Last year, globalgrrl called the perfection that is casting Zoë Saldana as Uhura in the new Star Trek movie.

This year, Saldana spoke with blackfilm.com about the role, as well as her indie film, Blackout, which is released on DVD today. I'd heard a little bit about that project, and the IMDb.com synopsis promises as much drama and tragedy as the day the lights went out in Brooklyn back in 2003: “It examines the nature of man to take advantage of his own fellow man outside of normal conditions, in times of weakness and vulnerability.” You can catch clips from the film here, but here's a taste.

I'm only a casual fan of the Star Trek beast, but I found it interesting to hear from Saldana about stepping into a role practically trademarked by another actor, and her career to come. … continue reading

Theoretically, the Spike TV Scream Awards should totally not be my thing. First, it’s on Spike TV, the channel with the subtle tagline “Get More Action” and programming aimed at the young adult male market. You know, the polar opposite of Lifetime Television for Women. Second, it’s an award show dedicated to horror, sci-fi and fantasy. While I enjoy a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, I’ve never been a big horror fan. I can’t help it; I scare easily. And finally, I can’t take any event seriously that asks Paris Hilton to appear. But then I heard Lena Headey would also be there, and suddenly all that other stuff didn’t seem to matter that much.

Oh, Lena. Even your crazy choice of potato-sack couture could not deter my devotion. Now I’m going to have to tape the telecast and fast-forward to your parts. Or, better yet, wait until some similarly stalkerish devoted fan posts the clips online.

The Scream Awards were held last Friday in Los Angeles, and the broadcast airs at 10:00 tonight on Spike. And for those of you with a somewhat less obsessive view of lovely Lena, there are some other reasons to watch. Like, say, Rosario Dawson’s tongue: … continue reading

Heroes is back tonight, and my inner fangirl rejoices!

In addition to Lyndsy Fonseca as April, the would-be (but won't be) lesbian cheerleader, there are four fetching new females to watch out for this season: [Spoiler alert! You've been warned.]

Variety revealed that Kristen Bell will be playing a character named Elle, a "sexy, mysterious young lady who has ties to the supposed death of Peter, H.R.G.'s past and the future of Claire."

Her 13-episode arc begins in October. Reportedly, Tim Kring, the show's creator, described her as "'a little unstable' and 'a cautionary tale of what our Heroes could become.'" Oh, Kristen, my TV has missed you — insert joke about Elle's power having something to do with zingy one-liners here. … continue reading

As the search for a new Uhura gets underway, the original has signed on to a new gig.

Nichelle Nichols has been enlisted to join the ever expanding cast of Heroes for the upcoming season. Soon the cast of the show's sophomore season will be large enough to staff the whole of Starfleet Command, which is good considering they keep stealing crew members from the starship Enterprise. You Heroes aficionados will remember that George Takei of Sulu fame made an appearance last season as Hiro's father. Clearly the folks in charge of Heroes have managed to locate a functioning transporter, however, as they have managed to beam Sylar onto the newest version of the infamous starship. … continue reading

Until quite recently, I didn't give a toss about the upcoming J.J. Abrams reboot of Star Trek — not for any lack of geekiness, but because ever since Generations let me down, I've relied on my sister to stay remotely in the loop. Then along came a casting sheet, courtesy of Ain't It Cool News:

"[UHURA] 25ish -African American. Brilliant, beautiful, heroic and FUN!, Uhura is almost tom-boyish - as if she grew up in a houseful of brothers."

Brilliant, beautiful and "tom-boyish"? That certainly got my attention (and not just because of the bizarre punctuation and sentence structure). Sure, the call sounds a bit corny and oversimplified, and the first Lieutenant Uhura isn't much of a tomboy, but she is by far my favorite character in the original series. As the Sci Fi channel says, "She's the intergalactic switchboard operator we'd all like to be put through to."

Whoever plays the young Uhura has some big shoes to fill. Nichelle Nichols' groundbreaking role inspired legions of fans, from future NASA astronaut Mae Jemison (who grew up to be the first African-American woman in space) to Whoopi Goldberg (who grew up to host The View).

Uhura's part may have been small, but she was smart and gorgeous — and could kick serious, sexy ass when required. Watch her show parallel-universe Sulu who's in command: … continue reading