master_q 0 Posted September 4, 2004 Sat Sep 4 15:59:53 2004:Steven_Gregory [0/] AAS-Login: master_q: Steve Gregory is a reporter and radio personality on News-Talk 550 KFYI in Phoenix, Arizona. It is great to have him here. He had the great honor of attending The James Doohan Farewell Convention & Tribute, which was held on August 27th-30th. He'll be giving us a report on it and will be answering some of your questions. spacetigger: Hello Steven.. hangon: Hi Steven Mrs.Picard: Hello ^_^ Steven_Gregory: Hello all master_q: Here's how the chat will work: master_q: Part I: The first part, I’ll ask him some general questions about the Doohan Farewell and a little about his personal Star Trek fandom. This will also help get the second part of the chat kicked off. master_q: Part II: After that, everyone will take turns asking questions or giving input to our special guest. I will send you a chat private message letting you know when it is your turn. (Be sure to have any pop-up blockers off.) During your turn, feel free to ask a follow up question, you are more then welcome to have some dialogue. master_q: Part III: If we have some time, then we might have a quick free-for-all. So if anyone has one or two more quick questions, we’ll get to those.... master_q: Mr. Gregory, thank you for making the time to come. We appreciate it a lot. :P master_q: You know, it is just awful to hear about Mr. Doohan. I'm sure it is very hard on his family and friends. Someone in my family has diabetes and that alone is very awful. A large number people don't understand how bad it is or can be. If you combine that with Parkinson's & Alzheimer's disease, then it is just hard to imagine. But the important thing about this tribute to him was honoring his wonderful life. He certainly has been blessed. And his role in Star Trek has certainly touched so many. Steven_Gregory: I agree completely.....it was sad to see Mr. Doohan in such bad shape..but, his face lit up as each of his castmates, and friends entered the room. What's even more concerning was how quickly the three ailments consumed him master_q: This was the last time the entire original cast (excluding DeForest Kelley, who is deceased) to be together. (However, we all of course, wish it was under better circumstances with Mr. Doohan and his health.) How did it feel being there? Steven_Gregory: Believe it, or not...this was my first convention....I was so taken aback by the outpouring of support for Doohan...it was electric....I felt like I was among friends master_q: Mr. Gregory, where did The James Doohan Farewell Convention & Tribute take place? Steven_Gregory: It was at the Renaissance Hotel on the corner of Hollywood and Highland in the center of Hollywood...adjacent to the Kodak Theatre where the Academy Awards are held master_q: About how many people showed up? As I would guess, it probably was a pretty diverse crowd, correct? Steven_Gregory: Very diverse, indeed...it was estimated that 10,000 attended througout the weekend.....the finale, which took place in the main ballroom, had close to 2,000. It was so packed at one point, the fire marshall had insisted people leave from the exits and aisle master_q: What was the general schedule of the Farwell Convention & Tribute? What took place? Steven_Gregory: During the two day event there were numerous speakers, guest appearances, autograph sessions, photo sessions, lots of collectibles, even discussion panels on topics like the influence of Scotty in society, singers and performers, and of course Steven_Gregory: the main event, appearances by the original cast over the two days for autographs and photos master_q: This really ties into the previous question, but what do you think were some of highlights & memorable moments that occurred, Mr. Gregory? Steven_Gregory: For me, seeing the original cast...I was always a huge fan of the original Star Trek (I consider myself a Star Trek purist)....standing next to these people who entertained me as a child, and still do today. One of the more memorable moments happened when Steven_Gregory: standing next to Mr. Doohan and watching his reaction when Walter Koenig walked in, then, George Takei....then, Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols...thinking the whole time what it must be like to have worked together on such a pioneering show, being good friends, Steven_Gregory: and now some 30+ years later, coming together one last time...seeing tears and hearing laughter...it was a moving moment for me master_q: Did you get to talk to any of the original series cast? Steven_Gregory: Yes, I interviewed Koenig, Nichols, Takei and Doohan....Shatner and Nimoy were a little 'shy'......I'm airing portions of my interviews tonight on my radio show. master_q: Okay, :lol ---- By the way, all of you can stream his show live on the Internet at http://www.kfyi.com/stream.html every Saturday at 9-11pm US/Eastern. You just have to register (for free) a username and password. Steven_Gregory: Sorry....I should add I also interviewed Grace Lee Whitney and BarBara Luna from the original cast master_q [0/] Msg:That sounds neat. ^_^ I'm looking forward to listening to your program tonight. Steven_Gregory: from room to room trying to get the next interview......a private press conference with Doohan and his family took place on Sunday....this was the only time Doohan would speak...he was in good spirits. His entire family surrounded him. master_q: You are a fan of the original Star Trek series. -------What drew you into it? master_q: And you mentioned on your radio program that you have never been able to assimilate into the spin-off Star Trek series. Why do you think that is? Steven_Gregory: There were only three shows I would watch as a kid.....M*A*S*H, Carol Burnett and Star Trek.....Star Trek was something my Dad and I watched together....I thought Kirk was so cool....I loved the fact that he always knew what to do, and his crew was always Steven_Gregory: behind him 100%.......I think I was always drawn to shows that showed character and loyalty. As for the new shows....ummmm, I just didn't get into them. For some reason, I felt they were rip-off's....I always say I'm a Star Trek purist....this is probably Steven_Gregory: why I'm not a big fan of sequels (except of course, Star Trek 2, 3 and 6)......call me crazy but, you will never be able to duplicate the chemistry and raw talent of the original cast, including the writing and creative team. spacetigger: So sad to hear and see Jimmy like this..He's always been a fav of mine. But I would like to ask about the past if I could.. spacetigger: Do you know if it's true that Jimmy and Shatner have had personal problems in the past..In fact that they haven’t spoken in years..I sure hope they have everything patched up by now.. Steven_Gregory: Hey Space Tigger.......funny you should mention this....it was brought up on stage with Shatner and Nimoy....apparently, Shatner claims it was a misunderstanding....he goes so far as to say it was him who recommended Doohan for the Scotty character spacetigger: Well, I was always saddened by that..I hope they are over that now.. spacetigger: I too am a big TOS fan..What are some of your fav Scotty moments ? Steven_Gregory: (being fellow Canadians and all)...Nimoy mentioned to Shatner that he wanted to know once and for all what the deal was...Shatner seemed coy about the question...Sadly, I'm not even sure Doohan realized Shatner was there spacetigger: ohhhh Steven_Gregory: I don't really have any favorite 'Scotty' moments......he was always one of those characters that made me chuckle (which was the intent)....I think moments when he was drunk, scolding the recruits, and his passion for wine, women and song DeltaFlyer1: What was you're least fav Scotty moment?? Steven_Gregory: Hi Delta Flyer1...I would have to say my least favorite Scotty moment was the love interest exchange between him and Uhura in Star Trek 5.....yuck! n999: How is Doohan's condition right now and what was it like at the Farwell? n999: What about the rest of the cast, were they in good heath? Steven_Gregory: Hey n999....Sadly, Doohan is in pretty bad shape.....he is wheelchair bound, suffers from Parkinson's (his right hand was shaking badly), diabetes (his skin was thin and bruised), and recently diagnosed with Alzheimer's. It was very sad to see someone so Steven_Gregory: vibrant being taken down by such debilitating conditions...the rest of the cast seemed in good health and good spirits...though, I must say, Shatner was a heavy n999: Was there any other stars from the other star trek show at the Farwell??? jaz4debo: yes, I have one. When do I post it? master_q: jaz4debo, just post it right here. jaz4debo: ooops, sorry. Steven_Gregory: N999, By other, do you mean new series, or original series? master_q: N999 meant the new series. n999: yeah the new series Steven_Gregory: I missed LeVar Burton and Wil Wheaton...they were there early.....Tim Russ, Roxanne Dawson were the only others I knew of. recycle: cool jaz4debo: Hello Mr. Gregory. Did Scotty as a character, develope any affinity among other Scots? Did they think he represented them well? Steven_Gregory: Hi Jaz4debo, There were Scots at the event and they felt he was an icon that best represented the integrity, loyalty and pride of a Scotsman....there were men, and women, dressed in kilts and even a performance by entertainer "Johnny Bagpipes"....there were Steven_Gregory: even representatives from a national engineering group who toasted Doohan on stage master_q: Before you go, do you mind if I ask one completely off-topic question? --------Did you spank Barry Young hard enough during the KFYI Smack Down? :lol: :lol master_q: I'm half-way joking. He hosts a good program. I like him, but I think he needed a good whack! :lol Steven_Gregory: Yes! I hit him hard........he deserved it too! I call it the spank heard around the Valley. spacetigger: lol master_q: :lol hangon: lol spacetigger: I've seen some pics from the event..Can you tell us about his family ? He has a young daughter right ? How old is she ? Steven_Gregory: Actually, it's a son...Ian...he's a very sharp young boy.....Barry and his lovely wife Kim are good friends and are a ton of fun to be with. I love working with Barry....he, Michele and I can sit for hours and laugh our butts off over nothing spacetigger: OH! master_q: Thanks for coming, Mr. Gregory! Have a good show tonight ----- We all will be listening. I'll put up a link to the Internet stream when your show starts on the StarTrekFans.net homepage. spacetigger: Thanks for chatting with us... hangon: yes thanks for coming steven drwho42: Been great having you here. :thumbs master_q: And if you ever cover one of these things, then be sure to contact us. We would love to do this again. DeltaFlyer1: Thank you I've enjoyed this jaz4debo: Thanks! n999: yeah thank you for coming recycle: thanks it was awesome Mrs.Picard: yeah, thank you recycle: :thumbs Steven_Gregory: Thank you for having me. I will put a link on my page to StartrekFans.net....this was a blast! Please call on me anytime. Take care...oh, "Live Long and Prosper" spacetigger: LLAP recycle: cool ty DeltaFlyer1: *goodbye* DeltaFlyer1: thank you master_q: Hehehehe ... Bye the way, the exit sound fits right into this chat master_q :*By the way, spacetigger: Exit sound ? master_q: When you log off. spacetigger: oh master_q: "Scotty beam me up" spacetigger: Nice Sat Sep 4 17:35:20 2004:Steven_Gregory [0/] Logout:_ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
