People: Nevermore? Poe fans fret about mysterious visitor

Rob Carr/Associated Press

Poe fans left a half-filled bottle of cognac and three roses at his grave after the traditional visitor failed to show.

Is this tradition Nevermore? A mysterious visitor who left roses and cognac at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe each year on the writer's birthday failed to show early Tuesday, breaking with a ritual that began more than 60 years ago.

The tradition dates back to at least 1949, according to newspaper accounts from the era. Since then, an unidentified person has come every Jan. 19 to leave three roses and a half-bottle of cognac at Poe's grave in a church cemetery in downtown Baltimore.

Poe was the American literary master of the macabre, noted for poems and short stories including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Pit and the Pendulum." He is also credited with writing the first modern detective story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," which appeared in 1841.

He died Oct. 7, 1849, in Baltimore at the age of 40 after collapsing in a tavern.

As for the fate of his annual visitor? That's a new mystery.

Blackmail or just business?

A jury should get to decide whether a TV producer's dealings with David Letterman were attempted blackmail or just hard-nosed business, a judge ruled Tuesday.

Manhattan state Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon refused to throw out an attempted grand larceny charge against the producer, Robert "Joe" Halderman. The ruling puts the case on a path toward trial, which could bring testimony from the "Late Show" host about events in his private life that have been pushed into public view.

The case spurred Letterman to tell viewers in October that he had slept with women on his staff.

Prosecutors say Halderman demanded $2 million to keep quiet about the talk-show host's affairs. Halderman says he was just offering Letterman a chance to buy -- and keep private -- a thinly veiled screenplay about Letterman's life. Whether Halderman's conduct amounted to commerce or crime "is a classic example of an issue that is best left for a trial jury to decide," Solomon wrote.

Halderman, 52, a producer for CBS' "48 Hours Mystery," could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. A trial date could be set at his next court appearance March 9.

All Elvis, all the time

One central Kentucky radio station has changed its format and even its name to keep Elvis Presley always on the mind.

Richmond, Ky., station 106.7 FM is playing all Elvis, and is now known as WELV.

General manager Sean Hamilton told The Richmond Register that listeners can expect to hear interviews, live music and about anything from the Elvis collection. People outside the listening area can hear the broadcast live on the Internet at wlfxfm.com. The change was made Jan. 8 to celebrate Presley's 75th birthday.

-- From Our Press Services

Today's birthdays

Singer Slim Whitman, 86; actress Patricia Neal, 84; comedian Arte Johnson, 81; director David Lynch, 64; actor Lorenzo Lamas, 52; actor James Denton, 47; country singer John Michael Montgomery, 45; actor Rainn Wilson, 44; actress Stacey Dash ("Clueless"), 43; actor Skeet Ulrich, 40; drummer Rob Bourdon of Linkin Park, 31.

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