Follow the “Yellow Brick Road”: Captain Kirk sings “Rocket Man”

I know, I know. “Star Trek” doesn’t hit theaters until May 8, 2009.

That doesn’t stop me from getting giddy about the thought of my favorite space travelers returning to the big screen. Just think! Kirk, Spock, Bones and the gang boldly going where they’ve gone many, many times before!

To tide myself over until May, I’ve turned to the above video, created YouTube poster Chromafly.

Here’s William Shatner’s famous rendition of “Rocket Man” by Elton John, set to clips from the “Star Trek: The Animated Series.” Enjoy.

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Geek identity, more than any dress code or profession, stems from what you like.

If you’re a “Firefly” fan, you dedicate your life to educating the world about Browncoats, Reavers and the Alliance. If you’re a “Battlestar Galactica” geek, you puzzle over plot twists, gawk at Cylon babes and wait, oh so patiently, for the end of Season Four. The same goes for the faithful who follow “Babylon Five,” “Farscape,” “The 4400,” “Heroes” and “Lost.”

A geek’s true loyalty, however, falls into two camps: “Star Wars” and “Star Trek.”

As far as science fiction classics are concerned, “Star Wars” and “Star Trek” have a lot in common.

Both started out as awesome shows with impressive, if slightly cheesy, special effects, fun plots and compelling characters. Both launched multi-title series that started out strong (”The Empire Strikes Back and “Return of the Jedi,” “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine) and finished weak (”The Phantom Menace,” “Enterprise”).

One’s a space opera with foundations in myth, magic and Akira Kurosawa. The other’s an egghead approach to science and space exploration revolving around Star Fleet and the U.S.S. Enterprise.

So which is better?

YouTube poster D.M. Phoenix puts that question to the test with “Star Wars vs. Star Trek,” which pits the crew of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” against Darth Vader and the Empire.

How does Jean-Luc Picard’s impenetrable cool and rich British accent stack up to Darth Vader’s masked menace? Do phaser beams trump the Force?

You’ll have to watch to find out.

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In related news, Jon Stewart may very well be the biggest geek in the talk news universe.

On a recent episode of “The Daily Show,” he bragged about his Black Friday purchases: a C3-PO Bobblehead and the Lego Millinium Falcon. Way to geek out, Jon!

Thanks to Gizmodo Australia for the heads-up.

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Makeup’s “first family” gets star on Hollywood Walk of Fame

They set trends. They created the standard for Hollywood glamor. They elevated movie makeup to an art-form.

In fact, the Westmore family — led by patriarch George Westmore and his six sons — made makeup a vital part of Hollywood.

Today, as descendants Michael and Marvin Westmore unveil the 2,370th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, at least one Central Coast resident will be celebrating.

June Westmore of Pismo Beach is related to the family by marriage. She wed her friend and mentor, Montigue “Monte” Westmore, in 1994.

Westmore’s past work skews toward the science fiction genre, with film and television credits including “Outbreak,” “Sphere,” “Artificial Intelligence: A.I.” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” She’s been nominated for five Emmy Awards for her work on such shows as “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine” and “Enterprise.”

Nowadays, she specializes in bridal makeup via her company, The Finishing Touch. She also offers a 12-week course on professional makeup artistry.

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The Westmores’ legacy is significant.
According to a Walk of Fame spokeswoman, George Westmore opened the very first make-up department at Selig Studios in 1917.

His sons — Monte, Ern, Perc, Wally, Bud and Frank — created signature looks for many of cinema’s stars, including Rudolph Valentino, Elizabeth Taylor, Bette Davis and Audrey Hepburn. They even helped design the Barbie doll, the spokeswoman said.

In 1931, Ern Westmore became the first person to receive a special Academy Award for makeup, for the historic epic “Cimarron.”

Monte turned Vivien Leigh’s hazel eyes green in “Gone With the Wind.” Bud gained fame with his work on “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” and “The Munsters,” while Frank netted the family’s first Emmy Award for TV’s “Kung Fu.”

Raising the standard for the third generation is Monte’s son, Michael. He’s won an Oscar for 1986’s “Mask,” as well as nine Emmys.

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It’s the Holy Grail of all auctions

Want to own a piece of Hollywood history?

This week, movie fans can bid online for props, costumes, scripts and posters ranging from The Lone Ranger’s pearl-handled revolvers (starting at $4,000 for the pair) to a mechanical Velociraptor from “Jurassic Park III” ($80,000).

The live Internet auction, going on now, is organized by Profiles in History of Calabasas, Calif.

How’d you like to get your hands on a phaser used by William Shatner in “Star Trek”?

What about a helmet from “CHiPs”? James Bond’s cufflinks? C-3PO’s feet from “Star Wars”? Or Lou Ferrigno’s prosthetic nose from “The Incredible Hulk” television series?

Even the Holy Grail used in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” is up for grabs. It’s a steal with bids starting at $20,000.

For as much as $50,000, you can purchase the “Ten Commandments” tablets that Moses himself (aka Charlton Heston) brought down from Mount Sinai.

Although most of the auctions items tend to run in the thousands of dollars, there are a few for relatively cheap. For instance, you could own a lobby card for 1962’s “Lolita” for a mere $200.

Click on this link for a closer look at the 446 items for sale, some benefiting charities. The auction ends 11 p.m. Thursday (Pacific Standard Time).

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You’ll notice that the same guy is modeling most of the men’s costumes up for auction, everything from Christopher Reeves’ “Superman” suit to the Sabertooth costume from “X-Men.” Lucky stiff.

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Photo courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com.

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Did you tune in last week for audio clips about “Get Smart” and “The Love Guru”?

Then you’ll be pleased to hear that there’s a whole new crop this week.

Once again, these streaming audio clips — about 30 seconds apiece — come courtesy of McClatchy Interactive. Keep ‘em comin’, guys!

First up, friends share memories of comedian George Carlin and muse about one of his favorite characters, the Hippy Dippy Weatherman.

Sigourney Weaver and others lend their voices to a scene from “WALL-E.”
And James McAvoy shares how he perfected that flawless American accent (ha!) in “Wanted.”

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If you’re interested, here’s a 25-minute interview with “Star Trek” star George Takei and his partner, Brad Altman. They talk about how they met, William Shatner and the new “Star Trek” movie.

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