This weekend, be sure to tune in to the Sci-Fi Channel to see Marina Sirtis star in "Grendel." Sirtis plays "Queen Wealhtheow," ruler of a kingdom held hostage by an unstoppable monster, in the adaptation of the Scandinavian epic poem "Beowulf & Grendel" (which was depicted in the Voyager episode "Heroes and Demons"). The two-hour original Sci-Fi movie airs Saturday night (Jan. 13) at 9 p.m. ET/PT, 8:00 Central. It then repeats that night at 1 a.m. (midnight CT), and again next Thursday, Jan. 18, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Consult your local listings.

As a reminder, the new season of 24 premieres this Sunday on Fox with Alexander Siddig added to the cast. "Day 6" dawns with a four-hour marathon over two nights — Sunday and Monday Jan. 14-15 at 8 p.m. ET/PT each night — after which it will take its regular slot on Monday nights at 9:00. James Cromwell will reportedly join the show later in the season, as the estranged father of Kiefer Sutherland's character. Plus, frequent Trek guest star Gregory Itzin will reprise his role from last season as the disgraced ex-president. Manny Coto, formerly showrunner on Star Trek: Enterprise, stays on for his second year as writer and co-executive producer.

The following weekend, Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica moves to Sunday nights on the Sci-Fi Channel at 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9:00 CT, starting January 21.

Masterson on "Space Station Liberty"

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's Chase Masterson will be interviewed Friday night on a talk show podcast called Space Station Liberty, part of TalkShoe.com. The interview will focus on Masterson's role in the animated sci-fi film "Robotech: The Shadow Chronicles," which comes out on DVD February 6. The interview will take place live Friday night, January 12, starting at 10 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Pacific, and in the latter half of the two hours Masterson will take questions from the call-in audience. Visit www.terrania.us/liberty to participate, or to download the podcast after the fact. You can also visit Robotech.com for more info.

Collins is Stuff of "Legends!"

Joan Collins, who made her mark on Star Trek as "Edith Keeler" in "The City on the Edge of Forever," is performing a role on stage that is something of a send-up of her most famous TV persona. Collins and Linda Evans — whose "Alexis" and "Krystle" characters were bitter rivals in Dynasty — are at it again in "Legends!" as two aging divas who hate each other but who are courted by an unscrupulous producer for the same Broadway show. The play was originally written in the 1980s for Carol Channing and Mary Martin, but the casting of Collins and Evans this time around is an obvious nod to their own history.

The play has been on tour since September, and is currently running at the San Diego Civic Theater through Sunday, Jan. 14. It then comes to Los Angeles at the Wilshire Theatre Beverly Hills for a two-week run starting Tuesday, Jan. 16, through the 28th. The show then moves to Phoenix on the 30th, then on to Denver, Chicago, Boston, Cleveland and several other cities over the next four months. Visit www.LegendsTheComedy.com for more info, or go straight to Ticketmaster.com for tickets.

Goldberg Honored by AmFAR, NAACP

Star Trek: The Next Generation's Whoopi Goldberg will be recognized on January 31 for her contributions to the global struggle against AIDS. The American Foundation for AIDS Research (AmfAR) will bestow its "Award of Courage" to Goldberg and two other honorees for "outstanding leadership and distinguished service in furtherance of the Foundation's mission and for playing a vital role in increasing AIDS awareness and accelerating the pace of HIV/AIDS research." The presentation will be made at a black-tie gala in New York by Richard Gere and Beyonce, with many other celebrities — including honorary chair Elizabeth Taylor — in attendance. For more information visit www.amfar.org.

Goldberg also got two nominations — one as an actress and one as an author — for this year's NAACP Image Awards. Her children's book "Whoopi's Big Book of Manners" was cited in the category "Outstanding Literary Work – Children." She also got a nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series" for her role in Everybody Hates Chris.

Competing with Goldberg in the latter category is Vanessa Williams ("Arandis" in "Let He Who Is Without Sin...") for her role in Ugly Betty. Williams was one of the celebrities announcing the nominations on Tuesday.

Also vying for an Image Award is Naren Shankar, science consultant and writer on TNG and DS9 (plus the aforementioned "Heroes and Demons"), in "Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series" for his work on CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.

The 38th NAACP Image Awards, honoring projects and individuals that promote diversity in the arts, will be held Friday, March 2, and will be broadcast live on Fox.

(Beware ... there is more awards news to come ... )

Neuwirth Dancing Again after Hip Replacement

Bebe Neuwirth, who played "Lanel" in the Next Generation episode "First Contact" but is most famous as "Lilith" in Cheers and Frasier, returned to the Broadway musical "Chicago" on New Year's Eve with a brand new part — in more ways than one. According to an Associated Press article, the singer-dancer-actress underwent hip replacement surgery seven months ago to correct a problem she's had since the age of 21. She was determined to recover swiftly and return to the stage by her 48th birthday on December 31. And when she did so, she took over the lead role of Roxie Hart — which is less physically taxing than the co-starring role of Velma Kelly, which earned her a Tony Award in 1997. "I got my life back by getting a new hip," Neuwirth said. "I wanted to get out and wiggle again."

New Shows for Silverman, Alley

Sarah Silverman ("Rain Robinson" in "Future's End") finally has a premiere date for her new Comedy Central series. The Sarah Silverman Program debuts Thursday, February 1, at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT. It stars the raunchy comedienne as a character coincidentally named Sarah Silverman, whose absurd daily life is retold through a combination of scripted scenes and musical numbers. And according to IMDB.com, the pilot episode features Tucker Smallwood ("Admiral Bullock" in "In the Flesh" and the unnamed Xindi-Primate in Enterprise) as "God." Keep an eye on ComedyCentral.com for updates. Please note that this late-night comedy will probably not be suitable for children.

Kirstie Alley ("Saavik" in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan") is set to star in and executive produce an original movie for Lifetime Television, reports The Hollywood Reporter. Titled "And She Was," the project is described as a satiric comedy in which Alley plays a middle-aged screenwriter who learns she's all washed up in Hollywood because she's "too old," then enlists her twenty-something nephew to peddle her scripts. The made-for-cable film is targeted for a summer premiere.

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Dudes in the News: Picardo, Meyer, Logan, MacFarlane
Baird Nominated for Editing Award
Visual Effects Wizards Recognized