Three Obits...What's Behind the Curtain in Cupertino?

Over the past few days, we have lost three entertainers, all who starred in hit TV series, movies, and stage and radio.

Darren McGavin play many roles- some alongside Frank Sinatra; Rita Hayworth among others. But trhe two that he will be forever remembered for are as a Chicago newspaper reporter who chased vampires in Kolchack: The Night Stalker (from 1972-74 on ABC); and as a bumbling dad in 1983's A Christmas Story. He died Friday night atht the age of 83 of natural causes.


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Dennis Weaver played the lawman in two well-known series. First, along James Arness' Marshal Matt Dillion, he was deputy marshal Chester Goode on the long-running CBS drama Gunsmoke. Then from 1971-77, he was a New Mexico detective living in, and solving crimes in New York City, on McCloud (which was, of course, a part of NBC's Sunday Night Mystery Movie series...I can't get that damn theme out of my head...).

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He also fought off a mysterious murderous truck driver in Steven Spielberg's Duel (1971).

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Weaver died Friday at 81.

But the man many- this author included- will miss ther most is a West Virginia native who had a teaching degree, but instead went to New York and found his true calling.

Throughout the years, Jesse Donald Knotts played the bumbling underdog. Whether he dreamt that he was a fish in The Incredible Mr. Limpet (1964); or a scaredy-cat detective in The Ghost and Mr. Chicken, or even as a beleagured (and swinging) landlord on ABC's long-running sitcom Three's Company, Knotts kept people in stitches.


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But the role that he will forever be immortalized for is that of- yet, another bumbling yet lovable character- Deputy Barney Fife on CBS' The Andy Griffith Show (1960-68). Fife was not exactly was a deputy you could count on for help- unless, of course, you needed a good laugh. His catchphrase "Nip it in the bud", is in the American lexicon. Sure, he had a cocksure manner that would quickly turn into ineptness. But that's what made audiences enjoy the character for five years (Knotts left the series in 1965 to pursue his successful film career). Younger audiences will remember him for the mysterious TV repairman who transported siblings Tobey Maguire and Reese Witherspoon into 1950s sitcom-land in Pleasantville (1998), and just last year, he played the turkey mayor in Disney's Chicken Little.

Knotts' longtime friend and co-star Andy Griffith was at his side when he died Friday night from complications of lung cancer. Don Knotts was 81.

What's Under Apple's Hood?
Here's the beauty of the icon that is Apple Computer. First, I hear on the radio that about this rumor that it may be buying Disney- after all Pixar (which was recently bought out by Disney) and Apple CEO Steve Jobs is now the largest shareholder of Disney stock (could that mean that that Apple logo could be sporting ears...picture Mickey with part of his face missing...). Now comes word that Apple could be releasing...no, I stand corrected, will be releasing new products this Tuesday. As usual, Jobs and Company is keeping everybody in the dark on what the new releases- if any- are. So, given the fact that I'm about to snag a Macintosh in March, I'm going to take a few guesses at what our friends down on One Infinite Loop in Cupertino, California will release. Ready? Here goes:

1. The Mac Mini will, not only sport a new Intel chip (though I damn well hope it's not Celeron! I'd much rather have the Intel Core Solo), but finally a keyboard and mouse AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT!
2. The new iBook has a 13" screen, runs on the Intel Core Solo (again NO CELERON, PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE, APPLE AND INTEL...)
3. A new iPod, with 80 GB (or even 100 GB capacity; imbedded TV AND RADIO tuner, battery life of 48 hours (okay, so I may be going a bit far on the 48 hour battery life...but the radio and/or TV tuner in my iPod, that IS a possibility). There's further speculation that the new iPod will be a 'touchscreen' modsel. Sounds good, except for the fact that I'm having a hard enough time trying to keep the screen- let alone the iPod surface itself- from getting scratched up.

We'll know at 9:00AM Tuesday, February 28.