Patrick Stewart

Just before the USS Enterprise embarked on a new mission with “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1987, an article in the Los Angeles Times referred to the distinguished Englishman portraying the ship’s captain as an “unknown British Shakespearean actor.” The description stuck with Patrick Stewart, who refers to the unintentional jibe during the supplemental cast reunion video included on the newly remastered Blu-ray edition of the second season of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.” It’s no surprise he remembers it — his costar Brent Spiner made a point of hanging a sign on Stewart’s trailer door reading, “Beware unknown British Shakespearean actor.” Today, Stewart remains beloved for his turn as Capt. Jean-Luc Picard on “Next Generation,” though he’s got another fantastic elder statesman on his résumé too: Professor Charles Xavier in the “X-Men” films (James McAvoy played the younger […]

Two classic episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” are about to reach an unexpected frontier — the big screen in 44 states. On Monday night at 7 p.m., theaters across the country will screen new, digitally spruced-up versions of “Where No One Has Gone Before” (October 1987) and “Datalore” (January 1988) as well as behind-the-scenes programming as part of  the silver anniversary celebration for the sci-fi series. Tickets for the screenings went on sale early last month but the event will arrive in a changed country. The “Trek” program from CBS TV and Fathom is the first nationwide event for a “fan tribe” in the wake of the Colorado movie theater massacre that left 12 dead and 50 wounded at a midnight screening of “The Dark Knight Rises.” It was 25 years ago this October that “Star Trek: The Next Generation” arrived with a promise of […]

The mighty mutants of the Marvel Universe are back on the screen with “X-Men: First Class,” which hit theaters this weekend. The retro adventure begins in World War II and tracks through to the Cuban Missile Crisis to tell the secret history of mutants and set the stage for adventures shown in previously released films. There are a lot of new faces – good and evil mutants such as Azazel (played by Jason Flemyng), Banshee (Caleb Landry Jones), Riptide (Álex González) and Darwin (Edi Gathegi)  — but we’ve put together a photo gallery that explains some of the connections (and disconnects) between this throw-back adventure and the four previous Fox films. Just click “CAPTIONS ON” to read it but be warned there are some mild spoilers in there. – Jevon Phillips and Noelene Clark RECENT AND RELATED January Jones stressed by sexy suits  Why is Kevin Bacon […]

Patrick Stewart is pleased to see the “very talented” James McAvoy inherit his role of Charles Xavier in the upcoming Fox film ”X-Men: First Class,” but the 70-year-old sci-fi icon said he does have a tinge of regret when he looks back on his four-film run as powerful mutant mastermind. “I did three [as well as a limited appearance in 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine"] and the best thing I ever did got cut out of one of them,” the British star said with a tone that sounded half-serious. “I had to get Xavier’s wheelchair into this elevator and it was just an inch wider than the chair. I worked on it and worked on it; I got to the point that I could zoom right — whoosh – and spin on that wheel and be facing the camera. It was brilliant. It was probably the best scene of […]

It’s only Friday afternoon in San Diego, but Los Angeles already has hosted not one but two apocalypses. On Thursday, Sony previewed its 2011 alien invasion actioner “Battle: Los Angeles,” and Friday it was Universal’s turn to showcase “Skyline,” brothers Colin and Greg Strause’s sci-fi entry about, well, an alien invasion. So, just what is it about L.A. that makes it such a tempting target for mass destruction? The breathtaking beaches? The soaring skyscrapers? Maybe the city’s teeming populace? Turns out, the answer is none of the above. Though all of those elements appear in “Skyline,” the directors chose the city out of sheer convenience. Greg Strause lives in Marina del Rey, and his apartment served as a no-fuss location for the low-budget production. Most people don’t know the Strauses, but they would recognize many of the 65 films they […]

Patrick Stewart has many accolades as a stage actor, but for fanboys he will forever be “Star Trek’s” Capt. Jean-Luc Picard and “X-Men’s” Professor Charles Xavier. On Wednesday he was given a truly royal honor as Queen Elizabeth II knighted him at Buckingham Palace. And so a captain becomes a knight. The Royal Shakespeare Company member told the Associated Press that his “heroes were Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir John Gielgud and Sir Alec Guinness,” and that being “in that company is the grandest thing that has professionally happened to me.” – Jevon Phillips RECENT AND RELATED James McAvoy to become young Xavier Bryan Singer on “First Class”: It’s got to be about Xavier and Magneto ‘X-Men’ future looks especially uncertain Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart in “Godot” Patrick Stewart and Peter Jackson, to sirs with love Leonard Nimoy: ‘Trek’ fans can be scary […]

EXCLUSIVE This is a longer version of a story that will appear in the Sunday Calendar section of the Los Angeles Times and also on the cover of Brand X. Through the years, comic-book films took audiences to all the predictable places, including the grim streets of Gotham City and the doomed spires of planet Krypton, but, a decade ago, a new type of comic-book film had the audacity to set its opening sequence in a truly unexpected place — the gates of Auschwitz, where Jewish families were being marched through mud on their way to death and despair. From those first moments, “X-Men” set itself apart from the entire Hollywood history of comic-book adaptations and marked the beginning of this current era of fanboy cinema, which has dominated the box office and elevated San Diego’s Comic-Con International into something […]

This engaging story from the AP out of London… There’s an especially starry knight in Britain’s latest round of royal honors. Patrick Stewart — “Star Trek: The Next Generation’s” Capt. Jean-Luc Picard — becomes Sir Patrick in Queen Elizabeth II’s New Year honors list, which also includes a knighthood for theater and film director Nicholas Hytner. “This is an honor that embraces those actors, directors and creative teams who have in these recent years helped fill my life with inspiration, companionship and sheer fun,” said 69-year-old Stewart, who recently returned to the British stage following a long career in Hollywood that included playing Professor Charles Xavier in three “X-Men” films. A separate honors list in New Zealand bestowed a knighthood on the king of Middle-earth — “Lord of the Rings” filmmaker Peter Jackson. Jackson, 53, was knighted in New Zealand, […]