Shatner whining a decoy?

[Dale]

North Pole-aris said:

merry CHRISTmas said:
Methinks people don't get Shatner's sense of humor... the whining is meant as comedy, but it's a very particular wry sort of Shatneresque comedy that is coming across as bitchiness. I am confident that he's not in the movie, but am also confident that he's not really being such a prick about the whole thing but is merely having us all on.

I "get him" just fine, though he's rarely as funny as his fans seem to think - narcissistic hamming is a giggle sometimes, but "wry" it isn't.

And people who've dealt with him can tell you he's quite capable of being a prick, so that "confidence" is...speculative.

Completely granted. Shatner is an egotist and it's entirely possible that his whining is genuine, but I also know he can be awfully deadpan in his delivery sometimes and people thinks he means it when he's clearly kidding or portraying a stereotype of himself. Self-mockery is a dangerous business and in the Shat's case it sometimes works but often he fails to make it clear he's joking.

My position on Shatner returning to Trek was best stated in another thread: Too Old, Too Fat, Too Late, No Shat.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

merry CHRISTmas said:
I also know he can be awfully deadpan in his delivery sometimes and people thinks he means it when he's clearly kidding or portraying a stereotype of himself.

Quite possible. You're right.

Shatner is an egotist and it's entirely possible that his whining is genuine...

Also possible. What's hysterical are folks who can't even acknowledge the possibility that what's reported is as reported - people who are compelled to begin making excuses immediately.

 

[Outpost4]

North Pole-aris said:
No, the producers don't like what's happening.

PowderedToastMan said:
no the producers dont like everything that shatner has said. not all publicity is good publicity

I am surprised that they don't just laugh Shatner off but I will certainly take your information as more enlightened than my opinion. I retract my early post about this being good buzz. My mistake.

 

[Captain59]

Shatner's in the movie.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

Captain59 said:
Shatner's in the movie.

Nope.

 

[Superman]

North Pole-aris said:
Absolutely Right(TM).

Still using this brilliant little gem?

How boring.

As is your attempt at appearing to know jack about the behind the scenes goings-on regarding this film.

\S/

 

[Franklin]

DrunkenSanta said:

North Pole-aris said:
No, the producers don't like what's happening.

PowderedToastMan said:
no the producers dont like everything that shatner has said. not all publicity is good publicity

I am surprised that they don't just laugh Shatner off but I will certainly take your information as more enlightened than my opinion. I retract my early post about this being good buzz. My mistake.

I think what it shows here is Shatner is not a decoy. He's on the outside pissing in. The kind of publicity he is starting to generate (hoping it bombs) isn't good. Not everyone (especially a broad movie-going audience) is familiar with Shatner's sense of humor or ego.

What makes Shatner's grousing open to being thought of as a ploy is Abrams et al won't once and for all say he's not in it. Period. Just say after giving it considerable thought, they just can't think of a viable way to fit him in. Or, blame it on the writer's strike. Or whatever.

Abrams could end all speculation and put Shatner's antics into their true context if he wanted to. So, in a way, he is responsible at this point for the speculation and wondering if this is all a publicity stunt. When Abrams has had enough of it, I'm sure we'll hear a statement.

(Unless, of course, it IS all a publicity stunt. )

 

[Colonel Green]

ncc74302 said:
Paul McGillion wasn't cast in the role he wanted, and he's actually being very respectful and professional in all the interviews I've seen.

That isn't really a fair comparison. McGillion is young and has his career to think of. The last thing he would want to to be labelled as difficult or a whiner.

Shatner on the other hand has nothing to lose. He's already world famous and the star of a hit show. Not to mention that he's got one foot in the grave.

 

[FabiusMaximus]

I just think all this could be handled better. Doesn't Shat have an agent or manager or friend who might consul him on how all of this appears? Couldn't Lenny pick up the phone and bend his ear just a little? And certainly the producers could have helped out with a little straight talk as well. If this a "tactic" on anyone's part it seems a bit strange. In the end I hope that we have a great movie we can talk about ad infinitum, I would even love to see an appearance by the old Kirk himself; but until then, the whole is he or isn't he has gotten tiresome.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

FabiusMaximus said:
I just think all this could be handled better...And certainly the producers could have helped out with a little straight talk as well.

What makes you think they didn't? Simply because they haven't announced to the Internet what their conversations with Shatner were doesn't mean that they haven't been completely direct with him.

Shatner's own statements over the last year and a half concerning his conversations with Abrams conflict with one another. He doesn't really have his own story straight.

 

[zenophite]

ncc74302 said:
Here's something to think about... I haven't seen this
suggested anywhere.

Methinks you haven't looked very much. Several people including myself have mentioned the likelihood of this several times.

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

It's mentioned several times a day here, on Trekmovie.com and Trekweb and just about anywhere this movie is being discussed.

 

[Akiraprise]

Superman said:

OphaClyde said:

North Pole-aris said:

OphaClyde said:
My gosh, they are getting free press everywhere. And you know the old saying, any press is good press. He might even be on Paramount's dole to bring notice to the new film.

No, the producers don't like what's happening.

Ah, you have inside information. Excellent.

And I believe Andy Kaufman is on line two...

Ignore Mr. Bailey.

He thinks far too highly of himself and even goes so far as to entertain delusions that he's actually important enough to warrant "inside" information of any kind.

\S/

I think you've gotten in enough jabs on Dennis lately here, here, and here. . This is trolling and will be warned as such.
Plus you were friendlied against slamming other posters here.
Keep the personal attacks out of this forum.

 

[Avilos]

Another fallacy of this "Shatner Whining = Publicity = Shanter in Trek XI" is only WE are paying attention! Only Fan aimed websites and media are covering these comments. What is the point of concocting a phony negative marketing campaign aimed at the audience that is going to see the movie no matter what??? That whole line of reasoning is BS!

 

[Navigator_NCC2120]

merry CHRISTmas said:

My position on Shatner returning to Trek was best stated in another thread: Too Old, Too Fat, Too Late, No Shat.

Shatner could always lose the weight. Bruce Greenwood is 51 years old and is too old to play Capt. Christopher Pike and yet JJ Abrams cast Greenwood in Star Trek 11 as Capt. Pike. Jeffrey Hunter turned 38 years old when they filmed him as Capt. Pike in "The Cage" in late November and early December 1964. So if Pike and Spock served onboard the Enterprise for two consecutive 5 year missions that would make Pike at most 48 years old when turning command of the Enterprise over to Kirk. We don't know at what point in time during this 10 year period that Pike and Spock served together on the Enterprise that Star Trek 11 will focus on, but clearly Greenwood at 51 is too old.


Navigator NCC-2120 USS Entente
/\

 

[StarMan]

As the only indication that Shatner is in Trek XI are his dismayed comments that he is not in Trek XI... I think it's safe to say he is - shock, horror of all things - NOT in the fucking movie!

Let me ask you this: If keeping Shatner's involvement secret is a big PR card, wouldn't it make more sense from a business standpoint to conceal both his AND Nimoy's participation?

 

[Opus]

StarMan said:
As the only indication that Shatner is in Trek XI are his dismayed comments that he is not in Trek XI... I think it's safe to say he is - shock, horror of all things - NOT in the fucking movie!

Let me ask you this: If keeping Shatner's involvement secret is a big PR card, wouldn't it make more sense from a business standpoint to conceal both his AND Nimoy's participation?

No. Nimoy is the good cop endorsing the movie being in it. Great positive buzz is coming from Nimoy on a weekly basis.

Shatner gets to be the "bad boy", talking about not getting a role in the movie, but constantly talking the movie up, "New Star Trek movie coming out December 2008!" He hasn't said the script is crap, or the choice of Pine was bad. As a matter of fact, he's stated the opposite. He's been... calculated with his "criticisms", saying the only thing he doesn't like is not being asked to be in the "movie"... "The New Star Trek movie coming out December 2008 to a theatre near you!"

:thumbsup:

 

[Admiral Buzzkill]

The truth about this, based on reading what various producers have said, seems to be too simple for everyone to buy into: everyone involved is telling the truth about Shatner not being in the film at this point.

The approach of the filmmakers has been consistent - they want people to know as little about the film as possible, and they want positive publicity for it where they can get it. Abrams is described in a recent article as believing that the less people know about the film the bigger the opening box office will be.

Everything that the filmmakers have said publicly about the movie has been directed toward reassuring and encouraging people who are Trek fans - whether successfully or not is another matter, but that's been their clearly communicated intent.

Look to the Comic-Con announcement about Nimoy for the pattern. If Shatner were in the film at this point, the producers would be trumpeting that and then keeping the nature of his involvement completely secret. The positive publicity value in that would be far greater and more useful to them than Shatner going around stirring up negative expectations about the film.

Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar.

 

[Opus]

You just posted on the board a link from Hollywood.com an article about the upcoming Trek movie, and I quote:

At last summer’s San Diego Comic-Con Abrams told a crowd of fans that he held high hopes that they new film would also feature William Shatner reprising his role as Captain Kirk (despite the fact Kirk was killed off in the seventh feature film, 1994’s Generations).

"There are still ongoing talks," reported Lindelof. "We're pretty much exactly where we were with Comic Con … Look, the reality is Trek was up and running and in existence and iconic before we came so we've been basically invited to the party that these guys have been throwing for the last 40 years, so obviously it would be HUGE if Mr. Shatner wanted to be any part of the franchise. It's a challenge for us, though, because they killed Kirk off … But hey, it's Trek, anything's possible, right?

That doesn't sound like the final nail is in the coffin to keep Shatner out of the movie. Sounds like they REALLY would want him to have a part! So Shatner's on one end spinning his yarns keeping Trek on the public's mind, and the producers are on the other saying they'd LOVE to have him in the movie. Sounds like a great PR campaign to me.

And WHY NOT keep Shatner's involvement in Trek a secret? It would also be a great casting coup, having everyone believe Shatner's not in the movie, based on Shatner's own words, then have him show up a la Patrick Duffy/Suzaane Pleshette in the final scenes. It would make for great buzz after the movie opens and might even give Trek an unheard of better second weekend box office than the first!

Oh yeah, YOU'D rather just think of him as a bitter Joan Crawford type: "No... Wire... Hangers!" WHAP!

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

As David Marcus said in TWOK, "This is just to give us something to do, isn't it?"