Starting in July, Netflix will begin carrying every series of the venerable sci-fi series Star Trek. Yes, you read that right: Every episode, from every series. The deal between CBS and Netflix is a landmark for the franchise, with Star Trek (The original series), Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Voyager, and Star Trek: Enterprise available for streaming starting on July 1st. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine will begin streaming on October 1st.

The two-year deal, with an option for two more years, will be the first time that many of the series are available digitally, and commercial free. For fans of the series, it can’t come quickly enough as Netflix has been bereft of all the original Star Trek films for some time.

But careful observers will note that this isn’t actually every series; Star Trek: the Animated Series is nowhere to be seen. You’ll have to go elsewhere to see that.

(Trekmovie via TekGoblin)

Though a video of CBS News reporter Serene Branson uttering gibberish at the Grammys instantly went viral earlier this week, amusement in some quarters quickly turned to widespread concern when viewers with medical backgrounds or family experience pointed out that Branson’s aphasic speech patterns seemed like they could have been the result of a stroke. CBS was further criticized when it was revealed that after paramedics checked her out, Branson simply went home rather than immediately getting a more comprehensive neurological scan.

Fortunately, it appears that Branson’s speech patterns can be explained by something called a migraine aura, which is far less dangerous than a stroke.

Star Trek Online has announced a very intriguing contest: starting on December 9th, they’re going to start taking design submissions on the next version of the Enterprise. One lucky winner will have their idea made into an actual in-game ship. What’s most intriguing is the implication that this will make their design canonical.

Cryptic‘s announcement states that they are working with CBS to offer the contest, which begs the question: is the new design going to be used in a future Star Trek movie?

The Valencia Club in Auburn, California was closed down for over a year. And technically, it still is, but that didn’t stop a Placer County native, 29-year-old Travis Kevie, from breaking in and operating the bar for four days. He served drinks as well as any respectable bartender, getting about 30 customers for each of the four days he managed to pull this off. But all the money he made just went toward more alcohol to keep the bar running.

And he might’ve gotten away with it too, if it weren’t for this article in the Auburn Journal. Because when Detective Jim Hudson read the feature, he both recognized Kevie and remembered that the Valencia Club no longer had a liquor license. Oops. But seriously, the fact that the guy was willing to submit to an interview that would undoubtedly get him caught just proves how wonderfully crazy and crazily wonderful a dude he is.

Unfortunately, he’s in jail now for burglary and selling liquor without a licence.

Read on...

Yesterday, when the doodle on Google‘s homepage depicted the Hubble Space Telescope, you may have just glanced at it with hardly a further thought; oh, if only you knew. On today’s CBS Sunday Morning, ever-charming and perpetually bow-tied host Charles Osgood explored the hidden world of so-called “Google doodles” and the doodlers behind them; while the four core artists involved seem to have a lot of fun at their jobs, it’s pretty clear that it’s serious business as well.

Video after the jump, along with a slideshow of a few of our favorite Google doodles:

Steven Wright is the kind of cult comedian whose cult is particularly strong among the geeky crowd: Like Norm Macdonald or Mitch Hedberg (RIP), Wright’s routine is all about logic, structure, and (extremely deadpan) delivery rather than gross-out jokes or ‘attitude.’

He was in fine form on last night’s Late Late Show with his friend Craig Ferguson, in whom he seemed to bring out the best: They riffed on Ferguson’s robot-winning Twitter obsession (Wright: “Do you have to know everyone that you’re twittering with?” Ferguson: “No. It’s like sex in the 1970s.”), llamas (Wright: “I used to know two llamas in the early ’70s. They’re very arrogant. They think they’re cool because they don’t talk”), and internet favorite David Caruso.

It’s telling that when Wright simply said of Caruso, “he’s a good actor,” he got a big round of shocked laughter. They should send Wright to (puts sunglasses on) the funny farm.

Video after the jump:

You may not be aware, but there is a Twitter feed known as Shit My Dad Says, created and curated by Justin Halpern, a 29 year old man who moved back in with his parents last year and has since recorded the wonderfully blunt musings of his father for Internet posterity.

Well, CBS has okayed the making of a pilot to a proposed sitcom based on Shit My Dad Says, to be produced by the creators of Will & Grace. Yes, someone is making a family sitcom out of a genuinely funny but frequently profane Twitter feed. Got that?

William Shatner has been cast in the role of the titular Dad, and now we’re really not sure how to feel about it.

Read on...

Chalk one more up for James Cameron. After the wave of stories yesterday about how Avatar was almost #1, Avatar has cracked the threshold and is now the highest-grossing film of all time. With $1.8437 billion as of Sunday, Avatar topped Titanic‘s worldwide gross of $1.8432, though it’s still short of Titanic‘s box office in the U.S.