Colm Meaney ("Miles O'Brien") will be the headliner in a celebration of the "Sister City" relationship between his hometown of Dublin, Ireland, and San Jose, California. Meaney will be the recipient of the "Spirit of Ireland" award at a dinner which will cap "Irish Week" in San Jose a week before St. Patrick's Day.

The annual Spirit of Ireland Award is granted to individuals who have made noteworthy contributions toward promoting a strong and positive relationship between Ireland and the United States, or between San Jose and Dublin, through their work in the arts, business, or other civic and cultural endeavors. Past recipients include former U.S. president Bill Clinton, Nobel Peace Prize winner John Hume, and the founder and former chairman of Intel Corporation, Dr. Gordon Moore.

"Colm Meaney exemplifies the bold character we celebrate each year with the Spirit of Ireland Award," said event spokesman James Marlowe. "Mr. Meaney is an extraordinary actor of great acclaim and we're proud to honor him as our 2007 recipient." He is being recognized not only for his roles in Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, but for his three decades of international work in film and on stage (more about that to follow).

The dinner will take place Saturday, March 10, at The Fairmont San José at 170 S. Market St. Tickets are $150. For more information or reservations visit www.sanjosedublin.org or call (408) 371-8160.

Meaney, Langella Nominated for Oliviers, and Other London Stage News

Meaney has also made news by being nominated for the U.K.'s most prestigious theatre trophy, the Laurence Olivier Award. Meaney recently completed a highly successful run at London's Old Vic of Eugene O'Neill's "Moon for the Misbegotten" with Kevin Spacey (related story), and for his role as a conniving Irish-American farmer he was recognized in the category "Best Performance in a Supporting Role" (male or female).

Another DS9 veteran, Frank Langella ("Minister Jaro Essa"), was also nominated for an Olivier Award. For his portrayal of Richard Nixon in "Frost/Nixon," Langella is up for the "Best Actor" honor. "Frost/Nixon," about David Frost's interview with the disgraced president, is still playing in London at the Gielgud Theatre through next Saturday, February 3.

Both Meaney and Langella are taking their plays to Broadway starting in late March. "Misbegotten" begins previews March 29 and will run through June 10 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre in New York. "Frost/Nixon" moves to the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre beginning March 31 for a 20-week engagement.

Competing with Meaney in the Supporting Role category is previous Olivier nominee Jim Norton, who twice played "Albert Einstein" in TNG ("The Nth Degree" and "Descent, Part I"). Norton was tapped for his role in "The Seafarer," which is currently touring around the U.K.

The Laurence Olivier Awards, presented annually by the Society of London Theatre, will be handed out at the Grosvenor House Hotel on February 18. UPDATE 02.19.07: Jim Norton won the Olivier for Best Supporting Role, defeating Meaney. Langella also lost his category.

You have an opportunity to vote for Meaney and Langella yourself, along with Patrick Stewart, in the 2007 Theatregoers' Choice Awards at WhatsOnStage.com. Stewart is nominated for "Best Solo Performance" for his revival of "A Christmas Carol" in December 2005 at the Albery. Online ballots will be accepted through January 31 — click here to vote.

Stewart is still performing with the Royal Shakespeare Company in extended engagements of "Antony and Cleopatra" and "The Tempest" which have moved to the Novello Theatre in London, and his reviews have been pretty spectacular (here's one from the Telegraph). "Antony" is running now through February 17, then he starts up "Tempest" on February 22 through March 24. For tickets, ring the Novello box office at 0870 950 0940 or 0870 950 0902, or visit Ticketmaster.co.uk. The best way to keep up with Stewart's many activities is to visit The Patrick Stewart Network (click on "News Briefs").

Robinson Directs "Defiance"

In theatre news a little closer to home (for us, anyway), yet another DS9 alum, Andrew J. Robinson ("Garak"), is directing a play that is currently getting rave reviews at the Pasadena Playhouse. "Defiance," from Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright John Patrick Shanley, explores racism and authoritarianism in the setting of a Marine base in 1971 North Carolina. The show runs through February 18. Visit PasadenaPlayhouse.org for more information and tickets.

Robinson's involvement with "Defiance" is part of a profile of him in the Los Angeles Times' Calendar section, which describes him as "probably the busiest man in Los Angeles" and the "center" of L.A.'s live-theater scene. Nearly 65 years old, Robinson is teaching acting at USC while also performing himself and directing all over town. Though stage is his first love, he feels that his best acting can still be seen in "Hellraiser" and "under mounds of makeup and bony protuberances in his recurring 1990s role as Garak, the alien tailor-cum-spy of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," the article states.

The profile, titled "Blissfully overbooked," also recounts Robinson's childhood without his father, who died fighting in World War II. You can read it at this CalendarLive.com link.

Page 2:
TiVo Alerts: Takei on Heroes this Monday; The Dresden Files
Original Series Coming to HD-DVD Late This Year
Shatner Roast, Documentary Available for Pre-Order
Build a Fleet of Starships from Old Floppy Discs
Could Trek Games be Banned in Germany?

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Other Award Nominations: Oscars, etc.
Showbiz Briefs: The Rock, Itzin, Campbell, Grammer, Singer, Sundance