My chat (we've chatted several times, it wasn't really a formal interview) did cover some other topics. She and I had some laughs over the oddball world of memorabilia shows and signings, and some of the delightful-if-desperate denizens going into orbit for the chance to get a selfie. BUT...as it turned it, most of that got edited in favorite of the "Star Trek" (what else) moments. (Well, also getting edited, my middle initial, which ATTEMPTS to differentiate me from a few thousand other Ronald Smiths.)
Should I tease about one of the highlight anecdotes? It's when she explains why she was going to leave the show and WHO persuaded her to stay. (Hint...America just celebrated his birthday and mail delivery was suspended).
Nichelle told me a pretty odd (but maybe not surprising) story about that Shatner roast, and his little squabble over where his former co-star should or should NOT be allowed to sit.
I know all fans of ALL her memorable work wish her peace, tranquility and good will in her current situation with the problems that so many have in their "golden" years.
The mag's long-running reputation is to focus on horror, sci-fi and cult movies, and devote space to copious DVD reviews. Yes, die-hard fans STILL buy DVDs and SUPPORT the companies who digitize and offer commentary tracks and other goodies. Not everybody steals shit, throws it around on the Internet and calls it "sharing." Among the notable new releases, by the way (and Warner Archive paid for a FULL PAGE ad) is the Blu-Ray version of "The Set-Up." It's "80 savage minutes of punch-packed emotion ripped from a man's battered body and a woman's tormented soul!" Nice.
The original book was written by a favorite of mine, the odd Joseph Moncure March, who, after a signed collectors edition of his short poems, went ALL OUT with two FULL LENGTH raps: "The Wild Party" and "The Set-Up."
Yes, the tradition of the "epic poem" goes back to the papyrus days, but March's cadencce was tuned to a different eardrum. "The Wild Party" was coincidentally made into two competing Broadway shows a while back, one of them starring Eartha Kitt. Neither was a hit, though.
"The Set-Up" was made into a film while March was still alive and able to see it. It's a credible noir, even though it can't match the book (and doesn't try). The book takes you along on jagged rhymes, sort of like Ali-Gone-Wild. An unfortunate problem with the first edition, was that the protagonist was black, and the poor guy was subjected to racist language by some of his enemies. March attempted to neaten things when he was allowed a revised edition in the 60's but it's rarely a good idea for a poet to try to "improve" on the original by "fixing" a rhyme here and there, or even watering down things to apologize for the earlier authenticity of the times.
Among the highlights in the WINTER edition:
A four-page interview with Gary Kent (and where else would you get something like that?)
A fine piece by Rob Freese on video pioneer Greg Luce, who helmed the underground VHS company "Sinister Cinema," which as I recall was the first outfit to offer up the brilliant "DEMENTIA" for home viewing. (I once asked Shelley Berman if he had anything to say about his brief cameo as a jazz club druggie...he didn't).
As always, there are lots of reviews of movies you never heard of, or that you didn't realize were VERY much worth watching. Oh, gee, Universal has put out an entire box set of ALL their Abbott & Costello films. Just in time for quizzical people under 60 to ask, "Who are they" and "When do we get an entire gift box on REAL geniuses like Adam Sandler and Will Ferrell?"
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