Yes, I'm saying it....Live Long, And Prosper

The geek world is abuzz today with the news that Leonard Nimoy has announced his retirement from show biz, after 60 years as a professional actor and director.

The 79 year old man, most famous for his iconic portrayal of Mr. Spock in the Star Trek franchise, has announced that he will no longer be taking on any acting roles, nor will he be directing any more films. He has seemingly completed filming for his character of the mysterious Dr. William Bell on the TV show Fringe, a role he took to show gratitude to JJ Abrams, who directed Nimoy in last year's Star Trek.

Nimoy, who is currently in Canada for a sci-fi convention in Calgary and a visit to Vulcan, Alberta, has also said that he could be retiring from attending conventions as well. Still, he had nothing but warm things to say about his experiences at conventions throughout his life:

I’m so grateful to the fans. I call these kind of experiences a victory lap ... It’s like having a family meeting — a family reunion.

Nimoy is choosing to focus on his photography, which has garnered him considerable acclaim in the arts world, and no small amount of controversy. His first series, entitled Shekhina, was a series of nudes and near-nudes. Shekhina is the Talmudic term for the visible and audible manifestations of the Deity's presence on Earth, and the combination of sexualized female nudity and Hebrew religion and tradition attracted its share of criticism from religious groups. But it also attracted its share of praise, and since then he has been accepted in the art world as more than just a dilettante. Below you'll find one of the photos from the series.

I have to say, I'll miss Nimoy a little. He was always a class act, through and through. And while the Shat has become a bit of a punchline over the years (that actually hurt me to type), and DeForest Kelley was the old Hollywood pro, Nimoy was the embodiment of the geek as artist over the years. He always seemed to have more going on, both in her performances and his life. Enjoy the rest, sir, and thanks for all your work over the years!

RIP - Paul Benedict

Back in 1996, I was in my first year of theatre school at New York's Circle in the Square. If attending theatre school in Manhattan three blocks from Times Square wasn't cool enough, the professional Broadway theatre attached to my school was putting on production of Eugene O'Neil's Hughie, directed by and starring Al Pacino.


It's a two-man show, with Pacino playing a down-and-out gambler, dreamer and liar named Eerie, who spends a long, exhausted night talking to the night clerk at the flophouse he stays at. That clerk was played by Paul Benedict. Mr. Benedict passed away on Monday. He was 70 years old.


Though I did once almost literally run into Pacino in the halls (that's another story), I actually met and spoke with Paul a few times, and he was a kind and funny man. He was amazing in the paly, delivering wonderfully funny stream of conciousness monologues and more than standing up to the powerhouse that is Pacino.


Of course, Benedict was most famous for his wonderful portrayal of Mr. Bentley, the neighbour, on The Jeffersons. He also was the first director of the classic play Frankie and Johnny in the Claire de Lune. The LA Times has a nice obit here.


Rest in Peace, Paul, I'm glad to have met you.

Rest in Peace - Paul Newman

Some sad news today, legendary actor Paul Newman has died at the age of 83 following a battle with cancer.

He will be missed, but he has left behind a staggering body of work. There's no better way to remember him than by putting on your favourite of his films. Me? I think I'll be watching The Verdict. Or Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

"Hey, Kid, next time I say let's go someplace like Bolivia, let's go someplace like Bolivia."

Interview with Aaron Sorkin

Here's a link to a great interview with Aaron Sorkin done by GQ.

It's kind of vintage Sorkin; witty, substantive, idealistic and arrogant, all at the same time. A Few Good Men was a great play and a really good film. I loved Sports Night and The West Wing is perhaps my favourite television series ever. Studio 60 was a mess, but it had flashes of brilliance, though those flashes were brief. Charlie Wilson's War was a terrific script let down by the direction and a miscast Julia Roberts.

So I hope that he bounces back. It sounds like he's learned some lessons. Still, I'd rather have mediocre Sorkin than a lot of other people's best stuff.

David Tennant makes his RSC debut as Hamlet....doesn't suck.

David Tennant, the star of the hugely successful Doctor Who, made his debut as Hamlet in the Royal Shakespeare Company production, and apparently does not suck (I had faith he wouldn't).


Tennant stars as the melancholy Dane, the mounting of which was part of the reason Doctor Who went on hiatus for 2009, with only four specials being produced.


Interestingly enough, Star Trek's Patrick Stewart co-stars in the dual role of Claudius and Hamlet's father. The production has had a tremendous amount of hype surrounding it, as Tennant is one of the biggest stars in England thanks to his bravura turn as the Doctor in the massively popular series.

Read the Times review.




On a related note, Doctor Who spin-off series Torchwood begins its second season this Friday, with a two-hour debut on Space: The Imagination Station (which I fucking hate typing).


It had aired last year on CBC, but the network declined to co-produce the second season, so it airs on Space this year. I sort of enjoyed the first season, but wasn't bowled over. Here's hoping the second year is an improvement.