William Shatner's Priceline Negotiator dies a fiery death [Video]

William Shatner isn't dead, but his Priceline Negotiator commercial character is: killed in a fiery tourist bus explosion after a high fall from a perilous bridge.

And he wasn't even wearing a red shirt.

Turns out the Negotiator -- Shatner's pitchman for five of his 14 years with Priceline -- was done in by a changing market. The company is "changing their business model from a name-your-price model to a fixed-price approach," Peter Sealey, adjunct professor at the Claremont Graduate University's school of management, told the Associated Press. Shatner's character was relentless in urging customers to name their prices on airfares and hotel rooms.

PHOTOS: William Shatner's career in pictures

"We decided to do something really over the top to get the message across," said Christopher Soder, chief exec of Priceline.com North America.

"I'm in grief mode," the 80-year-old Shatner said Wednesday. "It's not the first time I've had an iconic character die off." (Shatner's Capt. James T. Kirk died in 1994's "Star Trek: Generations," only to be reborn in a snappy Chris Pine package for 2009's "Star Trek" prequel. Still, Shatner said, what management wants, management gets.

And we thought Chuck Lorre was pretty serious with the "meat explosion" that took out Charlie Sheen's Charlie Harper on "Two and a Half Men"? It looks as if TV has nothing on tourism when it comes to telling people the game is changing.

Soder also dropped a hint about that big game that's coming up: While the Negotiator's death spot is running on the company's website and online, he said, Priceline just might have something else explosive planned for the Super Bowl. Shatner, by the way, is still under contract.

 

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The Associated Press contributed to this report.

-- Christie D'Zurilla
Twitter.com/dzurillaville

Photo: William Shatner and wife Elizabeth at the 50th anniversary celebration for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital at the Beverly Hilton on Jan. 7. Credit: David Livingston / Getty Images

 

James Spader is hired full time at 'The Office'

James Spader has signed on at "The Office" to fill Steve Carell's shoes -- or perhaps a much shinier, upwardly mobile pair.

Spader will reprise his season-finale role as Robert California, coming in as the new chief exec of Dunder-Mifflin parent company Sabre, Show Tracker reported Wednesday.

The character is an "uber-salesman that has a power to convince and manipulate, like a high-class weirdo Jedi warrior," Paul Lieberstein, one of the series’ executive producers and a series regular, said in a statement.

California will be on the fastest of fast tracks, Lieberstein said, having been hired over the summer as a new manager, getting promoted hours later and taking over the company within days. He replaces the chief exec played previously by Kathy Bates.

"James has an energy that is completely his own, and 'The Office' has no tools for dealing with this guy," Lieberstein said. "We're thrilled he's joining our cast."

(Full disclosure: The Ministry has a little fantasy where "Boston Legal" buddy William Shatner gets hired on as a temp. Sounds like Robert California is the type of guy who could pull that off, even in this economy.)

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-- Christie D'Zurilla

Photo: James Spader at a LACMA gala in 2008. Credit: Dan Steinberg / Associated Press

Conan O'Brien apologizes to Levi Johnston, with William Shatner's help

If only every apology could be as heartfelt as Conan O'Brien's mea culpa to Levi Johnston.

Levi was made to look foolish on Wednesday night's "Tonight Show" through the use of Twitter messages that turned out to be written by a Johnston impostor. But on Thursday night, Conan made it right.

Fortunately, William Shatner can work with whatever material he's been handed -- which means that Thursday he managed to make Levi look equally foolish using verified tweets.

Ahh, closure.

The Shatner stuff starts about two minutes in, but the lead-up is worth watching too.

We are giggling. Can only imagine what Shatner would do with this one, if we were famous enough for anyone to care. Alas, it ain't Taco Bell. 

-- Christie D'Zurilla

P.S. Note to "Tonight Show" writers: Was it that hard to miss that the first account was bogus? Or did the joke seem worth the risk? Not as if fake Twitter accounts are a new thing.

Levi Johnston wants a retraction after Shatner's NBC beat tweets

And it's all fun and games until someone adds bongos to a Twitter account...

Imagine beat poetry in 140 characters or less.

Performed by William Shatner.

On Conan O'Brien's "Tonight Show."

Written, allegedly, by Levi Johnston. Or -- maybe by "Fake Levi Johnston"?

At any rate, the Shatner sketch really happened, and the real Levi Johnston is ticked. And he's invited his lawyer to the party, TMZ reports.

And we thought everything was better with bongos.

E! Online has the story "in happier times," before Levi said, "Hey, that's not  my Twitter page" and demanded a retraction from NBC. The "Tonight Show" video is there as well, plus links to Shatner's Sarah Palin beat tweet performances from back in July.

(Be aware that this aired on late-night network TV, where you can more readily say certain words that aren't in fact profane.)

-- Christie D'Zurilla

P.S. It's not as if Shatner hasn't done this kind of thing before. Hey, the man just loves poetry. 

Photo: William Shatner accepts the Ultimate Scream award in Los Angeles on Oct. 17. Credit: Chris Pizzello / Associated Press