George Takei gets marriage license

West Hollywood, Calif. – “Star Trek” star George Takei is ready to “live long and prosper” with his partner of 21 years.

Takei will marry 54-year-old Brad Altman on Sept. 14 in Los Angeles.

The 71-year-old actor, known for his role as Sulu on the “Star Trek” sci-fi TV series, was the first to pay $70 for a marriage license in West Hollywood early Tuesday. The marriage license is good for 90 days.

Takei was jubilant, saying “it’s going to be the only day like this in our lives and it is the only day like this in the history of America.”

He told reporters and a swelling crowd outside the West Hollywood city auditorium “may equality live long and prosper.”

Amy Winehouse still in London hospital

London – A spokesman says soul diva Amy Winehouse is having more tests in a London hospital after fainting at home.

Spokesman Chris Goodman says initial tests were inconclusive and Winehouse was scheduled to have more Tuesday while being kept under observation.

Goodman says the 24-year-old singer “seems to be fine in herself, but they are taking their time to be sure.”

The spokesman said Winehouse collapsed at her north London home Monday after signing autographs for a group of fans. An assistant caught her before she hit the ground.

Court delays action on Spears’ finances

Los Angeles – It will be a bit longer before the court begins to sort out Britney Spears’ finances, but she may be getting a new ZIP code soon.

A Los Angeles court commissioner on Tuesday agreed to allow Spears’ representatives to sell her home, the same paparazzi hotspot from which authorities have twice escorted the singer in protective custody.

The decision required a court’s approval because the 26-year-old’s finances and personal affairs remain under the control of her father.

James Spears became conservator of his daughter’s affairs in February after several highly publicized mishaps. A trial about whether he will maintain that role was also delayed.

Cyrus surprised by Vanity Fair photo

New York – Billy Ray Cyrus says he wasn’t around when Annie Leibovitz photographed his 15-year-old daughter, Miley, wrapped in a sheet with her back exposed, for the June issue of Vanity Fair magazine.

“I wasn’t there at the time,” the 46-year-old country star said in an interview Tuesday on NBC’s “Today” show.

“(Miley’s) publicist was there, and everyone seemed in control,” he said. “I didn’t know they (were) gonna strip her down and wrap her with a blanket.”

“So I was surprised when I saw it, you know, but … stuff happens. That’s life. Things happen and sometimes things get a little out of control and you just gotta deal with life,” he said.

Cyrus, who co-stars with Miley in Disney Channel’s “Hannah Montana,” said Leibovitz was a “good person and a great photographer” but looking back, he would have stayed to chaperone the photo shoot.

Joan Rivers booted from British TV show

London – Joan Rivers’ salty tongue got her booted from a British daytime talk show in the middle of its live broadcast.

Rivers used two expletives while talking about Russell Crowe as a guest host on the live gab-fest “Loose Women.” She was asked to leave during a commercial break.

The 75-year old comedian said in a statement Tuesday she was sorry for the swearing, and assumed that a censor would be able to “bleep” the words out.

Then she cracked wise, saying the incident reminded her of her wedding night – because she was asked to leave in the middle of that, too.

Ludacris busy building his resume

New York – Ludacris is following the footsteps of P. Diddy and Jay-Z with a laundry list of projects, including a Web site, acting gigs and a show on the Planet Green network.

“It’s my responsibility with the power that I have to show different sides of myself, not only my freedom of speech,” the 30-year-old rapper told The Associated Press in a recent interview.

Ludacris, who is based in Atlanta, recently launched WeMix.com, where aspiring musicians can upload material, collaborate with others and receive feedback.

Meanwhile, Ludacris and Tommy Lee will star in Planet Green’s “Battleground Earth,” a series of competitions between the rapper and the rocker to determine who’s the greenest.

“Tommy Lee and myself were two people who didn’t have that much knowledge of being eco-friendly at first,” he said. “I signed on because I wanted to learn (and) teach others.”

Cyd Charisse dies in Los Angeles at 86

Los Angeles – A publicist for Cyd Charisse says the actress-dancer has died in Los Angeles at age 86.

Publicist Gene Schwam says Charisse died early Tuesday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center after suffering an apparent heart attack on Monday.

Charisse was a long-legged Texas beauty who danced with the Ballet Russe as a teenager and starred in MGM musicals with Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. She also appeared in dramatic films, but her fame came from Technicolor musicals of the 1940s and ’50s.