Koko, the Western Lowland Gorilla who is able to understand more than 1,000 signs based on American Sign Language and 2,000 words of spoken English, has met some celebrities over the years.
In 1988, William Shatner had a memorable visit with Koko, as
seen in part in this edited clip, and
re-told on Friday Night with Jonathan Ross in 2009.
Mister Rogers visited in 1998 (
YouTube clip), as part of series of shows addressing children's fears of meeting someone new or unusual. In 2004,
Koko met Betty White and
Robin Williams. (
Koko and other non-human primates using and learning sign language previously)
posted by filthy light thief
on Nov 11, 2011 -
12 comments
Following on the heels of NASA's
announcement of the final resting places of the various space shuttles, NASA, in conjunction with William Shatner, released a final
video commemorating the program. (SLYT)
posted by Heliochrome85
on Apr 12, 2011 -
25 comments
Pat Jordan from the New York Times meets William Shatner: James T. Kirk TJ Hooker author Priceline Spokesman ("and shareholder") horse buff at a
farm Starbucks Gas Station horse park Tony Roma's mall equestrian ground
“I always did assume they were laughing at me. Lately it’s come to my attention they are laughing with me.”
A subtly poignant interview of a cultural
visionary hero icon has-been phoenix one-man universe.
posted by nickrussell
on Sep 4, 2010 -
62 comments
55 years ago,
Brown v. Board of Education was decided, which lead to the controversial court-ordered school integrations in the South. Four years later,
the prolific Charles Beaumont wrote his
only solo novel,
The Intruder, based on a true story but set in a fictitious small southern town of Caxton that is riled up by a mysterious man from out-of-town who wants to halt the school integration. The novel was turned into
a movie by the same name in 1962, produced, directed and financed by
Roger Corman, starring
a charismatic William Shatner as the mysterious intruder, some 4 years before the start of his iconic role in Star Trek.
Shot on location, using
locals who were not fully aware of the plot of the movie, the whole film was made for $80-$90,000, and was Corman's only film to lose money at the box offices. The production was
banned in some Missouri cities because the local people objected to the film's portrayal racism and segregation. The film finally saw a profit after its re-release on DVD in recent years. (
Previously discussed as part of this 1970s Shatner post; video links inside)
[more inside]
posted by filthy light thief
on Jul 7, 2009 -
26 comments
In 300 B.C., years before the birth of black Jesus, Aristole postulated that all good things were made of "win." That was a pretty good guess, but he was drunk and probably also having an orgy. Modern day awesominers know there are actually 118 fundamental "awesoments" that compose all good things.
The Periodic Table of Awesoments can be a very useful tool. It's designed to show the relationships between awesoments, and often one can even predict how awesoments interact simply by their positions on the table.
posted by crossoverman
on Dec 17, 2008 -
90 comments
With all the
crystal skulls,
nazca lines and such at the box office these days now might be the ideal time to reacquaint yourself with the theories of
Erich von Däniken. What better way to do it than by watching
William Shatners Mysteries of the Gods (
Pt. 1,
Pt. 2,
Pt. 3,
Pt. 4,
Pt. 5,
Pt. 6,
Pt. 7,
Pt. 8,
Pt. 9,
Pt. 10)
(MULTI LINK YOUTUBE SHATNERFEST)
posted by Artw
on Jun 10, 2008 -
28 comments
All hail 70s-era Shatner! He began his career with some rather prestigious projects, appearing in
The Brothers Karamazov and
Judgment at Nuremberg, as well as some rather high profile appearance in
Twilight Zone and
Alfred Hitchcock Presents. But even then, there were hints of exploitation, such as 1961's
The Explosive Generation, in which Shatner played a teacher whose job is endangered when she speaks
candidly to kids about sex. And there was 1962's
The Intruder, a Roger Corman film from 1963 in which Shatner
played a carpetbagging racist inciting violence in a southern town. (
Clip.) And, of course, there was
Incubus from 1965,
a horror film in Esperanto. (
Clip.) But, after
Star Trek, at the start of the 70s, something went haywire.
[more inside]
posted by Astro Zombie
on Nov 16, 2007 -
63 comments
Sure, we're all aware that William Shatner is the man, but
this guy takes it to new heights (Google Video) in the mockumentary
Auto Destruct: One Man's Obsession With William Shatner. Our disturbing yet engaging subject engages in
rock and roll (Google Video, again,) shenanigans and goes into detail about a traumatic childhood experience involving a monkey.
Of course, for those who want their Shatner undiluted and pop-tastic, there's always
his version of "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (again, Google video,) now featuring cameos from across the pop-culture spectrum.
Disclaimer: I'm used for a pull quote on the first two links, and they misspelled frisson.
posted by beaucoupkevin
on Jan 29, 2006 -
12 comments
While everyone has
heard of the legendary 1978 performance by William Shatner of
Rocket Man, few have actually had the chance to
see it.
Now you can in a relatively-decent video file courtest of iFilm.
(ASF link, via Mark Evanier)
posted by XQUZYPHYR
on Nov 15, 2004 -
27 comments
