cactuswatcher (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cactuswatcher) wrote2004-02-08 09:32 am
cactuswatcher) wrote2004-02-08 09:32 am
On Celebrity
I see in the paper that William Shatner is coming to Phoenix for a StarTrek convention on Valentine's Day. It says the rate for getting an autograph or a picture taken with him is $60. My first reaction is 'who'd pay $60 to stand next to that ham?' What a waste of money. What an insensitive person to choose as your role model. But then I think, and realize I've wasted that much money on stupider things. If people want to have a souvenir of Capt. Kirk that badly, they probably will be very happy when they get it and for years and years afterward.
I certainly don't blame Shatner. He probably made less for a whole season of ST than Sarah Michelle Gellar was getting per episode of Buffy at the end. A whole set of original-cast Star Trek autobiographies came out about a decade ago. I read most of them. Each had a different slant. Nichelle Nichols seemed mostly concerned with talking about being a black woman and with being Roddenbury's girlfriend for a while and how that didn't seem to affect her friendship with Majel Barret who was also his girlfriend at pretty much the exact same time. George Takei's book was in some ways the most interesting, because he talked about being swept up in the roundup of Japanese-Americans during WWII. He also had the most to say about what it was like trying to become an actor. James Doohan's was interesting because he very modestly told his own story of landing with his Canadian unit on D-Day, and how his ability to do a scottish accent didn't really do much for his career. Lenard Nimoy spent a good bit of his book "I am Spock" appologizing for getting disgusted at fans and writing his earlier book "I am not Spock." Shatner's book was interesting because not only did he admit he didn't understand, that he was the pompous ass on set everyone else was describing in their books, but it was clear from his prose he still didn't understand how much he'd hurt people back then. It was also interesting that De Forrest Kelly publically refused to write an autobiography during that time period.
Still it was intersting that in each and every case, the actors were careful to point out that for all intents and purposes acting is a parttime job. Shatner was busy running family errands most of the day on which he auditioned for Captain Kirk. Nimoy insisted on having his own private telephone in his dressingroom so he could run his own businesses when he wasn't actually on set. None of them had the kind of opportunity most of the BtVS stars had to go off and make movies during the shooting hiaitus.
The flick "Galaxy Quest" did a great job of showing what running around being a minor celebrity must be like. I certainly don't blame Iyari Limon, Stephanie Romanov or anyone else, even Shatner for trying to make a living while people still remeber them.
Despite having read the autobiographies I'm not really much interested in celebrities. When I was back in grad school
I went to a friend's graduation because President Ford was going to speak. About all that was memorable about it was that I noticed the man was left-handed. During the same period of time I had two interesting run-ins with "celebrities." The first was with a young, local up-and-coming politcian. As I was walking into a department store, he was coming out. I unconsiously grinned thinking to myself, "There's that dumb clown I see on TV all time." Misinterpreting my smile the politician trust out his chest and puffed up joyfully because someone he'd never met recognized him. A week later I was at the airport waiting for a flight. My seat in the waiting area was such that people coming in from gates down the way had to walk right toward me. I was staring off in space when I noticed a very familar face walking toward me. He was an ex-baseball player, and a good one, he'd won a League Most Valuable Player award not so long before. I guessed from what I'd heard that he must in town interviewing for a coaching job with the local minor league team. I smiled at him. He noticed me, saw that I recognized him and saw I wasn't going to jump up and bother him. He smiled and nodded to me as if we were old friends and continued on his way. Who was the modest, friendly celebrity? Joe Torre the current manager of the New York Yankees. Who was the prideful celebrity? Does it matter?
I certainly don't blame Shatner. He probably made less for a whole season of ST than Sarah Michelle Gellar was getting per episode of Buffy at the end. A whole set of original-cast Star Trek autobiographies came out about a decade ago. I read most of them. Each had a different slant. Nichelle Nichols seemed mostly concerned with talking about being a black woman and with being Roddenbury's girlfriend for a while and how that didn't seem to affect her friendship with Majel Barret who was also his girlfriend at pretty much the exact same time. George Takei's book was in some ways the most interesting, because he talked about being swept up in the roundup of Japanese-Americans during WWII. He also had the most to say about what it was like trying to become an actor. James Doohan's was interesting because he very modestly told his own story of landing with his Canadian unit on D-Day, and how his ability to do a scottish accent didn't really do much for his career. Lenard Nimoy spent a good bit of his book "I am Spock" appologizing for getting disgusted at fans and writing his earlier book "I am not Spock." Shatner's book was interesting because not only did he admit he didn't understand, that he was the pompous ass on set everyone else was describing in their books, but it was clear from his prose he still didn't understand how much he'd hurt people back then. It was also interesting that De Forrest Kelly publically refused to write an autobiography during that time period.
Still it was intersting that in each and every case, the actors were careful to point out that for all intents and purposes acting is a parttime job. Shatner was busy running family errands most of the day on which he auditioned for Captain Kirk. Nimoy insisted on having his own private telephone in his dressingroom so he could run his own businesses when he wasn't actually on set. None of them had the kind of opportunity most of the BtVS stars had to go off and make movies during the shooting hiaitus.
The flick "Galaxy Quest" did a great job of showing what running around being a minor celebrity must be like. I certainly don't blame Iyari Limon, Stephanie Romanov or anyone else, even Shatner for trying to make a living while people still remeber them.
Despite having read the autobiographies I'm not really much interested in celebrities. When I was back in grad school
I went to a friend's graduation because President Ford was going to speak. About all that was memorable about it was that I noticed the man was left-handed. During the same period of time I had two interesting run-ins with "celebrities." The first was with a young, local up-and-coming politcian. As I was walking into a department store, he was coming out. I unconsiously grinned thinking to myself, "There's that dumb clown I see on TV all time." Misinterpreting my smile the politician trust out his chest and puffed up joyfully because someone he'd never met recognized him. A week later I was at the airport waiting for a flight. My seat in the waiting area was such that people coming in from gates down the way had to walk right toward me. I was staring off in space when I noticed a very familar face walking toward me. He was an ex-baseball player, and a good one, he'd won a League Most Valuable Player award not so long before. I guessed from what I'd heard that he must in town interviewing for a coaching job with the local minor league team. I smiled at him. He noticed me, saw that I recognized him and saw I wasn't going to jump up and bother him. He smiled and nodded to me as if we were old friends and continued on his way. Who was the modest, friendly celebrity? Joe Torre the current manager of the New York Yankees. Who was the prideful celebrity? Does it matter?
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The only one I approached was Spiner, and he was very gracious about the autograph. I'm not a celebrity person, either.
Glad to see you on LJ. We should do lunch the next time I'm in the Phoenix area.
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Celebrities
My problem is that I am totally unable to cope with seeing anyone even mildly well-known. I was visiting LA years ago and walked by Susan Dey (when she was still Laurie from the Partridge Family, and long before LA Law) and had to just about run out of the store, I was so excited. On the same trip to LA I was dining in a little cafe and Michael Ansara came in for a sandwich (a Reuben, and he drank an humungous Dr. Pepper with it). So that's what I did, sat there thinking, "Wow...a Romulan drinking Dr. Pepper!" and was totally unable to either speak, or eat my own meal. That's bad enough, but I'm also overcome with the need to giggle hysterically, which is no doubt upsetting for the object of my attention, even though I'm just about choking trying to hide it.
Yep, really not safe to take out in public...
;o)
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