Reprising one of his most popular stage shows for the umpteenth time, Patrick Stewart is bringing his critically acclaimed one-man production of Charles Dickens' "A Christmas Carol" back to London's West End this December.

Originally staged in New York in 1991, Stewart's adaptation of the classic novel showcases his versatility as he portrays every character in the story, from Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim to Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge, using minimal set dressing. He will perform at the Albery Theatre from December 6-31.

Stewart last brought the one-man show to London in 1993, but also staged it in New York for three seasons, along with a benefit revival in New York and Los Angeles in 2001. It won him an Olivier Award for 'Best Entertainment' and a Drama Desk Award for 'Best Actor.' In 1999, Stewart produced a movie version of the show with a full cast (himself as Scrooge), which aired on TNT, and itself garnered a few award nominations.

After the performance on Sunday the 11th, Stewart will host a special question-and-answer session at the theatre.

Tickets range from £10 to £40, and are available from the Albery box office by calling 0870 950 0920, or online at this link. Further information is available at ChristmasCarolUK.com.

Anyone Wanna Buy Shatner's Stone?

That's right — William Shatner is talking about selling off the kidney stone which caused him so much pain a few weeks ago (related story). In a guest appearance on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live Monday night, Shatner talked about his experience when he was whisked from the set of Boston Legal to the emergency room.

"The hospital was very crowded," Shatner said. "They put me on a maternity gurney, the one with the stirrups, and rolled me down the hall into a room. I was yelling in pain, and people were pointing at me saying, 'Look, Captain Kirk is having a baby!'"

Jimmy Kimmel — a former Comedy Central star — responded, "Can I have the stone? I really want it. It is the ultimate Star Trek collectible."

Shatner and Kimmel decided to auction the kidney stone on eBay and donate the proceeds to charity. There are a couple of hitches, though. First, Shatner has to persuade the medics who removed the kidney stone to hand it over. Second, eBay has rules against the sale of body parts. Good luck with that, Bill.

Takei Makes a Statement

George Takei has posted a statement on his official Web site responding to the flurry of attention he's gotten lately about his sexuality (related story). "That interview with Alex Cho in Frontiers newsmagazine suddenly opened the floodgates to a torrent of media requests, phone calls, and inundated my computer with thousands of e-mails," he writes. "The overwhelming majority of them have been strongly positive and supportive - but not all." He thanks those who have expressed compassion, saying, "You truly understand that phrase that is a hallmark of Star Trek, 'infinite diversity in infinite combinations.'"

Takei goes on to explain that his public revelation was motivated by the current political climate. "The reactionary ideologues of the right are aggressively pushing legislation to strip decent people who happen to love people of their own gender of their fundamental rights of citizenship. I needed, indeed wanted, to speak out on this issue. For my voice to have credibility, I decided to 'come out' to the press." To read the whole statement, visit GeorgeTakei.com and click on "Read George's latest blog: Equality and Justice For All."

Silverman, MacFarlane Make "Comedy Impact List 50"

In a special section of Thursday's Daily Variety, the trade paper made note that comedy is becoming the hottest ticket in the feature film business, and compiled a list of the 50 most influential people in comedy in the last year — two of which have Star Trek connections.

Sarah Silverman — "Rain Robinson" in Voyager's "Future's End" — has made a big splash recently with a limited-release run of her raunchy concert film "Jesus is Magic." Variety calls Silverman "the love child of Lenny Bruce and Sandra Bernhard whose penchant for perky vulgarity can be explosively funny or unnervingly shocking."

Seth MacFarlane — who made two cameos as NX-01 and NX-02 crewmembers on Star Trek: Enterprise — was also named. Not only was his Family Guy so popular that it was revived on Fox, along with a companion show American Dad, but his direct-to-DVD "Family Guy" movie "Stewie Griffin - The Untold Story" grossed a whopping $41 million in two weeks. Then there's the sell-out "Family Guy Live" stage tour. A TV executive said MacFarlane is very well-liked because "he is such a respectful and appreciative person."

Martha Hackett in "The Blue Dahlia"

In the L.A. beachside community of Venice, California, Martha Hackett ("Seska" in Star Trek: Voyager) is part of a large cast adapting Raymond Chandler's film noir classic "The Blue Dahlia" for the stage. Hackett plays "Helen," the alcoholic, philandering wife of the main character Johnny Morrison (Robb Derringer). Performances run through December 18 at the Pacific Resident Theatre. Call (310) 822-8392 for reservations, or visit www.pacificresidenttheatre.com for more information.

"Ship in a Bottle"?

Professor Moriarty, take note. There is a new reality TV show in the U.K. that is aiming to pull off the biggest hoax in TV history — by persuading of group of Britons that they have been blasted off into space.

The new Channel 4 series Space Cadets will follow nine people going through training in the belief that they will visit the final frontier as space tourists. Unbeknownst to them, their space shuttle will be a Hollywood creation, built for the film "Space Cowboys." A giant custom-built screen positioned just outside the shuttle will, it is hoped, provide the illusion of a view of Earth from space. The launch sound will be produced by a Hollywood sound specialist, and the "shuttle" will tip and rock in the process.

For the full story, click here.