More 60's TV Pop Culture!

Well, the economy is too depressing to write about, and the election is, in my opinion, a fait d'accompli. So today, we return to the safe haven of pop culture and the exciting internet release of pictures from the upcoming "Star Trek" movie. For those of you who who are missing the geek gene, JJ Abrams, the creator of "LOST", has created a prequel to classic "Star Trek", with younger actors playing the roles of Kirk, Spock, Bones, et al.

Zachary Quinto is already getting rave reviews for his spot-on homage to Leonard Nimoy in the role of Spock, but it's difficult to separate him from his regular TV role as serial killer Sylar in "Heroes" - especially when you see him in this shot:

It's kinda cool that the producers returned to the "classic" Star Trek look for uniforms - not that they had a whole lot of choice... Here's the crew... You can figure out who plays Chekov, Scotty, Sulu, etc...

And finally, here's a shot of the new bridge of the Enterprise. I don't really get a good sense of what it will look like from this shot, but somehow, I think it'll have a somewhat more advanced look than the plywood sets of the original... Note that they still have the women in mini-skirts, though!

The new film debuts in May of 2009. Live long and prosper!

Thanks, Sophie!

The creator of "It's Academic", Sophie Altman, has died at the tender age of 95. If you can even manage to live to 95, God bless you, but Sophie continued to produce the high school quiz show at Channel 4 until just three weeks before her death! Thousands of America's brightest scholars got their starts on It's Academic, and the roster has also included an astronaut, two U.S. Senators (find Hillary Clinton in this picture!), scores of doctors and lawyers, and hopefully, next school year, my son, Brad!

"It's Academic" levels the high school playing field for those kids who don't find their niche in sports, but in academics. My son doesn't watch MTV... he watches the History Channel, and "It's Academic" provides him with an outlet to hone his craft - to make him want to excel in education. What a blessing it's been!

In its heyday, "It's Academic" was syndicated to 24 other cities, and it is still aired in eight markets, from Washington to San Diego. The DC version is the original, of course, and it's still hosted by the ageless Mac McGarry, himself a D.C. institution as a broadcaster and the longtime announcer voice of both Channel 4 and many NBC programs. I had a chance to meet Mac at a taping of "It's Academic" earlier this year, and it was a thrill. He is not that far behind Sophie Altman in age, but I think Mac has many more miles in his tank!

You can and should read about Sophie Altman's fascinating life and career in this obit in the Washington Post. She even had Hollywood connections - her daughter-in-law is Wonder Woman Lynda Carter!

Thank you, Sophie, for giving geek squads a fighting chance in this world!