Shaun Corley | Staff Writer

2/01/02

Most people remember Wil Wheaton from his roles in television programs such as Star Trek: The Next Generation (and the infamous, and unjust, "DIE WESLEY DIE" campaign mounted by over-zealous fans), or movies like Stand By Me and the modern day masterpiece Toy Soldiers. Yet, Wil seems to have dropped off the pop culture radar over the past few years. Where has he been, and what has he been doing? Well, for one thing, he's been keeping a blog at his website.

Of course, many people keep blogs these days, what makes Wil's any more special? If you read his entries, they sound just like everyone else's goings on at work, family, life, etc. He's not afraid to let loose at times; if he's sad, angry, or even happy, you'll know it. My heart got heavy as I read entries expressing his frustration finding acting work. I laughed out loud reading his entry on the Leonid meteor shower, and I threw my fist into the air and yelled "hell yeah" after reading his entry on the evils of drunk driving. Wil also has sidebar features letting the reader know what he's reading and listening to at the moment. There are also wide varieties of links to various social causes Wil supports, Internet free speech first amongst them.

So again, what makes this blog different from anyone else's? It makes Wil seem real. We often put celebrities up on a pedestal, and tend not to look at them as real human beings. Yet anyone who has read Wil's blog and checked out the links on the sidebar will see this is not the case. I make it a point to check this site out daily, and it's not because I'm an obsessed Star Trek nerd. And so should you.

And all you "DIE WESLEY DIE" people, in the words of William Shatner "get a life."