For people in underclass houses, he threw a stone
An online casino has a piece of Capt. Kirk. William Shatner has sold his kidney stone to GoldenPalace.com for $25,000, with the money going to Habitat for Humanity, which builds houses for the needy.
“This takes organ donors to a new height, to a new low, maybe. How much is a piece of me worth?” said Shatner, 74.
GoldenPalace.com is noted for its collection of oddities, which includes a partially eaten cheese sandwich thought to contain the image of the Virgin Mary.
“This is a bold new addition to our fleet,” Chief Executive Officer Richard Rowe said in a statement.
The proceeds will provide enough money to build half of a Habitat house, he said.
Shatner, who played Kirk on the original “Star Trek” TV show and won Emmy Awards for his roles on “Boston Legal” and “The Practice,” passed the stone last fall.
It was so big, he said, “you’d want to wear it on your finger. … If you subjected it to extreme heat, it might turn out to be a diamond.”
Time to turn over a new leaf, Leif
Seventies teen idol Leif Garrett was arrested at a Los Angeles subway platform over the weekend after sheriff’s deputies found suspected narcotics during a search.
He pleaded guilty in March to attempted possession of cocaine-based narcotics and was placed on probation.
Garrett has appeared in three dozen films, mostly in the 1970s and 1980s, and released 10 music albums.
A little r-e-s-p-e-c-t
Aretha Franklin will join New Orleans music stars Aaron Neville and Dr. John in performing the national anthem at next month’s Super Bowl in Detroit.
The NFL’s selection of the Rolling Stones for the halftime show prompted demands that the Detroit area’s musical legacy be recognized.
That led to the booking of Motown star Stevie Wonder for the pre-game show and now Franklin. She was 2 when her family moved from Memphis to Detroit in 1944.
How’s that hospital grub, Chef?
Soul legend Isaac Hayes was being treated at a Memphis hospital for exhaustion, his longtime songwriting partner said.
“He was just overworked,” David Porter said, adding: “He’s doing much better.”
Hayes, 63, is best known for his 1971 No. 1 hit “Theme From Shaft,” from the Richard Roundtree film. More recently, he has voiced the character of Chef on television’s “South Park.”
But the goats are worried about their kids
The giraffes and other exotic animals Michael Jackson has kept at his Neverland Ranch are not being mistreated, federal officials have concluded.
The Department of Agriculture sent an inspector to the 2,600-acre ranch in Central California last month in response to a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. That was based on European tabloid reports that animals were being kept in substandard conditions.
Along with giraffes, Jackson’s ranch has been home to elephants, snakes, orangutans, tigers and a crocodile.
The birthday bunch
Actress Jean Stapleton is 83. Actor Fritz Weaver is 80. Actress Tippi Hedren is 76. Director Richard Lester is 74. Singer Phil Everly (the Everly Brothers) is 67. Actor-singer Michael Crawford (“Phantom of the Opera”) is 64. Actress Shelley Fabares is 62. Country singer Dolly Parton is 60. Actor Desi Arnaz Jr. is 53. Comedian Paul Rodriguez is 51. Actress Katey Sagal (“Married…With Children”) is 49. Actor Shawn Wayans is 35. Actress Drea de Matteo is 34. Actress Jodie Sweetin (“Full House”) is 24.