People: Time for Cho to boldly go
If John Cho thinks he has a cult following now as Harold in the “Harold & Kumar” movies, he ain’t seen nothing yet.
Cho co-stars as Sulu in the movie version of “Star Trek,” due out next summer from director J.J. Abrams (“Lost”).
He’s shooting his last scenes this week as the Starship Enterprise’s helmsman, just as he’s promoting the upcoming “Harold & Kumar Escape From Guantanamo Bay,” the latest sequel in that series.
The “Star Trek” film is a prequel to the TV series, about an early adventure of Capt. James Kirk, Spock and their shipmates.
The 35-year-old Cho is fully aware of the pressure he and the rest of the cast are under to please the legions of voracious Trekkies.
“Frankly, I’m not used to this kind of heat,” Cho says. “Usually somebody asks, ‘What are you working on next?’ and you tell them the name of the project and they’re like, ‘What is it?’ and you’re like, ‘Uh, two guys go to a hamburger place.’ They’re like, `Yeah, right. Good luck with that.’
“And this is the first time everyone knows what I’m talking about.”
Immune system malfunction
It’s Janet Jackson out, Mariah Carey in as the guest diva for this weekend’s “Saturday Night Live.”
Jackson had been scheduled to perform in support of her latest album, “Discipline,” but her publicist said she dropped out because she has the flu and “needs some time to get better.”
He’ll walk this way
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry has canceled an April 5 solo show in Niagara Falls so he can recover from upcoming knee surgery.
His spokeswoman said Perry, 57, has needed the operation for two years but put it off so he wouldn’t miss any Aerosmith tour dates.
Fighting Fireman’s
A judge has dismissed a lawsuit against Robert De Niro by an insurance company that claimed he misrepresented his health.
Fireman’s Fund, which insured the 20th Century Fox film “Hide and Seek,” claimed DeNiro misled them when he wrote that he had never been diagnosed with prostate cancer.
According to court documents, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer on Oct. 15, 2003, two days after he signed the medical certificate. Fireman’s Fund paid Fox more than $1.8 million to cover production delays.
“We are pleased that the court has found that Fireman’s Fund can’t sue Mr. De Niro for getting cancer,” the actor’s attorney said.
Cardigan and again
A tribute to children’s public television pioneer Fred Rogers will include an effort to get people everywhere to wear a sweater on what would have been his 80th birthday.
March 20 is being promoted as “Sweater Day” to honor Rogers, who died of cancer five years ago. A sweater was his trademark garb on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
The birthday bunch
Musician Neil Sedaka is 69. Actor William H. Macy is 58. Actress Glenne Headly is 53. Actress Dana Delaney is 52. Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard is 46. Actress Tracy Wells (“Mr. Belvedere”) is 37. Actress Annabeth Gish is 37. Rapper Common is 36. Actor Danny Masterson (“That ‘70s Show”) is 32.