Carlin to be honored

George Carlin will be awarded the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts said yesterday that Carlin will be honored for his 50-year career as a Grammy-winning stand-up comedian, writer, and actor. He will be the 11th recipient of the award. It will be presented Nov. 10 at a tribute performance televised by PBS. Kennedy Center chairman Stephen Schwarzman says Carlin makes people laugh but also makes them think. Carlin has released 22 solo albums and three best-selling books. Past recipients of the prize include Billy Crystal, Whoopi Goldberg, Steve Martin, and Neil Simon. (AP)

"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 yesterday. The marriage license is good for 90 days. He told reporters and a swelling crowd outside the West Hollywood city auditorium "may equality live long and prosper." (AP)

Christopher Edward Tanner, 47, of Anaheim, Calif., has filed a petition asking a Nashville court to order DNA testing he believes will prove the late singer Eddy Arnold was his father. Tanner said that he submitted the request for paternity testing on Arnold's remains. "I really don't want to have to exhume the body, but we've got no choice now," Tanner said. Arnold died last month at 89. His vocals on songs such as the 1965 "Make the World Go Away," a Top 10 pop hit, made him one of the most successful country singers in history. (AP)

"I've never been so happy. Nothing worries me in life anymore."-- Good Charlotte's Benji Madden, talking about his relationship with Paris Hilton