Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, July 25, 1995 TAG: 9507250047
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BY IAN SPELLING
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
His publicist offers this far-from-reassuring scenario: Burton will call within a few days, whenever he has a free moment. No set time, no guarantee. But it beats ``No way.''
When the interviewer and his subject finally hook up and the tape recorder starts rolling, an obviously exhausted Burton explains that he's working a lot of nighttime hours on ``Yesterday's Target,'' a sci-fi action thriller for Showtime.
He adds that he's ``fried'' and plans to go to sleep the moment the conversation concludes.
``I play a psychic in `Yesterday's Target,' the villain,'' Burton explains. ``It's been great for me because I don't get to play too many villains.
``It takes place in the present. The science-fiction aspect is that people from the future come to the present to affect certain events.''
The film also stars Malcolm McDowell and Daniel Baldwin. McDowell, of course, played the villainous Soran in ``Generations'' (1994) and had a fine time squeezing Geordi for information on the Nexus. In ``Target,'' the actor portrays the founder of the government agency that employs Burton's character.
``Malcolm is also a villain in this,'' Burton says. ``It's been great to work with him again because we did a whole torture sequence together in `Generations' that didn't make the theatrical version.
``So we have some unfinished business, and we really take care of it here.''
Showtime will air ``Target'' later this year.
Burton also recently filmed an episode of Leonard Nimoy's upcoming United Paramount Network series, ``Deadly Games.'' The actor, who lives with his wife, Stephanie, and their 1-year-old daughter in Los Angeles, portrays another bad guy, The Boss. The episode will air in September.
``When Leonard's office called I took the offer seriously, even though I usually don't guest on episodic television,'' explains Burton, 38. ``Then I read the script, which was a lot of fun.
``So I went and did the show.''
In addition, CBS is currently airing the final episodes of the acclaimed family series ``Christy,'' the cast of which Burton joined late last year. The network chose not to renew the show for the fall season.
```Christy' is a dead issue, which is a shame,'' Burton says. ``In the current landscape of television, they couldn't find a place for it.''
Fortunately, there is room in that landscape for ``Reading Rainbow,'' the PBS children's program Burton has hosted for 13 years.
``We're shooting new episodes now and we just completed a primetime special about the Los Angeles community of Watts,'' he says. ``I'm very excited about that.
``I'm proud that `Reading Rainbow' has encouraged kids to be enthusiastic about reading,'' he adds.
Turning to ``Trek,'' Burton reports that he was very pleased with ``Ex Post Facto,'' his ``Voyager'' directing stint. He adds that, schedule permitting, he'd ``absolutely love to do more.''
As for ``Generations,'' Burton has mixed feelings
``It was OK,'' he says. ``It was very ambitious in that it tried to be a `Next Gen' movie, a transition movie and a two-captains movie - but that's too much going on at the same time.
``I did think the Enterprise crash was really good and Geordi had some good stuff to do. Hopefully, the next movie will be a true, unadulterated `Next Gen' adventure.''
Burton has heard that the upcoming film will feature the dreaded Borg. He admits that a Borg-themed plot would intrigue him mightily.
``As you well know, Geordi has a great relationship with the Borg,'' Burton says, referring to the sixth-season ``Next Gen'' episode ``I, Borg,'' considered one of the show's finest hours.
``Geordi and Hugh [Jonathan Del Arco] are good friends, so that will hopefully come into play.''
And now it's off to sleep for Burton. May he dream of Borg.
by CNB