William to train as search-and-rescue pilot

London – Britain’s Prince William plans to become a full-time search-and-rescue pilot in the Royal Air Force, royal officials said Monday.

The prince’s Clarence House office said William would begin an 18-month training program in January.

William, 26, learned to fly earlier this year during a stint with the air force. He also has served for several months with the Royal Navy and is an officer in the British army.

Clarence House said the second in line to the throne would transfer from the army to the air force, where he will hold the rank of flying officer. If he completes his course, he will fly Sea King helicopters with one of the RAF’s six search-and-rescue teams.

“The time I spent with the RAF earlier this year made me realize how much I love flying,” said William, who was criticized for landing an air force helicopter on his girlfriend Kate Middleton’s lawn during his training, and for using another chopper to fly to a bachelor party on the Isle of Wight.

Will Tina Fey encore on ‘SNL’ as Sarah Palin?

New York – Never mind all those questions about who will win the election: The more pressing concern for many viewers is whether Tina Fey will return to play Gov. Sarah Palin on “Saturday Night Live.”

The guest appearance by the show’s former cast member and head writer was by all accounts a virtuoso impersonation and a viral hit. But Fey stars in NBC’s weekly prime-time comedy “30 Rock,” and it’s unclear if she’ll be moonlighting on “SNL” to skewer the Republican vice presidential candidate, to whom she bears a much-remarked-upon resemblance.

Fey – and the will-she-or-won’t-she suspense that preceded her appearance – helped make NBC’s “Saturday Night Live” a ratings smash in its season kickoff (which was hosted by Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps).

Then the 5 1/2-minute segment pairing Fey with cast-member Amy Poehler (as Sen. Hillary Clinton) also has become a global Internet sensation.

For the long term, “SNL” executive producer Lorne Michaels reportedly has an as-yet-undisclosed “Plan B” and “Plan C” for a Palin impersonator, in lieu of Fey.

George Takei marries longtime partner

Los Angeles – George Takei and his longtime partner, Brad Altman, have agreed to live long and prosper together.

Takei, 71, and Altman, 54, were married Sunday in a multicultural ceremony at the Japanese American National Museum that featured a Buddhist priest, Native American wedding bands, a Japanese Koto harp and a bagpipe procession.

The couple, both clad in white dinner jackets with black pants, made a grand entrance to the tune of “One Singular Sensation” from the Broadway musical “A Chorus Line.” They stepped into a circle of yellow roses and lilies, where they shared a traditional Japanese tea ceremony and were wed by a Buddhist priest.

The couple, who have been together for 21 years, wrote their own vows.

Wedding guests included “Star Trek” stars Walter Koenig and Nichelle Nichols, who served as best man and best lady, Hollywood executives, local and national government officials and the couple’s relatives from around the world.

The “Star Trek” star and his manager plan to honeymoon in Argentina and Peru.

Spears due to release album in December

New York – Britney Spears’ second comeback is in full swing: She’s due to release a new album in December, on her 27th birthday.

“Circus” is set for release Dec. 2, a little over a year after she released last November’s “Blackout,” which was perhaps her most critically acclaimed CD, but came during her infamous year of erratic behavior, rehab, custody battles and at least one hospitalization.

But these days, Spears has been in the spotlight for all the right reasons. She won three MTV Video Music Awards for her clip “Piece of Me” and appeared on the Sept. 7 awards show looking fit and stunning, a reversal of her disheveled, widely panned appearance in 2007.

Pink Floyd member Richard Wright dies

London – Richard Wright, a founding member of Pink Floyd, died Monday. He was 65.

The rock group’s spokesman, Doug Wright, who’s unrelated, said Wright died after a battle with cancer at his home in Britain. He said the band member’s family did not want to give more details about his death.

Wright met Pink Floyd members Roger Waters and Nick Mason in college and joined their early band, Sigma 6. Along with the late Syd Barrett, the four formed Pink Floyd in 1965.

In the early days of Pink Floyd, Wright, along with Barrett, was seen as the group’s dominant musical force. The London-born musician and son of a biochemist wrote songs and played the keyboard.

“Rick’s keyboards were an integral part of the Pink Floyd sound,” said Joe Boyd, a prominent record producer who worked with Pink Floyd early in its career.