Majel Barrett Roddenberry, once called "The First Lady of Star Trek" by the Chicago Tribune, has died. She played various roles in the original series, but you probably know her voice if you've caught an epidode of any of them:
Roddenberry had another distinction: Beginning with the original series, she supplied the coolly detached voice of the USS Enterprise's computer -- something she did on the various "Star Trek" series.
She also was the voice of the Starship Enterprise for six of the 10 "Star Trek" movies that have been released, as well as the 11th, which is due out next year.
I keep waiting for voice-actuated computers to become the norm, and I wouldn't even mind if it talked back to me if it had Majel's voice. Here's a tribute to her: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fJfkYjrbPS4
Oh, yeah. Mark Felt died, too. Phhht.
Comments
"Oh, yeah. Mark Felt died, too. Phhht."
Leo, care to clarify that?
Leo:
You forgot to mention the death of Sam Bottoms
(53, Apocalypse Now, Seabiscuit, The Outlaw Josey Wales, The Last Picture Show)...
(shame on you)
But given the weather, I forgive you.
;)
And ditto on Majel's voice!
( I actually have a windows "event" program with sound clips of her voice...close as we can get these days)
My interpretation of Leo's "phhhht" refers to Mr. Felts' status in many minds as a bitter, sneaky, cowardly man who took the easy way out by being an anonymous snitch instead of using his position as #2 at the FBI to actually do the right thing and launch an investigation to bring Nixon down in a transparent and lawful way. He felt slighted and passed over by Nixon after J Edgar kicked the bucket and he (Felts) didn't get the director job. He took the sissy way out and kept his hands clean by hiding in the shadows. He's also the main reason we have one William Ayers to contend with today.
Phhhhhttttt indeed!
I meant, for reasons Tim states and others, that I cared more about the death of Majel than of Mark.
Leo ...
As a newspaperman, is it not proper to point out that Mark Felt may not have been Deep Throat?
It is indeed strange that Felt's "confession" in Vanity Fair (that upstanding liberal publication of Plamegate fame) lacks reliable historic evidential proof? His sudden need for money brought moved the Felt family to help publicize his "actions."
Bob Woodward was the only person on Earth to talk to Deep Throat, so we only have his word that Felt and Deep Throat were one in the same man. Nah ...it is not possible that a WaPo reporter with a reputation to protect and with yet another novel to write might attempt to reinforce a myth.
Interesting....
Without Felt helping the reporters along, Watergate would NOT have been the event it became.
Felt could not "launch an investigation" as the FBI was under the control of Nixon.
Every 4 years I re-read "All the Presidents Men". If any of you have NEVER read it- you should.