What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
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March 26 - April 1, 2023 WHATS UP! T11 treacherous stretch of California highway, en route to a race. It's remembered as one of the most iconic gone-too-soon deaths in Hollywood history and a true- life tragedy. Alas, Dean's death wasn't the only one tied to his car. Parts of it were used by two other racing drivers who crashed, one fatally. And there have been other sto- ries of people being hurt or even killed in cars that used sal- vaged parts from Dean's origi- nal. But is that due to a curse on this particular vehicle? Or is it the fact that the Porsche 550 Spyder was a famously fragile and dangerous car, as a result of which very few were ever made? It was an incredibly short, small and light car. These factors made it a very successful racer but also dangerous to drive. "When they crashed (which they did, often), their aluminum bodies would crumple up like candy wrappers," SFGate jour- nalist Andrew Pridgen wrote in an article on the history of the car and the curse. These drawbacks meant that very few were actually manufac- tured. So the chances of the owner of another 550 Spyder coming across parts from Dean's were higher than they would be for the owner of a more popular car (it's why you're unlikely to hear of a cursed Honda Civic, for example). Despite these more logical ex- planations, belief in the curse persists. Just a few years ago, Zak Bagans, host of the Discovery Plus anthology series "The Haunted Museum," bought a piece of Dean's car for display in his Las Vegas-based museum. He paid a whopping US$382,000, a price driven largely by the rumors of the curse. Q: Is Chris Isaak still act- ing? A: After dabbling a little with acting in the '90s, it seems that rockabilly singer Chris Isaak has returned to his first love. These days, he's focusing on his music, touring extensively and recently releasing a new Christmas album. Once upon a time, though, he seemed primed for screen star- dom. He appeared in the cult classic 1992 film "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" (a followup to the even more beloved TV se- ries), did a few other films, and in 2001 got his very own scripted TV show, aptly named "The Chris Isaak Show." But perhaps the show re- vealed the limitations of his range. Though it was a scripted sitcom, he was literally playing himself, yet critics still suggest- ed he wasn't up to the task. Nonetheless, the show lasted three seasons. But after Show- time canceled it, his acting out- put diminished greatly. He had previously said he would pursue acting only as long as it didn't in- terfere with his music career, so perhaps starring in a TV show violated that rule. Whatever the reason, his mu- sic fans are benefiting from his renewed career focus. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Per- sonal replies will not be provided. Advance Pest Control 2 x 2 TAKE 5 Solution on page T23 Use the clues above and beside the grid to fill in the squares BY ADAM THOMLISON TV Media Q: I swear I see a resem- blance between the Fonz and Det. Munch from "Law & Or- der," but I know it's not the same guy. Are they brothers? A: The timing of your ques- tion is sadly apt. Henry Winkler, who came to fame playing Ar- thur Fonzarelli on "Happy Days," was among the celebri- ties leading tributes to his cousin Richard Belzer after he died on Feb. 19. Belzer is, as you say, best known for playing John Munch on "Law & Order: Special Vic- tims Unit" and several other shows. Indeed, his character cre- ated an unofficial "Munch- iverse" that united several dispa- rate shows, including "Homi- cide: Life on the Street" (where the character first appeared), sci-fi drama "The X-Files," sit- com "Arrested Development" and three versions of "Law & Order." The longevity and recogniz- ability of the character was helped by the fact that Belzer never seemed to age. If you see him on one of his early TV ap- pearances, such as his few early turns on "Saturday Night Live" in the mid-'70s, and then see him again as recently as last year on "Law & Order: SVU," you'd find it hard to believe nearly 50 years had passed in between. Whereas Winkler had to age into his resemblance with his cousin. After largely going quiet in the '80s and '90s, he's been en- joying a career resurgence in the 2000s, but doing so involved shedding his teen-heartthrob looks. The now silver-haired Win- kler has had a number of critical- ly acclaimed roles in recent years, including on the afore- mentioned "Arrested Develop- ment," though he and Belzer never shared a scene. Q: I heard a casual refer- ence recently about James Dean's old car being cursed. What's that about and, well, is it true? A: Sadly, I'm not qualified to say if James Dean's Porsche 550 Spyder is, in fact, cursed. I can only offer some facts and let you decide for yourself. The central fact is, of course, that James Dean ("Rebel With- out a Cause," 1955) died in it. He crashed it in September 1955 on a Richard Belzer starred in "Law & Order" HOLLYWOOD Q&A www.advancepestcontrolnwa.com Family Owned, Competitively Priced, Quality Service Since 1981 Rogers 479-636-5590 Springdale 479-756-1788 Eureka Springs 479-253-8967 PEST CONTROL TERMITE FERTILIZATION WEED CONTROL PRE-EMERGENTS