Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Stuff I Like #19: Patrick Stewart

My last post was Star Trek related, and since I mentioned my favorite character/actor from the Original Series, I have to write a post about my favorite character/actor from the Next Generation!

If I had a chance to pick which captain I would want to serve under, it would be Jean-Luc Picard in a heartbeat. He was stern, fair, able to laugh at himself, and a magnificent leader.

Patrick Stewart the actor is magnificent as well! How could you not love a man who has been captain of the Enterprise AND Professor X? The man has a voice to die for. He's a classically-trained Shakespearean actor, the epitome of actors.

The best part is that he is a man who is able to laugh at himself! A few years back, he did a bit on the Conan O'Brien show about his dark secrets. One of his secrets? His favorite food is bald eagle. You'll have to watch the clip to find out why.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Stuff I Like #18: Leonard Nimoy




I have a confession to make. I grew up as a Trekkie. Every Sunday morning, the highlight of my weekend was watching Star Trek: the Original Series with my dad. When The Next Generation started airing, we were one of the first families on the couch! I grew up to the wonder of interstellar travel and space as an inspiration. I had a crush on Wesley Crusher.

Trek was a family affair. If we'd had the money, we would have gone to quite a few conventions, I daresay. I did actually get a chance to go to a Con with my family in 2009. It was great! We had the chance to hear both Patrick Stewart and Leonard Nimoy speak. I think I'm probably going to write another post about him in the near future.

Leonard Nimoy impressed the hell out of me. He is such an icon in my life. He is the logical voice in my head. I think I could listen to him read a phone book. In addition to being a brilliant actor(in my definitely amateur opinion), he is also a very creative man. He is a photographer with some really interesting projects going on. One of his projects is of plus-sized women in the nude. One was the depiction of the Shekinah, the feminine aspect of G-d in the Jewish tradition. Yet a third is called Secret Selves and explores the secret lives of ordinary people in Massachusetts.

He has an Etsy shop! How cool is that? I think I can say that there's no other celebrity I would rather have as my grandfather. I would pay good money just to have lunch with this guy and listen to him talk about photography.