William Shatner and Lin Yu Chun: Duet

If you haven't seen this you really should. 2 men - William Shatner and Lin Yu Chun, singing a song - Total Eclipse of the Heart - made famous by Bonnie Taylor in the 1980's. It just boggles the mind.

When Bonnie Taylor first made Total Eclipse of the Heart a hit, it was 1983. The song was originally made for Meatloaf, but his record company refused to pay for the song. So Bonnie Taylor got it. If any man might have made it a hit, Meatloaf was the guy.

That said, William Shatner is not unknown for his musical efforts. His Transformed Man albulm from 1968 is an underground classic. It's spoken word format is truly something that must be heard to be explained. But it's hardly the only performance that Shatner has done.

He has performed with Elton John, Ben Folds, Henry Rollins, Joe Jackson, and others. Many were on his second album, Has Been - released in 2004.

As for Lin Yu Chun, well he is a phenom. Though I have not heard him sing a male performers song his ability to sing is unquestioned. The fact they are songs not in his native tougne is astonishing. He like many other entertainers found on foreign versions of American Idol makes the American counterparts look as talented as they really are.

So combining these disparate parts seems daunting. Almost chilling. Yet they came together in a unique way.



As has been said before, Lin Yu Chun is going to have a meteoric career. Success in America and the international scene is almost assured. But this is no one trick pony.

Still it would not be suggested to sing with Captain Kirk anymore.

Quantum Quest - its NASA in 3D. Doesn't that sound fun?

In more mundane news there is something that sounds a bit special. Can you imagine a movie that combines Star Trek, Star Wars, samurai, a moon walk, and Grey's Anatomy?

A daunting task for anyone on their best day. but that is exactly what will be available when Quantum Quest opens. The movie is a 3-D animated film, and it will feature the voices of some of the best known sci-fi and television actors ever. The cast includes:

William Shatner
James Earl Jones
Mark Hamill
Neil Armstrong
Samuel L. Jackson
Chris Pine
Hayden Christensen
Susan Oh
Jason Alexamnder

I left out the fact that a touch of Seinfeld will be in there too.

With such a cast I am sure the producers are thinking major money. I'm not as sure such a wide mix of actors will fix together. The script would have to be very exceptional. Given the nature of writing in Hollywood these days I would take 4:3 odds that it won't work as well as it sounds. But it could be interesting as 6 of the 8 actors, and Neil Armstrong, are notable and interesting.

The description of the film explains that the concept of the film comes from NASA. While there is no question of the minds at NASA, their ability to create a film is more uncertain. The film intends

"The 3D, large format CGI-animated educational film interweaves actual space imagery captured from ongoing NASA missions with an adventure, set in an imaginary universe and intended to create a family-friendly film experience that entertains while educating viewers"

Doesn't that sound like a must see? Not to worry though. This 45 minute film is intended for young kids learning about science in school. It's 45 minutes long. My guess is that the producers hope to capture the minds of kids by the names of the actors and what they have done in the past. And for DVD sales there is the same thought as well as a few names geared more to parents.

Best bet is to wait until the eventual DVD hits the bargain bin for $3 and let the kids watch it as they prepare for a science test.

Will the writers strike hurt X-files and Star Trek Films - 11.6.2007.1

Let’s touch on a few lighter moments in the news of late. With the strike of the Writer’s Guild the question of what will be happening in television shows and movies comes up. While there is no easy answer to what may be the outcome in the short term, we can see some possibilities in the further future.

One of the future movies that has been discussed is a favorite of millions from television. The X-files was a huge hit and the movie did quite well. That was directly because of the connection between the stars Mulder (David Duchovny) and Scully (Gillian Anderson). Add to the sexual tension the constant search for truth behind aliens and government conspiracies and you had a winning combination.

Now in a time where conspiracies run rampant, with no justification and massive emotional imperative, there is news that Mulder and Scully will be returning. Hopefully agents Dagget and the other woman will be nowhere to be found. But the need for a search for the truth may just be the thing the nation needs.

There has been no word of a script, and considering the strike it may be some time before there is any. But I would imagine that there would have to be some connection to fanatical Muslims and the Middle East. Where aliens come into this I have no idea, but as a staple of the X-files investigations I imagine they are there somewhere. Perhaps Osama Bin Laden is a shape-changing alien? It’s possible.

However that works out, it should be a welcome treat. I expect to hear more about the up-coming film in 2008 with a release in 2009. Keep an eye out.

In further news on the adventures of the Enterprise and her famous Star Fleet crew I found a few notes about who else may be in the film. Besides the inclusion of Simon Pegg (the only person I have heard of or seen work from in the new cast) there is news that Leonard Nimoy will also be in the film. So far he is the only member of the original Star Trek cast that will be in the latest film.

The big surprise is that William Shatner (the stylish and memorable James Tiberius Kirk) will not be in the film. It seems that while he and Spock were initially expected to be in the film (DeForest Kelly died and thus cannot be) there was a breakdown in the talks and Shatner is out. Considering this is a story of how all the crew came together, and that they will have one of the crucial leading trio in the film, not including Kirk seems dumb.

There would be no Star Trek series, multiple iterations, and countless fans worldwide were it not for the unique style of Shatner’s Kirk and the complimenting work by Nimoy’s Spock. Plus the continued success of William Shatner after Star Trek in several television shows (up to the current Boston Legal), books, and the most unique singing career [you have to hear him sing Rocketman] seems to beg the question why he is not in the film.

It’s just one more question on how this film will work out. The unknown Chris Pine [at least to me] and cast may work out fine. But with so many actors of limited fame, or credibility, a strike by writers, and only one member of the original cast there may be serious questions on how viable this film may be. One thing may be reliable though. Given the strike the Christmas 2008 release date probably will be pushed back until some time in 2009. I’m sure more will be known by then.