Yes, it’s that time of the year again, when the flowers bloom, the days last longer, and cold and warm air masses collide over the lower midwest, converging on theLogBook.com’s western Arkansas office with a relentless meteorological fury – and all of this with alarming regularity. It’s tornado season in the southern plains states! Yippee. As your webmaster works in the marvelous medium of TeeVee, he’s subject to being called in to work during bad weather, and there’s always the slight chance (hey, it’s happened before) that home base might just be damaged too. The point being: we try to prepare our content well in advance for each week’s update, but during the spring and summer storm season, it’s just possible that circumstances beyond my control will hold up an update for a day or two. Just keep an eye on the site if it’s a bit late. Thanks for your patience, and for visiting theLogBook.com.

Earl Green
theLogBook.com webmaster / editor-in-chief

Hasbro’s 25th anniversary tribute to the original Star Wars continues with a new two-figure multi-pack depicting the most effective two-man army (or is that one-man-one-Wookiee?) the Empire’s ever come up against. We’re talking about Han Solo and Chewbacca bluffing the living hell out of some stormtroopers, and there’s never been an action figure that looked more like Harrison Ford than this one. The figures come with (but are not fixed to) a “Death Star” diorama base. The Star Wars 25th Anniversary Han Solo / Chewbacca figures are now available from theLogBook.com Store.

Now that Sony has shrugged off a promising but ultimately half-assed attempt to remaster and reissue the ELO back catalog, they’re moving on to the immortal works of that classic radio comedy troupe, The Firesign Theatre. The late 60s/early 70s counterculture answer to the radio comedy of yesteryear, the four clowns broke down the traditional barriers of the medium with their unique brand of startlingly literate humor that still managed to offer pop culture in-jokes like nobody else until Mystery Science Theater 3000 (and in fact, the members of Firesign Theatre are among MST3K cast member Kevin “Tom Servo” Murphy’s idols). Better pick up these reissues from theLogBook.com Store while you can, before Sony botches this remaster/rerelease program too.

About a year ago, it was rumored that BBC Video in America would begin releasing Doctor Who episodes on DVD that had only been released on VHS in Britain, but at the time the rumor turned out to be false. But it looks like that rumor will become fact this November with the release of a U.S.-only “Key To Time” box set containing every episode of the show’s 16th season (1978), which saw the first appearances of Romana, the White and Black Guardians, and the late Douglas Adams’ first contributions to the series. It’s also the first season of Doctor Who to feature a running story arc connecting all six of that year’s adventures. Additionally, work has begun on the fifth U.K. DVD title this year, Resurrection Of The Daleks, featuring audio commentary from Peter Davison, Janet “Tegan” Fielding and director Matthew Robinson. No doubt, the U.K. will eventually see the Key To Time titles on DVD, possibly in 2003 or 2004, just as Resurrection Of The Daleks will make its way to the U.S. release schedule. As soon as we have pre-ordering info for either of these titles, you’ll be able to get them in theLogBook.com Store.
Source: Outpost Gallifrey

It’s here – the long-awaited arrival of the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation on DVD! Several theLogBook.com readers have already pre-ordered theirs (and we thank you – every order of this or any other item helps keep the site online!), and now pre-orders are being taken for the April 11th release of the season 1 box set in France. Place your order through the links below if you haven’t already (and keep in mind, we’re also taking advance orders for season 2, arriving in early May). For our U.S., Canadian and German readers, pre-orders are now being taken for seasons three through seven as well. Reserve your copies now in theLogBook.com Store.

Asimov died of AIDS? When famed science fiction author and scholar Isaac Asimov died in 1992, the cause of death as far as the public knew was heart and kidney failure, but a new memoir – based on Asimov’s own writings and essays by his wife – reveals, ten years afer his death, that he died of AIDS. In It’s Been A Good Life, Asimov’s widow reveals that he had suffered from the effects of AIDS since contracting the disease during a blood transfusion when he underwent bypass surgery in 1983, a time when screening for HIV-positive blood was virtually unheard of.
Source: Entertainment Weekly

Thompson leaves the anchor desk. Former Babylon 5 star Andrea Thompson has resigned from CNN Headline News. After starring in such shows as B5 and NYPD Blue, Thompson went to work as a reporter for a station in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and was later hired by CNN Headline News, a move which caused some controversy among journalists who felt an actress was encroaching on their territory. Sources say that Thompson left Headline News to get away from lengthy shifts which kept her away from raising her son.
Source: San Francisco Chronicle

Shatner no longer out of line. The elder statesman of the Star Trek captains is headed back to the tube – commercially speaking. William Shatner will once again be starring in Priceline’s TV and radio ads soon, but don’t expect him to be covering old songs this time around. No start date has been nailed down for Priceline’s new campaign. In the meantime, Shatner stars as an acting coach named William Shatner in the new Eddie Murphy/Robert De Niro comedy, Showtime.
Source: Priceline.com