Local Talent

Welcome one and all. Today, I was thinking about the local entertainment as my co-star Shawn of Rotten Ramblin' On was on about. Artists, musicians and film makers...hell we could interview the collection of coplayers, costumers and creators. That being said I decided to cover more than a handful of movie stars that have made it in Hollywood hailing from our plains.

Just a Midwestern boy.

Local Talent establishes actors, writers, directors, athletes of past and present ranging from Drama to Horror films, showcasing as much as one can. Two examples of such is dancer, singer, actor, choreographer and musician Fred Astaire (Top Hat, Swing Time, Royal Wedding, Funny Face and It Takes a Thief) and Broadway star and film method actor Montgomery Clift (Red River, The Big Lift, A Place in the Sun, I Confess,The Young Lions and The Misfits)

Steve Borden, Sr who you know better as Sting of WWE as a professional wrestler, bodybuilder and even author. Former gridiron football player, Heisman Trophy winner and NFL San Diego Chargers running back and wide receiver Johnny "The Jet" Rodgers. Actor Randy J. Goodwin (Girlfriends, CSI: Miami, Flip the Script, Big Shots, The Vampire Diaries, Annie Claus is Coming to Town, The Mind's End and The Job) and newcomer to Horror, Karrie Bauman (The Legacy of Boggy Creek, Escape to Black Tree Forest, The Dead Hour, The Eyes of Isabelle, Cheerleader Camp: To the Death and Poet) and actor/comedian Jorge Garcia (Hurley of Lost, Hitman:Bloody Money, Alcatraz, Gaspar, How I Met Your Mother, The Wedding Ringer, The Ridiculous 6 and Hawaii Five-0) just to name a handful.

This week we explore humble beginnings to stardom and having the guts to try their luck from the Midwest and push out to their dreams.

What? You thought this chin was from Hollywood?

Leonard Nimoy 1931-2015

Hey folks. By now, you are aware that Leonard Nimoy has passed away. The future just got a bit dim without this man's talented eye for photography, his writing for film and TV. Oh yeah you might have seen him as Spock for the last 35 years. He and Shatner have been thick as thieves these last few years. Between the conventions, voice work on film documentary and video games, he has been plenty busy. No one I know can kick back and play Civilization IV without recognizing that narrator's voice. Hell this was Galavatron before the age of Michael Bay and Transformers were still anime.

Nimoy has starred in the typical amount of Westerns ranging from Wagon Train no less than 5 times as 5 separate characters. 4 separate characters in Gunsmoke. Usually the tall thin guys are easy to spot. The Man from U.N.C.L.E. Episode Project Strigas guest starring Shatner and Nimoy is one of my favorites.

I love the fact he owned an exotic pet shop when the Star Trek series was cancelled and became the Other Dr. Spock getting degrees in Biology and Photography. Shatner tells the tale best but the landing party of Kirk, Spock and McCoy all share something together. Tinnitus thanks to an explosion on set via Star Trek: Arena. So with that ringing in his ear, Shatner still had to wrestle a guy in a rubber mask and suit? The main reason that Nimoy had the role of Spock was producers of The Lieutenant remembered this tall thin guy that easily dominated the set. The Lieutenant also being a Gene Roddenberry creation.

The funniest story Nimoy had was he was whisked up to Caltech in Silicon Valley for a seminar. The jist of which they were talking about microprocessors, the advancement of software, circuit boards and even the potential to Artificial Intelligence and they wanted Nimoy's take on it. Given Nimoy does not have a multi-cross discipline of sciences under his belt he bluffed his way through it, pausing and looking thoughtful, offering comments to the like of: "Hmm, good point." " I think you are on the right track." According to Nimoy, the scientists seem genuinely pleased. ACTING!!

With two children and one stepson he has five grandchildren that he leaves behind, he has inspired generations in photography and had received countless letters from budding scientists that they went into their perspective fields due to his portrayal of Mr. Spock. For three seasons, eight movies and three different series he has played Spock in the original series, Star Trek: The Animated Series and Star Trek: The Next Generation. Last year in February he announced he was suffering from chronic obstruction pulmonary disease which makes it difficult to breathe, causes wheezing, fatigue and a horrific cough. He attributed it to smoking for many years until he quit and had advocated smokers to quit before it is too late.

Rotten Reelz Reviews salute you Leonard Nimoy for encouraging this writer's love of science fiction, literature recommended to fans and an skilled eye in black and white (my favorite in photography). His love and hate relationship with Spock is proof he could go back to him at any time. He was found of saying on talk shows and interviews as, "My folks came to the US as immigrants, aliens and became citizens. I was born in Boston, a citizen that went to Hollywood and became an alien." Thank you Leonard Nimoy for all you have done for us. Live long and prosper.