Names and faces
■ Actor William Shatner boldly went where no Star Trek captain has gone before when he took the stage for a Grand
Ole Opry radio show to sing from his new album of country songs. Shatner made his Opry debut Friday night in Nashville, Tenn., on the famed country music radio show along with Jeff Cook of the band Alabama. Together they released a country album called Why Not
Me, which features songs like “Beam Me Up,” a nod to both whiskey maker Jim Beam and Shatner’s catchphrase on the popular sci- fi TV show. The 87- year- old actor told The Associated Press that while he’s not a typical singer, he understands the musicality of language. He’s released several albums, including Christmas music and rock, and has plans to record a blues album next.
■ Country star Miranda Lambert celebrated the weekend after Valentine’s Day with the announcement that she secretly got married. A representative for the singer confirmed the marriage after Lambert posted photos on social media Saturday showing her in a white lace gown with her new husband, Brendan Mcloughlin. She wrote that in honor of Valentine’s Day, she wanted to share that she “met the love of my life. And we got hitched!” It’s unclear when they got married. The two- time Grammy winner was previously married to country star Blake Shelton, but she hadn’t spoken publicly about her relationship with Mcloughlin before Saturday. The Texas- born singer, who is also a member of the group Pistol Annies, has had hit songs including “The House That Built Me,” “White Liar,” “Mama’s Broken Heart” and “Gunpowder and Lead.”
■ Don Cheadle delivered some political messages along with jokes as he hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time. The actor sported a T- shirt that said “Protect Trans Kids” as he introduced musical guest Gary Clark Jr. And in closing Saturday’s show, Cheadle wore a jersey with the former Soviet Union’s initials on the front, while the back bore the name “Trump” and the number 45
— as in the 45th U. S. president, Donald Trump. Trump tweeted Sunday that there’s “nothing funny” about Saturday Night Live. Saturday’s show also featured Alec Baldwin reprising his role as Trump. The Republican president called the show “tired” and criticized TV networks for what he called “total Republican hit jobs.” Cheadle earned an Academy Award nomination for 2004’ s Hotel Rwanda. His other films include Crash, Traffic and some of the Avengers movies.