Beam him up, one more time
It looks like some of James Doohan‘s ashes are finally headed into outer space after all.
A portion of the cremated remains of Doohan, who played chief engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott on the “Star Trek” TV series, have been loaded into a rocket that is set to launch in New Mexico later this month.
Remains of Mercury astronaut Gordon Cooper and some 200 others also were placed in the rocket Friday by Charles Chafer, chief executive of Celestis, a Texas company that contracts with rocket firms to send cremated remains into space.
Families paid $495 to have a few grams of their loved one’s ashes put onboard.
The launch, scheduled for April 28, was delayed at least twice last year.
It will be an “Earth-return mission,” meaning the remains will be lifted to a suborbital altitude, then parachute back to the ground.
Another flight that will put more of Doohan’s ashes into a semi-permanent orbit is scheduled for later this year.
Doohan, who lived in Redmond, Wash., died in July 2005 at age 85. Most of his ashes were scattered over Puget Sound.
The remains of “Star Trek” creator Gene Roddenberry were blasted into space in 1997.
Sort of a Knight light
A flame-throwing, river-jumping, talking muscle car from the ‘80s TV show “Knight Rider” is up for sale.
The modified black 1982 Pontiac Trans Am – officially dubbed Knight Industries Two Thousand (KITT) – is offered at $149,995 at a Dublin, Calif., auto dealership.
It is one of four documented “camera cars” used for close-up shots and scenes involving David Hasselhoff, who played Michael Knight.
Although the car can’t actually achieve speeds of 300 mph or soar 50 feet in the air – or talk, for that matter – the red scanner light on the nose glows and makes a humming noise.
Still left-wing
Martin Sheen was among a group of peace activists cited during an anti-nuclear protest Sunday at the Nevada Test Site.
Sheen, who played President Josiah Bartlet on “The West Wing,” has received similar citations at the test site in the past.
I do’s and don’ts
On the celebrity matrimony front:
“Usher is engaged to his longtime girlfriend, stylist Tameka Foster. The five-time Grammy winner says they could be walking down the aisle before the end of the year.
“Marie Osmond is divorcing her second husband, with whom she has nine children (five adopted). Osmond is a member of the Mormon Church, which discourages divorce.
“After reaching a divorce settlement with Kevin Federline last week, Britney Spears was spotted clubbing for the first time since leaving rehab, sporting “a sparkling red cap, a blue dress and a big grin.” The couple will likely have joint custody of their two young sons.
Slip of the tongue
This just in from the Associated Press: An AP item we reprinted last week reported that rapper Eminem and ex-wife Kim Mathers had agreed in court to not criticize each other in public. It turns out that only applies to discussions in front of their daughter, Hailie.
Hey, Judith?
Sean Lennon, the musician son of Yoko Ono and former Beatle John Lennon, is accustomed to people recognizing him. But one incident really caught him off-guard.
“When I was 15, a cab driver asked me if I was Paul McCartney‘s daughter,” Lennon says. “That really blew my mind.”
The birthday bunch
Actress-singer Doris Day is 83. Actress Marsha Mason is 65. Singer Wayne Newton is 65. Singer Tony Orlando is 63. Actor Alec Baldwin is 49. Actor David Hyde Pierce (“Frasier”) is 48. Comedian-actor Eddie Murphy is 46. Singer Sebastian Bach (Skid Row) is 39. Actress Jennie Garth (“Beverly Hills, 90210”) is 35. Actress Cobie Smulders (“How I Met Your Mother”) is 25. Actress Amanda Bynes is 21.