Well, this is one blog that I must admit I will enjoy writing.

William Shatner is a hero of mine.  I've been a "Trekky", or avid Star Trek fan for 30-plus years, and William Shatner has always been a major crush for me.  When he (we) were young, I don't think there was a sexier man alive.  As with Davy Jones from the Monkees, also an idol of mine, those of us who have loved these guys since we were kids still see them as the handsome young hunks that they used to be.

Anyway, today's Reuter News had a neat article about Shatner fighting the economic crunch with his Priceline commercials.  As the Priceline Negotiator, he comically storms into unsuspecting people's houses and offices as they are preparing to book a vacation and spend more than they have to.

One of the worst industries to suffer with our economic times is travel, and the article says Shatner's job has gotten a little harder.

"But the 77-year old actor best known for playing Captain James T Kirk in the Star Trek movies and television series is hopeful that spending begets spending, and that if enough people loosen their purse strings and venture out for leisure travel, the economy could rebound." says Kyle Peterson, the article's author.

It doesn't hold true everywhere, but those of us in resort areas find that markets such as Myrtle Beach real estate and Florida oceanfront property sales are largely influenced by the vacationers and our seasonal hospitality business.  I can't speak too much for Florida, but our Myrtle Beach condo rentals really took off after the new year, and so far look good for this summer.  If this carries over into real estate sales, it will definately improve over last year. Not only will it boost sales, but it will help some of the investors hang on to their vacation condos instead of going into foreclosure. At least we can hope so!

"We're in danger of retracting so much that everything will fail," Shatner told Reuters. "We're being fed by fear, and fear feeds on itself. And if we can break that cycle, we might come out of this sooner and better than we expect."

At any rate, it's a cute article about my man and his efforts to boost the economy, so I thought I'd share.  Give it a read if you will.  Bill Shatner has been around a long time, and has some wisdom to share. And Denny Crane is still fighting for truth, justice, and the conservative way...:-)  Again the article can be found  HERE.