LeVar Burton ("Geordi La Forge") appeared on the public radio program Marketplace earlier this week to discuss the status of his PBS series Reading Rainbow. Luckily, Rainbow is set to continue — Burton noted that kids' clothing store The Children's Place is stepping up in a big way to help out. Between August 8 and September 30, 5 percent of any denim purchase made at The Children's Place stores or online at www.childrensplace.com will go to support Reading Rainbow and other national literacy programs for children. Burton noted that he and The Children's Place are looking for ways to possibly extend this relationship. He expressed his deep gratitude to the company — due to this funding and additional funding from PBS, Reading Rainbow will be able to keep producing new episodes. "We feel with this new commitment from PBS and this new relationship with The Children's Place, we're going to be able to ... patch it together, by hook or by crook," Burton noted. For an audio version of the full interview, check out Marketplace's Web site.

Park Poses for FHM

With Enterprise in summer reruns, are you missing your weekly dose of Hoshi Sato? FHM magazine has just the thing — a photo spread and article featuring none other than Linda Park. Park is spotlighted in the September issue, currently on newsstands.

Come to the Carnivale

HBO's latest original series, Carnivale, is rich with Trek alums. John Fleck ("Silik" on Enterprise and other roles), Clancy Brown ("Zobral" from "Desert Crossing"), Michael J. Anderson ("Rumpelstiltskin" in "If Wishes Were Horses") and Adrienne Barbeau ("Cretak" in "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges") all star, while former Trek scribe and producer Ron D. Moore serves as executive producer. Catch a sneak peek of this series via a new HBO special, Making Carnivale: The Show Behind the Show. HBO's official site has a listing of times. Carnivale, which premieres this fall, follows a traveling carnival troupe in the 1930s.

Youth Club's Fate

Plans for a proposed youth community and sports center on Patrick Stewart's ("Jean-Luc Picard") old stomping grounds are expected to be discussed this week. The Huddersfield Daily Examiner reports that the proposal for a Mirfield, England-based center will be decided by local officials at an upcoming meeting. Stewart was involved in a fundraiser for the center earlier this year.

Shatner Spotlighted

William Shatner ("James T. Kirk") is IGN FilmForce's Featured Filmmaker this week. The site has an article with a detailed overview of Shatner's career, a rundown of his must-see films and trivia.

Guest Star Roundup

As usual, Trek's former guest stars are keeping busy. Ashley Judd ("Robin Lefler" on Star Trek: The Next Generation) will star in a revival of Tennessee Williams' "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" at the Music Box Theater on Broadway. The production also stars Ned Beatty and Jason Patric and will open November 2 (previews start October 9), according to Variety. Anthony Page directs. In other theater news, Joel Grey ("Caylem" in "Resistance") has joined the cast of the musical "Wicked," which opens this fall at the Gershwin Theater on Broadway, according to The Hollywood Reporter. He will portray the Wizard of Oz. Meanwhile, Kim Cattrall ("Valeris" in "Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country") is attached to star and co-executive produce an adaptation of the Clifford Odets play "The Country Girl" for HBO. And on the big screen, watch for Rosalind Chao ("Keiko O'Brien") in the hit comedy "Freaky Friday." Chao plays "Pei-Pei," the daughter of the woman who uses magic to switch the bodies of a mother and daughter played by Jamie Lee Curtis and Lindsay Lohan.