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Nov 17 | Originally hired as co-executive producer to help with the second half of the show's first season, Kevin Murphy has now taken the reins of Caprica, the Battlestar Galactica prequel on Syfy, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He now serves as an executive producer along with Ronald D. Moore, David Eick and Jane Espenson and oversees the day-to-day functions of the show.

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Nov 12 | Star Trek star Zachary Quinto is loosely attached to star in the romantic dramedy Whirligig, reports Risky Business.Quinto would play the lead role in the independent Canadian film, which is aiming to shoot early next year. The movie centers on a man who, in a misguided attempt to woo an older woman, befriends the woman's adopted son.Chaz Thorne is directing the pic, based on a screenplay by Michael Amo, creator of the Canadian supernatural series "The Listener."

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Nov 11 | The CNS Foundation, is hosting an on-line charity auction at www.charitybuzz.com.   One of the items they are auctioning is a signed movie poster of the new Star Trek movie which has all the cast members and writers.  The president of our organization is Carol Abrams, JJ's mother,  and she arranged for the donation from Bad Robot Production Company.  J.J. Abrams is also a major donor to their organization. The funds raised will go to help find a cure to neurological disorders in children.  The auction link is here.

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Nov 10 | Candice Bergen, Charles Lisanby, Don Pardo, Gene Roddenberry, Tom and Dick Smothers and Bob Stewart have been selected as the next inductees into the Television Academy's Hall of Fame. They will be honored at a Jan. 20 ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel. "This year's inductees have challenged and shaped popular culture, changed television for the better and entertained us royally while doing so," TV Academy Chairman-CEO John Shaffner said. More info at the Hollywood Reporter

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Nov 08 | Unreality-SF.net has interviewed Star Trerk author James Swallow about some of his upcoming projects. He talks about Titan: Synthesis and Seven Deadly Sins: The Slow Knife, as well as some forthcoming Doctor Who and Stargate stories.

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Feature Story

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Interview: Jeffrey Combs Back in Blue This Season as Andorian Commander 'Shran'

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By Steve Krutzler / 13:00, 27 October 2004 / TrekWeb Features

TW: You've made quite a name for yourself in the Horror genre. I've heard you referred to as the modern day Vincent Price.

JC: That's a little scary. He's certainly an icon in that world. I should be so lucky. I do have the rare honor of having a foot in two worlds, the Sci-Fi world and the horror world. It can be quite strange and interesting because rarely do those fans appear in the same person at the same time. Whole factions know me for STAR TREK and a whole other faction will be completely unaware of my STAR TREK work but will be just in shock that they are standing next to the guy who did RE-ANIMATOR or THE FRIGHTENERS with Peter Jackson and all these other things.

TW: As your career has progressed have you found it difficult to move beyond being labeled as a 'horror film actor'?

JC: Of course. Every actor who has a modicum of success in a particular genre finds that it is immediately going to perpetuate itself. It's very difficult, well actually it's not difficult at all, what you have to do is you just have to start saying "No". And when you start saying no well guess what? You don't work.

So I sort of take the philosophy that okay you want to pigeonhole me but I will try to make that work for me. Every time I do something I try to do something completely different. I hope that eventually someone will go "Hey you know what? This guy no matter what he does, he's not stuck in this one little spectrum of the many colors that can happen, he can mix it up a little bit." That's my goal is, to try to be as diversified as I can. When I'm Shran I'm not Weyoun, and they are both Sci-Fi.

TW: How do you deliver such nuanced performances under all that make-up involved in the characters you've played on STAR TREK?

JC: I have a great deal of help from the other talents in that world. The makeup artists and costume designers. I tend to be really strongly informed by what I wear and what I see. So for instance when I first did Weyoun, I had no idea until that very early morning when I put the stuff on, exactly who that person was. I mean I certainly had the dialogue, but I had no image. It's such a gift to have such support and help from the other departments. They are just phenomenal.

The same thing with Shran; you have a general notion of what you want to do with it and then you walk into the make-up trailer and they start applying this stuff and you're kind of freaked out by this mask that they place on you, and then that's even more supported by the costume that you put on. All of that really gives me a shell that I can work out of and allows me to be so different. At least I hope so.

TW: I understand that one aspect of Shran's make-up is unique, his antennae. Is it true that the antennae are operated by remote control?

JC: Think of a little boy with a remote-controlled car. He can make the car spin around and back up and stuff with a little radio controlled joystick. So think of Shran as a little remote control sports car and that's how it works. A puppeteer runs it. He designed it. He was hired by STAR TREK to come up with the design and it works beautifully.

TW: So you have to work out ahead of time how the antennae will be a part of your performance?

JC: Right. We'll have a rehearsal and the puppeteer will be at the rehearsal and he will have read the script ahead of time. He and I will discuss all the particular points. I remember one episode with a scene with T'Pol and Archer and it was in the ready room or something, some place with a very low ceiling with a low beam. I got the notion of walking across the room and my antenna quickly, almost unconsciously, dipping down as I pass under the beam and then they go back up. So we work in tandem to come up with little things like that.

It's not something that we want to make a joke of, it's just that that's what you would do with your arm if you were walking around a chair you'd just kind of unconsciously move your arm out of the way. That's the way the Andorians are with their antenna. So I work very closely with him and he does a great job and he's part of my performance.

TW: Compared to the Ferengi the Andorian make-up looks much simpler. How does it compare to the other looks you've had in your STAR TREK roles?

JC: Ferengi make up takes about an hour and a half. Despite how intricate it looks it's actually one of the simpler make-ups to apply. Weyoun was actually much more of a protracted and delicate process.

TW: Why was that?

JC: Because there was hair involved. You have to go back and forth and back and forth from trailer to trailer. Make-up trailer, hair trailer, make-up trailer, hair trailer and the same thing is true with the Andorians. There is actually an extra step with the Andorians. The first thing you have to do is go in and have this little flat contoured plate kind of thing with the wiring for the antennae put on your head first. Then you go have make-up done to a particular point and then you go back and have the wig placed on and then you go back to get the final touches on the makeup. It's about a two and a half hour process to get into Shran.

My make-up guy is Jeff Lewis, and he is just terrific. That's very important because we spend a lot of time together. We have a great time. The makeup trailer has great camaraderie. I love those guys. The same with Michael Moore who does the hair. It's a terrific team and I can't say enough good things about them. They do a great job and are consummate professionals.


Continued...
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Poll | Report this post to moderator
By: Cap'n Calhoun (Odo's file, contact) @ 02:11:04 on Oct 28, 2004

Inspired by the interview and the comments, I've added to a poll to the BBS. Go there to decide just how much Jeffrey Combs is your bare minimum and how much will make you sick of him completely. ;-)

http://trekweb.com/stbbs/showThread.php?tid=41808b58d9183

Incidentally, I love Combs' work on Star Trek, and, although I'm sure there is a saturation point, for the moment I hold that (in the words of U2) too much is not enough. ;-)

--------

"You know what six movies average out to be really good? The first six Star Trek movies!" -- Fry, Futurama


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Do we love this guy ...? | Report this post to moderator
By: jstewart_2k3 (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 16:06:25 on Oct 27, 2004

Or do we love this guy? I hope they don't overuse the Shran character and thereby lose any of the, well, greatness that he has. It's always nice seeing Shran, as it was with Weyoun and Brunt, but I really hope they don't make him a permanent character and just reduce him to more background filler. I really hope they go to the Andorian homeworld, though.

Kudos, Jeffrey Combs, hope we see you a lot more on Enterprise.

--------

"I was told this ship was the pride of Starfleet. I find it is small, and unimpressive."

"Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you."

Archer and Gral spar verbally in: "Babel One."


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  • RE: Do we love this guy ...? | Report this post to moderator
    By: Jadzia-Dax (Odo's file, contact) @ 17:14:46 on Oct 27, 2004

    Even in "filler" episodes, Combs makes them shine. He has quite the dynamic presence as an actor, but in the "modern TV" sense. Ie., many of the dynamic guest stars that have appeared in Trek have been very much theater actors (eg. John DeLancie) and have performed that version of a "larger than life" character. With Combs, his performances are just as strong, but seem to be more attuned to the various cameras (with their implied audiences) rather than a live, centrally fixed audience. Thus he comes across more "animated", but without the "theatrics" that often go along with that. If this makes any sense. ;-)

    --------

    "I think the show talked to people through the characters. They're stories that speak to the heart. They talk about love, they talk about friendship, they talk about loyalty, they talk about patriotism, exploration, curiosity, reaching out... And I think all those things still touch people. Even when you look at a 30-year old show, it still has something to say." - D.C. Fontana, Sci Fi Channel Special Edition TOS 1998
    ----
    "If the season finale involves the re-built USS Reliant coming back in time to the 21st Century crewed by Moogie, Dr. Selar, Morn, Transporter Chief Kyle, and the Salt Vampire, then we'll know that Coto has gone too far." - tomba1701


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    • RE: Do we love this guy ...? | Report this post to moderator
      By: jstewart_2k3 (Odo's file, contact, web site) @ 03:55:02 on Oct 28, 2004

      I think I know what you mean ... All his characters have been great, even the science fiction ones, but he gives them a sense of reality that you could believe they really exist. Weyoun is still my favourite character of his.

      --------

      "I was told this ship was the pride of Starfleet. I find it is small, and unimpressive."

      "Funny, I was about to say the same thing about you."

      Archer and Gral spar verbally in: "Babel One."


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Great interview! | Report this post to moderator
By: Jadzia-Dax (Odo's file, contact) @ 14:33:26 on Oct 27, 2004

It's always a pleasure to read interviews with Jeff Combs and IMHO, this one was even better than the last. His enthusiasm and professionalism comes across in his acting, which I think is why he is so popular.

Look forward to his upcoming appearances! Image

--------

"I think the show talked to people through the characters. They're stories that speak to the heart. They talk about love, they talk about friendship, they talk about loyalty, they talk about patriotism, exploration, curiosity, reaching out... And I think all those things still touch people. Even when you look at a 30-year old show, it still has something to say." - D.C. Fontana, Sci Fi Channel Special Edition TOS 1998
----
"If the season finale involves the re-built USS Reliant coming back in time to the 21st Century crewed by Moogie, Dr. Selar, Morn, Transporter Chief Kyle, and the Salt Vampire, then we'll know that Coto has gone too far." - tomba1701


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  • RE: Great interview! | Report this post to moderator
    By: Burkins (Odo's file, contact) @ 15:18:36 on Oct 27, 2004

    Quote:
    Please let everybody know that I have a strong belief in and high hopes for ENTERPRISE. I think it's an evolving and improving series and I only hope that it will continue to get greater respect and appreciation as time goes on. Some of them out there have to get out of this silly bashing mode that they seem to be in. I think it's completely unwarranted and everybody needs to give this series a second look and an honest chance. ENTERPRISE is a terrific addition to the STAR TREK universe and it's getting better all the time. The writing this year is filled with terrific conflict and has a ring to it that's reminiscent of the original series and I have high hopes and expectations for this season. It's in good hands.

    I found this last bit particularly pertinent. Sure hope people will take heed of Shran's suggestions!

    --------

    "Make just a ripple. Come on be brave. This time a ripple - next time a wave."

    "I lost something out there... and I don't know how to get it back" Archer in "Home"


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