"Trekkies 2" Gets Official Greenlight

The follow-up to the 1997 documentary "Trekkies," a chronicle of the world of Star Trek fandom, has gotten the official greenlight as a Paramount Pictures production, according to this morning's The Hollywood Reporter.

The original "Trekkies" was an independent production that was picked up for distribution by Paramount. At its official Web site, "Trekkies 2" has already identified itself as a Paramount Pictures presentation, but this announcement confirms and solidifies that association.

Denise Crosby will reprise her "Trekkies" role as host and executive producer for the sequel, as will director Roger Nygard and producer Mike Leahy. This movie, which is already in production, will widen its scope to explore the fan community abroad. The team has already filmed at several conventions in Europe, and is scheduled to be in Australia this weekend. According to the Reporter, among the people they plan to visit is "a man who is the self-avowed Spock of Germany and a Londoner who transformed his flat into a starship and put it up for auction on eBay for $2 million." The documentary will also revisit some of the individuals profiled in the original film seven years ago and see what they're up to now.

"Trekkies 2" is a separate project from "Trek Nation," another similar-themed documentary being produced by Eugene W. Roddenberry Jr. (related story).

Kisses for Kirsten

Thanks to help from her fans, Kirsten Dunst ("Hedril" in Star Trek: The Next Generation's "Dark Page") took home two "Golden Buckets" (of popcorn) at the 2003 MTV Movie Awards last weekend. She won both categories she was nominated in on behalf of "Spider-Man": Best Female Performance and Best Kiss (the latter shared with Tobey Maguire). The winners were chosen by the public via voting online and by phone. The ceremony aired last night on MTV, but will repeat several times in the days ahead. Check your local listings. For more information, visit MTV.com.

TCA Nominations

LeVar Burton's PBS children's show Reading Rainbow continues to pile up honors as it earned two nominations from the Television Critics Association (TCA) for awards recognizing achievement in television for the 2002-03 season. Rainbow, which is executive produced and hosted by Burton, was nominated in the category Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming. But it is also among an auspicious lineup of nominees for the TCA Heritage Award, which honors programs with a distinguished track record. The competition in that category is Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Law & Order, Saturday Night Live and 60 Minutes.

In addition, Neal McDonough, who played "Lt. Hawk" in "Star Trek: First Contact," earned a nomination in the category Individual Achievement in Drama, on behalf of his critically acclaimed NBC drama Boomtown.

The TCA trophies will be handed out July 19 in Hollywood.

Penny Johnson an Emmy Contender?

Yesterday's Daily Variety had a special section exploring some of the potential contenders for Emmy Awards for the 2002-03 television season. One of those is Penny Johnson Jerald, who played "Kasidy Yates" in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but who is now being seriously looked at for her role as venomous first lady Sherry Palmer in 24. In the profile, Jerald describes her character as "a mouthful ... Every time I bite into Sherry, it's like savoring a really good meal." Jerald would someday love to play the woman Sherry Palmer was patterned after: Lady Macbeth. "You want to see evil? That woman has no conscience whatsoever," she says.

Jerald will next appear as national security adviser Condoleeza Rice in the Showtime movie "DC 9/11," now in pre-production. The rest of her time is spent at the L.A.-based Outreach Christian Theater Co. that she runs with her husband, Gralin Jerald; proceeds support the Arise Christian Center. "It's not the kind of thing one would expect of Sherry Palmer, unless there was a devilish twist," the trade paper comments.

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