Slice of SciFi News Briefs

Fox’s number one drama series “24,” starring Keifer Sutherland will not be returning to the network until January 2009. The reason? The length of the writer’s strike and Keifer’s 3 month stay in the gray-bar hotel. The network has decided that it wants to air a complete, uninterrupted full season of consecutive episodes and waiting until 2009 would best facilitate that.

It’s definite! NBC has renewed its freshman SF spy drama “Chuck” and its hit series “Heroes” for the 2008-’09 season along with its surreal detective series “Life.”

Security systems can now block the first computer viruses attack on cell phones, but the mobile industry sees new risks stemming from upcoming open software platforms such as Google’s Android.

“If Android becomes a fully open platform … and when such a platform becomes more common, risks are greater than with the current platform kings such as Symbian,” said Mikko Hypponen, head of research at security software firm F-Secure.

Sony Corp’s PlayStation 3 will double its installed base this year, posting the strongest growth of any video game console and narrowing the gap with rivals, research firm iSuppli said on Thursday. Worldwide sales of the PS3 are expected to be 10 million units this year, compared with 12.2 million units for Nintendo Co Ltd’s Wii and 7.5 million units for Microsoft Corp’s Xbox 360, iSuppli said.

Beverly Hills-based Conan Properties Int’l, the creator and owner of the underlying rights to the “Conan the Barbarian” films, is suing Lionsgate, Edward R. Pressman Productions, Modern Times Group, and others, seeking a piece of net profits from the films. The lawsuit comes as indie film company Nu Image plans to begin production on a remake of “Conan the Barbarian,” which Lionsgate will distribute next year.

Julianne Moore stars in a supernatural thriller titled “Shelter,” that will begin shooting this spring in the Pittsburgh area. Jonathan Rhys Meyers (”The Tudors”)will co-star.