Another Trophy for Reading Rainbow

LeVar Burton was recognized yet again on behalf of his PBS children's show "Reading Rainbow." The NAACP awarded him "Outstanding Performance in a Youth/Children's Series or Special" at its 34th Annual Image Awards held Saturday night. Burton has been nominated six times in this category, and has won four of those times, including last year (related story). He has also won two Daytime Emmys for the same thing. Best known for his role as "Geordi La Forge," Burton has stayed active in Star Trek as a director, and in fact is currently starting production on an upcoming Enterprise episode.

The Image Awards ceremony will be broadcast this Thursday, March 13, on Fox. The NAACP Image Awards honor projects and individuals of all races who have helped promote positive images of people of color.

Another nominee this year was Vanessa L. Williams, "Arandis" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's "Let He Who Is Without Sin...," who was up for "Outstanding Actress in a Television Movie, Mini-Series or Dramatic Special" for Showtime's "Keep the Faith, Baby"; however, that award went to Angela Bassett in "The Rosa Parks Story." (Don't confuse her with the other Vanessa Williams — the one without the middle initial — who did win an award that night.)

Takei, Johnson in Line for 9/11 Film

George Takei ("Sulu") and Penny Johnson (DS9's "Kasidy Yates") are both reported to be in talks to star in a Showtime made-for-cable movie called "DC 9/11," an inside look at the decisions George W. Bush and his administration faced in the days after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. According to trade paper The Hollywood Reporter, Takei is in line to portray Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta, who ordered the grounding of all aircraft in the skies over the U.S. soon after the attacks. Johnson — currently so-starring in the Fox drama 24 — is expected to play National Security Adviser Condeleezza Rice, a highly visible figure in the Bush government. The telefilm will likely star Timothy Bottoms as President Bush, ironically the same role he parodied in the irreverent "That's My Bush!" on Comedy Central.

Whoopi Subs for Dave

Tonight (Monday, March 10), Whoopi Goldberg ("Guinan") will be guest host on The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. She is the first of a week-long slate of celebrities filling in for Letterman, who is still recuperating from an eye infection caused by a case of shingles, which has put him out of commission for the last couple of weeks.

Letting Their Hair Down

Jason Alexander ("Kurros" in Star Trek: Voyager's "Think Tank") recently served as a shaggy emcee at a recent charity show where a disparate group of celebrities belted out the groovy tunes of "Hair," according to Daily Variety. The 11th annual A Night at Sardi's show Benefiting the Alzheimer's Association also included Sharon Lawrence ("Amelia Earhart" in "The 37's") in the flower-power musical numbers, and while many large-haired wigs were utilized, unlike the Broadway version of the show, all the performances were done fully clothed.