Star Trek in the News - March 4, 2011

Alexander Courage’s TOS theme ultimately placed second in NASA’s contest to determine what songs would be used to wake up the crew of the space shuttle Discovery. And so, Commander Steve Lindsey and his fellow astronauts can expect to hear the Star Trek theme sometime on Monday, March 7, with the exact time to be determined. Anyone interested in trying to catch the wakeup call should check out the 24-7 live feed on NASA TV.

Nicole De Boer, Deep Space Nine'sEzri Dax, recently completed work on the upcoming movie Metal Tornado. Here's the official logline: "When astronomers discovered the phenomena of magnetic tornados on the planet Mercury, they were amazed by the destructive power of these gargantuan solar-fueled magnetic fields... but they never imagined witnessing the catastrophic forces in their own backyards." Look for the sci-fi/thriller, which also features Lou Diamond Phillips and Greg Evigan (the star of William Shatner's TrekWar movies and TV series), to be released or air later this year.

Longtime Star Trek author Diane Duane has a new e-book out, called Uptown Local and Other Interventions. Actually, it’s an anthology that encompasses 11 short and long works penned by Duane over the years, including The Rizzoli Bag, Bears, Herself, and, of course, a couple of Young Wizards tales, including the title story. For additional details, visit the Uptown Local page on Duane’s site at:  http://www.dianeduane.com/diane-duane-short-story-anthology-uptown-local-and-other-interventions

Which Star Trek superstar was in the country’s number one movie last weekend? Patrick Stewart. How so? He provides the voice of a Shakespeare statue in the animated hit Gnomeo & Juliet, which in its third weekend of release beat back contenders including Hall Pass, Unknown and Drive Angry. The Gnomeo of Gnomeo & Juliet is actually James McAvoy, who will play a younger version of Professor Charles Xavier, Stewart’s role in the first four X-Men features, in the upcoming X-Men prequel, First Class. Meanwhile, out in Stewart’s native England, a similar thing happened with Gnomeo & Juliet, as it swapped places with the comedy Paul, which stars Star Trek (2009)’s Simon Pegg and had opened last weekend at top of the UK box office. Paul will open in the U.S. later this month – and be on the lookout for a StarTrek.com interview with Pegg.

The busiest man in show business, George Takei, is at it again. If you’ve got little kids in the house, steer them towards the Disney Channel’s animated show Fish Hooks, tonight, March 4, at 8:30-9:00 p.m. ET. And if you join them, listen for Takei as the voice of a very helpful bird. Here’s the official logline:  “Flying Fish’ - When Mr. Mussels gives an inspiring speech about going after your dreams, Milo makes his ultimate dream come true by flying across the pet store on a parrot (played by George Takei). Disney Channel's "Fish Hooks" is an imaginative and eye-catching series that blends animation with photorealism.”

After much speculation and a couple of teases, it’s official: Leonard Nimoy will be coming out of retirement, albeit briefly, to reprise his role as Massive Dynamic founder William Bell on the J.J. Abrams-produced series Fringe. Straight from Nimoy himself, via Twitter, he wrote late last month: “Coming to Fringe. William's bell rings soon. LLAP.” And did anyone catch his tweet from earlier in February? Check it out here: “The only time I ever appeared in public as Spock. Medford, Oregon Pear Blossom Festival. 1967 ? LLAP http://twitpic.com/3yr7hk”

Kim Cattrall, who played Valeris in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country, has just signed on to star in The Treehouse, a drama set in Germany, pre-World War I. Cattrall will share the screen with Jeremy Irons and Tom Sturridge. Meanwhile, Cattrall’s most recent film, Meet Monica Velour, has a release date: April 8. The actress plays a 1980s adult film legend – now a 49-year-old, single mom living in a trailer – whose life takes an unexpected turn when she befriends an awkward teen who happens to be her biggest fan.

We’re always looking for Star Trek stories floating around out there, whether they be directly related to Trek or simply inspired by it. And we kind of like this one. It ran a couple of weeks ago on AOL’s Jobs page, and it centered on the occasionally offbeat, sometimes downright crazy questions interviewers may ask people applying for a job. Among the questions: Which do you prefer, Star Trek or Star Wars? Check out the story here.