Walt

Fascination with the computer technology in new animated films such as "Toy Story II" obscures a key fact: Behind all the electronic wizardry employed in creating Woody, Buzz Lightyear and their friends remains the acting talent of animators. That's right, acting talent. The fact that animators must be accomplished performers as well as superior graphic artists was emphasized forcefully by the death on Jan. 12 of Marc Davis, one of the greatest practitioners of the art in the nearly 100-year history of animation.

COLLEGE PARK - Before playing at Madison Square Garden in the 1990 ECAC Holiday Festival, Walt Williams was considered an up-and-coming player for a down-and-out program. A junior, Williams had stayed at Maryland rather than transferring to another school without penalty after the Terps were put on a harsh probation by the NCAA. Ineligible to play in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament or the NCAA tournament that season because of the sanctions, the late December tournament at a place often called "The World's Most Famous Arena" became a showcase for the 6-foot-8 guard from Temple Hills known as "The Wizard" and a program under second-year coach Gary Williams.

All season, Mike and Walt have been rushing toward a showdown, constantly puffing out their chests in attempts to establish the operation's alpha-male. At the conclusion of “Say My Name,” one finally surpassed the other for good. (Spoilers ahead.) The penultimate episode of this year's half-season saw Mike's life end at the hands of Walt, after a final showdown by the river. The two were supposed to go their separate ways, with Mike flying off the grid and Walt continuing to cook.

Whenever the Poly girls basketball players or coach Kendall Peace-Able talk about the heart of their program, the conversation always centers on defense. Thursday, the No. 8 Engineers relied on that stinginess in the final 25 seconds of the Class 4A state semifinal at UMBC's RAC Arena to hold on for a 33-32 victory over Walt Whitman and secure a berth in Saturday's state championship game. The Engineers had a 33-30 lead when their Aneah Young missed the front end of a one-and-one and the ball caromed out of bounds, giving Whitman 24.6 seconds to try to tie the game.

NEW YORK -- Shareholders yesterday approved Walt Disney Co.'s purchase of Capital Cities/ABC Inc., a $19 billion acquisition that will give Disney the pieces it needs to compete in an increasingly crowded industry.The addition of Capital Cities' television and cable networks, such as ABC and ESPN, supplies Disney with top-ranked news and sports programming to go along with its world-leading movie and theme park businesses. Such content will give Disney a leg up as a growing number of cable channels, on-line services and even broadcast networks battle for an audience, executives said.

Helen Bentley wants to be governor until she is 79, and wh not?Walt Disney plans to put a fantasy mall in the Washington suburbs to compete for tourists with the one the federal government runs downtown.

DENVER -- Daddy ran onto the field for his first All-Star Game, and sitting on his mommy's lap, Brody Weiss looked like the happiest, healthiest little boy in the world.His mother's eyes moistened as his father received one of the loudest ovations during pre-game introductions. Brody, 3 1/2 , bounced excitedly, a kid with blond hair and a big smile, looking so alive.The fans cheered his father as a former Rockie, yes. But little did Brody know, they were cheering for him, too, for what his family had endured.

Ronald H. Walt, 51, department store managerRonald H. Walt, a manager for Marshall's Department Store, died Dec. 23 of complications from AIDS at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He was 51.He joined Marshall's in 1992 and retired because of medical disability in 1995.The 30-year Baltimore resident began his retail career as an assistant manager for Sears Roebuck and Co. in 1970. He became manager of the Young's Men's Store at Harford Mall in 1975. He also worked at Macy's and Eagle Clothes.The native of Harrisburg, Pa., moved to Aberdeen in 1956 and graduated from Aberdeen High School in 1965.

WALT DISNEY'S BAMBITHE STORY AND THE FILM.Ollie Johnstonand Frank Thomas.Stewart, Tabori & Chang.208 pages. $29.95.Matt Groening, creator of "The Simpsons," recalled in a recent issue of American Film that when he was 2 1/2 years old, his sister took him to his first movie -- Walt Disney's "Bambi" -- and that he has never forgotten it."I enjoyed 'Bambi' immensely . . . but then came the forest-fire scene and I became convinced the theater was going to burn down. I had to be carried out screaming."

JOSEPH WALTER LAUTENBERGER, JR., 1933-2005, long time resident of Lafayette and Walnut Creek, CA., passed away at his home early Saturday morning, September 10, 2005, after a brief battle with cancer. Mr. Lautenberger was born in 1933 to Grace Burke and Joseph Walter Lautenberger in Baltimore, Maryland where he lived as a young boy and attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute graduating in 1950. He then attended Cornell University graduating in 1954 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering.

In three victories for River Hill against Howard County competition last week, the 6-foot-4 senior forward averaged 22 points and nine rebounds. In a 70-58 win over Howard on Jan. 7, Moody finished with 24 points, including three 3-pointers, and 11 rebounds. He followed that with 21 points and eight rebounds in a 55-51 overtime win against Centennial, going 9-for-10 from the free-throw line and scoring 11 of the Hawks' 15 points in overtime. On Friday, he scored 21 points and added eight rebounds in the team's 57-51 victory over Reservoir.

Will consumers pay $20 for a reusable glass drinking bottle? Walt Himelstein thinks so. The Owings Mills environmental chemist and entrepreneur invented the Pure reusable glass drinking bottle, which features a shock-absorbing plastic sleeve that holds the glass together if it breaks. Himelstein, 59, hopes to tap a surging interest among environmentally conscious consumers who want their own reusable bottles, rather than buying beverages in single-use glass, metal or plastic containers.

All season, Mike and Walt have been rushing toward a showdown, constantly puffing out their chests in attempts to establish the operation's alpha-male. At the conclusion of “Say My Name,” one finally surpassed the other for good. (Spoilers ahead.) The penultimate episode of this year's half-season saw Mike's life end at the hands of Walt, after a final showdown by the river. The two were supposed to go their separate ways, with Mike flying off the grid and Walt continuing to cook.

Walt Williams isn't one to shy away from a challenge. The former NBA veteran, after all, is perhaps best known for playing under the most trying circumstances in the history of Maryland basketball. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, when the Terps were in the midst of major NCAA sanctions after the death of forward Len Bias, Williams honored his commitment to his home-state school and starred under new coach Gary Williams. It was a decision that forever endeared Walt Williams to Maryland fans, one many believe helped save the program.

Five former ESPN Zone employees filed a class action lawsuit Monday against the company, alleging it had violated federal standards for notifying and paying workers who lost their jobs when the Inner Harbor location closed in June. The federal lawsuit claims that ESPN Zone, owned by Walt Disney Co., did not provide laid-off workers the mandated 60 days' notice of termination under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, Act. The company has previously stated that it followed the federal regulations.

ON DECEMBER 29, 2008 Edith E. "Skeeter" Family and friends may call at THE JOHNSON FUNERAL HOME, P.A., 8521 Loch Raven Blvd. (Beltway exit 29-B) on Friday from 9:30 A.M. to 10 A.M at which time all are invited to attend Funeral Services. Interment Moreland Memorial Park. Donations may be made in her memory to Box 414 Association, c/o Walt Lemmon, 9631 Oak Summit Avenue, Parkville, MD 21234-1823. Send condolences to www.jfhmd.com