Special Edition Serenity this summer!

Joss writes below -

Yes, fanlings, there is going to be a 2 disc 'Special Edition' released this summer. You know why? 'Cause the 1 disc 'Normal Edition' has sold so well -- so maybe a little self-back-patting is in order for you guys. Way to keep her in the air.

It's too early to be sure what the Special Edition will contain, but here are some things we're going for:

NEW KEY ART.

Cast commentary -- assuming I can get a decent number of them in one room. They're very busy people, I'm happy to say.

NEW KEY ART.

The region 4 goodies, obviously.

The Tam Sessions.

KEY NEW ART.

New Yub Yub, and Greedo shoots first. So does that kid outside the trading station, the pilot who destroyed Haven, and Kaylee. And Richard Dreyfuss goes INSIDE the mothership.

KEW RAT YEN.

An alternate ending, if you turn it off early.

Proof of the existence of a benevolent higher power -- uh, I mean, new key art.

Mice.

And honestly, what more do you want? Don't answer that, I already know and it's unseemly. But I'm pretty excited here. Back to work, -j.

Take my Yub,
Take Yub Yub,
Yub Yub tak the Yub from Meee...dichlorians....

Buffy Revamped

"Buffy the Vampire Slayer" fans can be called many things -- vocal, prolific, perhaps even rabid -- but they're seldom described as "patient." In the four long years since the last episode of the show's seven-season run, they've had to satisfy their Buffy cravings by poring over old episodes, dressing up at conventions, playing along with a variety of games, and slaking their thirst with Buffy-related books and comics. Many have found diversions in Joss Whedon's other projects like "Angel" and "Firefly." But since the closing line of the Buffy TV finale -- "What are we going to do now?" -- many fans have been dying to know exactly that: What happens next for Buffy and the Scooby Gang? Some inspired followers have even taken matters into their own hands, creating their own fan films and dozens of scripts for a would-be eighth season. But now, finally, the wait is over for an official Season Eight, and the Buffyverse is no longer confined to the special effects budget of a minor TV network. The canonical Season Eight takes place on the pages of Dark Horse Comics, with Joss Whedon himself writing the first few issues/episodes. And fans who miss the TV show's theme song and opening credits can always create their own.

Suggested Sites...

Dark Horse Comics: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - preview the first five pages of Season Eight here.

Whedonesque - collaborative blog covering the world of Joss Whedon, including posts and news from the man himself.

Buffy-Boards.com - forums on everything in the Buffyverse, plus other projects from Joss Whedon and other Buffy-related cast and crew.

Television Without Pity: Buffy the Vampire Slayer - catch up on Seasons 1-7 with snarky episode recaps.

Buffyography - a bibliographic map to the Buffyverse.

IDW Panel from LA

Only a couple of the non-big two publishers held panels at WW:LA, but IDW was one of them. The company, responsible for buzzworthy books like 30 Days of Night and a boatload of licensed properties, held their affair Saturday morning, with only about three dozen fans on hand - although perhaps some were holding out for the arrival of Kiss's Gene Simmons, who was scheduled to join the panel a half hour into it to talk about his new joint publishing venture with IDW, "Simmons Comic Group" (or maybe people just partied a little too much Friday night. Or were still parking).

First up on the presentation was Spike: Shadow Puppets, described by Lynch as "Kind of a sequel to the 'Smile Time' episode," referring to the fan favorite season 5 Angel episode; he said it's also a sequel to his previously-published Spike: Asylum.

Ryall then told the crowd that Joss Whedon said in the new issues of Buffy/Angel magazine, "I am talking to Brian Lynch, about doing sort of a 'season 6 of Angel.'" Ryall then continued, "After Shadow Puppets, we will be doing some new Angel books, with Brian and Joss, picking up where the show left off. They will be post-show, and definitely canon, and co-written by Joss." Presumably this is the companion to Dark Horse's "Buffy season 8" that fans have been waiting for.

A couple of Star Trek projects - Star Trek: Klingons: Blood Will Tell, written by Scott & David Tipton and illustrated by David Messina (5 issues, starting April 2007) and Star Trek: The Original Series: Year Four, written by David Tischman and illustrated by: Kelsey Shannon, Steve Conley, Leonard O'Grady (6 issues, starting July 2007) - were briefly discussed.

A Q&A followed before the arrival of Gene Simmons, with Ryall saying there's no plans for a “Star Wars/Transformers" crossover despite the success of those toys and no more "Transformers: Evolution in the near future but possibly in '08." Spike's old vampire girlfriend, Drusilla, won't be Shadow Puppets, but could be in “Angel season 6”, and so far they don't have Tank Girl reprints scheduled because they're not show about the situation with publishing rights.

Gene Simmons and his son Nick then arrived, roughly 25 minutes into the panel, with about 50 people at the panel by this point, and a few more joining as it continued. Ryall started a slideshow on the Simmons Comics Group projects, starting with Gene Simmons House of Horrors. "Gene understands comics, he knows comics" and wasn't doing it just to put his name on a comic.

"We're very serious about this," said Simmons, proceeding to compare comics to Greek myths in a somewhat rambling speech espousing his love for the medium. "We don't consider this throwaway stuff. It's the biggest art form on the face of the planet," citing the box office success of 300 as a recent example. He further explained that invincible characters aren't appealing to him, and he enjoys ones with flaws.

In discussing anthology title House of Horrors, he pointed out that the first cover is by Todd McFarlane, and sarcastically groused that "in return for that I got to fly to Tucson, Wombatville, somewhere Todd has a store, and do a signing." (the store is actually in Tempe, Arizona, approximately 100 miles north of Tucson).

Simmons' son, Nick, the writer and artist of "Skullduggery, another part of the line, described the concept. "If you verbalize any story like this, it's going to sound bizarre," he said, although he filled in that it's about a race of people "one rung above" humans, and that it's a "horror comedy where they shoot each other in the face more than once per issue."

Simmons discussed the rest of the titles that make up the line (five comics in total), including Zipper by Tom Waltz and Adriano Lozano, which starts in September. Simmons compared the character to the Silver Surfer in being neither good nor bad. Next up was Dominatrix, written by Sean Taylor, art by TBD (as in "to be decided," not some new artist with an unconventional name) and covers by Alex Garner, starting in August 2007. Simmons said it's about a "clandestine, reluctant super-heroine" and, a bit more on the nose, that "it's very CIA meets T&A."

The last book to be discussed was Indy: Race of the Galaxies, an 8-issue series about racing in space, written by Tom Waltz with art by German Torres (no release month announced). It's tied to Indy Racing League, which Simmons is involved in promoting, and targeted towards 12 to 14 year-old-males.

Ryall then spoke about Simmons' "passion for the industry," and being shocked that an iconic rock star had such a precise recall of specific comic storylines and creators.Gene closed out the panel, boasting that the old '70s Kiss comics "sold a million copies a piece" and that "now if an issue sells 10,000, you're lucky." He said he wants comics to gain mainstream popularity and sees his line as a step towards that goal.

Buffy Comic Gets New Print Run

Dark Horse comics, which just released the first issue of a new Buffy the Vampire Slayer "season eight" comic, announced that it will order a second printing. Orders have exceeded the initial printing of more than 100,000 copies of the comic, from Buffy creator Joss Whedon, which picks up the story of the Sunnydale Slayer from the end of the show's seventh and final season on TV.

"Admittedly, our expectations were already gigantic, but this has surpassed even those," Dirk Wood, Dark Horse's director of marketing, said in a statement. "We couldn't be happier about how this has launched and have high hopes for upcoming issues."

The upcoming second printing will feature a full-bleed version of the Jo Chen cover, with some of the design elements removed for a cleaner look, the company said. The new version will arrive in stores with an on-sale date of March 28, a week before the release of issue number two.

Happy Birthday Nancy!!

Happy Birthday Nancy Wilson!

Cameron Crowe, you are one lucky son of a gun.


Happy Birthday Alan Tudyk too. (Wash in Firefly/Serenity)

Take out the frostbite part and this story is hilarious!

MINNEAPOLIS - A North Pole expedition meant to bring attention to global warming was called off after one of the explorers got frostbite. The explorers, Ann Bancroft and Liv Arnesen, on Saturday called off what was intended to be a 530-mile trek across the Arctic Ocean after Arnesen suffered frostbite in three of her toes, and extreme cold temperatures drained the batteries in some of their electronic equipment.

"Ann said losing toes and going forward at all costs was never part of the journey," said Ann Atwood, who helped organize the expedition.

But the latest trek got off to a bad start. The day they set off from Ward Hunt Island, a plane landing near the women hit their gear, punching a hole in Bancroft's sled and damaging one of Arnesen's snowshoes.

They repaired the snowshoe with binding from a ski, but Atwood said the patch job created pressure on Arnesen's left foot, which led to blisters that then turned into frostbite.

Then there was the cold — quite a bit colder, Atwood said, then Bancroft and Arnesen had expected. One night they measured the temperature inside their tent at 58 degrees below zero, and outside temperatures were exceeding 100 below zero at times, Atwood said.

"My first reaction when they called to say there were calling it off was that they just sounded really, really cold," Atwood said.

She and Arnesen were prepared to don body suits and swim through areas where polar ice has melted.

Atwood said there was some irony that a trip to call attention to global warming was scuttled in part by extreme cold temperatures.

"They were experiencing temperatures that weren't expected with global warming," Atwood said.

This makes my head explode!

Iran outraged by Hollywood war epic

TEHRAN (AFP) - War epic "300", a smash hit in the United States for its gory portrayal of the Greco-Persian wars, has drawn the wrath of Iranians for showing their ancestors as bloodthirsty "savages".

The press, officials and bloggers have united in denouncing the film as another example of "psychological warfare" against Tehran by its American arch enemy at a time of mounting tension over its nuclear programme.

"Hollywood declares war on Iranians," said the headline in the reformist daily Ayandeh-No of the film which tells the story of the 300 Spartan soldiers fighting off ancient Persians in the Battle of Thermopylae.

The Movie's Star Trek. Period.

Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci, who are writing the 11th Star Trek movie, revealed a few key points about the top-secret script in an interview with MTV.com. Among the revelations: The movie will be titled, simply, Star Trek; it will take place aboard a starship; and they're OK with Matt Damon playing Capt. James T. Kirk.

Not that the writers confirmed that Damon had been cast, as rumored. "I'm the hugest Matt Damon fan ever," Kurtzman told the site. "If he became [Kirk], great."

Paramount has given a green light to Star Trek, with Lost co-creator J.J. Abrams directing, with an eye to a Christmas 2008 release.

As for the title, Orci said: It's Star Trek. "That's the intended title," he said. "I don't think we want to put any colons or anything on it." The writers wouldn't discuss details of the story, other than to say it is a reimagining of the franchise that will remain true to its history, but aim for the broadest audience possible. Kurtzman promised: "There will be more action in this movie than any Trek that's preceded it."

Orci added: "I don't know how you make Star Trek without a starship. You have to trek through the stars, so you need a ship for that. There, you got something out of us!"

The LEGO Group Selects NetDevil To Create Branded MMOG

BILLUND, DENMARK - March 5, 2007 - The LEGO® Group today announced it has commenced a working relationship with NetDevil® to develop a massively multiplayer online gaming experience to further engage its dedicated and active community.

"As children around the world continue to spend more time online we are developing new and engaging ways for them to interact with our brand," said Lisbeth Valther Pallesen, Executive Vice President, Community, Education and Direct Division LEGO Group. "The LEGO brand represents construction, creativity and problem solving - values that compliment the MMOG market. By merging the online world of social interaction with physical play, the LEGO brand is providing new experiences for children, as well as fans. NetDevil’s technological capability, openness to work with a large community, and their enthusiasm for the LEGO brand made them a natural partner."

"Playing with LEGO bricks and developing online worlds are both creative activities. To bring them together is deeply professionally satisfying and we look forward to working with the LEGO team," said Scott Brown, President of NetDevil.

Happy Birthday!!!

To my niece, Lisa (my brother's daughter).

To my newborn great niece, Hannah (my brother's granddaughter from his son).

And to me.

Pretty cool, three of us in the immediate family born on the same day.

Local Amazing Race winners face toughest contest yet

By MIKE McDANIEL
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle

When The Amazing Race returns for its 11th edition Sunday, look for Houston's Joyce and Uchenna Agu and nine other teams to experience the toughest contest in the series' history.

Already millionaire winners from the show, the Agus are the only couple of the 10 with the chance to double their money in the around-the-world race. All of the other teams were standouts for other reasons, said Bertram van Munster, creator and executive producer of the Emmy-winning series.

That means the Agus will face tougher terrains and competitions with a target on their backs.

"That's an understatement," Uchenna Agu said. "Once we found out we were the only ones (who were previous winners), we knew we would be right at the top among the ones to get rid of, alongside Rob and Amber."

Yes, game-show "professionals" Rob and Amber Mariano, the couple the Agus nipped at the finish line in a 2005 Amazing Race, are back. People love them or hate them, either for who they are and how they play and/or for having appeared not only on Race but also on two seasons of Survivor, including an all-star edition that Amber won.

"The fact that no one was a virgin (to The Amazing Race), that everyone except ourselves has experienced the pain of elimination and we haven't, getting rid of us was pretty high on some lists," Uchenna said.

"This is a very competitive group," van Munster said. "Rob and Amber are fine people. What we have done is made it difficult, particularly for veteran reality stars like Rob and Amber. And hard it was. We're going through more difficult terrain and cities and countries. That makes it physically very exhausting and as a result puts more pressure on your psyche."

Van Munster, who produces the show with his wife, Elise Doganieri, said putting together an all-star show that included only previous winners was considered and quickly discarded.

"We were strictly looking for character," he said. "The winner is not necessarily the most exciting person."

Joyce and Uchenna were the only previous winners chosen because "we really thought they deserved another shot," he said. "The way they handled themselves on the first show was just extraordinary and exemplary on many levels, and we really like them very much."

Van Munster would not divulge specifics about the new series, which begins unfolding at 7 p.m. Sunday on Channel 11. He did say, though, that this year's race will swing through Ecuador and Chile, including a visit to Ushuaia, Argentina, the southernmost city in the world.

"The northern part of Chile is all desert, and the southern is basically like going to Switzerland," he said. "It's very remote and primitive and very hard to get through."

"It was quite a challenge," Agu said. "Let's just say the creators did a good job in putting together a challenging course."

The Agus spoke to the Chronicle taking care not to reveal the outcome or specific details about the race, which has been completed.

Q: Were you surprised you were asked back, especially since you already won?

A: Joyce: I was a little surprised that more winners weren't brought back.

Uchenna: We were really surprised to be the only winning couple brought back. Joyce made such a splash on the first one (she shaved her head to win one of the challenges), so I wasn't really surprised that we were picked for all-stars. We're excited that we get to represent Houston again.

Joyce: I remember after the first edition ended thinking I would never do anything like that again. Then, just like having a baby, you forget about all the pain and think about all the joy and the fun you got out of it.

Uchenna: People always ask us what we did with $1 million. The million helped out with financial things. It saved us from bankruptcy. But it was the experience, the lessons learned on the race, that changed our life.

Q: For the all-star edition, did any of your competitors come out and say they were gunning for you?

A: Uchenna: Some did, depending on their level of frustration.

Joyce: I think we're going to be surprised how many felt that way, because while you're filming you really don't interact with everyone. I'm sure it's going to come to light (as the series, which is still being edited, unfolds).

Q: Did you have a flashback moment when you saw Rob and Amber?

A: Joyce: The flashback moment came stepping into the room and seeing everybody and having the experience of "Oh my God, here we are again." To top it off, Rob and Amber are there, too.

Uchenna: It was just interesting to see all the racers who at one point we had cheered on ourselves (as viewers of the other editions).

Q: Were you guys recognized everywhere you went?

A: Joyce: Everywhere.

Uchenna: That's one of the advantages we felt Rob and Amber had in the first race. It was spread out a little more evenly this time.

Q: You guys maintained an even keel in the previous show. Was duplicating the effort a burden to you this time?

A: Joyce: We couldn't have planned to be righteous or good or any of that. As you see on this show so many times, whoever you are comes to light. You can't really avoid it. We just fell back into who we were. You can't act that.

Uchenna: You have so many things that take you out of your element: food deprivation, lack of sleep, the stress of competition, navigating in unfamiliar territory. By the time you get through all those things, you have no time to powder up and think, "I've got to say the right thing for the cameras." You forget about the cameras very quickly.

Joyce: When you're starving, the real you starts to pour out.

Q: Did you lose a lot of weight

A: Both: Yes.

Joyce: You can't help but lose weight. You have no control over when you're going to eat again.

Uchenna: You have a designated amount of money for each leg, and you're hesitant to spend any of it on snacks.

Joyce: The average viewer thinks you get a break every 12 hours, but that's not true. You get a break at every pit stop. You might not get to a pit stop for four days, and if you only have $20 or $40, you use most of that for cabs or airport fees. It gets to be a guessing game; do you eat now and hope this food and water are OK?

Q: Does the city of Houston recognize you as ambassadors?

A: Joyce: When we won the last time, we really did not do too much. We did a fundraiser for Casa de Esperanza, which helps young children. We wanted to do more (in Houston) but just didn't.

Uchenna: On Sunday, the city of Houston will give us a proclamation.

Joyce: We're starting to do a lot more.

(Since their win, the Uchennas have become motivational speakers, addressing audiences around the country. They have also invested in real estate projects, including one going up in Rockport. They also plan to participate in next month's Guaranty Bank Tour de Houston cycling event, which promotes exercise and fitness.)

Q: So you're doing both the Tour de Houston and the MS 150? (The latter bike ride, from Houston to Austin, takes place in April.)

A: Uchenna: We're not sure what we're doing to contribute to the MS 150.

Joyce: Oh, we're doing it.

Uchenna: OK, you heard it first.

Joyce: We don't know how far we'll go, but we'll do our best.

Cat takes in puppy

Charlie, a Rottweiler mix, whose own mother rejected him, snuggles Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007 with his substitute mother, Satin, at the Meriden Humane Society in Meriden, Conn. The cat had just had her own litter of kittens and took on Charlie in addition.

Turtle eaten by golden retriever lives

BRANDON, Fla. - A palm-sized pet turtle and the golden retriever that gobbled it up survived the misadventure thanks to the quick actions of a 12-year-old girl, a veterinarian said.

The saga of Pepper the red-eared slider turtle and Bella the golden retriever started last week. Shelby Terihay, 12, moved her pet pond turtles indoors to protect them from a cold snap — a plan that worked well until Bella found some of the turtles in a bathtub, The Tampa Tribune reported.

A quick headcount confirmed Bella had swallowed one of the turtles. Shelby insisted on a rescue mission and, on the advice of a vet, her parents made Bella vomit. Out came Pepper, still alive despite a shattered shell and an estimated 10 minutes inside Bella's belly.

"This was definitely a first for me," veterinarian David Thomassy said.

Thomassy patched up Pepper's shell and credited Shelby with saving Bella, too.

"The turtle would definitely have caused an obstruction," Thomassy said. "Without cutting it out directly, it eventually would have killed the dog."

Review in Chronicle gives Ghost Rider 2 1/2 stars (out of 4)

By BOB STRAUSS
Los Angeles Daily News

Ghost Rider has always been a second-tier Marvel Comics title, and there have been advantages as well as disadvantages to that. It's been able to get creepier and more peculiar over the years precisely because it didn't have to maintain an approach more popular titles such as Spider-Man and X-Men needed to nurture.

That said, it never really went all that mythically resonant, either. Satanic filigree and cowboy references aside, this literal hell's angel on wheels always seemed like a, well, ghost repeat of better-established Marvel characters.

So it's no surprise the Ghost Rider movie is just different enough from other superhero fare to be worth a look, but not a particularly stirring genre entry.

It follows fairly standard, troubled hero rules, mixed with some substandard horror-movie clichés. But that's just half the story. The other half involves a full-blown Nicolas Cage oddball performance; he's more Vampire's Kiss than National Treasure here. Whether you like it, hate it or just don't get it, this at least makes Ghost Rider an intriguing, witty/nutso acting experiment from beginning to end.

As a teenage carnival stunt cyclist (played by Matt Long), Johnny Blaze made a deal with the devil to save his father's life. Of course, Mephistopheles being the jerk that he is, this bargain did not work out to Johnny's satisfaction. Frankly, Mephisto isn't very satisfying, either, since he's played by Easy Rider vet Peter Fonda, who never even sits on one of the film's monster motorbikes.

Anyway, years later Johnny, played by Cage, becomes the Evel Knievel of his generation, miraculously surviving the hairiest wipeouts without a scratch. He's quite a loner, and Cage plays him as a suppressed personality who's desperate to stay mellow but still does loony stuff like chug scalding coffee straight out of the pot.

When Roxanne (Eva Mendes), the childhood sweetheart he abandoned when the devilish deal went down, comes back into his life, Johnny's charm emerges in mysterious ways — like stopping traffic on the interstate to ask her to dinner.

This and much more inspires classic Cage goofiness, and those of us who appreciate his behavioral genius will enjoy it thoroughly. Others will find it understandably distracting from the matters at hand, which involve GR carrying out his first infernal assignment. That's to stop Meph's rebellious son Blackheart (Wes Bentley) from taking over the world.

For that business, Johnny morphs into a blazing, superpowered skeleton. Cage is, again, uncompromisingly into the early, agonizing stages of these transformations before the computer entirely takes over. Then it's all well-staged but semi-comprehensible bashing among the Rider, Blackheart and expendable hench demons.

The digital effects looked pretty cool and clever, but I wouldn't argue with a different sensibility that just sees them as cheapish. You're either into tattoo-quality fire and bone or you're not.

Photoshop - Making selections

MAKING SELECTIONS

Welcome to the Academy of Web Design's Unique Courseware Distribution Center.

Replacing a Defective Head

Though not a "beginners' level" tutorial per se, this activity can certainly be performed by someone who is just starting to learn their way around in Photoshop. In working through this activity, you will gain practice with these techniques:

• Making and altering paths with the pen tool and creating a selection from that path.
• Using Transformations to resize and distort objects.
• Using levels to correct lighting and contrast.
• Using layers to make corrections to blend an object into its background.

Janee's Online Photoshop Classes

Congressman Culberson Statement on Agents Ramos and Compean

Congressman Culberson issued the following statement regarding Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean following yesterday’s House Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittee hearing with Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner.

"Richard Skinner admitted yesterday under oath that his top deputies gave Members of Congress false information painting Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean as rogue cops who were not in fear for their lives and who were 'out to shoot Mexicans'.

"In my opinion, this false information was given to Members of Congress to throw us off the scent and cover-up what appears to be an unjust criminal prosecution of two U.S. law enforcement officers whose job was protecting our country’s borders from criminals and terrorists.

"Today I am calling for the resignation of the Inspector General of the Department of Homeland Security and the investigators who lied to us.

"So far it looks to me like Agents Ramos and Compean may not have followed proper procedure following the shooting, which at most should have resulted in their suspension from the force, but not criminal prosecution.

"At a time when Homeland Security has left our borders largely undefended and deployed national guardsman whose ‘standard operating procedure’ is ‘to retreat’ when confronted with armed criminals, the unjust prosecution of Agents Ramos and Compean weakens border security by discouraging all U.S. law enforcement officers from drawing their weapons in self-defense or in the defense of our nation.

"Our highest priority in the War on Terror is to secure our borders. These two agents need to be pardoned and we need to reassure our brave Border Patrol agents and law enforcement officers that we support them and want them to feel free to use their best judgment and whatever force they think is necessary to protect America."

Culberson

Have you felt the effects of global warming this winter?

No? I didn't think so. What a crock of crap?

We've had one of the coldest winters in Houston in the past 4 or 5 years.

And I know there have been records broken across the country since November.

Oh yeah, The sky is falling! The sky is falling!

N.Y. county nearing 100 inches of snow

Toy 3 Due Without Lasseter

Toy Story 3 is coming in 2009, but John Lasseter won't be the director, Variety reported. In an unusually candid presentation, Lasseter and Disney Animation president Ed Catmull provided extensive details on their upcoming slate at Disney's investor conference on Feb. 8, the trade paper reported.

In addition to confirming for the first time that a third Toy Story is in the works, most likely for a 2009 release, Lasseter said Lee Unkrich will helm it. Unkrich co-directed Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo, but has never before been sole helmer on a Pixar film.

Lasseter directed the first two Toy Story movies, but is presumably too busy in his new post as chief creative officer of Disney Animation to work on individual films. Michael Arndt, the Oscar-nominated writer of Little Miss Sunshine, is penning the script.

Lasseter also revealed a behind-the-scenes shift at Walt Disney Feature Animation, which is separate from Pixar but also under the control of Lasseter and Catmull, by announcing that Chris Williams, a veteran Disney story artist, is now directing the 2008 release American Dog. Dog was developed and previously under the control of Lilo & Stitch helmer Chris Sanders, who recently left Disney.

Trek's 'Doomsday' Reborn

A digitally remastered and enhanced version of the original Star Trek series episode "The Doomsday Machine" will debut in syndication on Feb. 10, marking a milestone: It features more than 100 all-new digital visual effects shots, the most of any episode in the original series, CBS Paramount Television announced.

The centerpiece of the new visual effects for "The Doomsday Machine" is a digital rendering of the alien "planet killer," a miles-long robot spaceship that destroys worlds. CBS Digital created the new version of the massive weapon, based closely on the one seen in the original episode, but gave it a battered, more realistic appearance.

Another highlight of the episode is the depiction of the U.S.S. Constellation, a sister ship to the U.S.S. Enterprise, as a shattered hulk nearly destroyed by the doomsday machine. The hull of the damaged Constellation has been torn open, revealing details of a mangled and charred interior.

The episode features guest star William Windom as Commodore Matt Decker, commander of the wrecked Constellation. The classic episode was written by SF writer Norman Spinrad and was honored with a Hugo Award nomination by the 1968 World Science Fiction Convention. The original episode was first aired in October 1967 and was directed by Marc Daniels.