‘Mysteries’ Asks: Did Foul Play Kill Cobain?
NBC’s “Unsolved Mysteries” at 8 reports on the death of rock musician Kurt Cobain, making a case that “contradictory and supportive evidence” shows that the Nirvana lead singer may not have died as a result of suicide.
Interviewed is investigator Tom Grant, who believes Cobain met with foul play. Grant says there were no fingerprints on the shotgun found next to his body and that parts of Cobain’s suicide note appear to be forged.
Grant, who was hired by Cobains’s widow, Courtney Love, to locate her husband before his death, believes Cobain was injected with a lethal dose of heroin and would have been too intoxicated to kill himself with a shotgun.
King County medical examiner Donald Reay, who conducted the official investigation into the death, maintains it was a suicide. Reay says that because Cobain was a heavy drug user, the amount of heroin found in his body would not have kept him from taking his own life.
The report, though provocative, raises more questions than it answers.
Another intriguing segment focuses on the Christmas Eve 1975 killings of four people in an Orlando, Fla., furniture store. Store owner Tommy Zeigler was shot, but he survived the massacre.
Now, however, he’s serving time on death row for all of the murders.
Highlights
“The Simpsons,” FOX at 8: In a special Friday outing, a stressed-out Marge starts to lose her hair. To remedy the situation, the Simpsons hire a nanny. This spoof of “Mary Poppins” is a hoot.
At 8:30, FOX repeats the hilarious series premiere of “King of the Hill” in which Bobby gets plunked in the eye in a baseball game and Hank is investigated by a misguided social worker.
“Family Matters,” ABC at 8: Emmanuel Lewis (“Webster”) gueststars when Urkel’s cousin Myrtle (played by Jaleel White) sets out to win a beauty pageant co-hosted by Carl (Reginald VelJohnson).
Cable Calls
“Dead Presidents” (1995), SHOW at 8: This film by the Hughes Brothers (“Menace II Society”) is the saga of a black Vietnam vet (Larenz Tate) who loses his job and becomes involved in a scheme to rob a U.S. Treasury truck.
The character development is strong, and the performances are convincing.
The robbery scene, however, seems as if it were spliced in from some action-thriller. It keeps “Dead Presidents” from matching the on-screen magic of “Menace II Society.”
“Boxing,” HBO at 10: Lennox Lewis and Oliver McCall square off to determine who will be the next WBC heavyweight champion. McCall defeated Lewis in 1994.
“Chris Rock,” HBO at 12:30 a.m.: Late at night on HBO is a perfect spot for Chris Rock’s brand of humor. This guy is dead-on funny.
The ex-“Saturday Night Live” comedian hosts a talk show featuring monologues, celebrity interviews and musical guests. Scheduled in the opener: Lawyer Johnnie Cochran and the artist formerly known as Prince.
Talk Time
“Tonight,” NBC at 11:35: From Las Vegas, actor-comedian Martin Short and singer Pat Boone.
“Late Show With David Letterman,” CBS at 11:35: Green Bay Packers quarterback Brett Favre, comedian David Spade and music group Silverchair.
“Politically Incorrect With Bill Maher,” ABC at 12:35 a.m.: Vicki Lawrence, San Francisco Mayor Willie Brown, self-help guru Tony Robbins and columnist Tony Blankley.
“Late Night With Conan O’Brien,” NBC at 12:35 a.m.: Actor Pierce Brosnan, actor-director Billy Bob Thornton and musical guest Robert Palmer.