On Monday, July 14, René will reprise his role as Father Patrick Murphy in the season two premiere episode of Saving Grace, "Have a Seat, Earl." The series airs on TNT at 10:00 Eastern time (check your local listings or cable guide). If you don't object to detailed spoilers (including revelation of the immediate and long-term fate of Father Murphy), you can read a preview/review of the episode at TV Squad.com.
The Shakespeare Theatre Company's Asides magazine has posted a very nice article about René on their website, plus links to other articles about The Imaginary Invalid.
In addition, an online Playbill article about René's upcoming appearance in the play includes some details about the production and a publicity photo of the "invalid" with some of his pill bottles: check it out here.
René and his long-time friend Ethan Phillips have been booked as the main guests for CruiseTrek 2008: The Blue Danube, a cruise on the Danube River from Nuremburg, Germany to Budapest, Hungary, November 8 to 15, 2008. You can find all of the details on the CruiseTrek website, and we'll also post updates on our Upcoming Events page.
In early May, René began rehearsals for his performance as the title character in The Imaginary Invalid at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC. The show is scheduled to run June 10 throught July 27, 2008 -- for more information and links, see our Upcoming Events page (scroll down to the "René on Stage" section).
René will be reading another short story for the Selected Shorts program when it visits The Getty in Los Angeles on the weekend of May 2-4. This year's theme is "A Mysterious Weekend." René's story is "The Summer People" by Shirely Jackson, and he'll be reading at the Sunday, May 4, 3:00 p.m. performance.
Also, René has confirmed that he plans to participate in the big Star Trek convention presented by Creation Entertainment in Las Vegas every summer. The dates this year are August 6 to 10.
Links to the websites for The Getty and Creation Entertainment, where you can read all the details about ticket prices and schedules as they are made available, can be found on our Upcoming Events page.
Several of René's audiobooks and radio performances are available for sale as downloads in various formats at Audible.com. Just type "Auberjonois" into their search box and search by "Narrator" to find the complete list.
Criterion has released a digitally restored version of the 1987 film Walker, "a ferociously funny tale of megalomania and nation-building gone horribly wrong," starring Ed Harris, in which René has a supporting role. An in-depth review of the film and description of the DVD special features can be read on DVDtown.com.
René, Armin Shimerman, J. G. Hertzler, Patrick Stewart, and many other guests have been announced for Creation Entertainment's "12 Minutes from Manhattan" convention in New Jersey on the weekend of March 7-9. Check our Upcoming Events page for details.
A nice article about René's master class at the drama department of the University of Findlay in Ohio on December 7 can be found here.
As I'm sure most people are aware, the union of television and film writers went on strike beginning on Monday, November 5. Depending on how long the strike lasts and how the issues in dispute eventually are resolved, huge numbers of people in the film and television industry are going to be seriously affected. In addition, the actors' union (René's union) is due to begin contract negotiations next spring -- and they will be addressing many of the same issues that concern the writers.
You can find the latest news stories about the strike on Google. For an insightful take on the whole subject, read this essay by Joss Whedon (writer/creator of Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer, among many other things).
As described by an article in Playbill, René is one of large contingent of guests invited to participate in "A Red Letter Day: Symphony Space's 30th Anniversary Celebration," in the Peter Jay Sharp Theatre in New York City on Januray 10, 2008, at 8:00 p.m. René isn't sure yet exactly what he'll be doing as part of the event, but he is planning to be there. More details can be found at the Symphony Space website.
On Friday, December 7, René will be teaching an acting master class to undergraduate drama students at the University of Findlay in Ohio. René says that it's been a long time since he's taught a class, so he's looking forward to the opportuning to work with the students.
René has confirmed that he has accepted an invitation to be a guest at FedCon XVII in Bonn, Germany, April 18-20, 2008. Visit our Upcoming Events page for further details.
As we mentioned this summer, René's Boston Legal character, "Paul Lewiston," has been dropped from the regular cast of the show. However, he expects to be invited back as a recurring guest star for several episodes this season. He has already filmed his first appearance, currently scheduled to air as episode 8, perhaps sometime in November. When we know the exact air dates for that episode and any others that he does, we'll post the information here.
For an interview with Boston Legal producer Bill D'Elia on plans for the current season, visit BuddyTV.com.
Although René did film two scenes this summer as a guest star on Holly Hunter's TV series, Saving Grace, when that episode (the season finale) aired in September, René was nowhere to be seen. Apparently it was decided that his character and the related storyline were not necessary in that episode. We don't know whether that storyline may be inserted into a future episode instead, or whether René's scenes will ever be used. If and when we do learn more, we'll post it here.
On October 19-21, René and Nana will be the featured guests at Vulkon's Cleveland Sci-Fi Expo. In addition to participating in the usual Q&A and autograph sessions, they are scheduled to perform the play Love Letters on Saturday night. For more details, see our Upcoming Events page.
On July 9, René will begin recording another of the Preston & Childs novels about FBI Special Agent Pendergast, Wheel of Darkness. This will be the unabridged version, so the recording sessions will take about five days.
René also has been offered a guest role on Holly Hunter's new TNT series, Saving Grace. He expects that filming for his episode will take place near the end of July.
In May, René learned that his Boston Legal character, "Paul Lewiston," is being discontinued, and so he has been released from the regular cast. René says that, although he has been proud to be associated with Boston Legal these past few years, he also firmly believes in the philosophy that “when one door closes, another door opens,” and so he is looking forward to seeing what new opportunities will become available for him, now that his schedule is open for other projects.
As always, whenever René embarks on a new film, television, voice acting, or theatrical role, we'll post that information here.
The MacGathering planned for June 15-17 has been cancelled by the organizers; we'll let you know if they invite René to participate once they've picked a new date.
René appeared at The Dutch StarCon in Berkel Enschot on May 12 and 13. René's scheduled events were in the afternoon on both days. If possible, we'll post a report about this event here on René's Page some time in the future.
According to a recent report, Season One of the TV series Benson will be released on DVD in July 2007. The opening season of this excellent show does not include René in the cast. He first appears in his role of Clayton Endicott III in the first episode of Season Two. Let's hope that the Season One DVD is a big hit, so that all of René's episodes in Seasons Two through Seven are also released soon! Read more about the Season One DVD on the TV Shows on DVD website.
On March 21, at the March Development Meeting in Los Angeles, ABC Television Network announced fourteen early pick-ups for the 2007-08 season, one of which is Boston Legal. In their press release, ABC called Boston Legal "a consistent performer for ABC." Read the whole article at The Futon Critic.
René appeared at Collectormania 11, an autograph convention, in Milton Keynes, just north of London, on the weekend of May 4-7. We'll try to post a description of the event later this summer.
René and Boston Legal guest star Jayne Brooks have been nominated for the PRISM Award for “Performance in a Drama Multi-Episode Storyline” for their work in last year’s episodes about Paul Lewiston’s daughter, Rachel. The PRISM Awards recognize the accurate depiction of drug, alcohol, and tobacco use and addiction in film, television, and other media, honoring productions that are not only powerfully entertaining, but also realistically show substance abuse and addiction. The awards ceremony will take place on April 24 in Beverly Hills, CA. For more about the PRISM Awards, visit their official website.
On March 5, the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC unveiled their 2007-2008 season, and announced that René will appear in their summer 2008 production of The Imaginary Invalid. You can find ticket information and other details at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's website.
René's been invited to appear at two upcoming conventions, the MacGathering in Pasadena, CA, on June 16, where he's scheduled to reprise his role as host of their "MacJeopardy" game, and the annual Creation Entertainment Las Vegas Star Trek Convention, this year planned for August 9-12 at the Las Vegas Hilton. See our Upcoming Events page for links to the websites of those two events.
On Sunday, February 11, René was a presenter at the 34th Annual Animation Awards at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, CA. Also in February, René recorded a narration for a one-hour film called "Extreme Planets" for the Clark Planetarium, which he said was "fascinating."
In early January, the cast of Boston Legal was nominated for "Best Ensemble in a Drama" by the Screen Actors Guild for the 13th Annual S.A.G. Awards, and James Spader was nominated for "Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series." Quite an honor!
The Houston Sci-Fi Expo, which had announced René as one of its invited guests, has changed its date from March to September. We'll post more information about this convention a few months before it is scheduled to occur.
On Thursday, November 9, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences hosted a panel discussion featuring the cast and producers of Boston Legal. The event itself, which began at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific Time), was sold out, but it also was webcast on the Academy website. If the webcast is not archived on the Academy site, check Boston-Legal.org, a fan-run website with an exhaustive library of information and links.
Season 3 of Boston Legal began filming in mid-July. The first episode, "Can't we all get a lung," aired on Tuesday, September 19, and guest cast members during the first story arc included René's colleague and friend from DS9, Armin Shimerman, in the role of Judge Hooper, and another friend and colleague from Benson, Ethan Phillips, as the father of a murder suspect.
Benson, the 1980s sitcom starring Robert Guillaume, on which René played "Clayton Endicott III" for six seasons, began airing on TVLand this summer. TVLand introduced the show with a marathon of episodes on June 3 and 4. Beginning on June 5, Benson was scheduled to run Monday through Friday evenings, but as the summer progressed it has been moved around a lot. Check your local listings for the exact time and availability in your area! And if you'd like to discuss Benson with other fans, check out the relevant threads on the TVLand Message Board.
On May 20, as part of the MacGathering & SoHo Tech Show, René served as host for a game of "Mac Jeopardy." Audience members were invited to be contestants on "Mac Jeopardy" and provided the questions for some challenging Mac and Apple-related answers.
The Museum of Television and Radio in New York hosted a seminar with the cast of Boston Legal on Monday, May 15. René and cast members James Spader, William Shatner, Candice Bergen, Mark Valley, and Julie Bowen, plus producers David Kelley and Bill D'Elia and one of the writers, answered questions from the audience. A brief review of the event can be found here.
The short story showcase "Selected Shorts" presented a program at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles in May, and René was on the program, reading "Just a Little More" by V. S. Pritchett. A review of the evening can be seen here.
The Vulkon Sci-Fi Convention in Orlando, Florida, has invited René to be one of their guests, along with Armin Shimerman, Kate Mulgrew, and others. The dates are October 27-29, 2006. Check our Upcoming Events page for more details as they become available.
In March, René recorded a voice role for a new Warner Brothers animation project, Scooby Doo & The Abominable Snowman. René's character is "Alphonese LaFleur". When we learn the planned
release date for this film, or other details, we'll post them here.
This March, René recorded the audiobook edition of the upcoming Preston-Child novel, The Book of the Dead, starring FBI Agent Pendergast. The anticipated release date is June 2006; check with your local bookstore, or visit Amazon.com for complete information.
René is one of the invited guests on Vulkon's SeaTrek 2007 cruise to Alaska. Check our Upcoming Events page for further details.
The Anderson Valley Education Foundation presented a benefit performance of A. R. Gurney's Love Letters, starring René and Michael Learned, on Saturday, March 11 at 8 p.m. in Philo, California. René greatly enjoyed working with Ms. Learned, and thought the audience was wonderfully responsive.
René reports that his daughter Tessa and her husband, Adrian, are both appearing as guest stars on an upcoming episode of Boston Legal! They're in different storylines in the episode, so they won't be working together, but Adrian will get to work with René. Watch for this episode to air in spring 2006!
For several months in autumn 2005, fan groups and Star Trek actors joined forces to raise money for disaster relief for the victims of hurricane Katrina. Thanks to cash donations and the auction of autographed and collectible photos, books, clothing, and other items donated by René and other Trek actors, $11,033.28 was donated to The United Way, the Red Cross, the Humane Society, and similar organizations.
René performed in a production of Love Letters with Marilyn McCormick on September 17 and 18 in Ferndale, California to benefit the Ferndale Repertory Theatre.
In an awards ceremony on June 3 at Tavern on the Green in New York City, The Audio Publishers Association awared an "Audie" for best fiction (abridged) of the year to Brimstone, written by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, and read by René. Judges reviewed 550 audio books released between Nov. 1, 2003, and Oct. 31, 2004 for this award. A partial list of Audie winners was posted by The Buffalo News in early July.
In April and May of this year, René gave two very interesting interviews that are available for your listening enjoyment. Go to our Interviews page to hear René talk about creating art on his computer with Mac expert Sam Downie (April 2005), and to hear him discuss his acting career with colleague Chase Masterson (May 2005).
The live reading of the screenplay of the classic film Casablanca originally scheduled for May 1 at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood has been postponed until October, according to a Playbill article. If it turns out that René is again invited to be in the cast, we'll post more information here as it becomes available.
René has been invited to appear at Creation Entertainment's Fourth Annual Star Trek Las Vegas convention. This year's dates are August 11 to 14. A schedule of when each of the many actors and other celebrities will appear at the con will be announced by Creation some time this summer. Drop by our Upcoming Events page for more details.
In mid-March, René recorded the voice for a character called "The Machinist" in a Nickelodeon cartoon, Avatar. We'll post more information about this project as it becomes available.
Come to Toronto, Canada this summer to see René at the well-known science fiction convention, Toronto Trek! For a link to the convention website, where you can find information about ticket prices, hotel resevations, and more, go to our Upcoming Events page.
Time Warner Audiobooks has invited René to record the next book in the series of thriller/horror novels starring FBI Special Agent Pendergast, Dance of Death, by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. The expected release date is June 2005; you can place your preorder now at Amazon.com.
On November 15, it was announced that René has been promoted from "guest star" status to series regular on ABC's Boston Legal. René began working on the show last summer, when he was signed to appear in five episodes (later expanded to seven) in a recurring role as Paul Lewiston, a serious-minded senior partner in the law firm headed by the distinctly eccentric Denny Crane (William Shatner). Now that he's a full member of the regular cast, we look forward to seeing what the writers plan to do with Paul as the series develops!
Visit the official Boston Legal website for episode synopses and other information about the show.
René enjoyed appearing at the Galileo 7 con in Germany the first weekend in October, and raised 770 Euros for charity drawing his "Odo's Bucket" cartoons and signing autographs for fans.
In late August, René began work in a recurring role on the new TV series, Boston Legal, which premiered on Sunday, October 3. His character is "Paul Lewiston," one of the senior partners of the law firm featured in the show. René's character has appeared in several of the early episodes; his future appearances will depend on how the series and his character are developed by the show's creative staff.
After finishing his run in Sly Fox on August 15, René returned to California and appeared with the Pasadena Pops Orchestra as the narrator for a symphonic version of Carmen, with performances on August 20 and 21.
If you'd like a sneak peak at the upcoming animated feature Geppetto's Secret, in which René performs the voice of the villainous Mr. Sneap, visit the Geppetto's Secret website to see samples of the artwork, character descriptions, and a story outline.
On June 9, Sly Fox celebrated its 100th performance! A brief Playbill article on the subject includes a full cast photo.
René met fans and signed autographs at the Big Apple Comic Con for a couple of hours on Saturday, June 5, and raised $700 for Doctors Without Borders.
In mid-May, René recorded another audiobook by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Childs, Brimstone, featuring FBI Agent Pendergast. Watch for it to be released in late summer or fall 2004.
René was nominated for the Outer Circle Critics Award for "Best Featured Actor in a Play" and Sly Fox was nominated for "Best Revival of a Play," according to an April Playbill aricle.
Sly Fox officially opened at the Barrymore Theatre on April 1. Check out our list of links to many of the major published reviews, plus comments from audience members who have seen the show.
René participated in a live online chat on Monday, April 12 at Fynsworth Alley, conversing with moderator Robert Armin and answering questions from the chat room audience for an hour and a half. The full transcript of the chat session should be posted on the Fynsworth Alley site eventually (as of June 2004, that website was undergoing renovation), so those of you who weren't able to attend will be able to hear what René had to say.
René appeared at the Big Apple Comic Convention in New York City on Saturday and Sunday, January 24 and 25, 2004. He enjoyed meeting and talking with fans, and raised about $1,200 for Doctors Without Borders over the course of the two days.
Want to see further examples of René's busy schedule? Skim our list of projects and appearances from late 2001 to early 2004.
