Tag Archives: Star Trek

Resistance is futile

Posted on September 7, 2012 | Leave a comment

Today is Star Trek‘s 46th birthday.

Google made them this way cool doodle.

I didn’t get them anything.

But to be fair, they didn’t post their birthday on Facebook…so I’m just now hearing about it.

I do wish them many warm regards.  They are younger than I thought. I hope they don’t take offense at that comment.  It just seems like they were always on the air when I was a kid.

I started watching Trek at first because my brother did.  I thought he was cool. I wanted to be cool.  So I watched.  Then it was about the series…so much so that when Star Wars came around, I boycotted it on principle.

We’re talking serious Trekker.

When I worked at Hallmark Cards, I developed a line of Star Trek cards.  I even did a focus group on Deep Space Nine — got a bunch of guys from IT to help me flesh out the offering.

Good times.

Happy Birthday Star Trek!  Live long and prosper.

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Chris crossed

Posted on May 1, 2012 | Leave a comment

While catching up on my late night programming this morning, I saw that actor Chris Evans – the guy in the Star Trek remake — was on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.

I could watch that.

But when I did, it wasn’t Captain Kirk at all.  It was Captain America from the new Avengers movie.

I had my superheroes — and my Chrises — all mixed up.

Chris Evans

Chris Pine

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my defense, the two do look a lot a like.  They’re even the same age (well, Chris Pine is one year older).  And they’ve both been seen on the big screen in a series of lighthearted romantic comedies before they buffed up for their bigger-than-life, save-the-planet roles.

Chris Evans was in The Nanny Diaries with his current Avengers co-star Scarlett Johansson (shown at left), and in What’s Your Number? with funny lady Anna Faris.

In his early days, Chris Pine romanced Anne Hathaway in Princess Diaries 2 and Lindsay Lohan in Just My Luck.

There’s a title for ya.

But seriously — would you have known the difference if I hadn’t given you a primer?  I mean, would you?  Really?

(Say no.  I need reassurance that my synapses are firing correctly.)

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Geek alert

Posted on November 3, 2011 | Leave a comment

Have you heard?

An aircraft carrier-sized asteroid is coming within 200,000 miles of Earth next week.  That’s closer than the moon.  But not close enough to hit us or change the tides or make our skin hang funny.

Or so they say.

Is this really an asteroid?  Or is that story merely a cover?  Could we be in danger of attack by an alien life form?

It’s happened before. On film.

If you know anything about Star Trek – and I do — that chunk of rock bears a striking resemble to the probe sent to Earth in 1986 to communicate with humpback whales in…

Anyone?

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home

That is correct.

Perhaps this asteroid that scientists are so ready to dismiss is really an example of life imitating art.

Well…it could happen. (If you hear whale song, make a run for it!)

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Lip service

Posted on April 23, 2011 | Leave a comment

At first, I attributed the phenomenon to DVR-itis.

I was out Thursday night, and Friday was playing catchup on the NBC comedy lineup.  Even fast-forwarding through the commercials, it seemed like promos for The Voice were on every break.  So I started paying closer attention…

They were on every break.

And pretty much the same one, too…where Adam Levine says “I have to work with you,” and Christina Aguilera throws her arms up in the air and dances around in her big Star Trek captain’s chair.

By the time I finished 30 Rock, it wasn’t a promo anymore — it was torture.  I was ready to talk…about anything.

[A 30 Rock writer even tweeted an apology for The Voice promo overload, but quickly deleted it.  Job security, much?]

Now I read that Saturday Night Live* is being delayed tonight for a full two minutes to give the audience “an early look” at the new singing competition.  Granted, SNL is a rerun this week, but…

COME ON!

There is a fine line between promotion and saturation, and NBC — you crossed it last Tuesday!  I know you guys are excited to have anything new to crow about, but leave the audience wanting more, ya know?

At the rate you’re going, the audience is just gonna leave.

What’s left of ‘em.

*  NBC delayed Tonight Show with Jay Leno Thursday by an astounding 12 minutes to promote The Voice.  While in theory this practice is beyond egregious, I feel in this extremely rare case, NBC did viewers a favor. 

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Pause…a lot

Posted on March 22, 2011 | 1 Comment

Happy…International…TALKLike…William Shatner…DAY!

What’s that, you say?

You…didn’tKNOW?

Yep.  This is the third annual event, celebrated on the anniversary of the big guy’s birth.  It even has its own Facebook page.

There you can read the history behind the holiday.  How two guys had the same idea at roughly the same time and posted similar pages.  Then, before intergalactic war broke out, they realized there wasn’t any stealing going on — great minds just Kirk alike!

And so now, we pause — and I mean pause a lot – as we commemorate the great Captain James T. Kirk and his staggering use of inflection.

As the holiday’s creators put it…

“So come one, come all, andpause… in… strange … placeswhenyou…… speak… EVERY… March 22nd. Be instructed… by LaMarche’s videos… REVEL… in Doug Van………….Horn’s vision! And TALK….. likewilliamshatner.”

Like they said.

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Summer school

Posted on July 5, 2010 | Leave a comment

The Fourth of July was the official start of summer, and for some peeps, that means summer school.

Regis and Kelly are both going this week — for ratings, not grades — and are studying some really cool subjects: pizza-making, gymnastics, acting, bicycling, even how to be a ball boy at the U.S. Open tennis tournament.  (Heck, if they had offered stuff like that in summer school when I was a kid, I would have wanted to go.)

Which begs the question:  what kind of fun courses could I take this summer…if I wanted to go?

“The Art of Walking” — Once I tell you this is offered at a college in Kentucky, you’ll be less surprised.

“Maple Syrup: The Real Thing” — This Alfred University class teaches students how to make maple syrup.  (No prior experience is required)

“The Phallus” — Occidental College in Los Angeles offers this one.  Hope I get an A.

“Learning from YouTube” — Once I tell you this is offered at a college in California, you’ll be less surprised.

But seriously, here are a few that I would take:

“The Science of Harry Potter” — At Frostburg University in Maryland, you can see the science behind the movie magic.  (Insert spell here)

“Star Trek and Philosophy” – In this Georgetown University class, you watch Star Trek, read philosophy and talk about it. I’m guessing William Shatner will sit this one out.

“Twilight: The Texts and the Fandom” — Brand new at Cambridge University, this course examines the saga’s impact on popular culture, even allowing people outside the class to participate online.

Hmmm.  Wonder which one I’ll take first…?

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Resistance is futile.

Posted on December 11, 2009 | Leave a comment

Okay, haters — it’s time to admit the world has succumbed.

Taylor Lautner is hosting “Saturday Night Live” this weekend.

Anna Kendrick — Jessica in the “Twilight” saga — is getting much-deserved Oscar buzz for going toe-to-toe with George Clooney in “Up in the Air” (and stealing many if not most scenes in the process).

“Eclipse,” the next installment in the “Twilight” saga, announced this week its simultaneous IMAX release in June, 2010.

And in the ultimate sign of surrender, Uma Thurman, Robert Pattinson’s co-star in the 2011 movie “Bel Ami,” broke up with her fiancee as the movie begins pre-production.

Ya just can’t fight this thing, people.  Better men (and women) than you have tried.

In the words of the Borg — that’s a Star Trek reference for those less geeky than I — well…just read the title.

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Box-ing office?

Posted on November 1, 2009 | Leave a comment

If you were on Twitter at all on Halloween, you may have noticed that one of the trending topics was #potterday.

It seems the fans of the Harry Potter books and films were chatting them up, and why not?  On a holiday where ghosts and goblins walk the earth, talk of wizards and death eaters seems apropos.

But when I read the potterday tweets — and added one of my own (heck, I like Harry as much as the next muggle) — I noticed a few felt it necessary to slam “Twilight” in the process:

“Who needs vampires?  We have magic.”

Why do you have to dislike “Twilight” to like Harry Potter?  Are the two mutually exclusive?  Why is life always a competition?

It reminds me a bit of my youth.  (Yes, I can remember back that far.)  When “Star Wars” came out, many “Star Trek” fans — and I am pointing the finger straight back at myself  — were insulted by the very presence of this new saga and boycotted it.  Years passed before I saw “Star Wars” in its entirety, and that was mainly because of Harrison Ford.  He was big time by then, and I wanted to see his take on Hans Solo.

In retrospect, it was a ridiculous reaction.

I think the same thing about the Mac/PC wars.  I own a PC, and always have — mainly because an overwhelming majority of the business world operates on PCs.  I have worked on a Mac in the past, and I personally didn’t find the transition from PC to Mac to be difficult.  I think both platforms have their pros and cons, and I am entertained by the vehement love/hate that people display for the different platforms.

I just don’t see it.

But, that’s me.  I like PCs.  I like Mac’s.  I like “Star Trek.”  I like “Star Wars.”  (Okay, I’ll always like “Star Trek” a bit more…it was my first sci-fi.)

And I love Harry Potter and “Twilight.”  To me, they are very different and are not competing or attempting to muscle one another out at the box office.

Can’t we all just get along?

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