• Patrick Stewart is boldly going where he's been before -- Star Trek. CBS All Access said Saturday that Stewart has been tapped to headline a new Star Trek series, reprising his Star Trek: The Next Generation character, Capt. Jean-Luc Picard. The new series is not a Next Generation reboot but will tell the story of the next chapter of Picard's life. No title or air date was revealed. Stewart headlined his Star Trek series for seven seasons and portrayed Picard in the movies Star Trek Generations (1994), Star Trek: First Contact (1996), Star Trek: Insurrection (1998) and Star Trek: Nemesis (2002). In a statement, Stewart said he thought his time on Star Trek "had run its natural course," so he considers it a delightful surprise to be playing Picard again.
• Best-selling Japanese author Haruki Murakami, hosting a special radio show featuring some of his favorite songs he runs to, said writing novels is about rhythm, as in music and running. Murakami Radio, a pre-recorded show broadcast Sunday night, featured as its themes two crucial elements of his life as a novelist: running and music. During the 55-minute show, Murakami played nine numbers he enjoys running to -- rock and jazz -- selected from thousands of titles stored on several iPods, while sharing stories behind the songs and talking about running and writing. Music serves as an important motif in his stories, and he has also written books on the topic. Murakami started running soon after becoming a novelist, initially to lose weight he had gained from long hours of sitting and writing. He has since become a serious runner, completing more than 30 marathons. Rock music is his usual choice for running to keep a steady pace, he said, recommending "songs that you can sing along to, ideally those that give you courage." Murakami opened the show with Donald Fagen's "Madison Times," originally composed by jazz pianist Ray Bryant. He then played "Heigh-Ho/Whistle While You Work/Yo Ho (A Pirate's Life for Me)" by Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys, one of Murakami's favorite groups and one mentioned in his debut novel. Other songs played: "DB Blues" by King Pleasure, "Sky Pilot" by Eric Burdon and the Animals, "What a Wonderful World" by Joey Ramone, "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" by George Harrison, "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" by Ben Sidran, "Love Train" by Hall & Oates and "Light My Fire" by The Doors. Murakami also took a few questions he selected from more than 2,000 submitted in advance, including some from abroad, though Sunday's program was for domestic listeners only.
A Section on 08/06/2018