If Shatner Were In Abrams' STAR TREK, This Is What It Would've Been Like...

A script fragment purporting to represent the written-but-never-filmed Shatner cameo for J.J. Abrams' STAR TREK has gone online over at TrekWeb. I'm waiting for a full confirm re: this fragment's authenticity, but it does match perfectly with everything I've heard about ShatKirk's intended appearance.

FROM http://www.trekweb.com


This begins during the scene where Spock Prime meets Quinto's Spock at the end of the film: SPOCK PRIME Then I ask that you do yourself a favor... put away logic, and do what feels right. The world you've inherited lives in the shadow of incalculable devastation... but there's no reason you must face it alone. And from around his neck, he removes the PENDANT that until now, we've only caught glimpses of. Places it on the table beside his younger self. The feeling in his eyes is profound... SPOCK PRIME (CONT'D) This was a gift to me. Representing... a dream. One we were unable to fulfill. (softly) The way you can now. And moves to the door. Stops. Offers the VULCAN SALUTE: SPOCK PRIME (CONT'D) As my customary farewell would appear oddly self serving, I will simply say... good luck. Their eyes hold. Spock turns, disappearing into the corridor.

Young Spock stares at the empty doorway a beat, his mind a jumble of thoughts. Looks to the pendant... and realizes it's a HOLO-EMITTER. After considering a beat, he hits an activation button and a MOVING HOLOGRAPHIC MESSAGE materializes before him: CAPTAIN JAMES T. KIRK. WILLIAM SHATNER. As always, brash, wry, confident -- and SINGING: KIRK/ SHATNER Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you... (stops, grins) I know I know, it's illogical to celebrate something you had nothing to do with, but I haven't had the chance to congratulate you on your appointment to the ambassadorship so I thought I'd seize the occasion... Bravo, Spock -- they tell me your first mission may take you away for awhile, so I'll be the first to wish you luck... and to say... (beat, emotional) I miss you, old friend. ... and we're PUSHING IN on Young Spock, taking in the image of Kirk's future self, the message, but above all -- the clear, unquestionable friendship these two men had...

INT. CORRIDOR - CONTINUOUS As Spock Prime walks off down the corridor, he passes right by a man conferring with a nurse -- the man pauses, turns... it's SAREK. Suddenly overcome by a feeling that the stranger who's just passed him is... oddly familiar.

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.) I suppose I'd always imagined us... outgrowing Starfleet together. Watching life swing us into our Emeritus years... INT. STARBASE ONE - HANGAR - ETERNAL NIGHT MUSIC BUILDING -- glass walls reveal THE ENTERPRISE at dock, UTILITY CRAFTS floating around it, repairing. Standing at attention in rows, THE ENTERPRISE CREW -- over four hundred of them wearing DRESS UNIFORMS -- TRACK DOWN the faces, all proud:

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.) I look around at the new cadets now and can't help thinking... has it really been so long? Wasn't it only yesterday we stepped onto the Enterprise as boys? That I had to prove to the crew I deserved command... and their respect? And we STOP ON YOUNG KIRK. Composed, focused, proud. A man. And to every fan's delight, finally wearing his YELLOW SHIRT. The FEDERATION COMMANDANT stands at a podium: COMMANDANT This assembly calls Captain James Tiberius Kirk... Kirk breaks from formation, pivots, marches down the hangar -- past UHURA... SULU... CHEKOV... SCOTTY. All Beaming. Notably absent, is Spock. Kirk ascends the stairs, snaps to attention: COMMANDANT (CONT'D) Your inspirational valor and supreme dedication to your comrades are in keeping with the highest traditions of service and reflect utmost credit to yourself, your crew, and the Federation. By Starfleet Order 28455, you are hereby directed to report to Commanding Officer, USS Enterprise, for duty as his relief. Kirk turns.

Walks to... PIKE. In a wheelchair now, wearing an ADMIRAL'S UNIFORM. Overnight, his hair's turned totally grey -- but despite his trauma, his pride's overwhelming. They SALUTE each other: KIRK I relieve you, Sir. PIKE ... I am relieved. He opens a BOX in his lap -- glorious in repose, a MEDAL: PIKE (CONT'D) And as Fleet Admiral, for your... unique solution to the Kobayashi Maru, it's my honor to award you with a commendation for original thinking. Pike containing a smirk, pins the medal to Kirk's chest... PIKE (CONT'D) (a touch choked) Congratulations, Captain. KIRK Thank you, Sir. Kirk turns to the crowd. Eyes shining. WILD APPLAUSE. OUR MUSIC SOARS. Bones leans in to Sulu, rolling his eyes: BONES ... Same ship, different day. As Kirk rejoins his crew for hugs and congratulations, we go to the BACK of the hangar... SPOCK PRIME. Watching. Moved beyond words. He turns and leaves them to it... as he goes...

KIRK/SHATNER (V.O.) I know what you'd say -- `It's their turn now, Jim...' And of course you're right... but it got me thinking: INT. STARFLEET HOSPITAL - EARTH - DAY Our montage comes full circle as we END on Kirk's transmission: KIRK/SHATNER Who's to say we can't go one more round? By the last tally, only twenty five percent of the galaxy's been chartered... I'd call that negligent. Criminal even -- an invitation.

(MORE) KIRK/SHATNER (CONT'D) You once said being a starship captain was my first, best destiny... if that's true, then yours is to be by my side. If there's any true logic to the universe... we'll end up on that bridge again someday. Stops, grins. Because this is the part he needs to say most... KIRK Admit it, Spock. For people like us, the journey itself... is home. Young Spock's face. Lost in feelings that flood through him

To be honest, I had absolutely no idea of seeing the 2nd film of the Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series. I then heard that it made about 141 million in the USA during its opening weekend. After I saw the film, I was shocked that I liked it. Even more shocking, to me, is the fact that I am recommending that you see it when it opens here in South Korea on 3 December, 2009.

You must know that I have not read any of the books at the time of this review. The rest of this review will be huge spoiler alerts.

Now for the first 45 minutes of the film, I wanted to take a pencil and jab it into my eye, so I wouldn't have to watch any of the teen anguish that I was watching...

New Moon continues the teen love story between Edward and Bella. Bella spirals down into a major depression when the 106 year old vampire she loves, leaves her. She finds herself picking up the pieces of her broken heart with her best friend, who just happens to be a werewolf.

It is during this dark time of her life, she accidentally discovers that, by being reckless and putting herself in extremely dangerous situations, she is able to see Edward in her mind and hear his calming voice. Desperate to be with him no matter the cost, she purposefully continues to put her life at risk.

With Jacob’s help, Bella rebuilds an old motorbike to further her dangerous escapades. She soon comes to discover that Jacob might be exactly what she needs to heal from the hurt of her broken relationship. She begins to feel alive and happy again, even though the memory of Edward is still painful. Her friendship with Jacob, a member of the Quileute tribe, leads her to a new discovery concerning the secrets as Jacob must deal with a new-found ability to transform into a werewolf. In the midst of this, Bella’s life in is danger with the arrival of Victoria, the vampire mate of James, who was killed by Edward and his family in the first movie.

The film then takes us to Rome to deal with Bella saving Edward from deliberately provoking the Volturi (a secret vampire society that regulates the laws over others of their kind) into killing Edward. The audience was really into this part of the film. I just have a bad feeling that the Volturi are going to play a major role in later films.

When the film was over, the audience was clapping and cheering and I couldn't believe that I actually liked the film. In prior film, I have openly hated love triangles, but in this case its 2 men going for 1 girl and when the treaty between the vampires and werewolves is about to be destroyed, it did make for an interesting story.

Readers, just give the film a chance, and yes, the film has moments of very bad acting. In the end it is worth at least one viewing.

Grade B+

Bella Swan: You've killed people Jake.
Jacob Black: We only kill what we are trying to protect you from, vampires

Movie review 2012

For the few who have no idea about why the #2012 is so important in this film this is the answer. The film is inspired by the idea of a global doomsday event coinciding with the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar's current cycle on or around December 21, 2012 (the northern hemisphere's winter solstice).

Well this film is about 158 minutes long and that's about 60 minutes too long. We are given some pretty good special effects but we are also given a horrible script to go along with it. We are shown the destruction of some world cities but after seeing a few of these, it just seemed to numbed down the audience. It was just destroying cities for the case of trying to cover up for a weak script.

To me the main problem with this film is that the film tries to tell us that when the world is in trouble that the world will come together to save humanity but instead we are given a story that the uber rich will only save themselves. To me, the film fails here and only after a horrible speech does humanity even try and save the world.

The film is an action/popcorn film, that deserves to be seen at least once. After that, the film deserves to be forgotten.

Grade D-

Jackson Curtis: When they tell you not to panic... that's when you run!

Game Recap -- Sherman at Denison by Jason Della Rosa

So it's good that we settled all that last week right? After a season-long battle between local warring factions, Denison and Sherman finally played each other to determine who had the better team. The Jackets came away with the 43-28 victory and maintained their recent stranglehold on the Ax -- I point this out as mere coincidence but I have covered seven Battles of the Ax and Denison has won six. Just saying. -- and captured the District 9-4A title in the process, the program's second straight district title and fifth in the last seven years. The regular season is over. Bring on the playoffs.

It was over when -- Denison scored with 10 seconds left before half-time. After the Jackets scored with 1:44 left in the second quarter, the Denison defense forced a three-and-out by Sherman and, using its time-outs, got the ball back at its 31 with 51 seconds left. Jordan Taylor finished off the drive with a five-yard run to make it 29-7 at the half and deflate a lot of Bearcats' spirits. Without that late touchdown, Sherman was going to get the ball at the start of the third quarter with a chance to make it an eight-point game.

It was really over when -- Taylor scored his final touchdown of the night, a 25-yard run where he followed a kickout block to the left and burned everyone to the end zone with 2:26 left in the third quarter for a 36-14 lead. Taylor capped the nine-play drive to answer Sherman's opening possession of the second-half that was a touchdown. The key play came when he hit Jimmay Mundine for 25 yards on third and seven at the Sherman 40.

Player of the Game -- Another outstanding performance for Taylor. As I wrote in my story this week, the senior QB burst onto the scene in the Battle of the Ax two years ago when he led a stirring comeback victory as a sophomore. He didn't do a lot of the heavy lifting last year but was the main man in his last home game. Taylor ran for 175 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries and completed 13-of-15 passes for 159 yards and a touchdown. From a statistical standpoint, he is the best quarterback in school history -- holding the six records for touchdowns and yards in a game, season and career. His rushing numbers are pretty good too. He's 3-0 against Sherman and the only thing Erick Harper has on him is a state title. Six weeks from now, that might not be the case.

Play of the Game -- Hayden Chapman recovered a Sherman fumble at the Denison eight-yard line. Holding a 7-0 lead, Denison was on its heels as the Bearcats were putting together their best drive to that point. On third-and-two from the Jacket 11, Madison Carter got past the line of scrimmage to the right and probably had the first down. But as he was getting hit he tried to pitch the ball to Zac Whitfield. The ball was right at Whitfield's feet and Chapman dove on it. Instead of tying the game, Sherman was still behind. And even though Denison had to punt three plays later, the eventual exchange in field position allowed Denison to go up by two scores and maintain a lead for all but the first 4:14 of the game. (Honorable mention goes to a play that won't get its due because a third of it was wiped out by a penalty. Kyle Galyon had one of the best catch-and-runs you will see for what would have been a 69-yard touchdown on the drive right before half-time. A penalty called it back to make it only a 44-yard gain but the moves he made downfield are worthy of a mention.)

The good -- Another strong first half offensively. The Jackets scored on four of six drives and had 304 yards in the opening two quarters. The balance between the pass and run is almost 50-50. Late in the game Taylor had thrown for 147 yards and ran for 146, numbers like that make it tough to game-plan against one facet of the game or the other. Reeves had a 78-yard punt, albeit helped by the wind and a good bounce, but he essentially kicked from his own end zone and Sherman started the drive at its own two. The defensive pressure on Carter was very, very good. Sherman's senior signal-caller was never able to really get comfortable and 132 of his 188 yards came in the fourth quarter as the Bearcats tried to play catch-up down 43-14. He was sacked three times and had 22 yards on 13 carries. From a running standpoint, Denison allowed 70 yards on three carries by Whitfield and then 82 on the other 29. Knowing that Sherman had to onside kick after its first fourth-quarter score, Denison faced its first true onside attempt against them this year and Jared Mitchell came away with the ball.

The bad -- Well there was the 44-yard kickoff return by Nathan James to set up Sherman's first touchdown. And then there was the 12 penalties for 140 yards. But I mention those only briefly because they end up in this section every week. Outside of that duo you can't be upset when you hold a four-touchdown lead on your rival with eight minutes left in the game.

District dish -- The 111th Battle of the Ax and the 9-4A title went Denison, which meant that Sherman took second place. McKinney picked up a 35-14 victory over Frisco Liberty, which put the Lions into the playoffs even though Frisco Wakeland defeated McKinney North 43-25. McKinney, Liberty and Wakeland all tied for third but Wakeland lost out on the tie-breaker. The other game in district play was Frisco Centennial's 70-47 victory over Frisco. Playoff-wise, Denison is the top seed in Division II and faces Richardson Pearce at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco. Liberty is the second seed in Division II and will face Rockwall-Heath. Sherman is the top seed in Division I and plays Carrollton Newman Smith at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Clark Stadium in Plano. McKinney is the second seed in Division I and faces Highland Park. Starting next week this space will become a Division II Region II breakdown.

Stinging stats of the week -- It was the 10th straight win at Munson Stadium...The victory was the third straight for Denison in the Battle of the Ax, tying for the second-longest streak by the Jackets in the series, which has been done six times. The best streak is four from 1945-48...The 121 points in the three wins is the best point production against in a three-game stretch vs. Sherman, as is the 165 over the past four Ax games...Denison has won six of the last seven against Sherman, which ties for the best stretch in school history, matching a run from 1942-1948...It was Denison's 15th straight district victory, which is the second-longest streak in school history behind only a 17-game stretch from 1994-98...The Jackets now have 21 wins over the last two seasons, the sixth time that has happened in school history. The others are 1984-85, 1995-96 and 1996-97 (29), 1994-95 (25), 1997-98 (21)...Denison had its streak of rushing for 300 yards in a game snapped at five after finishing with 272...Mundine has caught at least three passes in every game this season. He is two touchdown catches from setting the single-season mark, Warren Dade had 13 in 1990. The 12 touchdowns are tied for second in a career. His 767 yards this season is the third-best season total, his 40 catches this year ties for second-most in a season...The 109 yards gave Jones more than 1,500 yards this season, making him the third Jacket with a pair of 1,500-yard years along with Chris and Corey Robertson...Jones now has 4,764 yards, which is 455 yards from surpassing Corey Robertson for the top spot...It was Jones' 23nd 100-yard game, which is four from passing Corey Robertson's school mark...Reeves needs 14 catches to pass Dade as the school's all-time leader in receptions. His 27-yard TD catch made him the third Yellow Jacket with 1,000 career receiving yards...The touchdown pass to Reeves gave Taylor the school record for passing yards in a season. He now has 1,505, breaking the old mark of 1,370 held by Eric Chavez set in 2007...Denison has gone three games -- 153 plays -- without a turnover...It was Cody White's 25th victory at Denison (and overall), making him the seventh Jacket head coach to do so...Aaron Morrison had 12 tackles (six solo)...Ty Carter had eight tackles (five solo)...Mundine added two sacks...Reeves made six solo tackles.

Fans throughout NYC celebrate Yankees’ title

By VIRGINIA BYRNE, Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP)—Hundreds of Yankees fans poured into the streets of New York early Thursday to celebrate the team’s 27th World Series championship, a party that extended uptown and began building hours earlier when the crowd at Yankee Stadium danced and sang to the music even before the first pitch.

Fans in Yankees jerseys and hats who watched the 7-3 victory over Philadelphia at sports bar Stout spilled out onto 33rd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues early Thursday in Manhattan. Greeted by an NYPD van, several patrol cars with lights flashing and officers standing on street corners, they remained well-behaved.

New York City police said there were no early reports of disturbances related to the Yankees victory.

A ticker-tape parade and ceremony to honor the team has been scheduled for Friday, the mayor’s office said.

Outside the team’s $1.5 billion ballpark in the Bronx, 16-year-old Ryan Wessel of Somers, N.Y., bought two Yankees hat right after the game. He reveled in the team’s win, underscored by Hideki Matsui’s record-tying six RBIs. Matsui was named World Series MVP.

“He definitely should have gotten it,” Wessel said. “He’s my favorite player.”

The Yankees “have a great attitude, a lot of hard work, really superb performances by clutch players at the right time,” said fan Bob Matsuok of New York, who wore a Matsui jersey as he watched the game in northern Manhattan.

Fans at Stout yelled, “MVP! MVP! MVP!” every time Matsui came to bat.

The three-level bar was packed most of Wednesday evening with fans from as far away as San Diego hanging on every pitch as they watched Game 6 on flat-screen televisions.

“It’s phenomenal,” said Robert Christiansen, 41, of Malverne, N.Y. “It’s all you can ask for.”

When Yankees left-hander Damaso Marte struck out Phillies second baseman Chase Utley on three pitches with two runners on to end the top of the seventh inning, a sense of relief overcame the packed house at Stout.

The crowd responded to the strikeout by chanting: “Yankees! Yankees! Yankees!”

Gabriel Ortega, 28, a credit card executive from San Diego, called it “an extraordinary game; it’s keeping us on our toes.”

“We love Matsui,” said Ortega.

In Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, a whoop went out from bars and restaurants every time the Yankees recorded an out in the late innings.

Fans high-fived each other at the Westside Tavern on 23rd Street when the game ended.

“Matsui should be the MVP,” said Tom Murphy, an investor.

Cynthia Lang finished work on a party cruise boat and watched the last two innings at a Mexican restaurant next door.

“The season started off kind of slow,” she said, adding that the Yankees performed best when it counted—in the playoffs.

Fans had waited nine years since the team’s last World Series win, a Subway Series against their crosstown rivals, the Mets, in 2000.

Some were quick to note that before the series began, Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins had predicted a Philadelphia victory in five games.

But it was a quiet night on Broad Street in Philadelphia, where thousands of fans partied when the Phillies won the National League championship.

There were no postgame troubles in the city early Thursday, Philadelphia police spokesman Officer Stephen Malen said.

At Yankee Stadium, the stands trembled after each key hit.

A television blimp circled above the stadium during the entire game, and at one point the electronic lettering on the side beamed “Lisa, will you marry me? Love John.”

The blimp circled the stadium again, and on the next round it brought the answer: She said “yes.”

Yankees win 27th World Series title, stop Phillies from repeating

By David Brown

Score and situation: Yankees 7, Phillies 3 Yankees win Series 4-2

Leading lads: Stone-faced Hideki Matsui went 3-for-4 with a homer and six RBIs to almost single-handledly (or double-handedly, since we're talking swinging) make the Yankees offense go in Game 6. He made the most of his limited plate appearances, clubbing three homers and driving in eight runs in just 13 at-bats to win Series MVP. He also might have played in his final game with the Yankees; he will be a free agent.

Mariano Rivera was the Yankees' rock at the end of the game as usual, going the final 1 2/3 innings to close it out for a save — in spirit.

Head hangers: The Phillies went 0-for-6 with runners in scoring position and most of it hangs around the neck of Pedro Feliz(notes), who left five runners stranded.

Key play: The Phillies' best threat of the night came with them down four runs in the seventh, but left-hander Damaso Marte(notes) struck out Chase Utley(notes) with two men aboard to sink the rally. Marte had an awful, injury plagued regular season, but he was unscored-upon in eight playoff appearances.

Key stat: Pedro Martinez threw 77 pitches but 31 were outside of the strike zone. His inability to command, plus a lack of zip made it amazing the Yankees didn't score more.

What they're talking about: The Yankees won their first title since 2000, which seems like a couple of lifetimes for the Bronx Bombers.

What they're saying: "You never know where you're going to get back here." — Jorge Posada

What's next: A parade for the Yankees. Then spring training in about 3 1/2 months.

NEW YORK – The ghosts may have been abandoned across the street, where the House that Ruth Built is awaiting the imminent arrival of the wrecker’s ball. But from old to new, the New York Yankees left no doubt in the House that George Built that their championship tradition runs as straight and true as a pinstripe.

Catcher Jorge Posada #20 of the New York Yankees celebrates with his teammates after their 7-3 win against the Philadelphia Phillies in Game Six of the 2009 MLB World Series.

The Yankees won their 27th World Series title and first in the new Yankee Stadium by beating the Philadelphia Phillies 7-3 Wednesday night to take the 105th World Series in six games.

They christened their new $1.5 billion home in the same style as the original back in 1923, when the heroes were a left-handed slugger named Babe Ruth and a left-handed pitcher named Herb Pennock. Ruth hit three home runs, including one in the World Series clincher, and Pennock won twice, including the finale.

Eighty-six years later, only the names changed. Left-handed slugger Hideki Matsui(notes), in possibly his last game in a Yankee uniform, tied a Series record by driving in six runs and hit his third home run of the Series, a two-run blast in the second that was the Yankees’ first shot across the bow against Phillies starter Pedro Martinez.

Matsui, whose aching knees limited him to a pinch-hitting role in the three games in Philadelphia, had hit a tie-breaking home run off Martinez in the Yankees’ Game 2 win and demonstrated anew that if Martinez wanted to discuss his ancestry, his Yankee “daddy” was the venerable Japanese star.

Matsui hit a two-run single in the third off Martinez, then doubled in two more against Phillies’ rookie J.A. Happ(notes) in the fifth to earn Series MVP honors.

Left-handed pitcher Andy Pettitte(notes), pitching on three days’ rest, won the duel of old goats, as it was called by Martinez, holding the Phillies to a single run while the Yankees built a 7-1 lead against the 38-year-old Martinez and relievers Chad Durbin(notes) and Happ.

Pettitte, a sellout crowd of 50,315 creating chills independent of the 47-degree temperatures by thunderously chanting his name, came out in the sixth after giving up a two-run home run to Ryan Howard(notes), the strikeout-ridden Phillies slugger, and a two-out double to Raul Ibanez(notes).

Despite walking five batters, a number he has exceeded just once in 40 postseason starts, the 37-year-old Pettitte won for the second time in the Series and joined Boston’s Derek Lowe(notes) (2004) and Chicago’s Freddy Garcia(notes) (2005) as the only pitchers to win the clinching game in all three rounds of the playoffs: the division series, the LCS and the World Series.

Pettitte has won 18 postseason games, the most of any pitcher in history, including four this season. He also was the winner in a clinching game for the sixth time in his career, the most of any pitcher.

The last 10 outs were recorded by the Yankees bullpen, the final five by Mariano Rivera(notes), who with Pettitte, catcher Jorge Posada(notes) and shortstop Derek Jeter(notes) are the only players left from the last Yankees team to win it all, in 2000. Joe Girardi, in his second season as Yankees manager, was with the team as a reserve catcher for World Series titles in 1996, 1998 and 1999 but left as a free agent before the 2000 season.

With their bookend Series titles, the Yankees now can make a compelling case that they are the team of the decade, having won more regular-season games (965) and playoff series (10) than any other team, and joining the Boston Red Sox as the only teams to win two Series titles.

The Yankees had four 100-win seasons in the decade, including 103 in 2009 after new owner Hal Steinbrenner, taking over for his ailing father, George, gave general manager Brian Cashman the green light to spend over $243 million on three players – starting pitchers CC Sabathia(notes) and A.J. Burnett(notes) and first baseman Mark Teixeira(notes).

Sabathia and Burnett each won a game in the Series while Teixeira, who came into Wednesday night batting just .105 in the World Series and .172 in the postseason, singled home a run in the Yankees’ three-run fifth.

And, of course, the Yankees are the most successful franchise of all time. Their 27 titles are 17 more than that of the St. Louis Cardinals, who have won the second-most in baseball.

The Phillies fell short in their quest to become the first National League team since the 1975-76 Cincinnati Reds to win back-to-back Series titles.

Martinez, the self-styled “old goat” who didn’t join the Phillies until August, had counted upon “experience and survival” and his “frog’s blood” to carry him in a quest to add a triumphant coda to his rich history against the Yankees.

But Martinez lasted just four innings, succumbing to the master strokes of Matsui.