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Two of my pop-culture heroes died this week...

Renaissance man and Kid-TV host extraordinaire Paul Winchell, ventriloquist, voice-over artist, inventor (yes, it's true - he really did develop a prototype artificial heart), at 82. TV writer Mark Evanier, who knew Winchell, pays tribute on his site.

And Shelby Foote, novelist and Civil War historian, at 88. Foote was best known to the younger generation for his contribution to the Ken Burns Civil War series, but he wrote about many aspects of the American South, including the segregation years and bluesman Robert Johnson. Here's an interview with Foote as well as a bio from the Ole Miss website.

Go ahead - ask me how old I feel...