News of the Week

Star Trek 30th anniversary fest planned

tar Trek 30: One Weekend on Earth, the first major Star Trek event to be sponsored by Paramount Pictures, will take place at the Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Ala., from Sept. 7-8. The event is being billed as a "gala celebration" that will honor the premiere of the original Star Trek series, which first aired on Sept. 8, 1966.

Guests include William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, DeForest Kelly, Nichelle Nichols and a variety of Star Trek stars both old and new. The celebration will feature autograph sessions, makeup demonstrations, "the largest Star Trek store in the galaxy," special collectibles, a stunt show and many other events.

Ticket information is available by calling 1-800-2BEAMUP.

Kevin Sorbo reads for charity

ctor Kevin Sorbo, who plays Hercules in the popular television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, has recorded the "Tales of Young Hercules" audio book for BMP Audio. A limited, pre-publication version of the tape will be released on August 31 at a cost of $19.95.

The limited edition is part of the Words for Hope project, and all profits will be donated to a charity of Sorbo's choice. The special version contains extra material that will not be included in the mass market release. For further information, contact bmpltd@miracle.net.

Costner to direct The Postman

ariety has reported that Kevin Costner will not only star in the upcoming movie The Postman, based on David Brin's science fiction novel of the same name, but he will direct as well. The film will mark Costner's first directorial bid since he earned an Oscar for his work behind the cameras on Dances with Wolves.

The Postman is a post-apocalyptic story of a man who helps hold society together by continuing to deliver the mail.

Mars Attacks! toy invasion begins

rendmasters Inc. reported it will produce two different toy lines based on the forthcoming Mars Attacks! movie from Warner Bros. The first line will be "Mars Attacks Classics" created from the original 1960s Topps trading card set that began the Mars Attacks! saga.

The second line will be "Mars Attacks the Movie" and will be based directly on the film itself. Trendmasters said the toys will be available in stores by Nov. 1 in anticipation of the film's Dec. 13 release date.

Mars Attacks! is currently in production under director Tim Burton. The cast includes a number of well-known actors, including Jack Nicholson as the president of the United States.

New Roddenberry show in the works

new science fiction television series from the mind of Gene Roddenberry is reportedly in pre-production. The show, called Battleground Earth, is based on a bible and script written by Roddenberry in the 1970s, although it has since been updated.

Majel Barrett Roddenberry is involved with the project, as are Babylon 5 cronies Douglas Netter and John Copeland. B5 creator Joe Michael Straczynksi said he had been offered the opportunity to write the show's two-hour pilot, but he turned down the job so he could concentrate on his B5 obligations.

What's next for Snake?

s there another "Escape" movie in store for director John Carpenter and star Kurt Russell? No one is saying, but if so it would definitely be the last of the series.

Carpenter recently told USA Today that if there is another movie in Escape saga, it would be called "Escape from Earth" and it would finally end the story of Snake Plissken, the leather-clad, rough-and-tumble antihero played by Russell. Russell said he is all for the project because, well, he likes Snake.

"I just like him," Russell told USA Today. "I like playing him. I like being him. I understand him."

California lottery thinks Star Trek is just the ticket

he California state lottery will run a Star Trek "scratch and win" ticket game beginning November 1 in honor of the new Star Trek movie First Contact, which is due to open November 22. The unusual move is part of the lottery's bid to boost sales in order to cover expected financial losses from "recent legal decisions."

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