THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 12, 1995 TAG: 9504120041
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E2 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Larry Bonko
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
TODAY'S LOCAL TV buzz:
The wait goes on and on - Joe Perkins, who in his time with WTKR served as anchorman, vice president of television operations and most recently as host of an outdoors show called ``On the Waterfront,'' waits in Room 1524 at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital for doctors to find him a new heart.
Perkins, 61, had a heart attack when he was 39. He underwent bypass surgery in 1982. Perkins wears a pacemaker. He suffers from diabetes.
And for 4 1/2 months, he has been in the hospital, tethered to machines that keep him going. Simply put, Perkins' heart wore out.
He needs a new one. ``Every time the door of my hospital room opens, I expect to be told, 'Perk, we've got your new heart.' After the transplant, I expect to bounce back completely.''
Our prayers are with you, Joe, and with the others in your unit who also wait for a new heart.
With Hampton Roads in the grip of ``Wheel'' fever - the ``Wheel of Fortune'' gang will be in Norfolk later this month to tape 10 shows - T. Scott McGraw's recent appearance on ``Jeopardy!'' was hardly noticed. He's a lawyer, a first year associate at Willcox and Savage in Norfolk who made it to Round 2.
That was good enough to earn McGraw an eight-day vacation in South Carolina. ``Jeopardy!'' and ``Wheel of Fortune'' are produced and distributed by the same company. Hello, Vanna.
But how do the other guys know what the Voyager crewmen are saying? Looks as if one of TV's great unanswered questions is unanswered no longer.
In a recent column, I wondered why the crew of the starship Voyager on the latest ``Star Trek'' spinoff never runs into a language barrier. Have you noticed that everyone in the cosmos' Badlands speaks perfect English?
Readers by the dozens called me on Infoline (640-5555, press 2486) with theories on how the Star Trek crewmen overcome the language problem. Leslie Willis of Frisco, N.C. on Hatteras Island believes the crewmen have tiny computerized translators implanted under the skin. ``They are in their bodies somewhere, but I'm not sure where,'' said Willis.
It's Pam Barcita's theory that the languages of the universe are translated into English by a transmitter chip implanted in the ears of the Star Trek adventurers. Pam's from Virginia Beach.
Bob Walsh in Suffolk says the problem of sorting through the interstellar babble is solved by a universal translator tied into the starship's main computer. It's integrated into the communicator badges worn by Capt. Kathryn Janeway and her subordinates. Alan Decker and Heather Barnes are among the other readers who mentioned the universal translators.
``They're basic Starfleet issue,'' said Barnes. ``Standard equipment.''
I'll buy the theory of the universal translators. Now tell me how the creatures who cross paths with the Star Trek gang many light years from home understand what Janeway and the others are saying. Do they also have universal translators?
A reader suggested an answer to another of TV's great unanswered questions - where does the apparently unemployed Kramer of ``Seinfeld'' get his money? ``It's obvious he's won the lottery,'' said Sheila of Elizabeth City, N.C.
He had his shot in prime time but crashed and burned - Jon Stewart, the W&M grad who tended bar before he was discovered by MTV and put on a path to stardom, did poorly in the ratings on WGNT at 10 p.m. Channel 27 replaced the Stewart talk show this week with one hosted by Richard Bey, who is as responsible as anyone for the wave of tasteless daytime talk shows. Stewart's new time slot is 2 a.m.
Cable for a good cause - Throughout the month of April, Falcon Cable in Suffolk will donate the $10 discounted installation fee to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. by CNB