Nbc To Sink ‘Seaquest’

First casualties of the season for NBC: Steven Spielberg’s “seaQuest 2032” and “The Pursuit of Happiness,” a new sitcom starring Tom Amandes.

The sophomore “seaQuest,” last seen Nov. 15, will return Dec. 6 and run through the month before sinking. No replacement yet for the 8-to-9 p.m. Wednesday slot.

“Pursuit of Happiness” had its last shot Nov. 7. John Larroquette’s sitcom, now at 9 p.m. Saturdays, will replace it at 9:30 p.m. Tuesdays.

Still with us? “Hope & Gloria” (8:30 p.m. Sundays) will take over for Larroquette at 9 p.m. Saturday. “Newsradio” moves to “H&G’s” slot and gives up its 8:30 p.m. Tuesday home to “3rd Rock From the Sun,” a new comedy starring John Lithgow and Jane Curtin. Changes begin next month or early January.

New ‘Trek’ film blasts off

It’s warp speed ahead for the next “Star Trek” film.

Sources confirmed that Patrick Stewart, the star of the syndicated television series “Star Trek: The Next Generation” and Paramount Pictures’ last entry in the sci-fi franchise, “Star Trek Generations,” has closed a deal to appear in another film in the series. Stewart, who has been riding the wave of some of the best reviews of his career for his Broadway performance as Prospero in Shakespeare’s “The Tempest,” will receive some $5 million for the “Trek” role.

Stewart, who plays Captain Jean-Luc Picard, is one of the “Next Generation” regulars to agree to star in the movie. Brent Spiner, who plays Data in the series, is in negotiations to appear in the film.

No details on the story line were available, but sources close to several of the actors involved said the film has tentatively been titled “Star Trek: Resurrection” and is scheduled to start filming in late March or early April, with a Thanksgiving 1996 release date.

New Houston song No. 1

Here we go again. The holiday record-buying season has only just begun, and already we’ve gotten another history-making debut on the pop singles chart and yet another “instant champ” on the top albums list.

The single belongs to Whitney Houston, whose “Exhale” blasted on to both the pop and R&B charts at No. 1 just eight weeks after Mariah Carey went into the record books by doing the same thing with “Fantasy” (now No. 2 pop and No. 6 R&B).

And although Houston also was beaten to the punch by Carey for another big honor - the first female artist ever to score a No. 1 debut on the pop singles list - she does become the first performer (male or female) ever to instantly hit the top of the list with a soundtrack single.

“Exhale” is the theme from Houston’s upcoming movie “Waiting to Exhale” and is the first release from a star-studded soundtrack album that is expected to rival the mega-hyped “Beatles Anthology, Vol. 1” for all those shopping dollars.