After rumours had already suggested that William Shatner (James T. Kirk) had been let go out of his role as spokesperson for troubled internet company Priceline.com, it now seems to be official, as the company has hired Sarah Jessica Parker for its new set of commercials.

When Priceline.com first launched, it managed to quickly achieve wide recognition with its series of unique television ads, featuring Shatner showcasing his even more unique singing abilities. William Shatner agreed to let his fee for appearing in the ads consist of shares in the company, a move which seemed to have earned him millions of dollars when the shares reached a high of well over $100. Fortunately for Shatner, he sold a large portion of his shares on time, as at this moment shares in the company are trading at just over $2.50, while they have also been as low as $1.

Whether this was due to Shatner being disappointed in the performance of Priceline.com or simply due to the company wanting to try on a new image, late last year it was reported that the actor had not shown up to film new commercials for the company, and a new television campaign featured only a brief glimpse of Shatner's photo. At the time, Priceline still stressed that the actor was under contact with the company until October, but it was widely rumoured that Shatner would not be featured again in Priceline.com commercials.

Now, with Priceline's newest line of commercials, it seems almost certain that Shatner will not be returning. The company has announced that it has hired Sarah Jessica Parker (from 'Sex and the City') as its new spokesperson, and commercials featuring her voice have started running since the 1st of January. Indeed, according to Priceline no new commercials featuring Shatner are planned for the first quarter of this year, though it also stressed that no decision has been made for the rest of the year.

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