Miss USA pageant with William Shatner (commercial, 2001)

2001 commercial for the Miss USA pageant talks of excitement, surprises but most importantly, William Shatner hosting. Shatner's most recent effort had been to take an equity stake in priceline.com and it hadn't worked out. In the post-.com crash world of 2001, he was working on his image making sure to keep his face out there. Shatner at the time was probably considered a low time with even his TJ Hooker days a ways behind him and still known for Star Trek (note the spacey font his name is written in in this promo). He had a few roles (3rd Rock from the Sun and Miss Congeniality) but hadn't hit upon the success and career turnaround that "Boston Legal" would bring to him in 2004. Nowadays, most everyone loves The Shat and recognizes his accomplishments in many roles. It's hard to believe there was a time when he felt as if he wasn't successful and that people were laughing at him. This spot aired on CBS during Survivor Outback Episode 7, Thursday March 8, 2001.