Creation Convention.. .New York City...With Leonard Nimoy...by Page Eileen L.

Leonard Nimoy was the guest at the Creation Convention. It was held at the Penta Hotel in New York City on June 22 and 23, 1985. I arrived in New York City via AmTrak a day early. LN was scheduled to be on that Saturday. I spent the day in the City.

SATURDAY

This was the big day! I went and stood in line with friends. We managed to get front row seats. Leonard Nimoy's Fan Club also gathered in one area. I did get to meet some of the girls in the Club.

This was a typical Creation Convention. They had films and a dealers' room. The dealers' room was larger than usual, and had lots of Star Trek stuff on sale.

Finally the time arrived and LN came on and gave his talk. The room was full and everyone cheered and went wild! He spoke about Star Trek and the new movie. He also had a question and answer session which lasted about an hour. He talked about the new Star Trek movie and when asked if Eddie Murphy would be in Star Trek IV, he said to let them make the decisions, because he would make the right ones.

After his talk, I went to the Leonard Nimoy Hospitality Suite which was in Cheryl F.'s room. A few of the Fan Club members were there. After a while my roommate and I decided to go to the Russian Tea Room for dinner.

SUNDAY

We arrived again in the ticket line. My friends were there holding space for me, but I ended up joining the Fan Club members again. This time I ended up in the second row, center aisle. The Fan Club had a short meeting and we all introduced ourselves.

LN came and gave his talk again. When the question and answer session took place, he called on me first! I was surprised when he called on me. I asked him if he would read a poem and he said he would at the end of his talk.

He again spoke about Star Trek IV and read his poem at the end of his session. By that time the crowd started getting pretty noisy and it was hard to hear him read. No one wanted to see him go.

Too soon the convention was over. Most of the Club ended up back in Cheryl's room talking and looking at photographs from the day before. Some of the girls went to other destinations. I wandered around the City and took a taxi back to the hotel. I ended up back in Cheryl's room to watch Star Trek the TV series on the hotel television.

MONDAY

Monday had come too soon and Cheryl and Bruce and I said our good-byes. I was sad to see the convention over and will always remember seeing Leonard Nimoy again.

Note: Thank you, Mr. Nimoy, for taking the time to come to the conventions.

Source: The Leonard Nimoy Fan Club, Quest II, Vol. 17, September/October 1985, p.3.

CREATION CON LA [1985]

If you happened to be standing in Syracuse's Hancock Airport around 6:30 a.m. on Friday, October 11, you might have noticed a somewhat embarrassed Republic Airlines passenger desperately trying to avoid the questioning looks of a likewise somewhat red-faced Republic Airlines employee as he lifted her bags onto a luggage cart (his hernia operation is next Thursday!). It was on such a note that I, along with my camera, personal belongings, and a suitcase full of 1500 LNFC membership flyers, pictures, and various other items, set out for California to meet old and new friends and attend the Creation Con where Leonard Nimoy would be speaking.

The first few hours after arriving at LAX were spent collecting luggage, roommates, hugs, and occasional stares from amused passersby as I tried to convince my luggage as to the merit of continuing on in the same direction my luggage carrier and I were going. Unfortunately, my success can be noted in the fact that I now hold the world's record for the number of times one person can pick their luggage up off an airport floor in any one given day. Thanks to Betty Sch. uncanny ability to squeeze 86 suitcases in a rental car trunk, we were off to settle in at the Sheraton Universal and spend the rest of the afternoon relaxing and greeting Club members as they arrived.

Our first planned function occurred at 8:00 that night as we all trooped over to Jerry's Deli to meet with Helen M., Julie D., and Diana G. of the William Shatner Fellowship. What I wouldn't have given to have captured the look on that poor hostesses face as I politely asked for a table for 16! Life is such fun sometimes!! After dinner, thanks to Helen's gracious invitation, we all headed over to her apartment to spend the rest of the evening visiting and watching videos of LN ad Bill Shatner. What a super evening!!

Now, for those of you who have never had the experience of sharing a room at a Con before, let me tell you it is quite an experience. It's amazing what you can find out about people. I suppose now would be a great time to devulge some of these neat little secrets... such as the way Sandra K. carries on entire conversations in her sleep or the unique ways in which Leonard Nimoy's name can be displayed on ladies nightwear...but I'll restrain myself. You never know from one minute to the next if you' ll be involved in a serious conversation or a pillow fight. A shower marathon or a hunt to discover how there can be ten pairs of shoes on the floor and none of them are yours. It's a time of laughing and joking, caring and sharing, and trying to make it to the bathroom in the dark without ending up sitting on the face of one of the extra bodies lying about the room. It's wonderful!!

Well, finally Saturday morning arrived and the disaster area we lovingly called home was miraculously transformed into the Leonard Nimoy Hospitality Suite. Clothes and personal belongings were quickly whisked off tables and dressers to be replaced by stacks of ILFC and WSF flyers, past copies of Quest II, and other items pertaining to the Club. The walls quickly came to life as pictures of LN in his various roles and appearances were proudly displayed. We even had home-made cookies to offer thanks to the generosity of our CA members. And so with great excitement the day began and we set about our various tasks of greeting new friends, exploring the dealer's room for new treasures to obtain, and patiently waiting for the big moment to arrive.

And finally that moment did arrive, much to the delight of the budding diplomats who had spent the past six hours convincing people not to sit in the front row seats we had quickly staked out for the Club. Accompanied by thunderous applause, shouts, thistles and the Star Trek theme, onto the stage strode Leonard Nimoy. He was clad in beige slacks, his white "Star Trek IV in '86" sweatshirt over a navy sport shirt, gray shoes, and, as I am told is true "Malibu fashion"--no socks. He looked more like a college kid going to a football game than a seasoned actor and director. Although he was somewhat subdued, having spent the morning at the hospital where his Dad had had a pacemaker put in, he still managed to dazzle the crowd with his warmth, charm, and wit as he recounted his 20-year "love affair" with Star Trek. A special highlight of the hour was when George Thomas from Rockwell International awarded LN with the following plaque:

Leonard Nimoy
"Spock"
'FIRST TEAM MEMBER'
Thre Are Always Possibilities
May Someday We Fly
U.S.S-STS
ENTERPRISE

(There was an Enterprise Pin here)

SPACE SHUTTLE TEAM MEMBERS Rockwell Int. Rocketdyne Div. 10-12-85

 

LN seemed quite touched. After the Q & A period, he briefly signed autographs at Teresa Victor's table, who as I am sure you will be pleased to know, he referred to as someone he is still very much in contact with and who is still being very helpful to him. After closing the Hospitality Suite later that evening, we were all off to the famous "Bob's Big Boy" to fill our empty stomachs and once again brighten the day of some unsuspecting waitress.

I thought you might be interested to know that I had the pleasure of sitting next to LN's new Secretary, Ori Seron. What a delight she is! And boy can she hoot and holler with the best of 'em! It was so nice to see her enthusiasm and to see her support for Leonard Nimoy.

Sunday, LN was in rare form. He was just vibrant as he spoke, dressed in gray slacks and a white, loose fitting shirt unzipped to mid-chest. He met the numerous questions about Star Trek IV in bis usual humorous manner with such decisive and revealing answers as "could be", "that's a possibility", and "your next question was?". He did say, however, that Spock would have a substantial part! At one point, one clever little fan tried to catch him by asking, "Why will the crew be going back in time?". LN quickly replied with that innocent little smile of his, "Boy, it will have to be a pretty good reason. I guess we'll have to just wait and see." He looked on in amusement as the crowd booed and hissed at the question of whether Saavik would return pregnant with Spock's child and cheered when he responded in the affirmative that there was a possibility Amanda could be back. Another amusing incident was when he was asked what Spock's relationship with McCoy would be now that they had shared minds. The crowd broke into uproarious laughter as LN, at first speechless, looked down embarrassed and then responded, "Well, he was helpful. Whatever I gave, he gave back." He then quietly mumbled, "I still don't have much respect for medicine! I don't know..."

All too soon the time for LN to close was upon us. He was once again greeted with thunderous applause and laughter as he thanked the crowd and said, "We'll have to do this again next week! We'll kind of get together once a week—I'll tell you what's happening and you'll tell me what's happening in your lives..." once again, as he closed in his usual tradition of reading his poem, "For All Mankind" from YOU & I, I could feel that familiar special warmth encompass my heart. And I know I was not alone.

So now the weekend has come and gone. The teary farewells have been said, and we are once again settled into our usual routines. But like many of you, my life will never be the same. For, thanks to one very special man, I have returned home with many new friends, a strengthening of old ties, and a host of warm, wonderful memories--not to mention 1000 LNEC membership flyers!!

Cheryl F.

Source: The Leonard Nimoy Fan Club, Quest II, Vol. 17, September/October 1985, p.5-6.

JANUARY 27, 2013

Dreams and Schemes

Guest host Guest host Neil Gaiman introduces two American classics. In Ray Bradbury’s futuristic “The Veldt,” a virtual reality nursery turns on its owners. The reader is Stephen Colbert. In James Thurber’s “The Catbird Seat,” a mild-mannered employee plots revenge. Leonard Nimoy performs.

Listen here: http://www.selectedshorts.org/onair/

For Star Trek VI, Kelley gleefully rhymed, "For I never thought that I’d see the day - When Spock would control my movie pay - Even so, I’ll never get rich - Because of that green-blooded son of a bitch!"

Really, with Nimoy as executive producer on Star Trek IV, it was agreed in 1990 that Kelley was to be paid $1 million, a stunning amount of money for two elderly folks on Greenleaf.

From Sawdust to Stardust by Terry Lee Rioux, Pocket Books, 2005, p 297-298.

Kelley had the lion’s share of the memorable scenes. He had his work cut out for him as the living vessel of a Vulcan’s essence. He recalled what it was like to work for his old on-screen nemesis. Tongue in cheek, he described the dynamics between Kelley the actor and Nimoy the director: “That was the worst three months of my life, and the man is intolerable. He’s Vulcan. I was a basket case when I worked with him.” Kelley remembered the Vulcan director: “In a scene where I am supposed to be grieving … I went in and raised hell about the scene.” McCoy watched over the empty body of Spock, and the camera closed in. “This is a true story so help me…. He has his eyes closed, can’t see anything ‘cause he’s dead. He doesn’t know what I’m doing. I swear in the middle of the take, the right eye opened. The eyebrow went up—to see what I was doing!”

—From Sawdust to Stardust by Terry Lee Rioux, Pocket Books, 2005, p. 257.

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Eisenhower Theater, The John F. Kennedy Center presents an Otto Preminger production Bibi Andersson, Leonard Nimoy in "Full Circle," a play by Erich Maria Remarque, as adapted by Peter Stone, co-starring Josef Sommer, Linda Carlson, James Tolkan, David Ackroyd, Max Brandt, Stan Wiklin, Peter Weller, scenic design Robin Wagner, lighting design Jules Fisher, sound Gary Harris, costumes Hope Bryce, associate producer Bud Rosenthal, directed by Otto Preminger, produced for Kennedy Center Productions by Roger L. Stevens.

Source: Google Books

Kirkus Reviews

Produced on Broadway in the fall of '73, this is the late Remarque's drama of the final hours of World War II as experienced by Anna in a tiny apartment in rubble strewn Berlin. Tense, urgent theater.

Source: Google Books

In the end, ‘Fringe’ was all about identity

Rarely, though, is a performer called upon to develop the same recurring character in two similar worlds.

Leonard Nimoy did it with a memorable turn as a goateed, ironfisted Mr. Spock in an original “Star Trek” episode that sent the Enterprise crew into a more bloodthirsty parallel universe. (No coincidence, perhaps, that a chunk of the team that makes “Fringe” is also behind the new “Trek” movies.)

(...)

Torv’s initial Olivia Dunham was reserved, emotionally stunted, unwilling to trust or commit – based partially on her experiences with an abusive stepfather. The alternate-universe “Fauxlivia” was tougher, more disciplined – and more outgoing and willing to take what is hers. And the Olivia of later seasons, a hybrid of the original and a third one, is still reserved but able to access her feelings more readily. (In one story, Torv even portrayed a version of herself as possessed by Leonard Nimoy’s consciousness. Don’t ask.)

Fringe Oral History: Dual Universes Open Up a New World Of Possibility

Fringe's Season 1 finale left fans with their jaws agape: Olivia had unknowingly traveled to a parallel universe, where the World Trade Center still stood.
(...) Pinkner: By the end of the season, when we finally had the confidence from the network and the studio, we were able to acknowledge this alternate universe, introduce William Bell, played by the spectacular Leonard Nimoy, and we can really start to delve into the mystery of The Observers, and the personal stakes that this show has for Olivia and obviously Walter and Peter. Everything started to click.
Burk: We were all sitting around and we said, "We need to go forward. We need to open up the doors and let everyone in." That was kind of the reason why we did it. As you know, it completely changed what the show was from Season 1 to Season 2.
Pinkner: Most importantly though, schematically it enabled us to tell the story about what a man, Walter in this case, was willing to do, what he was willing to risk, what lines he was willing to cross in order to do the most human, non-scientific thing of all, which was save the life of his son. This is a man who was largely, purely driven by his mind and his imagination, who had to make this choice because of his heart. And as a consequence, he destroyed the world. What was great about it was, we created this whole new world, but largely it was in order to tell this very personal story.
J.H. Wyman: It was [Arrow's] Andrew Kreisberg who thought of the image for the Twin Towers. I was sitting around and it was in my office and I said, "We need an image that's iconic. What is it? What is the image?" And we were all pitching and Andrew just said, "Hey man, what about the Twin Towers?" and everybody went "Oh, yeah," and then everybody went "Oh no, wait."
Josh Jackson: I don't know that we've ever had a better visual or a better cliff-hanger.

Inside the World Trade Center was the office of William Bell (Leonard Nimoy), a character who brought out both the best and worst in Walter and Nina.
John Noble: When we heard Leonard was coming on, it was almost unbelievable, because this man is the icon of the genre. One of the great icons of television actually coming on our set was amazing. As he and I worked together, we found that, fortunately, we had an incredibly good chemistry. We became really great friends. So it couldn't have been better, really, for me, and when he does come back, we always look forward to it.
Blair Brown: It was absolutely wonderful that they got him to come on. I didn't ever really know that we were going to get to that kind of sweetness and tenderness in our relationship. I love that it was as tender as they made it, because in a funny way I kept thinking of Walter, William and Nina as this weird triangle of information. And of course, the irony is, I never got to work with Nimoy one single time. We only once played a scene where he was on a television set and I was watching him, and that was as close as we ever got. And so it became truly the love of my life, because I could make up whoever he was. I never even met him.

"Hello Gustavo: At this moment I have seen only what millions of others have seen of the new film. I have been pleased to hear from my children and grandchildren that they think it looks "awesome". I agree. I'm as excited as anyone can be, particularly considering my own history with Star Trek. The casting is so creative and JJ Abrams' skill in storytelling is well established. I'm counting the days to opening. Leonard Nimoy"

Fake Twitter campaign encourages teen girls to "Cutforbieber'

(...)

Around the same time, another group of online trolls, the GNAA, were beginning the next Internet hoax campaign.

"GNAA to host candlelight vigil with longtime archnemesis Slashdot to honor Leonard Nimoy at 8PM outside the office," the group said on its @Gary_Niger Twitter feed, accompanied by a photo of the "Star Trek" actor with the words "1931-2013."

As a newspaper photographer, I was covering Leonard Nimoy's visit to a local Long Island, NY, mall. Everyone was trying to get his attention at once, calling, "Leonard!, Leonard!", "Mr. Nimoy!, Mr. Nimoy!", but I couldn't get him to look at me. Then I just shouted out "SPOCK!"...he turned to me and *click* I got it! - Robert Berkowitz

Title: [Actor Leonard Nimoy chatting with women at the Sheraton Yankee Clipper Hotel: Fort Lauderdale, Florida] Date: Photographed between February and May 1972. Repository: State Library and Archives of Florida, 500 S. Bronough St., Tallahassee, FL 32399-0250 USA. Contact: 850.245.6700. Archives@dos.state.fl.us