ABay July 24, 2014 Share July 24, 2014 (edited) Galaxy Quest is one of my favorite movies. Watching it at a fan con is hilarious; you can hardly hear the dialogue over the knowing laughs. Edited July 24, 2014 by ABay 1 Link to comment
solotrek July 24, 2014 Share July 24, 2014 (edited) "Two judges more literal than Amelia Bedelia", that line cracked me up. As did the stop sign gag. But the ACA rulings are just sad. Sharquitogator will be on the Syfy channel sometime next year I bet. What a shitty channel. George Takei is such a character. Really interesting to hear his stories, especially about the trip to the Arkansas internment camp. I can just think of the scene of the machine guy and reciting the pledge, that's just dark. "Our democracy can be as great as people can be, but it is also as fallible as people can be." I love that line. Yoshiko Uchida has written some great books about the Japanese internment camps for people who want quick reads, there's a great childrens book version of her time in camp (Journey to Topaz) and an autobiography (Desert Exile). If you have children (maybe 4-6 grade, Journey to Topaz is a must, that's when I read it and it really opened my eyes). I must have missed the part of the interview where they even mention Shatner? But for those who really care here's a quick summary: Shatner got scripts changed to reduce Takei's screentime and/or to reduce the importance of Sulu (ie. Sulu didn't get command of a starship in ST:V when he was supposed to; Sulu didn't get to meet his great-*X grandfather in ST:IV etc...). On top of that Shatner was pretty much an ego-maniac and Kelley and Nimoy aside, every member of the TOS cast hated him. He pulled that shit on EVERYONE including taking dialogue from other people, making sure Kirk was always (for the most part) the one to save the day, in the most shots therefore replacing other actors/characters from their major storyline, or just having the camera focus on him while someone else was speaking; not to mention behind the scenes hi-jinks and a lot things in the last decade which stirred up more tension (George's wedding; Doohan's last convention & funeral, etc...). But Trekkie opinion on Shatner is pretty high nowadays. He's a huge convention draw, great with fans, hilarious on stage, and seems to have just embraced the whole Trek fandom. Trekkies should check out his documentary The Captains on Netflix where he interviewed all the Star Trek captain actors, I'm not a Shatner fan, but it's pretty cool to see all the perspectives of being a Trek captain. If anyone goes to a scifi convention and Shatner is on the docket, check him out, his arrogance actually works pretty well on stage TBH. He and Richard Dean Anderson (who doesn't have the arrogance issue, but has the inability to stop talking and also blatantly ignoring the question issue) know how to work the rooms solo and are the best at it. However the TNG crew really has the best panels. Edited July 24, 2014 by maculae 2 Link to comment
Fremde Frau July 24, 2014 Share July 24, 2014 Galaxy Quest is one of my stranded-on-an-island movies. Also Aliens. (I'm not sure what that says about me...) Maculae, thanks for that behind-the-scenes information. I feel conflicted between liking Kirk the character and disliking Shatner the actor. Argh! 1 Link to comment
Grammaeryn July 24, 2014 Share July 24, 2014 Fully agreed, I think Jon was familiar with the fact that the U.S. interred Japanese Americans, it's well known. I've know that since high school, but I didn't realize how truly hateful the situation was until I did a paper in college that required interviewing veterans of the Pacific theater and holy hell, it was stunning to me how much anger and mistrust the veterans still held. It made sense to an extent after I studied the Pacific theater more; there was a terrible cultural clash in approaches to how war is waged, among other things that was terribly scarring (pretty much for all concerned, on both sides). That sounds sort of dim, and I apologize for that, but in high school it was presented as a reasonable move and made to sound a lot more like everyone lived in comfort, so it wasn't presented factually, basically. When my son started taking college level history classes that was one of the things we talked about at length, the difference between what we are sort of casually taught in high school and the far murkier, and often distressing business that is the truth of the matter. My grandpa (RIP) fought in the Pacific and that racist Japs = the enemy mentality last a good long while. To the point that I dreaded introducing my half Japanese friend to him at parties. I wonder if that mentality was different in the different branches of the military? My grandpa lied about his age, enlisted in the Navy and was stationed on the Yorktown (I believe). Maybe the Army, that fought in Europe primarily, wasn't as anti-Japanese? Link to comment
Julia July 24, 2014 Share July 24, 2014 My grandpa (RIP) fought in the Pacific and that racist Japs = the enemy mentality last a good long while. I know a fairly progressive (as in, marched with Cesar Chavez back in the day) man nearing ninety who slipped and used that word when he was discussing the war not too long ago. Of course, my father-in-law, who was at Anzio, was saying "ginzo" until he passed, and me and his granddaughter are to varying degrees italian-american... Link to comment
stillshimpy July 24, 2014 Share July 24, 2014 (edited) Apparently the skit on SNL was supposedly done because Shatner had said so many negative things about fans in interviews over the years, and had stopped attending conventions for a long time. So whereas he was poling fun at himself, it wasn't made up out of whole cloth. Is that not right? I admit, even though I am a scifi fan, Trek was never my main one and I didn't watch the other Treks until a few years ago, but I ADORE Galaxy Quest. "Did any of you every actually watch the show??" and "Whoever wrote this episode should DIE!" being favorite lines for me. It wasn't mentioned in the interview, by the way, it is just that Takei had also been on Bill Mahr recently and someone else here brought up wanting to hear more about the feud he mentioned on Mahr's show. I personally did enjoy the segment about Boyhood and am looking forward to seeing it when it comes out on DVD. That was one time I appreciated that Jon talked about the actual film. Edited July 24, 2014 by stillshimpy 1 Link to comment
eejm July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 (edited) Now I can't stop seeing Jon's misshapen lip. That wasn't always there, right? Do we think he got in a bar fight or something? I was thinking it was a cold sore, but I like your version much better. :D I personally did enjoy the segment about Boyhood and am looking forward to seeing it when it comes out on DVD. That was one time I appreciated that Jon talked about the actual film. Same here. I'm glad everyone involved was able to stick with the project for so long. Edited July 25, 2014 by eejm Link to comment
ganesh July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 I have zero interest in hearing stories about 2 co-workers that didn't get along or don't like each other very much. Takei's experiences with the internment camps is far more interesting because it's a very black mark from recent history that we tend to ignore. 3 Link to comment
Victor the Crab July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 I like DeBlassio's daughter, Chiara. It's like she was ready to tell people, like Jon, "DEAL WITH IT!" The fuck Cuomo? Is it cleaning up corruption for thee but not for me? From playing along with the idea of being Jon's future boss to slamming John McCain, Farred Zakaria is one of my favorite TDS guests. What was that MoZ about? 2 Link to comment
The Luvly Junkie July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 What was that MoZ about? From what I gathered from Twitter (which I mean now), apparently the MOZ's supposed to capture the departing producer's finest moment. I would know more but my live stream decided to be bitchy and to charge people for watching Comedy Central online. Link to comment
possibilities July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 I was wondering about the MOZ, too. I wanted the Takei interview to go on for a few more hours. The man has so many things he could talk about, and is so delightful to listen to. Why does he not have his own show? Also enjoyed the Al Jazeera reporter from earlier in the week. AJ has a TV channel that my DirecTV service carries, and I have only watched it a few times but it was really good. I turned it on randomly one day and they were talking about new solar technologies and it was just so sober, intelligent, and not sensationalized. The reporters were seeming engaged and interested, like they'd done actual research and were not just reading press releases. It was so much better than our mainstream media, and even the supposedly more intelligent but frequently utterly insipid NPR. I somehow had expected it to be like "Voice of America" or heavily propagandized, but at least the few times I've turned it on, it really hasn't been. Of course, I don't know what they broadcast most of the day, so maybe I just got lucky. But it left a positive initial impression and the interviewee on TDS this week seemed right in line with that same style of journalism. 1 Link to comment
Fremde Frau July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 (edited) From playing along with the idea of being Jon's future boss to slamming John McCain, Farred Zakaria is one of my favorite TDS guests. I love their interaction so much. Makes me wonder, though, what the water cooler conversations were like at CNN, the day after Jon's piece. That was some fairly mild Japanese television, I have to say. Depending on the channel, evenings and late night can be truly raunchy (and that's not including cable). Perhaps standards have changed now; it's been over ten years since I've lived there. The MOZ was a little weird, in that they usually offer more context when someone is leaving. @possibilities, I enjoyed that interview, too. I love Al Jazeera America, and it's the only television news I watch now, outside of PBS Newshour. There hasn't been any time of day that I've turned it on to discover something overtly sensationalized. The anchors tend to ask tough questions of their guests and treat talking points as talking points, rather than real answers, and yet they're never unprofessional or disrespectful. I find it so refreshing. I wasn't sold on The Stream at first because it seemed too fluffy, reading tweets and whatnot, but it's actually a really nice, roundtable platform for people to discuss issues that matter. I'm so grateful that we have this channel in the US; I hope it never changes. Edited July 25, 2014 by Fremde Frau Link to comment
attica July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 Makes me wonder, though, what the water cooler conversations were like at CNN, the day after Jon's piece. I'd like to believe a CNNer or two would be looking for the kickstarter page to toss in a few bucks. I don't believe that, but I'd like to. Hearing Fareed call Jon "Boss" made me squeal a little. Only a little. I'm a grownup, for pete's sake! I really heart Chiara DiBlasio. But: you really do have to eat pizza in Italy with cutlery -- they don't slice it. I'd never do so here (I AM NOT AN ANIMAL), but, when in Rome... 1 Link to comment
ABay July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 (edited) I really heart Chiara DiBlasio. But: you really do have to eat pizza in Italy with cutlery -- they don't slice it. I'd never do so here (I AM NOT AN ANIMAL), but, when in Rome... Heh. I remember my befuddlement the first time I was presented with a plate full of uncut pizza. Edited July 25, 2014 by ABay Link to comment
Fremde Frau July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 (edited) Jon would hate me. I eat pizza all the time with a fork. But maybe he would forgive me a little bit. I use a fork mostly to pick off the cheese, since I'm lactose intolerant. Hearing Fareed call Jon "Boss" made me squeal a little. Only a little. I'm a grownup, for pete's sake! @attica, you're in my brain! I may have watched that little exchange more than once. It was too cute! Edited July 25, 2014 by Fremde Frau Link to comment
canter July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 I didn't notice Jon's lip. All I can see these days is his oddly prominent and perfectly rectangular forehead plate. Has it always been like that? I'm looking forward to Boyhood -- weird that its production wasn't in the news before (or maybe I just missed it). Link to comment
VCRTracking July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 I've been hearing about Boyhood a lot lately on movie sites the past year. Link to comment
iMonrey July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 Jon would hate me. I eat pizza all the time with a fork. Same here, and I'm a little tired of this obsession. Seems to be a very New York conceit. There are some kinds of pizza you have to use a fork with, otherwise all the stuff would slide off it if you tried to pick it up with your hands. Some pizzas are just too greasy to pick up with your hand. Fareed was a delight. Link to comment
ganesh July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 I actually think it's a funny running gag because it's such a mundane thing. It's even funnier with the mayor's daughter waving the utensils at the camera. 3 Link to comment
Victor the Crab July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 Jon would hate me. I eat pizza all the time with a fork. HERESY!!!!! Just kidding. ;) 1 Link to comment
cattykit July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 It's just all kinds of sad that the media has nothing else to cover but how the mayor of NYC eats his damn pizza. Too bad there's no actual news out there. 1 Link to comment
Wax Lion July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 I've gotten so sick of people talking about eating pizza a different way like its the most offensive difference of opinion someone can have. It's not cute anymore. I almost deleted the episode when I saw we were going to get another rant on the only proper way to eat pizza but just decided to fast forward through it. This is starting to sound like my ex-roommate who would whine about eating something that didn't come out of a box. I've reached peak pizza war humor. Link to comment
Catherinewriter July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 (edited) Although I knew some about the internment years (having written about it for kids), I was struck by Takei's description of his family's "vacation" in Arkansas. "[paraphrase] For years I thought that's how everyone went on vacation, with an armed guard at the front and at the back of the train cars." Good god! He really is a wonderful storyteller. And yay to everyone who loves "Galaxy Quest." Those of you who haven't seen it, make it a point to get it from the library or online. Truly one of the great comic parodies, and everyone - and I mean everyone - in it is terrific. Who knew Sigorney Weaver could do a comic turn? And from above, wait for the line "Whoever wrote this episode should DIE!" Also, her description of the bridge of death knives is classic, but I can't remember it. Oh, hell, now I want to watch it and I don't see it on any of the channels over the weekend. Be well, George Takei. You've earned your fame, your loving husband, your website. Oh, myyyyy. (By the way, did he say that in one of the films, and if not, where did it come from?) Edited July 26, 2014 by Catherinewriter Link to comment
attica July 25, 2014 Share July 25, 2014 Who knew Sigorney Weaver could do a comic turn? Anybody who saw Working Girl? Oscar® Nominated comic turn, that. :) 2 Link to comment
Sharpie66 July 26, 2014 Share July 26, 2014 Ghostbusters, Working Girl--Sigourney was better known for her comic roles in the first half of the 1980s. "You're more like a game show host." 1 Link to comment
Fremde Frau July 26, 2014 Share July 26, 2014 Hee! I shall never mention it again, @Victor the Crab! ;) Be well, George Takei. You've earned your fame, your loving husband, your website. Oh, myyyyy. (By the way, did he say that in one of the films, and if not, where did it come from?) Catherinewriter, it began with an interview on Howard Stern, of all places. Here is how Takei described it at a convention a couple of years ago (source): On his signature saying: I’ve been saying, “Oh, my” all my life. When I started appearing on the Howard Stern show occasionally, he would say some outrageous things, and the only way you could respond to those statements were, “Oh, my.” And he had it on tape, so even when I’m not there. He says something outrageous, and he presses the button, and it plays, “Oh, my.” So Howard Stern is the man who made it my signature. Not me. I just say it all the time. He’s the one who made it a broadcast phenomenon. Speaking of Galaxy Quest, I think my favorite line is Gwen's little throwaway: "Let's get out of here before one of those things kills Guy!" The whole movie is so quotable. Now I feel like watching it tonight. The worst part is that it's like Jon's love of pro wrestling: nobody in my family gets Galaxy Quest, because none of them were fans of Star Trek (or any other science fiction show). Link to comment
Catherinewriter July 26, 2014 Share July 26, 2014 Fremde Frau, and Guy himself, played by Sam Rockwell, was so very fine. What an incredible cast. And kudos to the writers for giving them such good material. How often have we watched incredible performers struggle to make gold from straw. But for myself, I remember Weaver (particularly in Working Girl) as pretty grim. Perhaps I'll rewatch when it crosses my screen again. What's the deal about Comedy Central buying CNN? A bit? By the way, saw The Hobbit again and thought, again, that the battle between the rock giants reminded me of the Rock monster in Quest. I don't recall rock giants in the book. So perhaps that was a steal. Horrors. Filmmakers stealing from each other! Link to comment
Fremde Frau July 26, 2014 Share July 26, 2014 What's the deal about Comedy Central buying CNN? A bit? Yes, sadly for Fareed but happily for Wolf Blitzer and Nancy Grace, it was only a bit. Here is the fake Kickstarter page. Link to comment
ZoqFotPik July 26, 2014 Share July 26, 2014 I don't recall rock giants in the book. They were in chapter 4 of the book, but only seen at a distance and not encountered as portrayed in the movie. Link to comment
dusang July 28, 2014 Share July 28, 2014 I actually think it's a funny running gag because it's such a mundane thing. It's even funnier with the mayor's daughter waving the utensils at the camera. I have no strong feelings on the gag but the mayor's daughter is awesome. And Jon's point about what being a New Yorker truly is... she is pure New York. Link to comment
Hanahope July 28, 2014 Share July 28, 2014 nobody in my family gets Galaxy Quest, because none of them were fans of Star Trek (or any other science fiction show). Yeah, I'm a bit sad that my daughters will never get Galaxy Quest the way I do. I can't even get them to watch STTOS because the tech is "so dated." And of course they would never get the whole parody on Kirk/Shatner thing. I agree that Takei would be great having his own show. Link to comment
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