Bill: Outgoing Mayor of Calgary said I should run for the office. Me as Mayor and Shatner as Governor General!!

@WilliamShatner Bill: You're being considered for Governor General of Canada. Do it !! Finally a chance to do something w/your life. llap

Soup for Spock

; What does a Vulcan eat when he's in town?

By Julie Van Rosendaal, For The Calgary Herald April 28, 2010

Soup, as it turns out. And sandwiches. And Leonard Nimoy wasn't the only one. Try Malcolm McDowell, Sid Haig, Brent Spiner and Erin Gray, to boot.

(...)

It was so much fun that when I left on Saturday, I told the guys to give me a challenge -- if I was going to cook for them, it may as well be something beyond soup and sandwiches.

"Don't say that," said Sid Haig (you may recognize him from Rob Zombie movies), "or I'll ask you to cook Greek food."

And so I made slow cooked leg of lamb overnight Saturday night for their Sunday lunch. With a double batch of naan and tzatziki. They were thrilled.

But Leonard still wanted soup, so I made an old standby -- Spolumbo's Italian sausage with lentils and barley. This time, he made so many mmmmmm sounds, it made my 12-year-old niece, with me this time to help (and perhaps meet the guys from Twilight, methinks) giggle.

I was amazed when they told me how surprised and grateful they were to be fed food made from scratch, right there in the green room, according to their mood and dietary needs (several, including Brent Spiner, were vegetarians): they're more used to a platter of muffins and sandwiches or to fend for themselves at conventions and media events. Truly, it thrilled me that these simple dishes -- that you can easily make at home -- made a difference in their day.

KKC youth and staff with guests Susan and Leonard Nimoy, 2005.

Kulture Klub Collaborative is an independent nonprofit arts organization that brings together artists and homeless teens at YouthLink/Project OffStreets, a crisis drop-in center- located in downtown Minneapolis. Through workshops, open mics, cultural presentations, and "art views," homeless teens develop their creative expression, receive exposure to artistic excellence, and enter into a group of peers, supportive adults, and diverse social communities.

"There's not even a script and Leonard just announced his retirement -- he's not going to do another movie," Quinto said during WET Production's "Stars Give Love" benefit performance of short plays last night at the Lower East Side's Angel Orensanz Foundation.

"Frankly, Leonard has got a mind of his own and he's going to do what he wants regardless of what other people tell him. I'm just glad that he's my friend."

Zoe Saldana...where were you when I was doing the series ??

Yes, in the eyes of many, Nimoy will always be Mr. Spock. But the actor says he is comfortable that the franchise is far from over with the new cast.

"I think the fans have been very receptive," he says. "I think the fans get it, that this could mean future Star Trek (films). Look, Jimmy Doohan (the original Scotty) is gone, DeForest Kelley (the original Dr. McCoy) is gone, Bill Shatner and I are in our late 70s. It's time. If we want Star Trek to continue, I think this is a great way for it to happen."

Just when he thinks he’s out, they beam him back in.

How else to describe Leonard Nimoy’s enduring, at times conflicted relationship with Star Trek, the franchise that’s defined his career for more than four decades — regardless of how many times he swore it off or believed it was finished?

“Countless times, I thought it was done,” he admits on the phone from Los Angeles.

But this time, says the 79-year-old actor-director-photographer, there are no more possibilities. Spock, his pointy-eared alter-ego, will live long and prosper. But it will be without Nimoy.

“I want to get off the stage. Also, I don’t think it would be fair to Zachary Quinto,” he says, referring to the actor who portrayed a youthful Spock in last summer’s smash Star Trek relaunch. “He’s a terrific actor, he looks the part, and it’s time to give him some space. And I’m very flattered the character will continue.”

In other words, don’t expect to see Nimoy in the next Trek sequel, scheduled for 2012. And don’t expect to see him anywhere else, either. Having just shot what will be his final appearance as enigmatic genius Dr. William Bell in TV’s Fringe, he says he’s retiring from acting altogether.

“I’ve been doing this professionally for 60 years,” he says with a laugh. “I love the idea of going out on a positive note. I’ve had a great, great time.”

Nimoy said he didn't feel qualified to speak to the merits of the president's new plan for space, but that it sounded like a positive direction.

"All-in-all I'm looking forward," he said. "I hope it's going to work out for the best."
Nimoy said he has followed space exploration throughout his career, and remembers driving to work on the set of Star Trek when he heard the news of the Challenger accident.

"Those pictures will never go away," he said of his memories of the explosion replays.

It's just beginning to sink in that the space shuttle era is ending, Nimoy said.

"I think people will be grieving," he said. "I will. I'll be sad to see it go. It's been a very important part of our image of NASA and space for the last number of years."

ATTENTION: Buy a shirt 1st 10 buyers will receive a personalized autograph photo of me as SPOCK. Here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/SecretSelves

@WilliamShatner Hey Bill. Coming to my house is a good idea. The food is great, the company is wonderful, and it's all free! LLAP

@ZacharyQuinto Zachary, you are so Spock! LLAP

Home for two days. Next, Colorado Springs and then VULCAN and Calgary !!

Finishing work on Fringe today. Really good experience. The two parter will air in May.

Leonard Nimoy, whose immensely popular portrayal of "Star Trek's" Mr. Spock can be considered an archetype in its own right, will be participating in a discussion with analyst Beverly Zabriskie to speak both about "The Red Book" and a recent body of portraits he has created of volunteers costumed as their "secret selves."

Gamble was responsible for molding the ears, the Romulan foreheads, and other prosthetic pieces.

“The process for the way we made our prosthetics was different than in the old days, on the original series,” he said. “Back then, Leonard Nimoy's ears were made out of foam latex, like the ape muzzles in the Planet of the Apes films. The industry has evolved and the prosthetics are now often made from a silicone material that is plasticized in such a way that looks and compresses like real skin. If you poke it, it feels like a cheek.”

J.J. Abrams, the director of the film, wanted the ears to be flawless on tight close-ups which created a challenge for Gamble and the prosthetics team.

“Previously, there was a front, a back and an inner core to the molds,” said Gamble. “There would be a seam line that would run up the front and back edges of the ear that had to be erased. Often, on some later episodes of the original series of Star Trek, you can actually see the mold seam going up Leonard Nimoy’s ear that didn't get camouflaged properly. J.J. was adamant that he didn't want to see that. They look more realistic as a result. Star Trek 2009 was the first time this sort of thing had been done with silicone prosthetics and was an innovation for the industry.”

Zachary Quinto is more than a little bummed that Leonard Nimoy won't be returning to the "Star Trek" franchise.

The newest "Spock" told us that it took a personal plea from J.J. Abrams to get Nimoy out of retirement the first time - and Quinto admits that he thinks it would take a lot more for a repeat.

"I think I might have to ask him this time," the actor joked at the N.Y.C. premiere of "Breaking Upwards" at the IFC Film Center on Thursday night.

While everyone on set maintained an impressive spoiler-free stance regarding whatever Bell has been up to on the other side, Nimoy did give TV Guide Magazine a tease to hold us over until his May appearances. “I think the most important thing is that Walter and William will have their confrontation,” he admits. “That is what the audience has been waiting for.”

Activision Publishing has just sent us a note letting us know that the news that surfaced today regarding Leonard Nimoy and other voice actors being cast in the Transformers: War for Cybertron video game is fake. "We just wanted to let you know that the rumor you posted regarding the voice actors...is false."

They have (unsurprisingly) confirmed Peter Cullen as Optimus Prime, but are not ready to reveal any other voice actors. " We will be providing additional information on voice actors soon," they tell us.

This does not specifically mean that Mr. Nimoy, Doug Parker, and James Remar have not been cast for the game, but the information about which characters they are voicing might be incorrect.

The full statement below was sent to us by Activision, Inc.:

We just wanted to let you know that the rumor you posted regarding the voice actors in Transformers: War for Cybertron is false. We will be providing additional information on voice actors soon. The only confirmed voice actor is Peter Cullen at this time.