William Shatner Is The She-Ought

Not sure if anyone saw the recent roast of William Shatner on Comedy Central. If not, you missed a raunchy and racous tribute to one of America's most revered run-of-the-mill actors. I'm not sure why Shatner has become so popular during the latter stages of his career (and life for that matter), but it probably has to do with the way he has learned to laugh at himself, including his over-the-top acting style. So it was fitting that at age 75, there was Shatner sitting on a throne being lambasted by "colleagues" (read: mostly stand-up comedians who probably had never met him until that night) and taking it all in stride. Comedy Central showed the roast late at night and was able to broadcast it unedited, so things got very blue to say the least. If you happen upon a rebroadcast, make sure the kiddies are tucked safely in their beds, preferably with ear plugs. I was roaring throughout the show. They showed some great clips of Shatner signing, including the one below of Elton John's "Rocket Man" at the 1978 Science Fiction Awards, although I'm sure some of you have seen this.

How can you not love this man after such a performance? I know Shatner put out CDs of his music as well (John was a big fan I think). The one I remember the most was a version of the Beatles' "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" when Shatner belts out: "And she's gone, and she's gone, and she's gone!!!" The next video is a montage of Shatner, including some of the Rocket Man stuff, which I think is the clip they show on the roast.

Finally, this is clip from "Family Guy" that does a spoof of Shatner. Actually, I think Shatner does his own voice in the cartoon. It's pretty funny. (And yes, I know some of you hacks aren't Family Guy fans, but I'm posting it anyway).

Bottom line is try to check out the Shatner roast. If not, YouTube has a ton of clips from the roast. Greg Giraldo, Betty White, George Takei are some of my favorites from the show.