Blogging A to Z: “O” is for “Oh my!”

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American actor George Takei at the Star Trek C...

American actor George Takei at the Star Trek Convention UFP Con One in Hamm, Germany, 1996. Deutsch: Der US-amerikanische Schauspieler George Takei auf der Star Trek-Convention UFP Con One in Hamm, Deutschland, 1996. Français : L'acteur américain George Takei à la convention de Star Trek UFP Con One à Hamm, Allemagne, 1996. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

If you spend any time on Facebook, you or one of your friends have probably “shared” a posting from George Takei, aka Mr. Sulu from the sixties series, Star Trek. George’s catch phrase is “Oh my!”

If you follow him on Twitter, he will send you a thank you direct message with those very words in it…well, his computer will, I should say, since I suspect it’s an auto-generated follow and message. George has about 350,000 followers on Twitter…so far.

He’s become almost iconic on Facebook, posting captioned pictures and cartoons daily that he receives from fans. His choices are usually hilarious. Last I read, he had over 1.4 million Facebook fans!

I’m always amazed at those radio, television and motion picture stars who have the ability to transcend time, finding new ways to invent themselves. Who knew Mr. Sulu had such a fun and whimsical sense of humor? I for one am delighted.

This is what I call the William Shatner syndrome. Imagine how easy it might have been for William Shatner to have become forever linked with Star Trek. He didn’t. He starred in TJ Hooker and then became the Priceline dot com spokesperson, has appeared in countless spoofs of himself. I think his last role was playing the pop culture phenom father introduced by another Twitter icon–Justin Halpern whose “Shit My Dad Says” Twitter handle earned him millions of followers, a bestselling book and a television show. William Shatner has never taken himself too seriously and that makes him a win in my book. George Takei is doing the same only within cyber-media-land.

How did this happen?

Certainly their own marketing acumen has allowed these stars to resurrect themselves. Look at Betty White! Wow, she was on two popular television shows and might have quietly retired but did she? Hell no! She went on Saturday  Night Live and scandalized us with her innocent Mae West  persona with shades of  Sue Ann Niven from the Mary Tyler Moore Show and her darling references to “the” Twitter. The woman is in her nineties but you’d never know it. I saw her live when I went to a Tonight Show taping. What a cool lady!

Shows like Celebrity Apprentice and Dancing with the Stars have allowed yesterday’s stars to cash in on the reality television show craze previously reserved for the non-famous. Does this mean the man on the street is back to being the man on the street? I think it may, because even the so-called average Joe’s are either actors or actor wannabes who are gambling that they can parlay their fifteen minutes of fame into celebrity-hood.

As long as I’m entertained, I really don’t care.  Oh my!

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Now, be sure to visit more A to Z Blog Challenge participants today! Here’s where you can find their names and link to their blogs. The topics are endless.

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6 thoughts on “Blogging A to Z: “O” is for “Oh my!””

  1. excellent post! Did you know William Shatner has written tons of books? When I was at the library, there was almost a whole shelf in the sci-fi section of nothing but his books. And let’s not forget his iconic role on Boston Legal as the attorney suffering from mad cow disease. (I miss that show). Takei is hysterical and I follow him on Facebook as well. Seems like a super nice dude. Betty White simply amazes me. she doesn’t look to be in her 90s. I’m glad you got to see her in person.

  2. Hey There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely smartly written article.

    I’ll make sure to bookmark it and return to read extra of your helpful information. Thank you for the post. I will certainly return.

  3. I applaud anyone who can continue to reinvent his or her-self. And as long as I’m entertained (and their jobs are to entertain), I’m good with it, too.

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