Names and faces
■ Star Trek’s Captain Kirk is rocketing into space this month — boldly going where no other sci-fi actors have gone. Jeff Bezos’ space travel company, Blue Origin, announced Monday that William Shatner will blast off from West Texas on Oct. 12. “Yes, it’s true; I’m going to be a ‘rocket man!’” Shatner tweeted, adding: “It’s never too late to experience new things.” At age 90, Shatner will become the oldest person in space. He’ll join three others — two of them paying customers — aboard a Blue Origin capsule. It will be the company’s second launch with a crew. Bezos was on the debut flight in July, along with his brother and the youngest and oldest to fly in space. Shatner, who will be flying as a guest, will break that upper threshold by six years. Bezos, the founder of Amazon, is a huge fan of the sci-fi series and even had a cameo as a high-ranking alien in the 2016 film “Star Trek Beyond.” “I’ve heard about space for a long time now. I’m taking the opportunity to see it for myself. What a miracle,” Shatner said in a statement. Also flying with Shatner: a former NASA engineer who founded a nanosatellite company; the co-founder of a software company specializing in clinical research; and a Blue Origin employee. The up-and-down hop will last 10 minutes and reach no higher than about 66 miles. Shatner would have been the first actor in space if Russia weren’t launching an actress and a film director to the International Space Station today for almost two weeks of moviemaking.
■ Nineteen-year-old pop singer Billie Eilish has broken numerous records in her short career. Now she will become the Glastonbury Festival’s youngest-ever solo headliner when she takes the stage at the 2022 event. Eilish teased the news on Sunday on Instagram, posing herself wearing a Glastonbury hoodie in a photo captioned “2022.” The festival’s organizers confirmed Monday that the American singer will perform on June 24. “This feels like the perfect way for us to return and I cannot wait!” organizer Emily Eavis said. Eilish, who will be 20 years and 6 months old when she headlines the festival in June, made her Glastonbury debut in 2019 after her set was upgraded from a slot on the John Peel stage during the five-day music festival held in Somerset, southwest England. The festival was supposed to celebrate its 50th anniversary last year, but it was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year, it hosted a five-hour livestream event. Eilish has taken the world by storm since she broke onto the scene in 2015 with her debut single “Ocean Eyes.” The young singer has since won Grammys for record of the year, album of the year, song of the year and best new artist as well as writing and performing the theme song for the latest James Bond movie, “No Time to Die.”