Unexpected Sub Plot

Has “seaQuest DSV” taken a dive?

Not according to NBC.

But in something reminiscent of the kind of passion Trekkies once showed after “Star Trek” was canceled, some disgruntled fans of the NBC television series have taken to cyberspace to vent their anger and pressure the network and producer Amblin Entertainment into changing the show’s direction.

The group’s basic complaint is that the futuristic submarine adventure, which stars Roy Scheider, has been too heavy on the sex lately and too light on the sci-fi.

They’re even dubbing it “BayQuest 90210,” “Das Bomb” and “Voyage to the Bottom of the Barrel.”

Defending the program, show publicist Curt King says “seaQuest” has never been more popular. He says that is especially true among the key demographic groups favored by advertisers, such as viewers between 18 and 49 years old.

That said, King adds that “We’re always interested in what viewers have to say.”

The lobbying group is led by Marin County homemaker Mary Feller, who says her first network lobbying effort came as a 13-year-old, when she wrote an angry letter to NBC to complain after the network canceled “Star Trek” in the late 1960s.

The “seaQuest” group has set up a World Wide Web Page titled “Dive” (ironically, the name of a restaurant co-owned by Amblin’s Steven Spielberg).

In a bit of hyperbole, the group describes its efforts as “on-line Davids taking on two Goliaths” in NBC Entertainment chief Warren Littlefield and Spielberg.

To date, Feller says, the group has about 700 signatures.

Odds Fellows

No two oddsmakers think alike.

With the announcement of the Oscar nominees last week, the Las Vegas odds-making business went into high gear (even though it’s all in fun, because betting on the Academy Awards is illegal in Nevada).

Oddsmaker Lenny Del Genio at Bally’s Las Vegas favors “Forrest Gump” at even money, although, in a surprise, he also picks “The Shawshank Redemption” at even money in a possible upset.

At the Las Vegas Hilton, Art Manteris lists “Forrest Gump” as the favorite at 2 to 1 and “Shawshank Redemption” as an outsider at 6 to 1.

Both list Jessica Lange as a favorite for

“Blue Sky,” but disagree on Paul Newman’s chances for “Nobody’s Fool.” Manteris puts the odds at a favorable 3 to 1, while Del Genio lists him as a long shot at 10 to 1.

Trashy Contest

The makers of Ruffles garbage bags are looking for a few good garbage men or women.

The company says it is sponsoring a nationwide contest to find the best sanitation workers in the country, with the collection of a $10,000 top prize awaiting the winner. The person nominating the winner gets garbage bags for life.

In announcing the contest, the company listed “fun facts” about garbage, including one saying a Los Angeles resident on average throws out 776 pounds of trash each year.