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Loading... Up Till Now (2008)by William Shatner
A totally off the wall biography by William Shatner. When you first start reading this book you are not quite sure whether Shatner has an over inflated ego, or his tongue is wedged firmly in his cheek. It soon becomes clear that self-deprecation is the name of the game. Whether poking fun at his own 'B' movies or his 'singing' ability, it is clear that Shatner does not take himself too seriously. There are some good behind the scenes references on Star Trek and Boston Legal, and some genuinely moving personal recollections, but mostly is a wonderful comedic ride and is great fun (  ) PIER50 | Jan 25, 2012 |  I opted for the audiobook version of this, rather than reading it myself, because it's read by William Shatner himself. And nobody delivers a line like William Shatner. I think it was the right call. If you're looking for unexpected insights, deep introspection, or new revelations about Shatner's work, probably best to move along. But if you just want a fun read (or listen) tracing one of the most eclectic careers in Hollywood, I recommend this. The book is a lot like Shatner's persona: it maintains deadpan seriousness in the most ludicrous of situations. From the multiple opening scenes to the commercial interruptions in every chapter, Shatner maintains a playful, engaging tone as the narrative meanders through his life story. A life story which includes shooting a bear at close quarters, doing stunts on top of a fast-moving train without a safety harness, the Twilight Zone, Priceline commercials, a recording of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, James T. Kirk, T.J. Hooker, and Denny Crane. ( )1  Shmuel510 | Jul 23, 2011 | I feel like I should be ashamed to admit that I enjoyed Up Till Now. The jokes are so obvious and the Shatner is so ubiquitous. But it was a lot of fun! I don't think I need to really explain what this book is about, since it's all in the title. I'm pretty sure this isn't Bill Shatner's first autobiography, although the previous ones may have focused on different things? Maybe they were ~~memoirs~~ instead? Anyway, this one mostly covers his career, from the beginning up to "Boston Legal." Thankfully it stops before we get to the Ultimate Bad Twitter-Fueled Idea of "Shit My Dad Says" . . . oh, I'm sorry, "Bleep My Dad Says." There are many, many rabbit trails in Up Till Now. The thread of the story hops and jumps along, but the little stop-offs are almost always entertaining, so it didn't really bother me too much, just enough that I noticed it. Every time I told someone what I was reading, they'd laugh and talk about how they heard Shatner was a jerk. That may be true, I don't know, but in here he comes off as sort of a blowhard but generally okay. Maybe he's mellowed? Whether he's a jerk or not, or maybe BECAUSE he's a jerk, I laughed out loud waaaay too many times reading this book, and that's a pretty big plus for me. ( )1 karinnekarinne | Sep 23, 2010 | You hafta love Bill Shatner to rate this book 3.98 stars (current rating), but since I DO, I had fun reading it. The best of it probably reads like a movie magazine (don't read them?), but hey! Why else. Can't praise David Fisher much as a co-writer, but .... The BEST was that it spurred me to go to YouTube to listen to Shatner sing (sing?) "Rocket Man." I never fully understood the song before his rendition. And that foray into cyberspace ("where no one used to be able to go"? Nah, not catchy enough for a title) led me to Shatner's roast of George Lucas--also worth a look. Here are the two url's: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lul-Y8vSr0I&feature=youtube_gdata http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEZVwQptvWw&feature=youtube_gdata kaulsu | Jan 26, 2010 | William Shatner is narrating his autobiography with dramatic intonation. He lets his humor shine through in his voice and words and you can't help but love the anecdotes from his rich acting career. He takes you on a journey through the ups and downs of life TV in a self depreciating manner that is both skillful and honest. (  ) RapidCityPubLib | Nov 10, 2009 | no reviews | add a review
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