William Shatner refused autograph
Quote:Gotta stick up for my Canadians common sense and decency.
FYP
Quote: Mission146Could you imagine the life of a major celebrity? I just came off of the back porch where I was smoking a cigarette, 6:30 in the morning, imagine there being people walking around looking for me to come outside so they can grab some pictures of me in my pajama bottoms, lighting up the Marlboro Black Menthol, sitting down on my porch chair....giving the old chest hair a scratch. Now, I have to go to the grocery store later, line of people between me and my car both on the way to the store and when I get there, flashbulbs all over the place, people following me around for autographs. Fans of mine all shouting compliments that I have heard a thousand times before, making bad jokes that I have heard a thousand times before, people who don't like my work shouting insults I have heard one thousand times before. Done at the store, bunch of people between me and my car through which I have to wade.
Well Mission, that's just the price you pay now that you're an admin here.
I'll give you that book when your pry it from my cold, dead hands... in billions and billions of years.
But, I also think what the OP says about celebs is applicable ... most made a choice to become famous and with that is dealing with fans. I sign my name as a living, but do it in a non famous, non public way. I probably signed it as much or more than many athletes and celebs, but if given the opportunity I would not want to do it in a famous way, because what comes with it. They made a different choice, and it comes with the territory.
Bottom line to me is what was said by those that MET Micky Mantle ... they MET him. You lucky guys - he is top of my list of who I wish I had shook the hand of.
All said and done, we are all human beings, no one any better than the other in respect to the big picture. Sone richer, some more famous and some nicer than others. I think a truly nice William Shatner would have signed, even having been tired of a life of interuptions, maybe the title should be "William Shatner is not a nice guy".
Quote: HotBlondeI don't feel I hounded him in that case. I, in all honestly, don't see how I could've been more polite than I was.
Let me get this straight.
Shatner is out with friends, having dinner, minding his own business and you walk uninvited to his table, interrupt him, and request that he stop what he is doing to satisy your desire for a piece of reflected fame?
Really?
Were I Shatner, I'd have put my phaser on "stun" and zapped you.
Danged Klingons.
Or is it "Cling-ons?"
A few years ago I played golf with an extremely famous athlete. We were waiting to tee off on the 18th hole. Famous athlete walked over to my golf cart and said "Hey man, you want me to sign anything for you?"
I shrugged my shoulders and said "Nay, I'm not much of an autograph guy."
Famous athlete said "Thanks. I feel like a normal person now. And I never get to feel like a normal person."
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Now, onto the title of this thread "William Shatner is an asshole" Are you freaking kidding me?
Maybe this "Hot Blonde" chick isn't as hot as she thinks she is.
Quote: odiousgambitOnce I saw the author P.J. O'rourke at an airport waiting for a flight. I had just recognized him from about 20 feet away and he caught my gaze and instantly frowned before I could politely avert it. It surprised me to get this reaction...
This surprises me, too. But, come to think of it, were you smiling, or did you have a straight face? Since many conservative figures are often harassed in public by people who despise them, he may have thought you were one of them. This isn't to excuse his reaction though. Frowning was a stupid thing to do. (And I like PJ, so his reaction disappoints me.)
from him, let alone sign something. The public is rude
and intrusive, as Shatner experienced again last night.
Quote: EvenBobThe public is rude and intrusive
This is very true.
Quote: jetermacawmy Dad says men shake hands. That summer afternoon in 1961 I shook Mantle and Maris hand and got a smile from both.
Mantle AND Maris?? Man, I'm jealous.
And I totally agree about the shaking hands thing. I saw Dominique Wilkins at a casino a couple years ago, and I loved the guy in his playing days. So as he was walking around I tapped his arm, politely told him that I've been a fan for years, and shook his hand. He smiled and said, "Thank you, man, I appreciate that."
Friendly guy, who probably wasn't used to a fan that just wanted a handshake.
I guess the point is, someone not doing you a favor (an autograph) doesn't make them a bad guy.
Quote: HotBlondeHonestly? He asked to be in a TV series but never, ever be recognized or be asked for his autograph?
Star Trek was 45 years ago, and presumably you're not chasing his autograph because of TJ Hooker, Denny Crane ("Denny Crane!"), or the Priceline Negotiator. People who think public figures are never permitted to retire to privacy are the reason formerly-public figures who are trying to retire to privacy get cranky when their privacy is interrupted.
Let's turn it around: If an 80-year-old man came up to you while you were out drinking margaritas with your girlfriends and asked for your autograph, would you oblige?
Shatner is very well-compensated as an actor and has parlayed Star Trek's success into a lucrative job as a tout for Priceline. There's pros and cons to being famous and he wants all the benefit$ of fame without the obligations.
The most famous celebrity to walk away from it all was Bridget Bardot. She was tired of the incessant obnoxiousness of fame so she retired to the South of France at the age of 39. Done. End of story. It was a brave move, and I find it interesting that so few celebrities have done what she did.
Shatner is welcome to complain about the horrors of fame, but if he had any integrity he'd follow in Bardot's footsteps.
If I ever got famous for any of my passions, yes, I would attain celebrity. That doesn’t make it my end-game, nor something I would enjoy in the least. I would be expected to entertain fans, sure, at meet and greets or appearances, but on “my time”, you and everyone else can go fly a kite. You’d surely get a more intense response that “Sorry, I don’t do that” from me.
Nobody owes anyone anything.
Quote: NareedI estimate 2 suspensions from this thread before the end of the month. :P
I'll take the "over" for 1¢. Any takers?
(Not actually taking action.)
Doing a public appearance and being seen in public are two completely different things. And it's not just that the public appearance involves a paycheck. Do you have any idea how much of a famous person's life is lost to fans that just want "a few seconds"???
Yeah, you did everything right, but if you truly are one of the restaurant's best customers, then you still handled it completely wrong.
You should have asked the OWNER if it would be OK to approach Shatner, or if he'd ask him for you, or introduce you.
That way, Shatner would know that fan contact is not going to be a common occurrence at that restaurant.
Quote: renoShatner is welcome to complain about the horrors of fame, but if he had any integrity he'd follow in Bardot's footsteps.
Shatner is an 82-year-old man who has been hounded for autographs for almost 50 years. All he wanted that night was to have a quiet dinner with friends, and he even told his server that he didn't want to sign anything.
I admit I shouldn't have called him an asshole. He doesn't deserve that. I wrote the post from the restaurant just after it occurred and I was pissed. I still think he could've signed after it took me a whole lot of guts to go up to him. But he's not an asshole for not doing that.Quote: FinsRuleYou asked, and he said no. And you reacted perfectly. I think you're being harsh calling him what you called him. If he would have been rude to you back, then I would agree with you.
Of course! How cute!Quote: MathExtremistStar Trek was 45 years ago, and presumably you're not chasing his autograph because of TJ Hooker, Denny Crane ("Denny Crane!"), or the Priceline Negotiator. People who think public figures are never permitted to retire to privacy are the reason formerly-public figures who are trying to retire to privacy get cranky when their privacy is interrupted.
Let's turn it around: If an 80-year-old man came up to you while you were out drinking margaritas with your girlfriends and asked for your autograph, would you oblige?
Quote: HotBlondeI admit I shouldn't have called him an asshole. He doesn't deserve that. I wrote the post from the restaurant just after it occurred and I was pissed...he's not an asshole for not doing that.
I can understand why you were frustrated immediately afterward. People should cut you some slack since the OP was obviously written in the heat of the moment.
While it's true he doesn't get paid in that very moment, a celebrity's reputation is a big part of what gets him jobs in the first place and if you develop a bad reputation it honestly can cost you in the long run. And the computer repair man example is a bad example because an autograph exchange takes less than 30 seconds and it does help their career, there's no actual complex skilled labor going in to it. And even if a regular person has the day off and is out with their family or whatnot and a customer approaches them for a minute you don't shoo the person off and tell them it's your day off. That would be bad business!Quote: Twirdmancome on every guy is entitled to a day off, especially given signing doesn't pay him in this case. If you were a computer repair man and some random guy asked you to look at his computer while you were at a restaurant with friends and didn't offer to pay you'd be rightfully pissed. Same goes for any other job so why do we think its fair to say celebrities shouldn't get a day off they are not robots designed to fulfill a persons every wish they have a right to relax.
Quote: reno
The most famous celebrity to walk away from it all was Bridget Bardot. She was tired of the incessant obnoxiousness of fame so she retired to the South of France at the age of 39. Done. End of story. It was a brave move, and I find it interesting that so few celebrities have done what she did.
Shatner is welcome to complain about the horrors of fame, but if he had any integrity he'd follow in Bardot's footsteps.
Honestly you think a celebrity can just retire and get away from it all. Shattner is recognized for Star Trek and I can guarentee you had he not done anything ever he would still be approached by people about Star Trek.
Also your example is horrible Bardot is still in the news. She is in the news one for things she is currently doing like animal rights activism and Islamaphobia. She is also in the news for earlier works like in 2009 she was featured in an art exhibit or there is the fact someone is writing an unauthorized biography about her. Given all this you think no she is living a normal life because she gave up fame. Also your miscatogarizing the time line she moved to the south of France and then another 15 years later she retired from acting.
The fact of the matter is once you become a cultural icon you can't escape it. I mean Patrick Stewart has the same thing he is constantly remembered as Jean Luc-Picard even though before that he was an incredibly talented Shakespearn actor and has remained so. So given the truth that celebrities can never truly retire to seclusion and just leave behind their old lives I'm inclined to give a celebrity a day off when he's trying to eat dinner with friends.
Quote: HotBlondeI admit I shouldn't have called him an asshole. He doesn't deserve that. I wrote the post from the restaurant just after it occurred and I was pissed. I still think he could've signed after it took me a whole lot of guts to go up to him. But he's not an asshole for not doing that.
I therefore suggest the admins should change the title of the thread. It is unbecoming.
Plus, I'm a big Denny Crane fan. :)
How about:Quote: MathExtremistI therefore suggest the admins should change the title of the thread. It is unbecoming.
William Shatner is a kind, gentle lamb
(sorry, dumb morning humor)
Quote: HotBlondeWhile it's true he doesn't get paid in that very moment, a celebrity's reputation is a big part of what gets him jobs in the first place and if you develop a bad reputation it honestly can cost you in the long run. And the computer repair man example is a bad example because an autograph exchange takes less than 30 seconds and it does help their career, there's no actual complex skilled labor going in to it. And even if a regular person has the day off and is out with their family or whatnot and a customer approaches them for a minute you don't shoo the person off and tell them it's your day off. That would be bad business!
Honestly Shatner doesn't need to build up his reputation any more to get jobs. Your acting like he's a fresh face the fact is he has been in this business over 50 years and quite a number of those he probably did react to being asked for an autograph nicely. After being pestered for a while he probably decided you know what I'm just not doing autographs in public anymore and so he stopped. Also while you say its only 30 seconds yeah its only 30 seconds for you and then 30 seconds for the next guy and so on down the line. I mean up thread you heard talk of people spending 30+ minutes doing signings. Also even if he was willing to do signature you approached it all wrong I mean you just asked straight out with no buttering up for all he knows you vaguely recognize him and are trying to make a quick buck of his signature. Again that is something mentioned up thread with people selling Armstrong's signature and it happens to Shattner too.
Quote: HotBlondeI'm sure whether someone is planning on selling their signature or not is something celebrities don't even give a care about. Why would that even be a concern to them?
They spend 30 seconds to press the flesh and greet a fan, only for it to be a money making exercise for the 'fan'. I'd be narked off myself. Instead of that person being someone who genuinely wanted to interact with them, they were just someone out to make a few dollars. If we take your theory of 'it comes with the fame', it seems excessively unfair that they now have to 'provide' resources to all and sundry to make money from their name.
Pressing the flesh and do autographs is what they signed up to do when at public events, doing signings, meet and greets and the like. Many stars seem to do more than they need to do. But they want down time, and a polite refusal to engage while in that zone seems fair to me.
Your idea for your relation was a nice one, but Bill wasn't selling that night. Once the restaurant had asked and said 'he says no' you should have taken that, whether or not you thought the staff member was telling the truth. Still, no harm, no foul.
Quote: PaigowdanI once had dinner with my mother at Morgan's restaurant on Madison Avenue. This was back in the 80's. The only two tables in the place that had diners were me and my mother's table, and Tommy Lee Jones' table, who was eating alone. She asked the waiter to bring Mr. Jones a glass of Champaign on our tab. He smiled, and waved a toast to us.
That's classy. I'm sure Tommy appreciated the kind gesture as well. He's probably used to fans with no tact interrupting his meals.
Quote: Beethoven9thThat's classy. I'm sure Tommy appreciated the kind gesture as well. He's probably used to fans with no tact interrupting his meals.
I think so too. This was just before he got really big. My mom remembered him from the soaps and TV movies he did back then.
When my brother stayed at the Mandalay bay/Four Seasons here a number of months ago, he was in the gym, running on a treadmill. A few treadmills over Richard Gere was exercising. It was a non-issue.
The autographs I have are mostly in books as inscriptions, including Eliot Jacobson and Mike Shackleford. Those autographs mean something.
Quote: PaigowdanI once had dinner with my mother at Morgan's restaurant on Madison Avenue. This was back in the 80's. The only two tables in the place that had diners were me and my mother's table, and Tommy Lee Jones' table, who was eating alone. She asked the waiter to bring Mr. Jones a glass of Champaign on our tab. He smiled, and waved a toast to us.
Go Illini!
I have Michael's autograph too! And he signed it during lunch and didn't have a problem with that. What a stand up guy!Quote: PaigowdanThe autographs I have are mostly in books as inscriptions, including Eliot Jacobson and Mike Shackleford. Those autographs mean something.
:P
Quote: HotBlondeBut again, isn't anyone asking to be famous asking for this famous lifestyle?
I would say they are asking for people to approach them for autographs when they have an autograph session. Does a celebrity never have the right to be, "Off the clock?"
How it works is you have the "waiter" go up to The Shat and say "That broad over there wants your autograph, but has nothing to offer you in return for your time. We have developed a game whereby she will lose weight, and at the end of a certain amount of time if enough weight is lost, you give her your autograph, and if she does not lose the weight, nothing happens."
"Well not nothing, per say, she will whine, and complain about everything along the way, and if she were to fail, OMFG, you will wish you never started into this bet!!" LOLOLOLOLOL
The Shat would have been so mortified of the potential ruins his life would become, my bet is you would have scored autographs on the paper you had, and any other yummy places you could think of.
Quote: HotBlondeI admit I shouldn't have called him an asshole. He doesn't deserve that. I wrote the post from the restaurant just after it occurred and I was pissed. I still think he could've signed after it took me a whole lot of guts to go up to him. But he's not an asshole for not doing that.
I can edit the thread title, if you like.
Quote: Beethoven9thI can understand why you were frustrated immediately afterward. People should cut you some slack since the OP was obviously written in the heat of the moment.
True character is defined by how one handles adversity.
Quote: thecesspitThey spend 30 seconds to press the flesh and greet a fan, only for it to be a money making exercise for the 'fan'. I'd be narked off myself. Instead of that person being someone who genuinely wanted to interact with them, they were just someone out to make a few dollars. If we take your theory of 'it comes with the fame', it seems excessively unfair that they now have to 'provide' resources to all and sundry to make money from their name.
Agreed. What's in it for them? I loved PGD's Jones story, that seemed decent. Asking for more when the guy already gave you untold hours of Kirk and Hooker just seems...uncouth.
I guess I just don't get it. Skating with and being there to talk hockey with Rob Ray was way better than getting something from him. Feeling like I "gave back" to a guy that provided me with a villain for so long felt "right". Asking for more? Just don't get it.
Quote: Mission146I can edit the thread title, if you like.
Look no disrespect to Hot Blonde or anyone else who collects autographs. But why would one grown person want another grown persons signature on a piece of paper?....it means what?... The whole thing is silly really. Actors, athletes, whomever...they are just people like you and me. When they go out to dinner they expect to eat their dinner in peace. If you reallly must approach them, maybe just say you like their work. They'll probably say thank you and that's it. Or it should be. The cult of celebrity in this country is out of control.
Quote: Mission146I can edit the thread title, if you like.[/
Can you leave it up but cross it out to avoid future confusion? After all it is what she posted.Many people, especially ignorant people, want to punish you for speaking the truth. - Mahatma Ghandi
Quote: Face
I guess I just don't get it. Skating with and being there to talk hockey with Rob Ray was way better than getting something from him. Feeling like I "gave back" to a guy that provided me with a villain for so long felt "right". Asking for more? Just don't get it.
What really happens is a mutual and equal exchange, which is that the person entertains you and you, "Buy," the person's entertainment. However, it seems as though there are two types of fans: those who think the celebrity/athlete/musician is doing them a favor by bringing entertainment into their lives and then there are those who think they are doing the celebrity a favor by partaking in the entertainment or even knowing who the person is.
I would suggest that many people in the latter category, which does not necessarily include any present company, are also the types who would get miffed about the celebrity not signing something for them immediately upon request.
I do ask local-type bands for autographs, though, it gives them a good laugh. Someone at this bar we played back when I was in a band asked me to sign his T-Shirt for him, and I thought it was the most hilarious thing ever, so I just figure I'll share the joke!
Quote: 1BBQuote: Mission146I can edit the thread title, if you like.
Can you leave it up but cross it out to avoid future confusion? After all it is what she posted.
I don't know for sure, but imagine the Wizard might agree that we don't want to be one of the top hits on Google for a search of William Shatner AND @$$hole, so it's probably in the best interest of the Board, anyway.
EDIT: Just checked, we sit at #8 right now.
