From a co-worker ... In August 2009, a little 3-year-old girl named Campbell Hoyt in my town was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor called ependymoma. Campbell had the tumor removed and was cancer-free for 21 months. The cancer recently returned, this time in her spine. After a long summer at Children’s Hospital in Boston, Campbell, now age 5, is home with her parents and two older sisters. The chemotherapy drugs that help treat residual tumors that Campbell suffers with are very expensive. In order to defray the costs of Campbell's medical treatment, local families are having a pie sale organized through a local charity named Heartworks. All proceeds from this pie sale will go directly towards Campbell's treatment costs.
For more information on Campbell and her family, please visit this link.
There are many worthy charities in need of your help and unfortunately more than a few children suffer the ravages of cancer. If, however, you feel moved to help support the treatment of this little girl, please see the attached flyer. Any donation in lieu of a pie order would also be graciously accepted. Donations can be made by check payable to Heartworks and are tax deductible.
While we’re on the subject of charity and how good it will make you feel once you put aside a Starbucks Mocha gots’n-gool and push the $5.00 bucks they cost towards those in need (Starbucks is doing fine), here’s another person in need. Russell Means, a Native American pioneer of the Republic of Lakotah movement. We’re doing what we can when we can from casa Stella … and yes, it does feel good to do so.
Russell Means information … From the American Indian Movement of Colorado (taken from Ben Whitmer’s blog):
Our brother and leader, Russell Means is involved in a tenacious fight against the cruelest of invader diseases — cancer. As usual, however, Russell is putting up an exemplary resistance. He has been relying on our traditional medicines, and ceremonies, and has been treated by indigenous healers from the Lakota (Crow Dog), Dinéh (Morgan), and Anishinabe (Turtle Lodge). In addition, he is undergoing alternative treatments in Arizona. Visit his website www.republicoflakotah.com for updates.
These treatments are quite expensive, and our brother needs all of our help. If Russell has ever touched your life, has ever inspired or taught you anything, has ever made your proud to be Indian, or to be a human being, now is the time to repay him. Thank you.
These treatments are quite expensive, and our brother needs all of our help. If Russell has ever touched your life, has ever inspired or taught you anything, has ever made your proud to be Indian, or to be a human being, now is the time to repay him. Thank you.
You may mail your donation to: Russell Means Healing Fund, 444 Crazy Horse Drive, Porcupine, SD 57772
Let's face it, the above picture is about 1,000 pounds ago ...
Before we get to this Stella and his dopey plays, here's a show we (the Principessa Ann Marie and myself) can't wait to see (next Tuesday, November 1st). TK has mentioned Deborah Karpel (that's her album above) before (2 blogs ago) and now her show is set and ready to go. So, here it is:
Songs My Mother Never Taught Me
November 1, 2011
Dixon Place NYC
7:30 pm One Night Only!
Okay, so here's the 2 Stella plays mentioned above ... the wife went and did it (managed to do it), get two plays of mine transferred from the old VCR format to DVD. The quality isn’t very great, but it ain’t bad, either. These were plays performed at the 45th Street theatre way back in the day (1989, I think). Mr. Ronnie’s Confession was based on a dear friend of mine (Mr. Ronnie) who was married in Las Vegas and once told me about “second acting” plays; essentially following a crowd of people back into the theatre before the 2nd act started and not having to pay for the tickets. In the play, Mr. Ronnie (not the Mr. Ronnie, the fictional one) has to go to confession before he can get married and the Irish priest he says his confession to in Hell’s Kitchen is put to the test. Randy Messersmith played Mr. Ronnie and for the life of me, I can’t remember the guy who played the Irish priest (and I should be smacked for it), but he was very, very good (as was Randy--he had us laughing pretty hard upstairs).
Double or Nothing was a play I wrote about a gambling addiction (craps) and although I had to fire the actor’s equity rep just a few days before the play opened (because he couldn’t remember his lines--proving once and for all that even socialists won’t put up with union reps who don’t do their jobs), the director filled in at the last minute and saved us. Sam Blasco was the director who played Mike in Double or Nothing. He went up on a few lines (fever four was a killer for me--FIVE, FIVE, FIVE, I wanted to yell) but he only had a few nights to get it all down so good on him for pulling it off. Paige Alenius played Mike’s wife and Kent Osborne played Tim, the room service kid. Both Paige and Kent were really wonderful and both have gone on to have substantial careers in the business (so good on them). Double or Nothing is about a guy on vacation in Bermuda to try and kick the habit (gambling) and although his wife had been feeding herself gallons of coffee to stay awake and keep an eye on him, she finally drifts off to sleep and Mike manages to hoodwink the room service kid into spending the night with her (she reaches over in her sleep to check on his being in bed every so often) ... Mike gets out and hunts up some action. I used to have the playbills for these two (had one framed) but I think they were lost between marriages.
I’m making my prediction early this week since my beloved New York State Buffalo Bills had a bye last week ... this week the Washingtonians come to Orchard Park but we’re still pissed from the Moonachie Blue game ... so it’ll be us in a closer game than it should be; figure Bills 27, Washington 23.
—Knucks
Music for Double or Nothing ... Tom Waits, Fumblin’ with the Blues ...
