Happy International Talk Like William Shatner Day!

Today is "International Talk Like William Shatner Day!"

Enjoy the day and be sure to at least drop a line or two on someone out there.

Let Me Get This Straight... Captain Kirk Is Climbing A Mountain?

William Shatner Teaches Kids How Cool It Is To Launch Rockets (Rare Footage)

Some old-ass footage here. And as always, you can never get too much Shatner — especially 70's Shatner!

Shatner Eats Pudding

This is just messed up, man.

Thanks to Ben for sending!

Lean Times: William Shatner's Long Lost Loblaws Grocery Store Commercial

Jackpot!

I was trying to come up with some Shatner Promise margarine footage when BAM! -- up comes an awesome alternative. Check this out:



Sometime after Star Trek TOS but before TJ Hooker, The Shat was doing whatever he had to in order to scratch a living. Hell, he was living out of a pickup truck with his dog after TOS was canceled, which is crazy when you think about it. Then syndication came into play and the rest is history.

Shatner On Match Game

Somewhere between his Promise margarine tv commercials and drama series TJ Hooker, William Shatner made several guest star appearances on Match Game.

I tried searching for Shatner Match Game clips on YouTube but came up short, so a pic will have to suffice.

If you find anyShatner-specific Match Game footage -- or better yet, a Shatner Promise margarine vid -- leave it in the comments below and I will post.

William Shatner And Gene Simmons Are Both A-Holes

I really believe this. William Shatner and Gene Simmons act in pretty much the same manner and have been doing so for decades. Both men are idolized by millions and they're experts at marketing themselves to become filthy rich. But that alone does not make them a-holes.

I have watched and listened to both of these guys for years and have been appalled by their attitudes. Here is a list of characteristics/personality traits which I think they both share:

• Self-absorbed
• Arrogant
• Rude
• Defiant
• Often speak poorly of others
• Greedy

Over the years, particularly during my youth, Shatner and Simmons have each contributed many great moments to my life. I used to be a huge KISS fan -- I bought every album, every poster and button, etc -- until one day after graduating from high school I realized that KISS was approximately 10% music and 90% gimmick. And then I started listening to Simmons talk. About himself, primarily. Ugh.

Shatner is another story. I still think Trek TOS is one the greatest fictional works ever put together. Kirk was probably the biggest hero I had growing up. And to this day I still love what he did with the character. I bought the movies and the tchochkies and yes, even a few of Shatner's books. But in reality when I stop and think about it... Shatner is every bit as self-serving and arrogant as Simmons is, if not more. Nearly every time I've listened to him, whether on Howard Stern or as a host of some documentary or whatever... Shatner just comes off as a person who could not care less about the fans who made him who he is. Just... so full of himself. I've never met the man but I have heard and read plenty of things to form a personal opinion.

It's kind of sad to see two of my childhood heroes for who they really are. Does anyone agree with me?

Shatner Sings To George Lucas

Now granted, this isn't anything new but I wanted to get it on the blog in case you missed it, or in case you just wanted to watch it again. The Shat was in fine form back when he sang to George Lucas during Lucas' 2006 induction into the American Film Institute.

Shatner's Rock Monster Revealed

Ah, Star Trek V: The Final Frontier, also known as The Great Trek Turd Of '89. This was William Shatner's shot at the director's chair, and let's just say things did not go as planned. There were technical issues, budget constraints, and a writer's strike. Making matters worse was the fact that ILM was booked working on other films. The special effects were farmed out to a lesser-capable effects house, and considered by many to be sub-par.

Speaking of special effects, Shatner had originally wanted the climax of the film to feature ten fierce-looking rock monsters. After one of these creatures was constructed, the studio informed Shatner that each one would cost $350,000 to build -- very pricey. Having ten of these rock monsters was out of the question, so Shatner considered featuring a lesser number. In the end, Shatner did not like the look of the creature (he thought it looked cheesy) and took a pass on the concept.

Which brings us to the video clip below. It is a screen test of Shatner's legendary rock monster. Prior to now, this video has been seen by only a select few.



More photos and a write-up over at Den Of Geek!

I loves me some rock monsters! What do you guys think? Is it that bad?

Thanks to Denofgeek.com