Jolene Blalock ("T'Pol") has been cast as the female lead in the upcoming thriller "Slow Burn." The film, from GreenStreet Films and Sidney Kimmel Entertainment, also stars Ray Liotta and James Todd Smith (otherwise known as LL Cool J). "Slow Burn," written and directed by Wayne Beach, focuses on an ambitious DA (Liotta) who is manipulated by an assistant DA (Blalock) and a mysterious stranger (Smith). Producer Bonnie Timmermann had kind words for Blalock in today's Hollywood Reporter. "Jolene lit up the screen, and I felt the same way I felt when I was reading Julia Roberts for Miami Vice or giving Brad Pitt his first screen test — you look at them and you know there's something special there," she said. Shooting begins next month in Montreal. The busy Blalock also recently appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman with guest host Tom Green.

Cromwell Tapped for 'Robot'

James Cromwell ("Zefram Cochrane") has signed on to star in 20th Century Fox's "I, Robot," according to Variety. The film is adapted from the Isaac Asimov novel and just began shooting in Vancouver. Cromwell will play Dr. Lanning, creator of the most advanced robot ever constructed. Will Smith and Bruce Greenwood also star.

Support for Rainbow

As previously reported, LeVar Burton's (Geordi La Forge) much-loved PBS staple Reading Rainbow is on the verge of extinction. In light of this, the show has been getting some deserved press attention. The New York Times recently ran an opinion piece entitled Why Reading Rainbow Has Never Gone Stale. Writer Claire Dederer praises the gentle pace and quiet tone of the show: "This is a show that demands — or, even more radically, assumes — the attention span of the viewer. Reading Rainbow doesn't just encourage reading, it slows TV down to the very pace of reading."

Meanwhile, TV Guide Online also has a piece on Rainbow, with a few quotes from Burton himself. Burton encourages fans to write their local PBS stations in support of Rainbow and adds, "I was not kidding on stage at the Emmys. If there is an interested party with the financial wherewithal to save this show, I would love to talk with them."

Fuller's Dead Like Me Bows Next Week

Former Voyager scribe Bryan Fuller's new show, Dead Like Me, premieres on Showtime next Friday, June 27 at 10 pm PT/ET. The show follows Georgia "George" Lass (Ellen Muth), a young college drop-out whose life is cut short unexpectedly. George is taken in by Rube (Mandy Patinkin), the leader of a group of grim reapers. Rebecca Gayheart, Jasmine Guy, Callum Blue and Cynthia Stevenson also star. For more information, check out the show's official site.

Janssen Honored

Famke Janssen ("Kamala" in "The Perfect Mate") will be honored as International Star of the Year at the Cinema Expo International Convention, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The convention begins Monday and runs through June 26 in Amsterdam. Janssen most recently starred with Patrick Stewart ("Jean-Luc Picard") in X2: X-Men United.

Goldberg Onhand for Theatre Event

New York's Martin Beck Theatre on West 45th Street will be officially renamed the Al Hirschfeld Theatre on Monday. The late Hirschfeld was a well-known artist whose collection of celebrity caricatures included many of the Star Trek casts. He passed away in January. According to The Hollywood Reporter's Robert Osborne, the renaming was initially to be a private affair, but due to overwhelming interest, it's been opened up to the public. A 7 p.m. tribute will include Carol Channing, Matthew Broderick and Trek's own Whoopi Goldberg ("Guinan").

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