Wednesday, March 08, 2006

DEATH OF SUPERMAN'S SUPERWOMAN AND THE LATEST ON THE IDITAROD

Good evening. The aftermath of Sunday's Oscars was short-lived, as Hollywood returned to normal today by waking up to the news of the death of Dana Reeve. The widow of Christopher Reeve passed away late Monday night at the age of 44 from lung cancer.

Reeve was diagnosed with the disease last summer, though she has never smoked. Dana has been right at Chris' side from when he was paralyzed in 1995 till his death in October 2004. Her last public appearance was just several weeks ago singing at a retirement celebration for hockey star Mark Messier.

Lung cancer deaths among non-smokers is uncommon and at a small percentage; according to "Inside Edition", the two main causes are secondhand smoke and radon. We're not sure how Reeve got the disease, but I'm sure it was probably secondhand smoke.

With Dana about to join her husband in heaven, her son will have to carry the burden. And the Reeve legacy will continue on with him.

Now, as promised...on to The Last Great Race, the Iditarod. For the 34th time, it's 83 of the best mushers from all over the world -- actually, it's 80 now; we've got the first three scratches -- versus 1,150 miles of the most treacherous terrain that even the "Brokeback Mountain" cowboys can't handle, as they face frozen rivers, frigid weather, and whatever else comes their way.

With defending champion Robert Sorlie not running and climates getting warmer, this year's race may be less challenging than previous years. And with a nice check of $69,000 and the keys to a new Dodge truck awaiting who crosses under the famed burled arch in Nome first, this is definitely one amazing race worth keeping an eye on...well, minus the fast forwards, road blocks, detours, and yields from that other "Amazing Race."

As to who's leading right now? It's Doug Swingley, on the hunt for a record-tying fifth win; he left Nikolai at 7:09 pm Alaska Time, followed by Jeff King (6:15 pm), Ally Zirkle (6:45 pm), and just moments ago at 9:15, Hugh Neff. Lori Townsend, Sandy McKee, and Gary Paulsen are the first three out of the race.

Of course, you can follow the race from checkpoint to checkpoint by heading to Iditarod.com; they now have the Iditarod Insiders site for deeper coverage with daily video reports from the trail. But the catch is this: You're gonna have to fork over $19.95 (annual individual price) for all this; the stuff's ain't for free, pal! Well, unless you feel like paying up, stick with the main site.

Anyway, we'll see what happens from now till who reaches Front Street in Nome first. Will Swingley hold onto his lead, or will somebody be like when "Crash" took the Best Picture Oscar and score the biggest upset in Iditarod history? Find out in the next several days, and good night.

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