Tuesday, March 22, 2011

80!



The entire staff of The William Shatner School of Toupological Studies would like to wish one William (Alan?) Shatner a very, very happy 80th birthday!


How can Bill Shatner be 80? In Star Trek VI, the line was that the Enterprise crew were already getting too old - "Go to hell!" was Spock's witty response. And that was twenty years ago! Thankfully, Bill Shatner continues to savor life in a way that makes men half his age feel old and lazy. And that's really, we think, the essence of the man.

Icon is a word that is often bandied around, but we certainly believe William Shatner has earned that title.


Icons are complicated, often insecure, often have dark sides and some even wear toupees (we wish we had an official "toupee day" to celebrate too)...check to all that. But it's really the sheer volume of stuff that the actor/singer/writer/horse-rider/charity campaigner/voice-over artist etc. etc. has done that makes the word "icon" so valid.


In all of this, Shatner was always Shatner - for better or worse (or just plain kitsch), the guy never stopped. There were times in every decade of Bill Shatner's life when it seemed that the best days may have already been behind him, but he always found a way to step up, take the work (whatever it was), give everything his COM-PLETE FULL EN-ER-GY!!! and hope that better days lay ahead. He can't look back; he can't stop, even at 80; he can't feel contented or that he's done enough - that just wouldn't be Shatner!

His father would be very, very proud of him.

"Second star to the right, and straight on till morning..."

We won't end by saying "Live long and prosper" because that's trite and the other guy's catchphrase (he turns 80 later this week!), and besides, you've already prospered, so just live long. And never stop (except for a dramatic pause)...

15 comments:

  1. What a lovely post! Correction: his middle name isn't Alan. He doesn't have one. His people keep trying to correct this online but it keeps propagating...

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  2. Thanks Lene, that's very interesting as "Alan" is pretty widespread, including on imdb.com. If there's any way to get a definitive source for confirmation one way or another, we'd love to know. Thanks! -ST

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  3. Yeah, happy b day, Bill!
    I wonder what kind of toup he is wearing for the celebration!

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  4. 80 already, time flies when Shat is having fun.

    "Thankfully, Bill Shatner continues to savor life in a way that makes men half his age feel old and lazy."
    Ah, isn't it strange how some never seem to loose energy no matter how long they lived, while others are tired already in their twenties.

    I wrote him a happy birthday post too. Hope you don't mind the link.

    http://onitsownmerits.blogspot.com/

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  5. 80 years of age, some 55 with a rug!
    Bill, you're the man!

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  6. It appears he celebrated by bringing out the TJ curly rug as evident in another post. Bill, we all know you're reading this blog. Here's to 80 more years of denials, inuendo and hint dropping. There is no hidden message that I'm concious of sending you other than "Happy Birthday"

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  7. Shatner is a legend, never boring, always entertaining. Long live Bill, his toupees and this blog!

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  8. His middle name isn't Alan.He has a middle name that has always agitated him(beats me why).And that name is Aaron.Take it from a Montrealer that has seen his school records first hand.Happy birthday Bill.

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  9. William Aaron Shatner

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  10. William Alonzo Shatner

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  11. Perhaps the middle name issue is a deliberately created distraction/smokescreen by Bill Shatner to prevent truthological troops from directing their queries towards the toupological front (lace) lines. If that is the case, then William Shatner may well be the greatest military mind since Alexander the Great... -ST

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  12. Toupee or not toupee!March 24, 2011 at 11:06 PM

    Wow 80! Happy Birthday xx
    More energy and life then some men half his age.

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  13. William Alexander Shatner

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  14. William Alopecia Shatner

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  15. WILLIAM MALAKAS SHATNER!!!HELLENIC REVENGE.

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