Santa Monica, CA -- Laurence Fishburne is going from "The Matrix" to the spelling bee. Fishburne will soon star in "Akeelah And The Bee," a drama about an 11-year-old girl who competes in the National Spelling Bee. Fishburne isn't playing the girl -- he's playing a character named "Dr. Joshua Larabee." The movie starts production early next year.

LOS ANGELES -- Candice Bergen is coming back to TV as part of the "Boston Legal" cast. Bergen will join series stars James Spader and William Shatner as lawyer Shirley Schmidt, who comes out of retirement to bring order to a chaotic law office.

LOS ANGELES -- Iron Man is joining Spider-Man and the Hulk as the latest Marvel Comics character to inspire a movie. Nick Cassavetes -- who directed "The Notebook" -- has signed on to make a movie about Iron Man, a hero forced to wear an iron outfit to stay alive. No word on which actor will play the title role or if the Black Sabbath song of the same name will be used as a theme.

LOS ANGELES -- Martha Stewart has big plans as soon as she gets out of the big house. According to the "Hollywood Reporter," sources say Stewart is close to inking a deal with NBC for a primetime reality series. Although details of the proposed show are vague, sources say it would have an elimination-style competition element to it similar to that of "Survivor" and "The Apprentice."

Solve puzzles and create your dream aquarium! Search through a dazzling trip down memory lane.

More Weird News From 2004-12-01 The day's offbeat stories from around the world. • Around The Weird: Bizarre News Briefs • Flash Lites: Rip 'N' Read Pop Culture Recap • Correction • In-Person Interview Opportunities • Phoner Interview Opportunities • 'Blog' Top Word Of 2004 • The Incredible, Edible Christmas Card • Generation X'ers Suck At Giving Gifts • Mutts Now The Popular Pooch • Slow Cookers Inspire 'Crock Pot Poetry' • Did JFK Destroy The Hat Industry? • New Gaming System Gets Couch-Chained Gamers To Break A Sweat • Actor's Dad Directs Him From Beyond The Grave   « Current Weird News Stories