WilliamShatner.com :: THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
Posted by: LeopardHead on Friday, August 02, 2002 - 11:35 PM

	Creation Entertainment brought Bill and Leonard together again for a convention appearance on July 14th to the delight of Minneapolis fans. We are pleased to bring you coverage of the event, courtesy of Verna Schossow.
<p align="right"><font size="2" color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">August 2, 2002</font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#FFFFFF" size="2">Creation Entertainment brought Bill and Leonard together again for a convention appearance on July 14th to the delight of Minneapolis fans. We are pleased to bring you coverage of the event, courtesy of Verna Schossow.</font> <p align="center"> <p align="center"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#ffcc33" size="1">Bill and Leonard savoring one of many funny moments on stage. </font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="#ffcc33" size="1">All photos by Verna Schossow.</font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">"When we walked into the room where Bill and Leonard were to appear, you could feel the excitement and anticipation. The auction was finishing up, then a blooper reel from the original series was shown. Immediately following, a special series of film clips led us to the guests for whom we had all been waiting.</font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The moment their names were announced, fans rose to their feet and greeted Bill and Leonard with a standing ovation! You could feel that you were in the presence of two men who were dear friends and who enjoyed spending time together. Both men exuded charm, charisma, energy and a sense of fun, yet they could be thoughtful and reflective when the moment called for a change in emotion. It was obvious from the start how well Bill and Leonard fed off each other, and that both of them knew how to get to the other. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Bill relayed his recent experience flying in from Kentucky where he had been the subject of a random search. Bill is one of the few people I've seen who can pull you right into his story and make you feel like you're right there with him. He used his whole body as he described being searched at the airport! </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Meanwhile, </font><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Leonard stood back, watching, enjoying...taking it all in just as the audience was doing. </font><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Of course, Leonard also took every opportunity to contribute his own style...to egg Bill on, to question in disbelief, or tease his dear friend. </font><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">And at the appropriate time, Bill did not miss the opportunity to do the same to Leonard. He even got Leonard to respond to "Live Long and Prosper." The crowd cheered!</font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">During their appearance, they discussed a variety of topics and answered questions from the audience. Bill talked about an upcoming celebrity paintball event for charity called the Spplat Attack, and Groom Lake, a movie which he directed. Leonard talked about two books he's been working on. Together they addressed Mind Meld and practical jokes they played on one another or on other members of the Star Trek cast. They related the story about the time Bill hid Leonard's bicycle during the original series, and the English muffin prank Bill played on De during the making of Star Trek VI.</font> <p align="center"> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Two fans from the audience managed to go up on stage for hugs. And when someone asked what Bill and Leonard what each of them had been up to recently, this elicited a prime example of Leonard's picking on Bill. Leonard expounded on his one-man show from the previous evening at the convention. He went on to explain about his book entitled Shekhina and how it shows a history of his photography. He also read from his new poetry book called A Lifetime of Love, and spoke of the changes in his life over the last 30-some years. Then, he turned to Bill and said something to the effect of "…and you've been up to... paintball?" Although Leonard was not facing me at that point, I knew that as he said it to Bill, he had a smirk on his face and his eyebrow was cocked. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One of the tender moments came when these strong men, these friends, discussed De. You could hear the love in their voices as they spoke of him. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After spending longer on stage than was planned, they both spent time signing autographs. Leonard was first at the table and he made a point of making eye contact, shaking hands, smiling and chatting briefly, being in the moment with each fan before him. Bill was next and while he did not shake hands, he was most gracious, thanking each person. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">With hundreds waiting in line, time with each star was very short, but memorable. You could tell how the fans felt as they left that gathering…they walked a little straighter, showed big smiles and sported a certain gleam in their eyes. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">I agree with what Anne Marie-Rayward said in her coverage of the Plano Convention: 'My hope is that everyone gets to see Bill on stage at least once in their lives...as he brings so much love and enthusiasm that I think some rubs off on everyone around. The only downside of seeing Bill at a convention is that you don't get the closeness you do when you attend one of his fan club Weekends.' </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Thank you Bill and Leonard for coming to the Twin Cities and sharing a piece of yourselves with us. Blessings to you and yours." </font> <p align="left">  <p align="right"><font color="#FFFFFF" size="2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Article and photos courtesy of Verna Schossow</font> <hr /> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font color="#FFcc33" size="3">COMING SOON </font></font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Fright Night: Bill's new show William Shatner's Full Moon Fright Night premieres on August 3rd on the Sci Fi C<font color="#FFFFFF">h</font></font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">annel</font><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF"> and will be continue as a weekly series for 13 weeks. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">I'm Working on That: Bill collaborated with Chip Walter on this book that takes a look at the journey of technology from scienc</font><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">e fiction to science fact. Available in bookstores this month.</font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">The Shatner Big Scenario Game: The excitement is building, the time is drawing near for Bill's big event, the largest paintball competition in history! </font><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> </font><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> </font> <p align="left">  <p align="right"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">Contributed by Jane Singer and Sandy Moruzzi</font> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2" color="#FFFFFF">If you missed one of our past columns, you can view them in the SFI Archive. Our next column will appear on August 16, 2002.</font> <hr /> <p align="left"><font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" color="" size="2"><font color="#FFFFFF">Shatner & Friends International is William Shatner's official fan club. We are a community of friends drawn together by an appreciation of William Shatner, the actor and the man. </font></font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">O</font><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">ur first newsletter, The Best of Times, is posted online. Each issue features the latest news about Bill and his activities, exclusive interviews, articles, lots of candid photos, charity updates and much more. The next one will be published later this month.</font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"> We will post time sensitive information concerning Bill's appearance schedule within Bill's online calendar. It's updated regularly, so keep checking back. </font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><font size="-1">If you're interested in joining the Club, annual membership includes a beautiful autographed 8x10 photograph of William Shatner as Captain Kirk, a copy of Bill's credits, a short biography, a subscription to The Best of Times and the opportunity to participate in our annual Shatner Weekend. Membership also grants access to the Captain's Club, an exclusive members-only part of WilliamShatner.com which includes a bulletin board and Club merchandise. Click here to join.</font></font> <p align="left"><font color="#FFFFFF" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">We are excited to be part of WilliamShatner.com and we will be making regular updates to the website. </font>