BREAKING ODDBOB NEWS!

Editor's Note: And by BREAKING, in THIS case we mean braking. As in BRAKE and RUN AWAY!!!

Back atcha next week. (God willin and the crick don't rise).

Forty years ago today, "Star Trek" debuted on NBC, and the SF world hasn't been the same since. Whether you love it or hate it, nobody can deny Trek's impact on our society.

Here are some activities you might try today.

The Top 9 Ways to Celebrate Star Trek's 40th Birthday

9> Somebody get Gary Seven on the line, it's time to par-tay like it's 1969!

8> Decorate your mom's basement with Enterprise blueprints.

7> Resubmit your script for the 19th-century pre-prequel pilot about Chekov's aristocratic ancestors,"Tsar Trek."

Editor's Note: ow ow ow ow ow.....

6> Have Lieutenant Uhura, Yeoman Rand, Counselor Troi, Lieutenant Yar, Seven of Nine and Lieutenant-Commander Dax compete in a mud-wrestling championship. (Whoo hoo !!!!)

5> Put Mom on notice that if the party gets a bit crazy she might have to get food-fight fluffernutter sandwich residue out of your Starfleet uniform tomorrow.

4> Star Trek is 40? Then when the hell were the Eugenic Wars?

3> Have an Orion slave girl jump out of a warp core.

2> Throw caution to the wind and have a Jim Kirk/Janice Rand fantasy reenactment in the bedroom.

and the Number 1 Way to Celebrate Star Trek's 40th Birthday...

1> Proudly display the new restraining order from Jolene Blalock next to the ones from Jeri Ryan, Terry Farrell, Marina Sirtis and Nichelle Nichols.

BREAKING OSCAR NEWS!!!

Editor's Note: Here's a philosophical question....Is it POSSIBLE to have breaking news about something that doesn't happen until February of NEXT year?

Ponder that until the QOTD can get back in the SWING of dweebing (hopefully next week).

DeGeneres to Host Oscars
By Christopher Lisotta

Comedian and syndicated talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres will host ABC's telecast of the 79th Academy Awards. It will be Ms. DeGeneres' first time as Oscar host, as well as her first appearance on an Academy Awards telecast.

"The 79th Annual Academy Awards" will air on Sunday, Feb. 25, 2007.

"I can already tell she is going to set the bar very high for herself, and therefore for all of us involved in putting on the show," the show's executive producer, Laura Ziskin, said in a Friday statement. "Now all we need is a lot of great movies."

DeGeneres has twice hosted the Primetime Emmy Awards telecast, and co-hosted the show in 1994. Her first solo Emmy stint, which took place shortly after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, garnered her critical and industry praise.

"There's two things I've always wanted to do in my life," Ms. DeGeneres said in a statement. "One is to host the Oscars. The second is to get a call from Laura Ziskin. You can imagine that day's diary entry."

Breaking Dweebing

Editor's Note: I am still in my franticthespinghiatuscan'tblogthisweek mode. HOWEVER, I promised I would pop back in if breaking dweebnews warranted, yes? And does the QOTD let down her peeps?

Don't answer that....

Terry Rossio confirms title for third PIRATES film


Editor's Note: YES we've seen this picture a million times already. But really...can you EVER see it TOO many times? (nooooooo)

Screenwriter Terry Rossio has confirmed the title to the upcoming PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN film. The third installment will be titled PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: AT WORLDS END when it hits theaters on May 25, 2007.

The studio was deciding between "At Worlds End" and "Worlds End," and the former prevailed.
Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley, Stellan Skarsgård, Jack Davenport, Kevin R. McNally, Lee Arenberg, Mackenzie Crook, Andy Beckwith, Reggie Lee and Chow Yun-Fat all star in the film.

THE HOBBIT filming in 2007?



According to TheOneRing.net, THE HOBBIT may be in line to begin filming in 2007.

TheOneRing writes, "The BIG news has finally hit. A Ringer Spy who was recently in the New York offices of New Line Cinema has reported that they clearly saw 'The Hobbit' on the film schedule for 2007. Here's what the spy had to say:

"Please leave my email anonymous as I have some very exciting news to report. I was in New Line's NY offices to discuss upcoming projects when I clearly saw something very intriguing on a year planner. 'The Hobbit' was clearly marked on what looked like July 2007. I couldn't exactly take a moment to investigate the calendar with my audience in the room, but it definitely said 'The Hobbit'. Lets hope this is a PJ project!" Editor's Note: So that's a maybe. Not even a DEFINITE maybe. But when nothing else is going on, rumor-mongering is fun, eh?

Editor's Note: I'm not usually a trailer chaser....but WHILE we're here.....
SPIDER-MAN 3, GHOST RIDER, CASINO ROYALE Trailer Dates



According to ComingSoon.net, tentative dates have been released as to when the trailers for SPIDER-MAN 3, GHOST RIDER, CASINO ROYALE:

CASINO ROYALE's trailer will be launched on September 15 with the upcoming film GRIDIRON GANG.

GHOST RIDER's trailer is set to be released on October 13 when THE GRUDGE 2 comes to theaters.

SPIDER-MAN 3's trailer is set to be released in theaters with CASINO ROYALE on November 17.

CBS set to beam up



CBS Paramount Domestic Television is releasing digitally remastered episodes of the iconic 1960s STAR TREK sci-fi series, with all new special effects and music, to celebrate the groundbreaking series' 40th anniversary, it was announced today by John Nogawski, president of CBS Paramount Domestic Television.

The new episodes also mark the first time in 16 years that the original "Star Trek" series can be seen in broadcast syndication. The episodes will begin airing on the more than 200 stations that own the rights to the weekend broadcast syndication window starting Sept. 16 (check local listings for station and dates). All 79 episodes of the original "Star Trek" series will eventually be remastered, with the first batch of episodes chosen from a list of "Star Trek" fans' favorite shows.

The most noticeable change will be redoing many of the special effects, created with 1960s technology, with 21st century computer-generated imagery (CGI). That includes:

- Space ship exteriors -- The space ship Enterprise, as well as other Starships, will be replaced with state of the art CGI-created ships. The new computer-generated Enterprise is based on the exact measurements of the original model, which now rests in the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

- Show opening -- The Enterprise and planets seen in the main title sequence will be redone, giving them depth and dimension for the first time.

- Galaxy shots -- All the graphics of the galaxy, so frequently seen through the window on the Enterprise's bridge, will be redone.

- Exteriors -- The battle scenes, planets and ships from other cultures (notably the Romulan Bird of Prey and Klingon Battle Cruisers) will be updated.

- Background scenes -- Some of the iconic, yet flat, matte paintings used as backdrops for the strange, new worlds explored by the Enterprise crew will get a CGI face-lift, adding atmosphere and lighting.

The refurbished episodes also feature higher quality sound for the famous opening theme. The original score by Emmy Award-winning composer Alexander Courage has been re-recorded in state-of-the-art digital stereo audio with an orchestra and a female singer belting out the famous vocals. A digitally remastered version of William Shatner's classic original recording of the 38-word "Space, the final frontier…" monologue continues to open each episode.

The remastered episodes have been converted from the original film into a High-Definition format, which gives viewers a clearer, crisper, more vibrant picture than before, even when viewed in standard definition. Once stations upgrade and start broadcasting HD signals, the episodes will be all ready for viewers to enjoy in HD. Editor's Note: I have mixed feelings about all this. I'm not a purist about never touching the original. And I remember how GORGEOUS the pilot of "Voyager" looked because the FX were such leaps-and-bounds improved from earlier shows. But there is some charm in the classic Trek cheese factor, isn't there? Does anyone really EXPECT it to look spiffy and high-tech? Is that even in any way the POINT? (On the other hand, it would be kinda cool to see what it looks like all dolled up).

And let's close on a slightly SURREAL note -----

Pope's senior exorcist: Harry Potter downright evil
Pope Benedict XVI's senior exorcist Editor's Note: And here you thought they made this stuff up for the book, huh? claims the Harry Potter books contain innumerable positive references to magic, "the satanic art".

"Behind Harry Potter hides the signature of the king of the darkness, the devil," he told Vatican Radio. And according to the Daily Mail newspaper in London, he added the books attempt to make a false distinction between black and white magic, when in fact, the distinction "does not exist, because magic is always a turn to the devil." Editor's Note: Where's my wand? I really want to smite him. (or would that be construed as EVIL?)

Ooooo...and one more. (I can't RESIST this one) ---
New Wizard of the Month on JKR.com
Hambledon Quince
1936 - present
Author of controversial theory that wizards originate from Mars, Muggles from mushrooms.