William Shatner on the Euro Crisis and the Best Trek Movie

Here's one of the Markets Hub shows from October 2011, when we were surprised on the set by William Shatner. Click in at the 15-minute mark to get an idea of what we were talking about before Shatner came on. He comes on set at the 16-minute mark.

Back then the shows were a half-hour (they're only 20 minutes now) and we had two anchors. So Michael Casey and I were interviewing Shira Ovide about banks in the U.S. and Europe when who do I see getting mic'd up on the set, but William Shatner. I think to myself, wow, William Shatner's here. But I'm wondering where he's going (you can see at one point in that 15-minute frame where it becomes obvious I've noticed him). I didn't think he was coming onto my show.

That's because Shatner was not scheduled to be on the show.
What happened was, he was in the newsroom taping a book interview, and one of our senior producers, Harlan Reinhardt, on a whim asked him if he'd go on one of our live shows, which was taping at that very moment. Shatner, who has said one of his keys to success is never turning down a request, agreed.

A moment later, my producer, Lauren Goode, says into my ear "Paul, don't you have a guest to bring on?" That's when you hear me say aloud "you really want me to bring this gentlemen on?" It was a total surprise to me, and while Harlan knew I'd be happy to have a big guest on the show, he had no idea that I was a total Star Trek geek since I was a little kid and would be completely blown away.

Which I was. Captain Kirk! On my set. Whoa. What's most amazing about the interview is that he jumped onto a markets show, we asked him markets questions, and he had actual answers.

William Shatner. The guy's a total pro.