Kate Mulgrew ("Captain Janeway") is among the major stars cast in the London production of a hit American play about life on death row. "The Exonerated" is based on several true stories of American prisoners condemned to death and later found innocent, exploring the experience of being wrongfully imprisoned for as long as 22 years.

Mulgrew will be joining the likes of Kristin Davis (Sex and the City), Stockard Channing ("Grease," The West Wing), Danny Glover ("Lethal Weapon") and Aiden Quinn ("Legends of the Fall") during the show's 16-week run.

Update: Mulgrew will perform Tuesday, April 18, through Sunday, April 30. The play premieres February 24 (with previews starting Feb. 21) at the Riverside Studios in west London. Visit www.RiversideStudios.co.uk for more info.

"The Exonerated" was first performed in 2002 in Los Angeles under the artistic directorship of Tim Robbins, before transferring to off-Broadway New York. The London show is directed by actor Bob Balaban.

Shimerman's "Bleep" Gets Extended Treatment

There was a little movie in 2004 about quantum physics and human potential featuring Armin Shimerman (who, appropriately enough, played a character named "Quark" in Star Trek) that made a surprising splash at the out-of-the-mainstream box office. It was called "What the Bleep Do We Know!?" (or "What the #$*! Do We Know!?") and it has had such a cult following that it's formed its own cottage industry. The fans have demanded more, so the filmmakers have responded by issuing a "director's cut extended version" of the movie with substantially new material, opening this month.

The original movie was half documentary, half narrative (the latter starring Marlee Matlin, with Shimerman as a wise angel-like character). In the new release, titled "What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole," the fictional story is trimmed down a great deal to make room for new interviews, animation sequences and other documentary material. "It includes important new scientific findings that highlight the very real and deepening link between quantum mechanics, neurobiology, human consciousness and day-to-day reality," says the official site.

"Rabbit Hole" premieres this month and next in selected venues around the country. Visit www.whatthebleep.com for more info, including show dates. The original movie is now available on DVD and VHS at Amazon.com or this link.

Spike Runs Themed Episodes on Valentine's Day

Spike TV — which airs two episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and three of Star Trek: The Next Generation every weekday — normally runs those episodes more-or-less in order. But you might have noticed that they've skipped a couple. That's because they're re-arranging the schedule slightly so that Trekkers can get in a romantic mood on Valentine's Day.

On Tuesday, February 14, Spike begins the five-hour block with DS9's "Heart of Stone," followed by "Looking for Par'Mach in All the Wrong Places." Then the TNG valentines are "QPid," "In Theory" and "Lessons." A perfect way to spend the afternoon with that special someone...

Television Festival Features Trek Alumni

A number of former Star Trek writers and producers will be headlining a celebration of many current popular TV shows next month over two weeks in Hollywood. The 23rd annual William S. Paley Television Festival, held by the Museum of Television & Radio at the Directors Guild complex, will feature the stars and creative talent of such series as Battlestar Galactica, Family Guy, Supernatural, Medium and several others.

On Friday, March 3, Ronald D. Moore — writer/producer for Next Generation and Deep Space Nine — will be present to speak about Galactica, which he executive produces.

On March 4, the Supernatural panel includes John Shiban, former staff writer for Enterprise, and Kim Manners, one-time director on TNG.

On March 6, the Medium discussion will include executive producers Kelsey Grammer ("Captain Bateson" in "Cause and Effect") and René Echevarria, writer/producer for TNG and DS9.

On March 9, Seth MacFarlane and David A. Goodman will talk about Family Guy. Goodman was a staff writer on Enterprise (and he also wrote the Futurama episode "Where No Fan Has Gone Before"). MacFarlane made two cameo appearances in Enterprise.

Tickets for the various events went on sale to the general public yesterday, but many — including Galactica — are already listed as sold out. However, a statement on the Museum's website reads, "For sold-out evenings, tickets may become available at the ticket table in the DGA (Directors Guild of America) lobby five minutes before starting time." Visit www.mtr.org for more info.

Madsen to be Indy's Leading Lady?

Virginia Madsen's star continues to rise. Madsen — who guest-starred in Star Trek: Voyager's "Unforgettable" in 1998 — is now rumored to be the frontrunner to play Indiana Jones' love interest in the third sequel to "Raiders of the Lost Ark." According to various reports, including one from IMDB.com, Madsen greatly impressed Harrison Ford while playing his wife in the new thriller "Firewall."

"She was an absolute delight — professional, very talented and simply, very sweet," Ford reportedly said. "I'm actually hoping she'll come over for Indiana Jones. We've talked about it."

The much-delayed "Indiana Jones 4" — assuming a script and cast are finalized — is expected to go into production sometime this year and be released in the summer of 2007. Madsen is currently shooting "The Number 23," starring opposite Jim Carrey (related story). "Firewall" opens next weekend, February 10.