UPDATE 11.30.07: See updates to the George Takei story below, along with additional roundup items on both page 1 and page 2.

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Matheson Signing "Legend" This Sunday in Burbank

Richard Matheson, author of the Original Series episode "The Enemy Within," will be giving out autographs this Sunday, December 2, in Burbank, Calif. The genre giant will be signing a new release of his 1954 novel "I Am Legend" with Will Smith on the cover. Smith stars in the upcoming film adaptation of that book which hits theaters December 14. Matheson will also be signing movie posters.

The event will take place at Dark Delicacies bookstore, 4213 W. Burbank Blvd., starting at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Visit www.DarkDel.com for more info.

The new movie about the sole remaining human in a world plagued with undead also stars Salli Richardson, who played "Fenna/Nidell" in the Deep Space Nine episode "Second Sight." Matheson's horror/sci-fi classic has previously been adapted for the screen several times, most notably "The Omega Man" in 1971 with Charlton Heston and Anthony Zerbe ("Admiral Dougherty" in "Star Trek: Insurrection").

Also concurrent with the movie release is a reprinting of the best-selling 2005 graphic novel adaptation of "I Am Legend" by IDW Publishing. The black-and-white graphic novel by writer Steve Niles and artist Elman Brown is advertised as a much more faithful adaptation of Matheson's book than any of the movies. Visit www.IDWPublishing.com to order (the title is listed as "Richard Matheson's I Am Legend," under "R").

Matheson's script for "The Enemy Within" is part of a new collection of works called "Matheson: Uncollected, Volume One" by Gauntlet Press. The edition also contains an unfinished novel and a selection of previously uncollected short stories by Matheson. You can pre-order this book, along with "The Richard Matheson Companion" and other similar collections, at www.GauntletPress.com.

Takei Takes "Sci-Fi Spectacular" to Baltimore

In September George Takei was in Seattle to narrate a symphony concert of science-fiction music (as reported by Amy Ulen) and he is slated to do the same on the East Coast in January. The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) will hold its own "Sci-Fi Spectacular" Jan. 17-20 with Takei as special guest, featuring music from Star Trek, "Star Wars," "E.T." and other classics of the genre.

Like in Seattle, the Baltimore concert will be conducted by Jack Everly with vocals by soprano Kristin Plumley and tenor Mike Eldred. (In Seattle, Plumley performed the Original Series theme, and Eldred sang "Where My Heart Will Take Me." The upcoming shows may not be exactly the same, but we can confirm that the TOS theme will be performed.)

The Thursday (Jan. 17) performance will take place at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland. The Friday, Saturday and Sunday matinee concerts will be held at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in downtown Baltimore.

UPDATE: The BSO, by arrangement with STARTREK.COM, has announced that Star Trek fans can get a special 10% discount on tickets by logging into their site and registering. In the "Promo Code" box on the registration page, please enter: STARTREK. Click here to register now!

Standard ticket prices range from $25 to $84. You can visit the main site: www.bsomusic.org for further info.

Check back next Friday for a special STARTREK.COM ticket giveaway offer!

Takei will also return live to the Howard Stern Show on Sirius Satellite Radio next week, Monday through Thursday!

Tickets Soon Available for Bakula Cabaret in D.C.

While Takei is in Maryland, nearby that same weekend singer extraordinaire Scott Bakula will be holding a one-night-only performance in Washington D.C. on January 18. Tickets will go on sale to the public this coming Monday, December 3. "An Evening With Scott Bakula" is a special benefit for the historic Ford's Theatre (the site of Abraham Lincoln's assassination), where Bakula earned rave reviews last year for "Shenandoah." Ford's Theatre is currently undergoing renovations, so the performance will take place a couple of blocks east of there, at Sidney Harman Hall on F Street NW.

The cabaret features a five-piece orchestra and a song list selected by Bakula himself. Tickets range from $35 to $100. Visit www.fordstheatre.org for info, or call (202) 434-9545 starting Monday (if you're a member of the Friends of Ford's Theatre, you can call now). Also see ProjectQuantumLeap.com for further info and updates.

Picard's Chair, Uhura's Uniform and More at Auction

Captain Picard's command chair from the Enterprise-E, Lt. Uhura's uniform from the Original Series, Geordi's VISOR, Worf's Bat'leth, the Doctor's mobile emitter, and much more are going to be sold to the highest bidder December 13-14. Profiles in History is holding a Hollywood memorabilia auction with more than 1,200 original props, costumes, scripts, etc., and about three dozen of those lots are from Star Trek.

The captain's chair from the last three TNG movies is estimated to go for between $45,000 and $60,000 (though as we learned from the big Christie's auction last year, such estimates can be way off). A red Starfleet uniform worn by Nichelle Nichols early in the Original Series is estimated at $8-12,000. Another uniform which may prove popular is one worn by Michael Dorn in "Genesis" — ripped up with bony extensions added — estimated at $4,500-5,500. The lots also include numerous weapons and other hand props, control panels and miniatures, with all five Star Trek series represented. There are also production scripts from "Star Trek: The Motion Picture" and "Star Trek II."

Visit www.ProfilesInHistory.com and peruse "Hollywood Auction 30." The two scripts are lots 265 and 268, and all the other Trek items start at lot 1212. And if you decide to bid on something, good luck!

TiVo Alert: McDonough, Walsh in "Tin Man"

Neal McDonough ("Lt. Hawk") is the title character in Sci-Fi Channel's "Tin Man," a dark, contemporary reimagining of L. Frank Baum's classic "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The three-part miniseries runs this Sunday through Tuesday, Dec. 2-4, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT (with several immediate re-airings and a full six-hour marathon on Sunday, Dec. 9 — check your local listings).

"Unlike anything the author imagined over a century ago, the Ozian realm portrayed in 'Tin Man' is much farther over the rainbow than ever before" states SciFi.com (currently the site is dedicating its full home page to the show).

McDonough's character is actually named "Wyatt Cain," described as an "embittered ex-cop" who "spent years imprisoned in a metal suit" by the story's wicked antagonist. Cain is "smart and wary" but "eager for revenge" — so it sounds like he may be in need of a heart, eh what?

Gwynyth Walsh ("B'Etor") is also in "Tin Man" as a character named "Emily."

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On the Web: Quinto, Giacchino, Moore, Monsters
Showbiz Briefs: Greenwood & Langella, Burton, Boston, Alexander
Casting News: Judd, Campbell, Plummer