It’s the Birthday

… of Peter Coyote, the actor. He’s 64. Coyote does a lot of voice-over and narration. He’s the one that sounds a lot like Henry Fonda. He’s appeared in more than 100 films and television shows (including recently in “Commander in Chief”), though he began acting only at age 39. He tested for the part of Indiana Jones.

… of “Chicken George.” Actor Ben Vereen is 60. He played Alex Haley’s ancestor, “Chicken George,” in Roots.

… of Bradley Whitford. He’s 47.

… of Brett Favre. He’s 37.

… of Dale Earnhardt. He’s 32. NewMexiKen overheard some of the Talladega 500 television coverage Sunday. Earnhardt was invariably referred to with the “junior” added on as if the broadcasters thought “senior” was somehow driving a competing car. When his father was alive, the father was Dale Earnhardt and the son Dale Earnhardt Jr. Now that the father is deceased, the son is Dale Earnhardt.

Or so says Miss Manners, making an exception for royalty — oh, that explains the Earnhardts, NASCAR royalty for sure.