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Vatican: It's OK to Believe in Aliens!
a question my friends and I cna't seems to solve.
May 14 | TNG star Patrick Stewart appears on Downstage Center, a theatrical interview show on XM Radio's On Broadway Channel 28 to discuss his role in Macbeth. Listen to the interview
May 13 | William Shatner told AM New York that he did get a chance to meet his successor in the role of Kirk, actor Chris Pine, who he says is on the road to good fortune." And no, he’s not really worried about passing over the reins."I’m OK with that, except that he’s younger," Shatner says, laughing. "I don’t feel good about that."
May 12 | TNG star Patrick Stewart tells Michael Riedel of NY Post about one of his favorite acting idols. Watch the interview
May 12 | According to the Hollywood Reporter, actor Eric Stoltz has signed on to star opposite Esai Morales in SCI FI Channel's two-hour Caprica pilot. Alessandra Toressani also has come aboard the NBC Universal Cable Studios-produced show, a prequel to SCI FI's Battlestar Galactica. Stoltz will play Daniel Graystone, a wealthy computer engineer who, after an emotionally crippling family tragedy, uses his technological wizardry to forever change the future of Caprica.
May 12 | "J.J. is one of those people who has the ability to re-introduce water to you in a new way. He's such a creative man," said actor Faran Tahir, who plays Federation Captain Robau in the new movie to National Ledger "I love what he's done with it because he hasn't said farewell to the tradition or the story of 'Star Trek,' but he has such a fresh approach to it that I think he will re-introduce it to this generation in a way they can relate. It will create this bridge between the people who grew up with it and this younger generation who didn't know about it."
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By Steve Krutzler / 08:39, 1 November 2005 / People
TrekWeb has learned that Michael Piller succumbed to a fight with cancer this morning. He lost his long battle with an aggressive form of head and neck cancer at 4:51 AM at his home in Los Angeles. He was 57. He is survived by his wife Sandra, daughter Brent and son Shawn.
Michael Piller was a fan of TrekWeb and one of the very first celebrity chats I had the opportunity to conduct here on the site. In 1997 I emailed Piller by chance after searching for his email address online. Amazingly, he received the note and forwarded it to his assistant at the time Eric A. Stillwell, who contacted me and said that Michael was very interested in doing a "live" chat to discuss the writing of the ninth STAR TREK feature, which would become INSURRECTION. The chat was well received and helped encourage other STAR TREK writers to join the fans at TrekWeb and I was always grateful to Michael for that.
Piller's name first came to my attention during one of many repeat viewings of my favorite TNG episode "Best of Both Worlds." As a child I took note of his name because he wrote the piece and so Michael and his work helped inspire a lifelong love of STAR TREK, writing, this web site, and even a move to Los Angeles to pursue the Hollywood dream. I had the opportunity to meet Michael in L.A. in 1998 and again at the Las Vegas premiere of INSURRECTION. Later, in 2003, I interned at the offices of his company Piller2 in Hollywood. Michael was always a fan of TrekWeb and I appreciated his attention to my efforts as well as encouragement in all endeavors.
Michael Piller was a wonderful writer and he will be missed by all who knew him and enjoyed his work. If anyone who knew and worked with Michael would like to offer a message about him, please e-mail me and I will be happy to publish it.
Donations in Michael's name can be made to:
The Michael Piller Distinguished Professorship at Carolina
Writing for the Screen and Stage Program
Arts and Sciences Foundation
c/o Emily Stevens
134 East Franklin Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27514.
From Bjo Trimble
"I didn't know him personally, but crossed paths with him several times on the Paramount lot and once at a Christmas party held by Eric Stillwell. He was a gentle man (in every sense). When we got on the sound stage for the final DS9 episode, our little group (including one wheelchair) was very careful to be in the shadows and not get in the way. When lunch break was called, we started to leave for the commissary, and Siddig asked us where we were going. When we told him, he said we should join the crew in a buffet good-bye lunch. While we hesitated, Michael Piller walked by and said, "Well, why are you just standing around? Get over to the buffet before all these hungry people get to it!" So we went along, had a wonderful time talking to cast and crew, and each of us got one of the gimmee caps that Piller had made for the event. He made the day for us."
www.bjotrimble.com.
From Eric A. Stillwell:
"I've been finding it difficult today to find the right words to describe a man who deserves to be honored and remembered for his great skill and talent for putting the right words to paper and seeing those words transformed to our television and motion pictures screens in ways that have been very entertaining and deeply meaningful to audiences around the world.
"Michael Piller was a master storyteller. He was a genius at subtext. He had the ability to tell stories on different levels simultaneously, imparting implicit meaning to otherwise innocuous exchanges of dialogue between characters. And through this talent came the truth of his storytelling. The need to be about something. He always wanted scripts to be about something. And he succeeded more times than most.
"For me, Michael was somebody I deeply admired and respected. He was a man of integrity and discipline. He had a good and gentle soul. He was more than a boss; he was a mentor and a loyal friend. For many years my life and career were synonymous with Michael's life and career -- and he made it possible for me to have a long and successful life in Hollywood. His passing is a deep loss to me both personally and professionally. I will miss him very much.
"When Michael Piller came to Star Trek: The Next Generation as the showrunner and head writer during its third season, it is my firm opinion that he creatively saved the show from an early demise, and in so doing set the groundwork for the most successful television franchise in the history of entertainment. Without Michael Piller, we might never have seen the franchise grow and expand with Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Star Trek: Voyager and beyond. Michael Piller was the creative genius behind those shows, not only because he had enormous talent as a writer, but because he also honored and deeply respected the creative wisdom of Gene Roddenberry. Michael often spoke fondly of Gene Roddenberry and the lessons he learned from him. He said the limitations that were imposed on the writers ultimately made them better storytellers. And I believe this is also true of the writers who studied under Michael's tutelage, whether they appreciated it or not.
"Michael's greatest contribution to the industry was his willingness -- indeed, a profound eagerness -- to encourage and recruit young new writing talent. Michael sought out new writers wherever he could find them -- not just in Hollywood, but at college campuses and writing seminars around the country. Personally he donated half a million dollars to his own alma mater, UNC Chapel Hill, to help establish a nationally-recognized screenwriting program. And as a TV producer, he was always a patron of the internship and mentor programs offered by the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Most importantly, Michael Piller helped break down the barriers in Hollywood that made it difficult for young writers to get their foot in the door. His desire to open those doors was unprecedented. As head writer of Star Trek: The Next Generation, Michael convinced the hard-to-convince lawyers at Paramount Studios to let him do what nobody else in Hollywood had ever done -- he opened the doors to freelance script submissions to anybody in the world -- not just professional writers -- but anybody in the world who wanted to write a Star Trek script. When the floodgates opened, the scripts poured in. And Michael was the prospector who had a talent for finding those rare nuggets of gold in an avalanche of mud.
"Over the years, Michael Piller "discovered" and mentored dozens and dozens of young writers in Hollywood. Today, the names of many of those successful writers can be seen in the opening credits of hit television series covering a broad genre of programming on almost every major network and dozens of cable channels, too! That is his legacy. Michael Piller opened the doors for an entire generation of Hollywood writers. And his impact will be felt for years to come."
From Ron Wilkerson:
"I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Michael Piller. Michael, along with Jeri Taylor, gave Jean Matthias and me the opportunity to begin our screenwriting careers on Star Trek: The Next Generation. I pitched to him quite a few times and I worked with him in several story break sessions for the episodes we wrote on The Next Generation and Voyager. I can honestly say that it was a privilege to work with him.
"Although I never had the opportunity to become particularly close to Michael, I have long felt his influence in my writing. Michael set very high standards for his shows and, as a writer pitching one of his shows, you knew that if you got Michael to accept one of your ideas for production it was because the story was really worth telling. Like Rod Serling and Gene Roddenberry before him, Michael always wanted to make stories be "about something," which meant any writer who worked for him had to write beyond the obvious sci-fi bells and whistles to really explore the human condition.
"If you've been moved or challenged by shows with Michael's name attached as a writer or producer and wondered why you haven't been as moved or challenged by other sci-fi shows, it is because not all show runners aspire to this high standard Michael set for himself and his writers. It is my hope that more of them will heed his example in the future.
"His passing is a terrible loss to the worlds of sci-fi and quality dramatic writing."
* * * * *
Michael served as creative consultant for Star Trek: Voyager, which he co-created, until the series concluded in May 2001. He also co-created Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and served as executive producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989-1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1992-1995) and Star Trek: Voyager (1994-1996). During the 1994-95 television season, Michael also co-created and executive produced the UPN network series Legend.
In 1998, he wrote and co-produced Star Trek: Insurrection, the ninth installment in the enormously successful Star Trek feature film franchise for Paramount Pictures.
In 1999, Michael partnered with his son Shawn Piller to form Piller2, Inc., a Hollywood-based production company where they developed and produced new television and motion picture properties. The father/son duo are also the co-creators of USA Network's top-rated cable drama series 'The Dead Zone", and the ABC Family Channel's 'Wildfire."
Michael, in addition to serving on the Advisory Board for the Department of Communications Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gave a major grant to his alma mater to help launch a nationally distinctive screenwriting program.
* * * * *
With Michael Piller at the helm of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the show became the first syndicated series in the 90's to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine continued the success of the franchise during its seven seasons on the air. Star Trek: Voyager also completed seven seasons in 2001.
An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Michael began his broadcasting career with CBS News in New York. He subsequently served as managing editor of the WBTV-TV News in Charlotte, North Carolina, and assistant news director at WBBM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Chicago.
His first position in entertainment television was as a censor in the CBS docudrama unit. Piller then spent two years as a programming executive before leaving CBS to write full-time.
Michael's credits as a writer-producer include the series Simon and Simon, Cagney and Lacey, Miami Vice, Probe, and Hard Time on Planet Earth. In addition, he co-created and executive produced the syndicated series Group One Medical.
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