed for TV, and we were told in no uncertain terms that they said no to a Bryan Singer television Star Trek, they said no to a William Shatner television Star Trek. They feel at CBS Paramount that they don’t want to make the same mistake that’s been made before, which was watering down the brand by having a TV show and a movie. That’s what happened with Star Trek: Nemesis, and that’s why I think Star Trek: Enterprise didn’t last the way they expected to. It was the classic corporate greed of “we've got something good, so let’s continue to milk it” and we milked it so dry that the fans had no appetite for a movie. So I think what they’ve done by taking time off before the Abrams Star Trek, and they're doing it again because they haven’t even begun to shoot the second one, is a much smarter business plan. Much to my chagrin! Not that I wouldn’t love the Titan, or the Rikers in Space, or any of those shows on the air.
I have an unusual question. The Rikers are from Alaska – any chance of any or Riker being a descendant of Sarah Palin?
Frakes: Oh, no! No, I think the Rikers are from a different part of Alaska than Palin’s family.
Another burning question. When are we going to see movement on a Gargoyles movie, or reboot?
Frakes: I don’t know why Gargoyles was taken off the air, but that's a question that always comes up. I was at Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle and there’s always a factor of the audience who know that the show was taken off the air too quickly and I had thought that there were talks of a movie but I don’t think Greg Weisman or Jamie Thomasan are involved in it, which seems odd to me. So I’m not sure what the status of that is.
It was definitely a show that went before its time, and it's hugely ripe for some kind of reboot, or remake.
Frakes: I agree, totally. It was so literate, and filled with talented actors and writers, and the animation was great. It was very special, and it should still be on the air. Not only the mythology was great, but they had a lot of Shakespeare references, and the kids didn’t know it, but they were getting some version of education .
I’ve read that you’d been involved with Marvel Comics back in the day, and since Marvel is doing so much these days would you ever consider returning to work on any properties?
Frakes: I’ve been trying to get one of those big ones, Fantastic Four, Iron Man...really, nothing would thrill me more.
Search Amazon.com for star trek
These days, Jonathan Frakes is a captain in his own right.
The former Star Trek: The Next Generation actor and director makes his living mostly behind the scenes with a plethora of directing gigs, notably on The Glades, Leverage, Burn Notice and even V, to keep on fresh sci-fi.
Jonathan's latest gig is to direct tomorrow night's episode of the Community TV series Bar Karma, an interactive experience engineered by The Sims creator Will Wright and Spike TV founder Albie Hecht, where the internet community literally creates the story for each individual episode.
For those unfamiliar with the show, the official description reads:
“Set at a mystical watering hole at the edge of the universe, Bar Karma stars William Sanderson (True Blood, LOST, Deadwood) as James, the 20,000 year-old bartender, Matthew Humphreys (Obsessed, Big Love, The Forgotten) as bar owner Doug Jones, and Cassie Howarth (Deranged High, Deathclock) as the lone waitress, Dayna. The series answers the age-old question: 'What would happen if you could change your fate?’ Set in a time-traveling bar owned and operated by members of the mysterious organization Karma, Inc., each weekly episode follows a new bar patron as they enter at happy hour and must make a life-changing, and possibly world-saving, decision.”
The former Commander Riker was kind enough to talk to UGO recently about his experiences working with the Bar Karma group and his own wife Genie Francis on Friday, April 8th's episode "Three Times A Lady," and even talk about the current state of sci-fi!
And no, we couldn't resist a few Star Trek: The Next Generation, or even Gargoyles questions.
Check it out, and dont forget to check out Jonathan's episode of Bar Karma Friday night, April 8th at 10/9 CST on Current TV!
__________
Bar Karma, as a user-generated TV experience is absolutely wonderful. How did you get involved with this project? What attracted you to it?
Frakes: Years ago, I did a movie called Clockstoppers by Albie Hecht. Albie is the Executive Producer and Creator of Bar Karma. He called in into the editing room on NCIS: LA and asked if I wanted to come and play with him on his new show, and have Genie [Francis] do a part. And because it’s Albie, and how much I love working with him, I said "absolutely, I’ll do whatever you want." He threw me for a loop with the concept and the input from what they refer to as "the community." And it all sounded me to me as a very high-concept show, especially on its amount of content. It turns out it’s not unlike Twilight Zone, in that respect.
How was it working with your wife as an actress? Have you ever directed her before?
Frakes: I directed her in the movie in Thunderbirds, and we’d acted together before, but here it was such a great shoot in lovely downtown Newark, New Jersey, especially to see her play these diametrically different characters. She played a nine-year old, and a woman with OCD, and she played a hooker! And she was awesome, it was a blast.
I saw in the trailer her character was talking about having aliens inside her. I wont ask you to spoil the plot, but can we expect any Trek references?
Frakes: Very subtle ones. Although I am the official spokesperson for the paranormal, so anything can happen.
Tell us a little bit about how the whole process of being a director on this high-concept series works. Do they have the story fleshed out before they even approach you, or was it a fluid, on-the-go thing?
Frakes: The story was developed from two ideas that seem to have risen to the top of the cream. One was that she was playing her own twin, and the variation on that theme would be her dealing with a character with multiple personalities, which clearly had the most interesting storytelling potential. Once that was in place, we had a situation where we had a rough draft of a script. It’s a really a non-union, tightly-budgeted show, so there’s a lot of stuff going on the fly, and it was like being in film school. It was like in student film, the crew are like New York indie-movie crews given this opportunity by Albie to actually make a television show. The personnel were game for anything and that’s how I roll too, so it was a great experience out of the tradition of regular episodic shooting,
Between Cassie Howarth, Matthew Humphreys and Will Sanderson you really have three different generations of actors working on the set. With Sanderson as the eldest, how do you approach each differently as a director?
Frakes: Well I was a fan of Sanderson, with the Newhart show's Larry, Darryl and Darryl, and Deadwood. I've been a fan of his since he was in Blade Runner. He’s one of our guys, one of the great American character actors, I was happy to be in his company. He has a very special on-camera presence.
Is there a future in community-developed TV, users having more interaction in the media through the internet and fan communities? How do you think that’s going to play in the future of TV?
Frakes: I think that’s a very smart way to go. Because there’s less and less interest in traditional scripted television, due to reality shows and video games and a number of kids who don’t even have a TV who stream everything off their computers. I think between Will Wright and Albie, whoever decided to go this route, they will not be the last. The downside obviously is, then that the community begins to assume ownership over something in which they are merely participants. But that’s for someone else to handle.
Would you like to revisit the experience in the future, go back and direct more episodes?
Frakes: Absolutely, all they have to do is get picked up and I’m back. I think that the character Genie’s plays can come back as well, given the premise of the show is that you can change your fate, and she does. So I’d love to see her character return as well.
Was there anything about the distinct presence that Karma plays on the series has that spoke to you as a director?
Frakes: I was more about trying to honor the complicated subject matter of multiple personalities. It needed to be specific, and dealt with with a certain amount of respect. There's a direct line to post-traumatic stress that causes multiple personalities, as the medical research shows us. And members of the community, of the Bar Karma staff were also concerned that the characters that Genie plays were medically accurate. The focus of our storytelling isn’t just to be entertaining and fun, there was a certain commitment to doing the right thing by this particular medical phenomenon.
The user experience of creating the show is addicting, and to be an internet fan community that sees its ideas come to life, the fans are very strong and loyal.
Frakes: Yeah, my understanding is that theyre nothing if not loyal, sort of like Trekkies.
I know music is very big part of this show as well.
Frakes: Yeah, that’s Albie’s thing, he’s an old rock video producer. He created a lot of the music for Spongebob Squarepants when that became a huge hit. He’s all about music, he’s an old rocker. He’s got a very eccentric taste in music. We have country music in the show, we have jazz in the show, we have the traditional bar karma score, it’s all a huge part of the texture of the show.
You mentioned jazz, are we going to see any of your famous trombone skills?
Frakes: [Laughter] No trombone this time.
What’s next with your career with Leverage?
Frakes: I’m doing The Glades now, and then I do Burn Notice, and then I’m going to Portland to work on three or four episodes of Leverage.
What TV is out there that you would love to get your hands on directing, what are you watching?
Frakes: I love Nurse Jackie, Justified and Damages, all shows I'd be thrilled to work on. Having said that, I like returning to the shows I’ve been working on. I'm In Florida on The Glades, and we’re doing a huge NASCAR show this week. We've got Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano and Brian Vickers, four big NASCAR stars coming in to the homestead race track. Episodic TV can also become like a mini-movie, and that’s what’s happening here this week.
How do you feel about the current zeitgeist of fantasy and sci-fi, with all these huge fantasy epics like Avatar or even Star Wars, vs. the more grounded and structured, maybe even noble Trek?
Frakes: Very good question. Specifically with Star Trek I was really impressed with J.J [Abrams]' reboot out of our franchise, I thought he was loyal to the Roddenberry philosophy. The scope of the show was spectacular, the casting and storytelling Unlike some in the Star Trek family, I’m thrilled with what J.J. has done with the franchise. I was watching some reruns of Firefly because I was doing Castle with Nathan Fillion and I was always curious to see what that was. And I got a memo from Wil Wheaton, who’s working on Eureka which is also sci-fi-ish. It’s a genre that always needs to have a life on television. It had avid fans, for both the dark sci-fi and the fantasy sci-fi and I don’t think it’s going anywhere anytime soon. It’s like medical shows and procedurals; they’re part of what the audience expects on their menu.
I've heard you speak about your children slowly developing an interest in your Star Trek episodes, what was their take on the Abrams movie? Did they find it any more accessible?
Frakes: [Laughter] I don’t think my kids saw it. I mean they haven’t even seen my Star Trek movies. I keep thinking they’ll find some interest and see that Star Trek: First Contact was actually pretty good.
It’s been a few years since Star Trek's been on TV. How much longer do you think until it makes the leap back to the medium it started on?
Frakes: I had a Star Trek that I developed for TV, and we were told in no uncertain terms that they said no to a Bryan Singer television Star Trek, they said no to a William Shatner television Star Trek. They feel at CBS Paramount that they don’t want to make the same mistake that’s been made before, which was watering down the brand by having a TV show and a movie. That’s what happened with Star Trek: Nemesis, and that’s why I think Star Trek: Enterprise didn’t last the way they expected to. It was the classic corporate greed of “we've got something good, so let’s continue to milk it” and we milked it so dry that the fans had no appetite for a movie. So I think what they’ve done by taking time off before the Abrams Star Trek, and they're doing it again because they haven’t even begun to shoot the second one, is a much smarter business plan. Much to my chagrin! Not that I wouldn’t love the Titan, or the Rikers in Space, or any of those shows on the air.
I have an unusual question. The Rikers are from Alaska – any chance of any or Riker being a descendant of Sarah Palin?
Frakes: Oh, no! No, I think the Rikers are from a different part of Alaska than Palin’s family.
Another burning question. When are we going to see movement on a Gargoyles movie, or reboot?
Frakes: I don’t know why Gargoyles was taken off the air, but that's a question that always comes up. I was at Emerald City Comic-Con in Seattle and there’s always a factor of the audience who know that the show was taken off the air too quickly and I had thought that there were talks of a movie but I don’t think Greg Weisman or Jamie Thomasan are involved in it, which seems odd to me. So I’m not sure what the status of that is.
It was definitely a show that went before its time, and it's hugely ripe for some kind of reboot, or remake.
Frakes: I agree, totally. It was so literate, and filled with talented actors and writers, and the animation was great. It was very special, and it should still be on the air. Not only the mythology was great, but they had a lot of Shakespeare references, and the kids didn’t know it, but they were getting some version of education .
I’ve read that you’d been involved with Marvel Comics back in the day, and since Marvel is doing so much these days would you ever consider returning to work on any properties?
Frakes: I’ve been trying to get one of those big ones, Fantastic Four, Iron Man...really, nothing would thrill me more.
Search Amazon.com for star trek
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Wheaton Furious At TSA
Recently, Wil Wheaton had to undergo the indignity of a routine security at the Los Angeles airport and he found the experience anything but routine.
When passengers in America fly, they are given a choice between being scanned, where not much is left to the imagination, or if they opt out of the scan, an intrusive pat-down by a (Transportation Security Administration) TSA agent.
Wheaton chose the pat-down, partly due to concerns over the radiation exposure from the backscatter scanners, and partly due to privacy concerns. His pat-down experience left him “violated, humiliated and angry.”
“Yesterday, I was touched, in my opinion, inappropriately, by a TSA agent at LAX,” he said. “When I left the security screening yesterday, I didn’t feel safe. I felt violated, humiliated, assaulted, and angry. I felt like I never wanted to fly again. I was so furious and upset; my hands shook for quite some time after the ordeal was over. I felt sick to my stomach for hours.”
On his Twitter account, Wheaton said that he “got groped so aggressively…I never want to fly again. Not even my doctor touches my junk that much.”
Some people have chosen other means of transportation due to the choice between being seen nude or being groped, but that is not always an option. “I do not have the luxury of simply refusing to fly unless and until this policy changes,” Wheaton said. “I have to travel dozens of times a year for work, and it simply isn’t practical to travel any other way. Airlines know that I am not unique in this regard, so they have no incentive to take a stand on their customers’ behalf.
“I believe that the choice we are currently given by the American government when we need to fly is morally wrong, unconstitutional, and does nothing to enhance passenger safety.
“I don’t believe that all TSA officers are automatically bad people…For example, I recently flew out of Seattle, opted-out, and got a non-invasive, professional, polite pat-down. I realize that most TSA officers are doing the best they can in a job that requires them to interact with people who automatically dislike them and what they represent. It isn’t the individual officer who is the problem; it’s the policies he or she is instructed to carry out that need to change.”
Wheaton plans to consult his attorney regarding the ordeal.
When passengers in America fly, they are given a choice between being scanned, where not much is left to the imagination, or if they opt out of the scan, an intrusive pat-down by a (Transportation Security Administration) TSA agent.
Wheaton chose the pat-down, partly due to concerns over the radiation exposure from the backscatter scanners, and partly due to privacy concerns. His pat-down experience left him “violated, humiliated and angry.”
“Yesterday, I was touched, in my opinion, inappropriately, by a TSA agent at LAX,” he said. “When I left the security screening yesterday, I didn’t feel safe. I felt violated, humiliated, assaulted, and angry. I felt like I never wanted to fly again. I was so furious and upset; my hands shook for quite some time after the ordeal was over. I felt sick to my stomach for hours.”
On his Twitter account, Wheaton said that he “got groped so aggressively…I never want to fly again. Not even my doctor touches my junk that much.”
Some people have chosen other means of transportation due to the choice between being seen nude or being groped, but that is not always an option. “I do not have the luxury of simply refusing to fly unless and until this policy changes,” Wheaton said. “I have to travel dozens of times a year for work, and it simply isn’t practical to travel any other way. Airlines know that I am not unique in this regard, so they have no incentive to take a stand on their customers’ behalf.
“I believe that the choice we are currently given by the American government when we need to fly is morally wrong, unconstitutional, and does nothing to enhance passenger safety.
“I don’t believe that all TSA officers are automatically bad people…For example, I recently flew out of Seattle, opted-out, and got a non-invasive, professional, polite pat-down. I realize that most TSA officers are doing the best they can in a job that requires them to interact with people who automatically dislike them and what they represent. It isn’t the individual officer who is the problem; it’s the policies he or she is instructed to carry out that need to change.”
Wheaton plans to consult his attorney regarding the ordeal.
Netflix Trek Streaming To Begin This Summer
There is good news for Star Trek fans today as word comes courtesy of TrekMovie that Star Trek will begin streaming on Netflix in just a few short months.
Back in February, TrekToday announced that a two-year deal had been struck between CBS Corporation and Netflix, Inc. to stream select TV shows from CBS’s library, including Star Trek episodes from all five televised series.
Streaming will begin in July, with the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise being offered. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will begin streaming in October.
Netflix offers unlimited streaming for $7.99 a month. For $8.99, users can stream episodes to their iPhone and iPod touch, after downloading the free Netflix App from the App store. Shows can also be streamed to gaming consoles, DVRs and HDTVs.
Source: TrekMovie.com
Back in February, TrekToday announced that a two-year deal had been struck between CBS Corporation and Netflix, Inc. to stream select TV shows from CBS’s library, including Star Trek episodes from all five televised series.
Streaming will begin in July, with the original series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Enterprise being offered. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will begin streaming in October.
Netflix offers unlimited streaming for $7.99 a month. For $8.99, users can stream episodes to their iPhone and iPod touch, after downloading the free Netflix App from the App store. Shows can also be streamed to gaming consoles, DVRs and HDTVs.
Source: TrekMovie.com
Monday, April 4, 2011
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
'Fantasy Island' Star Montalban Dies at 88
LOS ANGELES (Jan. 14) - Ricardo Montalban, the Mexican-born actor who became a star in splashy MGM musicals and later as the wish-fulfilling Mr. Roarke in TV's "Fantasy Island," died Wednesday morning at his home, a city councilman said. He was 88.
Montalban's death was announced at a meeting of the city council by president Eric Garcetti, who represents the district where the actor lived. Garcetti did not give a cause of death.
According to Radar, the 88-year-old died of "natural causes" surrounded by his daughter and nurse.
"What you saw on the screen and on television and on talk shows, this very courtly, modest, dignified individual, that's exactly who he was," said Montalban's longtime friend and publicist David Brokaw.
Montalban had been a star in Mexican movies when MGM brought him to Hollywood in 1946. He was cast in the leading role opposite Esther Williams in "Fiesta
," and starred again with the swimming beauty in "On an Island with You
" and "Neptune's Daughter ."But Montalban was best known as the faintly mysterious, white-suited Mr. Roarke, who presided over a tropical island resort where visitors were able to fulfill their lifelong dreams - usually at the unexpected expense of a difficult life lesson. Following a floatplane landing and lei ceremony, he greeted each guest with the line: "I am Mr. Roarke, your host. Welcome to Fantasy Island
." The show ran from 1978 to 1984.More recently, he appeared as villains in two hits of the 1980s: "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
" and the farcical "The Naked Gun
: From the Files of Police Squad."Between movie and TV roles, Montalban was active in the theater. He starred on Broadway in the 1957 musical "Jamaica" opposite Lena Horne, picking up a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical.
He toured in Shaw's "Don Juan in Hell," playing Don Juan, a performance critic John Simon later recalled as "irresistible." In 1965 he appeared on tour in the Yul Brynner role in "The King and I."
"The Ricardo Montalban Theatre in my Council District - where the next generations of performers participate in plays, musicals, and concerts - stands as a fitting tribute to this consummate performer," Garcetti said later in a written statement.
"Fantasy Island" received high ratings for most of its run on ABC, and still appears in reruns. Mr. Roarke and his sidekick, Tattoo, played by the 3-foot, 11-inch Herve Villechaize, reached the state of TV icons. Villechaize died in 1993.
In a 1978 interview, Montalban analyzed the series's success:
"What is appealing is the idea of attaining the unattainable and learning from it. Once you obtain a fantasy, it becomes a reality, and that reality is not as exciting as your fantasy. Through the fantasies you learn to appreciate your own realities."
As for Mr. Roarke: "Was he a magician? A hypnotist? Did he use hallucinogenic drugs? I finally came across a character that works for me. He has the essence of mystery, but I need a point of view so that my performance is consistent. I now play him 95 percent believable and 5 percent mystery. He doesn't have to behave mysteriously; only what he does is mysterious."
In 1970, Montalban organized fellow Latino actors into an organization called Nosotros ("We"), and he became the first president. Their aim: to improve the image of Spanish-speaking Americans on the screen; to assure that Latin-American actors were not discriminated against; to stimulate Latino actors to study their profession.
Montalban commented in a 1970 interview:
"The Spanish-speaking American boy sees Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid wipe out a regiment of Bolivian soldiers. He sees `The Wild Bunch' annihilate the Mexican army. It's only natural for him to say, `Gee, I wish I were an Anglo."'
Montalban was no stranger to prejudice. He was born Nov. 25, 1920, in Mexico City, the son of parents who had emigrated from Spain. The boy was brought up to speak the Castilian Spanish of his forebears. To Mexican ears that sounded strange and effeminate, and young Ricardo was jeered by his schoolmates.
His mother also dressed him with old-country formality, and he wore lace collars and short pants "long after my legs had grown long and hairy," he wrote in his 1980 autobiography, "Reflections: A Life in Two Worlds."
"It is not easy to grow up in a country that has different customs from your own family's."
While driving through Texas with his brother, Montalban recalled seeing a sign on a diner: "No Dogs or Mexicans Allowed." In Los Angeles, where he attended Fairfax High School, he and a friend were refused entrance to a dance hall because they were Mexicans.
Rather than seek a career in Hollywood, Montalban played summer stock in New York. He returned to Mexico City and played leading roles in movies from 1941 to 1945. That led to an MGM contract.
Besides the Williams spectacles, the handsome actor appeared in "Sombrero" (opposite Pier Angeli), "Two Weeks With Love
" (Jane Powell) and "Latin Lovers" (Lana Turner).He also appeared in dramatic roles in such films as "Border Incident
," "Battleground
," " Mystery Street
" and "Right Cross.""Movies were never kind to me; I had to fight for every inch of film," he reflected in 1970. "Usually my best scenes would end up on the cutting-room floor."
Montalban had better luck after leaving MGM in 1953, though he was usually cast in ethnic roles. He appeared as a Japanese kabuki actor in "Sayonara
" and an Indian in "Cheyenne Autumn
." His other films included: "Madame X
," "The Singing Nun
," "Sweet Charity
," "Escape from the Planet of the Apes
" and "Conquest of the Planet of the Apes
."Montalban was sometimes said to be the source of Billy Crystal's "you look MAHvelous" character on "Saturday Night Live," though the inspiration was really Argentinian-born actor Fernando Lamas.
In 1944, Montalban married Georgiana Young, actress and model and younger sister of actress Loretta Young. Both Roman Catholics, they remained one of Hollywood's most devoted couples. She died in 2007. They had four children: Laura, Mark, Anita and Victor.
Montalban suffered a spinal injury in a horse fall while making a 1951 Clark Gable Western, "Across the Wide Missouri," and thereafter walked with a limp he managed to mask during his performances.
In 1993, Montalban lost the feeling in his leg, and exhaustive tests showed that he had suffered a small hemorrhage in his neck, similar to the injury decades earlier. He underwent 9 1/2 hours of spinal surgery at UCLA Medical Center.
Despite the constant pain, the actor was able to take a role in an Aaron Spelling TV series, "Heaven Help Us." Twice a month in 1994, he flew to San Antonio for two or three days of filming as an angel who watched over a young couple.
In an interview at the time, Montalban remarked: "I've never given up hope. But I have to be realistic. I gave my tennis rackets to my son, figuring I'll never play again. But my doctor said, `Don't say that. Strange things happen. You never know."'
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Funeral held in Los Angeles for Majel Barrett Roddenberry, widow of `Star Trek' creator
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - Funeral services were held for Majel Barrett Roddenberry, "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry's widow who played Nurse Christine Chapel in the original sci-fi TV series.
Friends, family and Trekkies were among more than 250 people who attended the funeral Sunday at a Los Angeles cemetery. Roddenberry died of leukemia at her Bel-Air home Dec. 18. She was 76.
Among the mourners were "Star Trek" stars Nichelle Nichols, George Takei and Walter Koenig.
Three people wore Star Fleet Academy formal tunics, and many others sported "Star Trek" rings, pins or medallions.
Roddenberry was involved in the "Star Trek" universe for more than four decades. She played the dark-haired Number One in the original pilot, but metamorphosed into the blond, miniskirted Nurse Chapel in the 1966-69 TV series. She had smaller roles in all the show's TV successors.
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