US Postal Service to unveil Mister Rogers postage stamp
Gone extinct: Animatronic T-Rex bursts into flames
CANON CITY, COLO. » The coowner of a dinosaur-themed park in southern Colorado thinks an electrical malfunction caused a life-size animatronic Tyrannosaurus Rex to burst into flames.
Zach Reynolds says the TRex at the Royal Gorge Dinosaur Experience smoldered for about 10 minutes before it caught fire Thursday morning. Visitors watched as the inferno spread through the dinosaur, which appeared at times to be breathing flames.
Reynolds joked, “We knew he had a temper, but today he blew his top.”
The 24-foot-tall (7-metertall) T-Rex, which moved and made sounds, was one of 16 dinosaurs that line the park’s Wild Walk exhibit. Reynolds says it was a total loss but at least “it made for some spectacular imagery along the way.”
He hopes to have a replacement T-Rex installed by the summer.
Rep: Lorna Luft has successful brain surgery for tumor
LOS ANGELES » A representative for Lorna Luft says the singer has had successful brain surgery after being diagnosed with a tumor.
Victoria Varela told The Associated Press on Thursday that Luft had the surgery to remove the tumor on Tuesday at a hospital in Los Angeles and is expected to be released soon.
The daughter of Judy Garland and sister of Liza Minnelli collapsed earlier this month backstage after a concert and was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
Varela says Luft thanks her fans for their support and also her doctors for taking good care of her. Luft says she plans to reschedule her concerts in England. Luft also is in remission after fighting breast cancer. PITTSBURGH » It’s a beautiful day to honor Mister Rogers with a postage stamp.
The U.S. Postal Service is releasing a stamp featuring Fred Rogers, the gentle TV host who entertained and educated generations of preschoolers on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”
The “forever” stamp goes on sale Friday. It pictures Rogers in his trademark cardigan along with King Friday, a puppet character from the show’s Neighborhood of Make-Believe.
Postal officials are holding a dedication ceremony at the Pittsburgh studio where Rogers filmed his beloved PBS show, which aired between 1968 and 2001. Rogers died in 2003 at age 74.
Among those planning to attend the ceremony are Rogers’ widow and David Newell, who played Mr. McFeely, the deliveryman on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood.”