A-6 • MARCH 5, 2012 • BEARDEN SHOPPER-NEWS PULL UP A CHAIR … | Jake Mabe
‘Shatner’s World’ comes alive! Knoxville to New York and back, driving, 1,400 miles in 50 hours. No big deal, right? It’s our chance to see William Shatner. William Shatner. Captain James Tiberius Kirk of the Starship Enterprise. Or, if you prefer, Denny Crane. Or, if you’re under 20, the Priceline.com guy. Car loaded up, a buddy and I leave Knox Vegas at 5 p.m. (My wife wanted no part of this quixotic quest.) Billy Joel blaring on the iPod, we were ready. Some folks like to get away; take a holiday from the neighborhood …
Virginia. Forever. Then Maryland. Then Pennsylvania. I waved the white flag just across the New Jersey line. Rest stop. We were eating breakfast at Junior’s in Midtown Manhattan by 7 a.m. The server’s name was Cheryl and the eggs were awesome. (And scrambled.) The room at The Milford wasn’t ready. So, I grabbed a Daily News and snickered at Snooki being banned in Newark. Then I grabbed a nap before the matinee. “Shatner’s World (We Just The marquee at the Music Box Theatre on Broadway in Manhattan announces William Shatner’s one-man show, Live in It)” is one hour and 40 “Shatner’s World.” Photo by Jake Mabe
William Shatner in his iconic role of Capt. James T. Kirk on “Star Trek.” File photo
minutes of pure ego. And I mean that in the best sense of the word. Let’s face it: Shatner’s sense of himself is part of his charm. It worked as Kirk. It worked even better as Denny Crane. The show was charming, cute, poignant, perfect. He told us about his big break, on the Shakespearean stage in his native Montreal, stepping in to play “Henry V” for an ill Christopher Plummer. He hammed it up on Broadway 50 years ago in “The World of Suzie Wong” and saved the sinking ship. He lit up live TV, including the infamous night when Lon Chaney Jr. blinked in front of the never-blinking cameras and started spouting stage directions. He saw that thing on the wing in “The Twilight Zone.” And, then, NBC rejected Jeffrey Hunter as the captain of the Enterprise. Shatner got the nod and trekked his way into immortality. But don’t get the idea “Shatner’s World” is a Trekkie tour de force. It’s the story of a life, of a little boy growing up in Montreal who used to skip school for the
burlesque shows and knew he wanted to act. It’s about an equestrian, an actor, a linguist in love with alliteration so much he even recorded Elton John’s “Rocket Man” as a spoken-word album. Look it up. It’s a classic. Shatner says the secret to his success is that he said “yes.” When Chris Plummer was sick, he said yes. When “Star Trek” needed a captain, he said yes. When David E. Kelley needed Denny Crane, he said yes. “Saying ‘yes’ means risk,” Shatner says. But with risk comes reward. After the show we ate Italian on Restaurant Row and watched the snow and skaters at Rockefeller Center. Sunday morning we were up by 7 and gone by 8. I managed to grab a Times and a Daily News on the way to the car. It was the trip of a lifetime and it was gone in a flash and when I crossed into Tennessee I was still humming a nocturne for the blues in a New York state of mind. Visit Jake Mabe online at jakemabe.blogspot.com.
10th ANNUAL DIABETES EDUCATION PROGRAM Sat., March 17, 2012 • 8am - 2:30pm Health & Wellness Expo Knoxville Convention Center Keynote Sessions
Workshops:
“Real Life Meal Planning & Diabetes”
• What does Diabetes have to do with my feet? Dagon Percer, D.P.M.
Virginia Turner, M.S., R.N., L.D.N. Ballroom A 9:05am - 9:50am
• Nerve Pain From Diabetes Timothy Thomas, M.D. • Diabetes & Your Child Cathy Van Ostrand, R.N., M.S.N., C.D.E.
“Diabetes & My Heart” John Eaddy, M.D., Ballroom A 10:05am - 10:50am
“I have Diabetes, NOW WHAT?” Casey Page, M.D. FACE Ballroom A 11:05am - 11:50am
Lunch 12:15pm – 12:45pm Ballroom A Cooking Demonstration
Door Prize Giveaway 2:15pm Ballroom A
• Sexual Health & Diabetes Mike Wiseman, M.S.N., FNP-C Jane Kelly, R.N., B.S.N. • Fun Ways To Exercise With Diabetes Lauren Polvino, PA-C, C.D.E., Certified Personal Trainer
FREE Health Screenings: • Eye Exams • Bone Density Checks • Lymphedema Screening • Blood Pressure • Meter Checks • Cervical Neck Scans
Call 524-7868, ext. 3347 to register
Register before March 9, 2012 RECEIVE 2 FREE TICKETS ($5 at the door)
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