So have you seen "Transformers" yet? If so, did you catch the mysterious trailer that ran before it? It was the one showing a going-away party in New York shot on home video, when suddenly a loud roar shakes the city. The partiers head to the roof of the building to see a massive explosion on the horizon, and then flaming debris starts flying into the streets, including the head of the Statue of Liberty ... all of it shot "Blair Witch" style. And then we learn it's a J.J. Abrams movie premiering January 18, 2008 ... and there's no title!

UPDATE: You can see that trailer at this Apple.com link.

The Hollywood trade papers talked about it this morning, and though they are mostly in the dark about it too, they did reveal a few details about the project apparently code-named "Cloverfield." The movie — whatever its real title is going to be — revolves around a monster attack in New York as told from the point of view of a small group of people. It is being directed by Matt Reeves, who co-created Felicity with Abrams, and is written by Drew Goddard, who has worked with Abrams on Lost and Alias. Bryan Burk, who is producing "Star Trek XI" with Abrams, is also producing "Cloverfield." The cast includes Michael Stahl-David, who worked with Kate Mulgrew on The Black Donnellys.

"Paramount greenlighted the project under a veil of heavy secrecy in February, about the same time that Abrams agreed to the take over the directing reins of the new 'Star Trek' film," states a front-page story in The Hollywood Reporter. "The movie, which is believed to have a relatively modest budget of about $30 million, began shooting in mid-June in New York. With 'Transformers' generating huge tracking numbers in the weeks before its release, the studio decided to put footage from 'Cloverfield' in a teaser in front of 'Transformers' to build buzz." Apparently the movie is still shooting in New York presently.

Daily Variety reports that a staffer at Bad Robot, Abrams' production company (located in Santa Monica near the "Cloverfield" exit from the I-10 — coincidence?) "feigned ignorance" about the trailer.

To read more, visit this HollywoodReporter.com page and this Variety.com page.

Keating Joins Cast of Heroes

George Takei, Malcolm McDowell, Bryan Fuller, Thomas Dekker ... and now Dominic Keating. The Enterprise Englishman is the latest Star Trek connection to Heroes, which is entering its second season this fall. Keating has been cast in the NBC series as an Irish mobster, according to trade reports this week.

Takei will continue on Heroes in the occasional recurring role of "Kaito Nakamura," the father of Masi Oka's character whose license plate reads "NCC-1701"and whose disposition toward his son took an about-face late in the first season. However, McDowell is unlikely to return since his character was killed in the recent season finale (though in a show like this, you never know). It's unclear if Dekker ("Henry Burleigh" and Picard's Nexus Son), who played Claire's friend "Zach," will return to Heroes since he is now "John Connor" in the upcoming The Sarah Connor Chronicles; he is also starring in an independent thriller called "From Within," which begins shooting next month. Fuller has left the show as producer to concentrate on his new Fall series Pushing Daisies. So really, it's just George and Dominic at this point. Tally-ho, gentlemen!

Star Trek Tops List of Cult Shows

TV Guide recently published the "Top 30 Cult Shows Ever," expanding from 25 the list the magazine originally compiled three years ago. And classic Star Trek is securely on the top of that list, which is described as "a veritable who's who of programs that got people talking — and in many cases still had them talking long after the final episode aired."

"The litmus tests were many," explains the TVGuide.com article. "These are the types of shows that make normal folk Romulan-fluent, series that inspire what can only be called worship. The faithful collect everything from action figures (and perhaps way too many of them) to yellowing scripts obtained by any means necessary. They attend conventions in fangs or blue skin or with Hurley's numbers tattooed in disturbing places."

Other TV shows making the list include Quantum Leap starring Scott Bakula and Dean Stockwell at no. 19; J.J. Abrams' Lost at no. 5; Ronald D. Moore's Battlestar Galactica at 14; Seth MacFarlane's Family Guy at 15; plus The X-Files, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Simpsons, Jericho, Babylon 5, Stargate SG-1, etc. To see the full list and comment on it, visit this TVGuide.com page.

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