John Knoll — who has contributed to the visual effects of several Star Trek incarnations including The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine and two movies — has been picking up a lot of awards this year for his work on Disney's "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest," and it came to a climax Sunday night. The ILM artist had been nominated for an Academy Award several times before, but Sunday night was the first time he brought home the gold. He won the Oscar for "Achievement in Visual Effects" along with three of his comrades on "Pirates," but Knoll himself primarily gave the acceptance speech.

Also receiving their first statues after several nominations are the pair who edited sound on Clint Eastwood's "Letters from Iwo Jima," Alan Robert Murray and Bub Asman. Asman was supervising sound editor on "Star Trek Nemesis," and Murray worked on both "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "Nemesis." Asman and Murray were actually competing against themselves, because they were also nominated in the same category, Sound Editing, for that other Eastwood war flick, "Flags of Our Fathers." When their names were announced, a voice-over pointed out that Murray's father was a Marine survivor of Iwo Jima, and in his acceptance speech Murray thanked his father and all those in uniform for their sacrifices in defending freedom.

In the annual video memorial during the Oscar ceremony, James Doohan was recognized. It raised a few eyebrows, considering that Doohan died more than a year ago in 2005 — but apparently this was a make-good by the Motion Picture Academy for his omission last year (after all, he did seven Star Trek films in addition to his TV work!). In one of only two instances where dialog was heard during the tribute (the other being Darren McGavin), a clip from "Motion Picture" ran when Kirk says, "Thank you Mr. Scott," and Scotty says, "Aye sir" (you know the moment in the film, right?). Additionally, a shot from "Star Trek II" was used when Kirk approaches Scotty in Engineering during inspection.

Also recognized in the tribute was Jane Wyatt — Spock's mother "Amanda" in "Journey to Babel" and "Star Trek IV" — who died in October 2006. She was remembered with clips from her early film work.

If you were watching the local pre-show in Los Angeles (prior to the national pre-show), you might have spotted George Takei passing by on the red carpet, wearing something rather unconventional. He was also caught in a photo with Meryl Streep and Abigail Breslin by The New York Times. Attending the Oscars as a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences, Takei wore a hakama, traditional Japanese formal attire, as a nod to his recurring role in Heroes (see photo at top left). Inside the Kodak Theater, Takei and his partner Brad Altman sat in the first mezzanine, just behind the front section where all the nominees and presenters sat, and thus could not be clearly seen during the ceremony. (We did spot Ed Begley Jr. — "Henry Starling" — sitting in the front section, though we don't know why since he wasn't presenting. But let's not forget Kirsten Dunst — "Hedril" — who was there presenting.)

Takei, by the way, appeared again in Heroes this past Monday, in a flashback sequence, and he is expected to return later in the season. But that's not all...

More Takei News: New Improv Show, Hardaway Response

Takei will guest star in a new improv comedy series called Thank God You're Here premiering in April. Based on an Australian hit series, from the producers of American Idol, Thank God You're Here showcases the improvisational skills of four actors each week, throwing them into live sketches "without a net."

"The only thing the celebrity can count on when walking into the scenario is a desperate greeting from a fellow actor in the skit, proclaiming upon their arrival, 'Thank God You're Here!'" states a press release. "This is the only show on television that gives the performers costumes, sets and props, but no script!"

Another participant will be Jason Alexander, who played "Kurros" in "Think Tank" and also hosted the Comedy Central Roast of William Shatner.

The one-hour Thank God premieres Monday, April 9, at 9 p.m. ET/PT on NBC right after Deal or No Deal. It airs again the following Monday, the 16th, then takes its regular timeslot on Wednesday nights starting April 18 at 8 p.m. (7:00 Central). Neither Takei nor Alexander are in the pilot episode, but beyond that we don't know the schedule of guest star appearances.

A couple of weeks ago Takei created quite a buzz when he did a "public service announcement" on Jimmy Kimmel Live responding to homophobic statements from former basketball star Tim Hardaway. In the video, Takei spoke as a gay activist, intoning very earnestly at first, "I want you to know, Tim, on behalf of gay people everywhere, that despite your ugly words, we don't hate you. As a matter of fact, we like you. We like you very much." Then jazzy music started, and he continued, "We particularly like your large powerful calves..." And it went on from there, in one of George's more gleeful acts of self-parody. You can see it at this YouTube.com link (please remember this segment was made for late-night television viewing).

Masterson Produces Documentary on Deaf-Blind Triplets

Chase Masterson — DS9's "Leeta" — has recently voiced an android anime character and is currently in post-production on a film-noir mystery, but now she is dipping into the waters of reality by joining a documentary work-in-progress as executive producer. The project is called "Through Your Eyes," and it chronicles the unique case of a family in Spring, Texas, with triplets who all are deaf and blind.

"Sophie, Emma, and Zoe are six years old, and they are among 70,000 deafblind people in this country alone," Masterson told us. "I had no idea that there were so many deafblind people... there's very little support or awareness for them."

The feature-length documentary is still shooting in Texas — Masterson's home state — but is expected to be completed later this year. Masterson will narrate the film along with David Carradine and Michael Madsen. It is already available for pre-order through the website ThroughYourEyesTheMovie.com, and 100 percent of the producer's profits will be donated to the Deafblind Children's Fund.

The family that is the subject of "Through Your Eyes" will be featured on Dr. Phil on Wednesday, February 28. Check your local listings.

As a reminder, if you're attending WonderCon in San Francisco this weekend, look for Masterson on Sunday, March 4, in a panel about her other work-in-progress, "Yesterday Was a Lie." But she has also been added to another panel on Sunday called "TV Guide Presents: 2007 and Beyond," which will include her former boss on DS9, Ira Steven Behr. He and Billy Campbell ("Captain Okona") will be talking about The 4400. For more info visit www.comic-con.org and click on "WonderCon 2007."

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De Lancie in O.C. "Dream"
Logan Re-Teams with Scorsese
Showbiz Briefs: Burton, Madsen, Belli, Abrams