LOS ANGELES – Bravado is a familiar part of William Shatner’s image and his acting portfolio, whether he’s in character as James T. Kirk, Denny Crane or the Negotiator TV pitchman.

Even the title of the one-man show he’s bringing to Broadway this week – “Shatner’s World: We Just Live in It” – has moxie to spare. So it’s surprising, even endearing, that Shatner admits to his version of stage fright.

“My fears are not the primitive, ‘I’m afraid I can’t talk’ kind of fear that young actors have. Mine is, ‘I’m afraid the ticket sales won’t go,’ ” he said recently in his memento-decorated office before heading to New York for the play’s opening tonight.

Another worry, and this is a big one: that audiences will prove tougher to impress than they were in Australia and Canada, where he toured with an early incarnation of the show. Shatner was last on Broadway in the 1961-62 production of “A Shot in the Dark,” starring Julie Harris and Walter Matthau.

“I feel New York is held to a higher standard than anyplace else,” he said. “I’m anxious to see how the New York audience will accept me.”

His qualms weren’t enough to make him skirt the Big Apple before he starts a monthlong, 15-city U.S. tour. Instead, he reassessed the material covering his career, his life and life in general. The show runs through March 4 at the Music Box Theatre.

“I began seriously looking at the stories I told and trying to pare down to a minimum number of words to convey the meaning,” he said. “In a way, it’s very stark and dramatic to do that, but you have to select those words judiciously.”

He’s also ditched the original production’s onstage interviewer. Shatner realized he didn’t need a nudge to keep the story moving.

So what tales does he tell? He rattles them off: “I talk about death and I talk about love and horses and motorcycles. I talk about comedy and I talk about some of the things people want to hear about, ‘Star Trek’ and all.”

Nearing his 81st birthday on March 22, Shatner has much to discuss, including how he remains astoundingly energetic and far younger than his years in appearance (all his hair!), voice (still commandingly Kirk-like!) and quick wit (he loves puns!).

“It’s probably good genetic structure,” he offered. There’s also a daily swimming-pool workout and, most importantly, the equestrian life he shares with his wife, Elizabeth, a former horse trainer.

“Horses and exercise and a loving life,” Shatner said. When he’s in Los Angeles, he fits in riding at a stable north of the city and competes in various events.

“I’ve won championships against kids who are 18 and born on a horse,” he said.

Sarandon supports pingpong in schools

NEW YORK – Susan Sarandon has donated $75,000 to support table tennis programs in New York City public schools.

The city Department of Education said Wednesday that the money will pay for equipment and coaching. There are 27 high schools and middle schools that have added table tennis this year.

Sarandon is the co-owner of a Manhattan table tennis club called SPIN.

The actress told The Wall Street Journal that the sport relieves stress and is great for kids who are unfocused and need exercise.

Deputy Schools Chancellor Kathleen Grimm thanked Sarandon for her strong support.

The president of the American Youth Table Tennis Organization, Ben Nisbet, says table tennis is a fantastic sport for young people because anyone can play.

Tarantino wraps film in Wyoming

JACKSON, Wyo. – Director Quentin Tarantino has wrapped up filming for his new movie in Wyoming, including a scene at the National Elk Refuge.

The Jackson Hole News & Guide reported that the “Django Unchained” cast and crew were in the Jackson area last week and decided to add a scene at the refuge.

The crew saw the elk from the highway and asked for permission to have the actors walking and riding horses among the animals, refuge director Steve Kallin said. He said that was denied because it could have caused a disturbance, but they were allowed to shoot some footage with elk and bison in the background at the refuge’s northern feedground.

“We did have very tightly controlled access and ensured there was no disturbance to the elk or bison,” he said.

The movie is a remake of a spaghetti western about a slave who becomes a bounty hunter, with Jamie Foxx in the title role. Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson also have roles in the movie, which is mostly being filmed in New Orleans.

Other Wyoming scenes were shot at the Bar BC Ranch and Kelly Warm Springs in Grand Teton National Park.

The production company spent more than $500,000 in Wyoming, which qualifies it to receive a 15 percent rebate, said Michelle Howard of the Wyoming Film Office.

– From news service reports