Superman's nemesis, villain Lex Luthor, played by Michael Rosenbaum; the Daily Planet's ace reporter, Lois Lane actress Noel Neill; and the young Clark Kent from the new Superman Returns motion picture, Stephan Bender, will help Metropolis celebrate the 28th annual Superman Celebration, which honors Metropolis' favorite caped comic book hero - Superman.

This year's celebration, which starts Thursday evening, will feature a variety of events and activities as well as musical entertainment, carnival rides and plenty of food to keep the whole family entertained.

Rosenbaum, who has portrayed Luthor on the hit WB series Smallville since 2001, will make his first visit to Metropolis.

Smallville is based on the original Superman concept and depicts the beginning of the relationships between Clark Kent, Lana Lang and Lex Luthor.

Joining Rosenbaum will be one of Metropolis' favorite celebrities, Noel Neill, the very first actress to portray Clark Kent's co-worker, Lois Lane.

The "First Lady of Metropolis," Neill played the nosy news reporter in the Columbia serials with Kirk Alyn and later in the television series with George Reeves.

She also had a cameo in the new Superman Returns motion picture. Neill has made several trips to Metropolis and will return this year to meet with the many Superman fans.

Teen actor Stephan Bender, a newcomer to Hollywood, was given the opportunity of a lifetime when he auditioned for the role of young Clark Kent in the movie, Superman Returns, which will be released June 30, 2006….

Michael reflects - He said his favorite episodes in the series were back-to-backs called "Shattered" and "asylum" because he got to be 'a little crazy.'

Another favorite is "Lexmas" - an alternative look at what might have been.

"That was interesting because I get to smile," he said, noting any Lex-smiles on Smallville end up deleted.

"Right now I play one of the most dramatic characters on TV and tha's funny to me," he said referring to a large body of his work that is comedic.