Hollywood News in Brief


Walter Cronkite to Return to Block of Ice

After enjoying the last eight weeks with his children and grandchildren, veteran newscaster Walter Cronkite is set to wave goodbye to his loved ones yet again next week, and return to the nine foot block of ice that has encased him for the past 21 years.

"It's wonderful to stretch my legs, and see how my grandchildren have grown. You might say it really warms my heart," said Cronkite, to the delight of reporters and fans at a recent news conference.

Scientists defrosted the ex-CBS news anchor at the death of his friend Bob Hope on July 27th, as stipulated in Cronkite's contract with the cryogenic firm in charge of his preservation. After attending the funeral, Cronkite remained unfrozen the last several weeks in order to pay tribute to Hope at this weeks Emmy Awards ceremony.

Though 87 years of age, Cronkite is technically still 66, just as he was after being frozen in the basement of the Smithsonian shortly after his retirement as the CBS news anchor in 1981.

Cronkite's wife Betsy and daughter Christina were wistful at the thought of saying goodbye to him yet again. "I'd really like Dad to stay," said Christina, "but that's me being greedy. My father is a cultural icon and future generations will benefit from having him chiseled out again to give commentary on world events, or perhaps attend a ribbon cutting."

Cronkite entertained the crowd of reporters for several minutes before bidding farewell. "And so, friends, I must go... and that's the way it is!" The crowd went nuts.

Christina laughed, but through tears. "He will be missed," she says. "Again."



Show With Mark Harmon Scheduled to Fail

TV's new fall season has barely debuted, but that hasn't stopped CBS Executives from already scheduling their first ratings disaster. Navy NCIS, starring Mark Harmon as the head of a Naval Criminal Investigation Service, is slated to tank and be pulled midway through the November sweeps period.

"This is a bold move meant to keep our competition off-balance," explained Programming Chief Leslie Moonves. "We still don't even know how the show will perform in the ratings, but by planning its failure ahead of time, we'll avoid making snap decisions we might later regret."

Moonves declined to add other programs to the list at this time, but was confident that Navy NCIS was the right choice. "Can you name one successful show that starred Mark Harmon?" queried Moonves, who waited a few moments before nodding to reporters. "See?"


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