A lot of Showbiz news lately to catch up on, so we'll just give you the bullet points...
Ben Vereen ("Dr. Edward La Forge" in "Interface") will play "Judas Iscariot" in a one-night-only benefit revival of "Jesus Christ Superstar" this Sunday, August 13, at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Hollywood. Vereen earned a Tony nomination for the same role in the 1970s Broadway production of that musical. For more information about Sunday's 8 p.m. performance, visit www.ricardomontalbantheatre.org or call (323) 462-6666.
Malcolm McDowell ("Dr. Soran" in "Star Trek Generations") will be the principal guest of honor at this year's Port Townsend Film Festival near Seattle, Washington. The seventh annual event will be held September 15-17, and will screen two of McDowell's most celebrated films, "A Clockwork Orange" and "If." For more information visit www.ptfilmfest.com.
James Horner, who composed the score to "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan" and "Star Trek III: The Search for Spock" (and won two Oscars for "Titanic") has written a new musical theme for the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, which will debut when Couric takes over the newscast on September 5. The theme will also be integrated into other CBS News programs over time, according to the network.
Jeri Ryan ("Seven of Nine") can be seen in a preview trailer posted on CBS.com for Shark, the new fall legal drama she stars in with James Woods. Go to www.cbs.com and click on "Shark" in the upper nav bar, then click on "Watch a Preview." Ryan appears prominently in the second clip that plays. Shark premieres Thursday, September 21, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT, 9:00 CT, after CSI.
Bebe Neuwirth ("Lanel" in "First Contact") and Joel Grey ("Caylem" in "Resistance") will reunite with their fellow original stars of "Chicago" in a 10th anniversary star-studded revival of the popular Broadway musical on Tuesday, November 14, at the Ambassador Theatre in New York. The one-night-only event is a fundraiser for Safe Horizon, which supports victims of crime and abuse. Tickets range from $500 to $5,000. For more information visit www.safehorizon.org or call (212) 577-7749.
Ron Perlman ("Reman Viceroy" in "Star Trek Nemesis") will return as the horned hero born in the flames of hell in "Hellboy 2: The Golden Army." Universal Pictures picked up the sequel for a summer 2008 release.
Neal McDonough ("Lt. Hawk" in "Star Trek: First Contact") has booked two feature films that he will shoot simultaneously. He has joined the cast of "The Hitcher," a remake of the 1986 horror film, where he plays a career lawman who tries to aid two college students being terrorized by a murderous hitchhiker. McDonough will also appear in an untitled sports movie as the coach of the Phoenix Razorbacks and the father of a troubled young rugby player.
Brad Dourif ("Lon Suder" in Voyager) is now shooting an independent film in Los Angeles called "Sinners," in which he plays the confidant to a priest who starts to go blind and has a crisis of faith.
Shawn Piller — who wrote for Next Generation and Voyager and formed a successful production company with his late father, Michael Piller — has signed a new development deal with Lionsgate Television along with business partner Lloyd Segan. The deal will keep the pair with Lionsgate for several years, developing one-hour dramas and comedy projects while continuing to oversee Piller-Squared's cable shows such as The Dead Zone and Wildfire. Piller and Segan just wrapped production on a comedy feature film called "Bickford Shmeckler's Cool Ideas."
Kristanna Loken ("Malia" in "Favorite Son") has landed a guest role in 10 episodes of Showtime's The L Word, playing a single mom who meets one of the lead characters at a PTA meeting.
Joe Letteri, visual effects artist on "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country," has signed on to work with James Cameron for his new sci-fi film "Avatar" from 20th Century Fox. Letteri will create the visual effects, creatures and digital environments for the sci-fi interplanetary epic, expected out in 2008.
Famke Janssen ("Kamala" in "The Perfect Mate") is a double nominee in Spike TV's SCREAM Awards, the first annual televised event celebrating horror, sci-fi, fantasy and comic books, airing on the cable network on Tuesday, October 10, at 10:00 p.m. ET/PT. Janssen is competing in the categories "Best Superhero" and "Best Flesh Scene" (with Hugh Jackman) for her role as "Phoenix" in "X-Men: The Last Stand." Her first "X-Men" director, Bryan Singer — who did a cameo in "Star Trek Nemesis" — was nominated as "Best Director" for "Superman Returns." Fans can vote for their favorites by visiting www.screamawards.spiketv.com.
Speaking of Bryan Singer, The Hollywood Reporter reported from Comic-Con that he intends to make a "Superman" sequel for 2009, if can conclude a deal to do so. "Where this one introduced the characters ... the next one will enable me to get all 'Wrath of Khan' on it," Singer is quoted as saying.
"Mission: Impossible III," directed by J.J. Abrams and written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci — all of whom are working on the script for "Star Trek XI" as we speak — will set a milestone for high-definition formats when it's released on DVD on October 30. The summer blockbuster will be the first movie to come out on both HD-DVD and Blu-ray Disc on the same day as standard DVD. Among the many special features on the discs, the HD-DVD will include an "enhanced commentary" with Abrams and star Tom Cruise that shows them talking in a corner of the screen while the movie is playing.
Kelsey Grammer ("Captain Bateson" in "Cause and Effect") has already won an Emmy this year, his fifth. This time the award is for "Outstanding Voice-Over Performance" for his recurring role as "Sideshow Bob" on The Simpsons. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences recently announced the winners in several categories that don't go through a nomination process and are decided by juries of members from the respective academy branches.
But the regular Primetime Emmys will take place Sunday, August 27, and there are several Star Trek veterans up for awards (related story). William Shatner ("Kirk") and Gregory Itzin ("Ilon Tandro," "Hain," "Dysek," etc.) are competing against each other in the category "Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" (Shatner for Boston Legal, Itzin for 24), and recently the Hollywood trade papers have run special features contemplating each nominee's chances. "Shatner, having won a couple of Emmys, could have trouble in this race for that reason. Itzin has it tough because of the strength of his competition," said The Hollywood Reporter. Variety said something similar about Shatner, that while he has become an Academy favorite, "Three consecutive wins would certainly be considered rarified air." Itzin's strength is that, "His sliminess was a key element in helping 24 to one of its finest seasons, and his longtime work in TV in a ton of supporting roles [like in Star Trek!] makes him a highly visible player." But being "an Emmy newbie" could work against him.
Alfre Woodard ("Lily Sloane" in "Star Trek: First Contact") has two nominations, one in "Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series" for Desperate Housewives. Variety commented, "She raises the bar in whatever project is lucky enough to cast her," but her disadvantage is that, "Her storyline never really seemed to gel with the rest of the Housewives ladies." Hollywood Reporter said this role "isn't Woodard's strongest work," and she has a better shot at winning her other nomination, "Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie" for Hallmark's "The Water is Wide."
Speaking of Shatner, you've hopefully seen the ads on this site ("The Shat Hits the Fan") for his upcoming Comedy Central Roast. But have you seen his commercials on Comedy Central lately? "You want to spend the night with me? Rhetorical question. I'm William Shatner, of course you do," he double-entendres in self-mocking deadpan. "It's gonna be terrible for me. But good for you." The Roast — which will involve George Takei and Nichelle Nichols — tapes this Sunday and will air the following Sunday, August 20. We will bring you more coverage next week.
