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Wil Wheaton playing for EFF

Posted by chrisd on from the okay-enough-posts-already dept.

Quintin Stone (and every other Slashdot reader on the planet) writes: "Wil Wheaton is among the many Star Trek actors on tonight's Weakest Link, except that the charity he's playing for is the Electronic Frontier Foundation. Though so far he's been doing well." CD: I don't want to give away the ending, many people have yet to see the show.

8 of 385 comments (clear)

  1. Wil Wheaton is cool by Rosco+P.+Coltrane · · Score: 5, Interesting
    The more I read about the guy, the more I like him. I admit, I didn't like Westley Crusher, and each time I saw Wil appear on TV or say something as himself, I had this dislike of his character come back in my mind. It's sad isn't it, mixing the actor with the character. But now having read what he had to say, and looked at his website, I reckon he's really smart, and I believe he has a real good chance of getting his career out of the "child star" trap : not many child actors can, just look at how many times Mcaulay Culkin has appeared in movies or shows recently ...

    Way to go Wil, you deserve success !

    --
    "A door is what a dog is perpetually on the wrong side of" - Ogden Nash
  2. Payroll deductions... by AtariDatacenter · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If the EFF worked with corporations to offer payroll deductions like the United Way does, I'd be happy to donate a portion of my salary to the EFF. It really was a pleasant surprise to see Wil ("that's one L!") playing for that charity.

    1. Re:Payroll deductions... by AtariDatacenter · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You're an AC, so I almost thought of writing this off as an Eliza response. However, in fairness, this question does deserve an answer.

      Under the United Way payroll deductions, I can pledge $500 to be taken out of my payroll, automatically, paycheck by paycheck, over the course of a year. Since I am paid bi-monthly, it is only $20/paycheck.

      The advantage to me is that this is completely automatic. However, to do the same without automatic payroll deduction would require a great deal of dedication on my behalf.

      The United Way has learned that they can reliably get a higher level of donations through the course of a year by working with corporations to do an automatic payroll deduction, versus asking employees to pledge a certain amount.

      If the EFF should pursue such a method, and target companies that are more focused on Internet related business, perhaps they could find themselves a better revenue stream than traditional one-time donations.

  3. 3Gen vs. Misses Evil by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Dr. Evil should get out and date more.. how about Anne Robinson.

    The contestants acquited themselves well, but Q took a powder early on.

    Denise was obviously the crowds favorite and had the entire soundstage bidding her a rousing farewell... even Anne!

    Bill was Bill, with a little Kirk thrown in.

    Armin was a great sport.

    Bob Picardo was a genius, WoW some of the questions he answered floored me.

    Levar pulled some of the most amazing answers out of thin air and even wow'ed Bob.

    Wil though was a true geek and seemed a team leader, doing verbal duets with Anne til the end.. of course we all know who got the last word..

    I'd say Wil was more a brash younger captain serving as the instigator of the Clash, while cooler more intellectual minds eventually had to finish the game. How Weslean.. ~~

    The dynamics and interplay, of which there was surprisingly a good lot, seemed truly like a missing Trek episode.. some years down the road I wonder if it will turn up in an Anthology of Trek stories.. the one where real characters from the Trek Universe get mixed up with actors in a Game show Universe.

    Wil really seems to be over his "I am Not Spock" phase and resumed being a human being with a wicked alter-ego.. imagine a twisted Wesley with revenge on his mind, true brillance, and a good dialogue coach.. Eee Gads..

    But throwing in his chances with the EFF, you just gotta admire him for that.

    Roxane? what of Roxane?

    Could it be some evil entity of denial that body hops from person to person shortly after a Trek series is over? Is it Roxane's turn to play "I am Not Banal Balanna, the Klingon"

  4. Airtimes by geoffeg · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Well, slashdot posted the info 13 minutes after the show ended here (8pm). Searching tvguide.com and tv.yahoo.com shows that particular episode as not airing again.

    Anyone have any idea if it will air again or maybe someone who captured it to mpeg or something?

    I really wanted to see it.

    Geoffeg

  5. Wil's comments about the show... by Lyrrad · · Score: 5, Interesting
    Can be found in the Google Chat here:

    Here are his comments copied:

    Aw, Crap

    I did this interview with Entertainment Weekly Online, to support the Star Trek Weakest Link...I know, it was risky, considering how brilliantly objective and reasoned their last story about me was...but I was assured by NBC, and by the guy who did the interview, that it was a different medium (Website vs. Print) and it would be okay....

    So here's the article...which is fine, except for "Crusher Crushed"...c'mon, how many times have we heard that?

    Anyway, here's the deal: I'm really scared about how this is going to come off. I'm not allowed to talk about the outcome of the show, so I'll walk a very slim line here, while I try to explain some stuff.

    I made a choice, when I went to play the show. I decided that I'd really play with Anne Robinson, and really go head to head with her, and never back down. Even though that's not really my style, I thought it would be fun, and it was...but I'm really nervous, because, at the end of the show, one of the producers came up to me and said, "You're really arrogant, aren't you?"

    I was stunned. Ask anyone...I'm lots of things, but I'm not arrogant. But I played it snotty with her, because I was playing with her at her own game, you know? So I begged them to please be thoughtful when they edit the show, because if they make me out to be a huge dick, it could REALLY hurt my career. All of a sudden, the guy who you used to love from TV and Movies has grown up, and he's grown up to be a huge dick.

    Perfect. Can I take your order? How about a nice Iced Tea to start, sir?

    But here's the thing that I'm really, really upset about: Roxann Dawson, who I don't know at all, was, apparently very offended by something I said on the show. Here's the quote from EW:

    However, Roxann Dawson (''Voyager'' sex symbol B'Elanna Torres) appears less amused when the married Wheaton jokes that he's in love with her. ''Coming on to me on national television -- when he knows my husband's gonna watch the show -- is just unfair, and frankly rude,'' Dawson says to the camera. (We don't think she's joking)


    So, I feel just terrible. I don't know her, at all, and she seemed very nice to me, and I am really upset that she felt like I was rude to her, and that I was coming on to her, because nothing could be further from the truth.

    I doubt it, but if Roxanne reads this, I want her to know that I meant absolutely no disrespect, at all. I am truly, truly sorry for that.

    I just feel awful, and I've put in calls to my Star Trek friends, so I can phone her myself, and apologize to her.

    *sigh*
  6. Re:A Question for Wil by Rogerborg · · Score: 3, Interesting
    • Was Roxann just putting on an act, or is she truly as much of a colossal bitch as she seemed? My jaw dropped when watching her "exiting interrogation".

    Here's something to bear in mind. Anyone who hasn't been following Wil's career would take him at face value too, and not realise that he was playing an (ill advised) part. We know better, but the vast majority of the audience won't.

    So let's not be too hasty to judge Roxann. Wil and Roxann were basically doing live improv, and that's a pain to do with someone you don't know. I'd rather assume that they got their wires crossed and both escalated their jerkwad/bitch roles without realising that one of them needed to defuse it by turning it into a joke.

    That said... just in case it wasn't an act on her part... hey, girl, you ain't all that. Wil's a lot finer than you. :-)

    --
    If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
  7. Re:I quit watching Weakest Link by CleverNickName · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just FYI-

    The three of us left knew that I was going to be voted off...I totally tanked in that round. So I was going to vote for Levar, but Anne was grilling us between each round, and I thought I could have more fun with her, talking about how Levar is my friend, and I didn't know Robert at all...thought maybe I could get in some comments about how we TNG actors have to stick together, or something...but they didn't air any of that exchange.

    Yes, voting off someone who you KNEW was the strongest would be insanely stupid...but we all knew that my vote wouldn't count for anything, since I was doomed, anyway.