i don't watch a lot of US tv, so i don't recognize all of the emmy nominees. But, as an arrested development fan, I'm dumbfounded by jason bateman not getting a nod this year...or ever. Flashy is good, I guess.

And william shatner is never front of mind with me. I remember my father watching star trek during the original run, but that wasn't something that interested most little girls. I can't think of a movie i saw him in, but i did see an episode of boston legal (or half of one) while i was on the road this year.

However, his interview with the USA Today today is enough to make me search out his work on the program. You can find the rest of the article, including an interview with nominee Will Arnett, here.



"How many noms does this make? "Oh, who counts," the Boston Legal cut-up jokes. "Four!"

And how many wins? "Two, but there's always room for one more."

Where are his Emmys? "We have an interior waterfall it's true; and they're underwater being splashed even as we speak. They're seriously by this little waterfall with a spotlight."

But isn't he worried they might rust? "The Academy wouldn't give me something that would rust, would they? I'm oxidizing fast enough as it is."

Who spilled the beans to Shatner? "I have a source at ABC ... more than a secret source, it's like spring water. Actually, somebody called. It was a little too early for me. I've just come in from out of town. When the phone rang' I thought, 'Oh boy. It's either I did or I didn't.' One of those dreadful moments."

Shatner confirms that stars do get called even when they don't make the cut. "They leave you hanging if they don't call. Actually that happened one year and I thought, 'Oh well, what a shame.' I spent the three hours tossing and turning. When they did finally call, they said, 'Sorry, we didn't want to wake you up.'"

What does he make of his fellow nominees in the dramatic actor race? "Alan Alda (The West Wing) is brilliant and so is Oliver Platt (Huff)."

Shatner credits his easy chemistry with co-nominee Candice Bergen for the show's success. "I guess we deserve it," he jokes. "To be serious, she is really brilliant and makes everything so easy. When two people like us get together it's like old home week."

Shatner wonders if the good news might give him a little more leeway with his bosses. "We start shooting the middle of next week, but I have an important horse show to do. I think now I have a little more weight — in emotional terms, not protein. So maybe I'll lean on them a little more to let me go to this horse show in Lexington."

As for Boston Legal's upcoming season, Shatner makes this bold (if not altogether true) promise: "There's lots of flatulence.You're a shoe-in for an award if you can fart well. I'll at least suggest that."

But seriously folks: " Actually, I have the script in my hand now as I'm driving, so it behooves me not to look," he says.

Shatner is happy with the idea of Matt Damon playing the new young Captain Kirk in J.J. Abrams' upcoming Star Trek film. "I think its great. The tragedy is that when somebody else is playing you younger, you're really old."