Meanwhile, in Hollywoodland

A hissy-fit between New Line Studios and Peter Jackson reportedly means that Jackson will not, no way, no how, direct the film adaptation of The Hobbit. Maybe we'll see the Jerry Bruckheimer version after all.

Meanwhile, William Shatner spills SFnal beans about the upcoming Star Trek XI.

The man best known as the Capt. James T. Kirk says the rumors on the Web have been right all along: J.J. Abrams is working on a story for "Star Trek XI" that will bring Kirk and Spock back to the franchise with much younger actors. And if Shatner has his way, he'll have some part in the whole thing.

"I met with J.J., and they told me they would like me to be a part of their film, but they have to write the role," Shatner recently told SciFi Wire. "We know the story is based on young Kirk. They need to figure out how to put the dead catpain in with the young captain. It's a very complex, technical problem of how to write the character in, and I'm not sure how they will solve it."

Seems to me the most logical solution would be to cast Shatner as the father of the young Kirk, but it sounds like Mr. Shatner's aiming for a bigger role than that. Perhaps "leaking" it to the press is his way of applying pressure to the scriptwriters, as well as trying to attract media attention to himself?