SANTA MONICA, Calif., Dec. 29, 1999 -- Filmmaker Irving Rapper, one of the last survivors of Hollywood's golden era and the director of the 1942 Bette Davis Oscar-winning classic "Now, Voyager," died Dec. 20 at the Motion Picture and Television Fund home in Woodland Hills, Calif. He was 101.Best known for his professional alliance with Davis, Rapper first made his mark with the diva in the melodrama "Now, Voyager." Their collaboration continued throughout the 1940s and 1950s in three other films: "The Corn Is Green," "Deception" and "Another Man's Poison."Rapper began his career as a dialogue coach and assistant director for Warner Bros. in 1936. He quickly moved up the ranks, landing gigs with director Michael Curtiz ("Casablanca"), among others. He made his directorial debut in 1941 with the romance drama "Shining Victory," a film that, Hollywood lore says, featured Bet
SANTA MONICA, Calif., March 21, 2000 -- "Star Trek" shows are like salmon. There comes an hour when they know it's time to swim upstream. "Star Trek: Voyager" And so it has come to pass that "Star Trek: Voyager," the fourth spin-off of the "Trek" franchise, will swim upstream after next season, the UPN announced Monday. Like forerunners "The Next Generation" and "Deep Space Nine," "Voyager" will end its voyage after seven seasons. (The original "Trek" was a short-timer, expiring on NBC after only three seasons. So, too, went the critically acclaimed 1973-74 animated series.) UPN exec Tom Noonan is pledging "Voyager" will go out with "a surprising conclusion" and a "smashing finale," surely disappointing fans who were counting on "a really bad episode -- like that thing 'Seinfeld' did." In preparation for the farewell, a special two-hour episode will air in November.