William Shatner - Bad actor, innovative genius, and inventor of the Blog
This entry was posted on 1/12/2008 2:06 PM and is filed under uncategorized.
Stardate zero seven, zero one, fifteen. Captain's log.
Or is it 'Captain's Blog?' It just hit me - did William Shatner invent the Blog? Could the 'Captain's Log' be the precursor to the 'Captain's Blog.' The man never ceases to amaze me.
I once heard a comedian say that Shatner lives every man's dream - a guy sitting in a La-Z-Boy recliner, watching a big screen TV, bossing everyone around. Pure genius.
How else can you explain a guy who can't sing yet has a hit album? How else can you explain a guy who is mocked for his acting skills yet has a star on the Hollywood walk of fame? How else can you explain a guy who jumps on board as a pitchman for a dot com company in the 1990's and turns bad acting into millions of dollars in stock options? Can a person even think of Priceline.com and not think William Shatner as 'The Negotiator?'
Did you know that, according to Wikipedia.com, "His appearances [on the TV show The $20,000 Pyramid] became far less frequent after a 1977 appearance, in which, after giving an illegal clue at the top of the pyramid ($200) which deprived the contestant of a big money win, he threw his chair out of the Winner's Circle." This guy is nuts! Or is he?
What Shatner has done and continues to do is what any person trying to build an innovative culture needs to do - try things, take risks, have some fun along the way. He also is able to laugh at himself - one quality that is never on a performance review but should be.
Looking for an innovative way to raise money for a charity? How about selling a kidney stone? Shatner did. He raised almost $100,000 for Habitat for Humanity by doing so.
Can't sing? No problem. Just talk the words. If you have never heard Shatner's version of 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds' you must do so now. Your life is not complete without listening to this. Make it a mission to do so or you will regret it.
So, take some risks, laugh at yourself, and as James T. Kirk would say, "live long and prosper."
