Actor Dennis Weaver Dead at 81

This is quite a streak of actors who impacted my childhood passing away over the weekend. In today's news, it was reported that actor Dennis Weaver died this past Saturday.

When I was a young child, my father's favorite television show was Gunsmoke. Of course, back then most homes only had one television (if any at all), so watching it was the only choice. Whenever any of us hurt a knee or ankle growing up, we ended up being called "Chester" after Weaver's character on the show. I called someone with a broken toe Chester a year or so ago. All I got was a strange look. I guess it's an age thing.

This obituary really delves into Weaver's accomplishments. Dennis Weaver was much more than your typical actor in Hollywood. He will be missed, but his work and ideals will live on.

TV Newsy Bits Weekend Edition - Feb. 25/26

Although there are three passings to report this weekend, there are also some other entertainment and television related newsy bits I found while carousing the web.

So, what's the buzz? Here goes:

• CBS News Don Knotts, TV's Barney Fife, Dies at 81
• CBS News Prolific Actor Darren McGavin Dies at 83
• CBS News Ventriloquist Rickie Layne Dies at 81
• TMZ.com: News - Exclusive: Mariah, Black Eyed Peas to Appear at Soul Train Awards
• Interview With Becky O'Donohue, 2/26/06 - Fans Of Reality TV
• 'Amazing Race': How sweet the show
• Newstimeslive.com Probation for fallen 'Idol' (Julia DeMato)
• Turner to Leave Time Warner - The mercurial cable news pioneer will step down as a board member after a rocky 10-year relationship..
• Local star of 'Survivor' unites at last with car in Naples naplesnews.com Naples Daily News

RNO: Ruth Marie ('Survivor: Exile Island') Interview

Reality News Online has its Ruth Milliman interview up at this link. Yeah, more of "I was betrayed!" and "Sally outplayed me!", but a few new tidbits o' insight into things.

Here's an excerpt:

RNO: Considering the dire food situation your tribe was in, did the fact that Sally lost the fishing spear ever come up in discussions of who should be voted out?

Ruth-Marie: Prior to Misty’s departure, it certainly was discussed that Sally was going to be the one going home and part of the reason was due to the lost spear. In the game of Survivor, you are always looking for a reason to send people home. However, it was discussed that Misty “underperformed” a bit in the challenges that week therefore providing an opportunity for Sally to be saved.

Aha! So, Sally's losing of the spear hasn't gone unnoticed! I think it may still come into play in voting, but the Boys Club mentality is dooming her even more. What do you think?

Fare Thee Well, Don Knotts and Darren McGavin

I was saddened to hear that Don Knotts passed away Friday at the age of 81. There are many obituaries regarding him out and about the web, such as this one or even this one. To be honest, I didn't know he had won five Emmy Awards. All I know is that Don Knotts was a brilliant actor who created the memorable role of Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show, a character I loved in my childhood days. No one else could have done what Knotts did with the role. He was the total Barney Fife package from the sight gags to the voice, he embodied Barney. Some years later I liked what he did with the Furley character on Three's Company, but in my mind he'll always be the superb Barney Fife.


Darren McGavin also passed away this weekend. He was 83. For me, his most memorable work was that on Kolchak, the Night Stalker. I loved that show and he was Kolchak all the way! Obituaries on the web for McGavin can be found here. Yes, he was perhaps more famous for other roles such as playing the father on The Christmas Story, but for me it was the Kolchak role I'll remember the most in my sometimes rather unusual television viewing habits.

A sad weekend indeed, rest in peace.

Getting Psyched for 'The Amazing Race'

Tuesday! Tuesday! Two hours of The Amazing Race! I'm so ready for this season, aren't you? No more "safe" race; it's logging the second largest mileage count in series history! Woohoo!

From Tuned In: 9th running of 'Amazing Race' returns show to familiar format:

"It's the most number of miles we've done in that short an amount of time," Keoghan said. "People clearly wanted the international element. They missed it. The places are as much the stars of the show as the people themselves. That was illustrated when you look at season eight. People were missing that exotic element, the fish-out-of-water element. That is a huge hook."

The 11 teams racing for the $1 million prize immediately head for foreign soil, flying out of Denver to Sao Paulo, Brazil, and along the way, nicknames for contestants quickly emerge: "Ken and Barbie," "the Frat boys," "the Hos," "Scott Peterson," "the hippies," and "the Frosties" for a team of prone-to-screaming sisters with frosted hair (they're hilarious).

Then there are several articles in the Australia online news pages, like this one. I find it very interesting that the same series which starts here on Tuesday starts there on Thursday. Not even enough time for jet lag, eh? Here's a tidbit from that one:

Keoghan says the distance of 96,540km is the secondest-longest Race in the history of the show, which throws a huge array of challenges at the competitors.

"It has a dramatic impact on the teams and we have an abundance of fresh locations this season, everywhere from Russia to the Middle East."

A seasoned traveller, Keoghan says culture shock and jetlag all lead to friction and tension during the race.

So... what are you doing on Tuesday night?