Brain Tumour Research's Wear A Hat Day

She said it:

I'm doing it in support of friends who have dealt with it (and looking adorkable):




It's not too late for you to join the fun. And if you do, post your photo (and send me a link or the photo for the site)!

Updates
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Groves is doing it!


Monique is doing it!

National Doodle Day

I promise I will write again soon. In the meantime, you have to go to the National Doodle Day website and check out the gallery of celebrity doodles that have already been added for auction this year. Celebrities from the art world, tv, film, music and sports have lent their talents in support of NF, Inc.

http://www.doodledayusa.org/gallery/v/2010/?g2_page=1

Which is your favorite? I honestly can't decide, but I know I'll be bidding!




4TH ANNUAL CELEBRITY DOODLE AUCTION

National Doodle Day Is Thursday, May 13



CHICAGO, IL (May 5, 2010) – The list is like a “who’s who” of celebrities, and includes Gillian Anderson, Jason Alexander, Carol Channing, Tim Conway, Tim Daly, Phyllis Diller, George Foreman, Terry Fator, Charles Fazzino, Neil Gaiman, Paul Michael Glaser, Seth Green, Melissa Joan Hart, Florence Henderson, Stephen Hillenburg, Sugar Ray Leonard, Téa Leoni, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Joshua Malina, Howie Mandel, Frank Marino, Elizabeth Mitchell, Cory Monteith, Kevin Nealon, Amanda Palmer, Jodi Picoult, Amy Poehler, Alan Rachins, Doris Roberts, Eric Roberts, Mark Ryden, Ronnie Schell, Martin Sheen, Sarah Silverman, Roy Thinnes, Carrie Underwood, Sela Ward, plus many others. All have contributed a piece of their own creativity to help support NF, Inc. and their 4th annual Doodle Auction.

Beginning Thursday, May 13, the celebrity Doodles will be auctioned on eBay. Over the past three years, this fundraiser has generated over $45,000 to benefit NF, Inc., a national non-profit organization dedicated to serving families affected by Neurofibromatosis. One of our most popular doodles was drawn by then-Senator Barack Obama for our inaugural auction in 2007. It fetched $2,075!

Neurofibromatosis, or NF for short, is an unpredictable disease that causes tumors to form on the nerves of your body. Depending on their location, these tumors can cause disfigurement, dysfunction, deafness or blindness. In the wrong place they can be fatal. NF can also cause learning disabilities, seizures, bone deformity and cancer. Currently, 100,000 Americans have NF; worldwide, 115 babies are born each day with this same genetic disorder.

NF is more common than Cystic Fibrosis, Muscular Dystrophy and Huntington’s Disease combined. Half the children born with it have no family history of NF. Despite the many researchers studying this devastating condition, there is still no cure, and treatments are largely inadequate.

For more information about National Doodle Day, go to www.doodledayusa.org.

To learn more about NF, please visit www.nfinc.org.

Mitch Pileggi Fundraiser

I am a horrible, horrible slacker. I haven't written for weeks. Basically, I've been ranting to myself rather than ranting to the world at large. It's fairly comical actually. If you watch closely enough, you can see me arguing with myself. So, I anticipate being locked up any time now.

But before that happens, I feel the need to share some info with the Mitch Pileggi fans who might be in the greater Los Angeles area this weekend (specifically, October 3 at 2:00pm).

You're intrigued now, aren't you? If not, I promise to start publicly complaining again really soon. If so, keep reading.

===


Join Actor Mitch Pileggi for Simi Valley Fundraiser

Join actor Mitch Pileggi (The X-Files, Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy) on Saturday, October 3, 2009 at PC’s Bar & Grill for a gathering of family, friends and supporters for a fundraiser to benefit Judi Ward in her battle against Leiomyosarcoma.


PC’s Bar & Grill in Simi Valley plays host to a gathering of family, friends and supporters to benefit Judi Ward in her battle against Leiomyosarcoma (“LMS”). Judi has been diagnosed with this very rare form of cancer – LMS affects 4 out of a million people. Last year, she was laid off from her job and no longer has health insurance. Event organizers hope the afternoon’s celebrations will help defray the costs of treating this aggressive disease.

While the cause is serious, the event will be a fun, relaxed affair complete with prizes, gifts and a raffle of memorabilia from Mitch Pileggi’s (The X-Files, Supernatural, Sons of Anarchy) television work. Come on down and meet Mitch, have some fun, raise awareness of this disease and help support this fabulous woman.

Can’t attend the event but still want to help? Judi’s family has set up a donation website just for this purpose: http://judiwardlmsfundraiser.yolasite.com/

Event Details:

Date: 10/3/2009
Time: 2:00pm
Where: PC’s Bar & Grill, 4250 Los Angeles Ave., Simi Valley, CA 93063

For additional details, please contact Jennifer Johnson at jenjohnson@onestopds.com

For more information on the disease, please visit: http://www.lmsdr.org/whatislms.php or http://www.leiomyosarcoma.info/

Trick or Treat

When I was a little kid, I didn't know about the fight to stop child trafficking. I loved to read, so the idea that there were kids in my country who didn't have access to books or education generally, didn't occur to me as a possibility. When I was younger, I didn't know that there would be an appeal to save women and children from the fighting in Yemen—truth be told, I doubt I knew what Yemen was at 8. And I thank God that I didn't know what rape was, nor about an ongoing campaign to protect children from ever having to find out what it is.

I didn't know any of these things, but I did know that there was an organization out there that helped children all around the world—and that meant I wanted to help UNICEF, too. So, my painfully earnest self grabbed my little cardboard box and trick-or-treated for UNICEF. My collections never amounted to much; probably not more than $20 even in really industrious years. But $20 in change to a 7 year old, at least back then, looked like a fortune.

I'll admit, as I grew older, my focus changed, monies went elsewhere, and unless there was a natural disaster somewhere I wouldn't give UNICEF much of a thought. Imagine my surprise when I once again ran into UNICEF in the hands of my muse, David Duchovny. If that's not synergy, what is?

The IBG charity group has worked periodically with team Duchovny in support of their fundraising efforts. As is the custom, IBG asked if there was a particular charity David would like to be the focus of an awareness campaign as a thank you for his support. David chose UNICEF.

With that in mind, IBG is raising money for UNICEF during the month of September. You can donate via paypal here: http://www.ibginc.org/events

If you were once a supporter and fell off the bandwagon like I did, think about dropping in a donation for the campaign. If you've never donated a dime to the fund, but think that you'd like to help now, go for it! No amount is too small.

Want to know what the bonus is? If you are a fan of David Duchovny, IBG is giving donors an opportunity to send David a note. It doesn't have to be about UNICEF. If you love Californication, and want him to know it, send a note along with your donation. Always a big X-Files fan? Drop in your donation, and let him know. Notes can be included with your donation in the "notes" section on your paypal donation. Or you can send your note to: admin@ibginc.org with "Donation to UNICEF/Note" in the subject and attach your donation receipt. Please keep in mind that all notes will be reviewed, and he will not be told what your donation is (unless you include it in your note). Also, you aren't required to send him a note if you just want to submit a donation. Donations for US taxpayers are tax deductible.

And yes, I am making a small donation. I haven't dressed for Halloween in a very long time, and I'm pretty sure I never did it in September. But this year, I'll be channeling my inner child and sending a treat to UNICEF. The only question is whether or not my note will start with "Dear Mr. Duchovny", "Dear David", or "Dear Late Night Inspiration". Ok, fine. I'd never be that bold even in print. But I'll be thinking it.

I’m Not Sure That’s What Fate Meant

That fate thing has a wicked sense of humor. When I pulled out items from the grab bag of fate, I was happy to have a mission, but expressed a bit of disappointment. I had planned for these to be huge, life-changing action plans, but what I got were things that I had probably planned on doing anyway. Little did I know that while not dramatically life-changing yet, the items have started to take on lives of their own.

Take this one: Attend Charity Events and Actually Converse with Strangers at Event. Sounds simple, right? I’m a giver. My one big skill in life is writing checks. I’m not a poet or a song writer, but give me a checkbook, and I can make it sing. I do also attend charity events, but I sit in the back, and if there are strangers around, I hide behind a well-placed plant.

But fate has a sense of humor, and I’m not sure exactly how I’m going to hide at this one.

I’ve gotten involved with a great group of ladies who are actual “doers”—and no, get your heads out of the gutter right now, that’s not what I mean! I mean, that when they have an idea, they make it happen. That’s a pretty rare skill. I meet a lot of people who have good ideas, and then never pursue them (including me). I meet a lot of people who say they are going to do something, and then they disappear. But these ladies—these ladies mean business. And there is no way I’m going to be able to hide from strangers.

What is the event?

THE "INSPIRED BY GILLIAN" TEAM PROUDLY ANNOUNCES SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCES BY THE X-FILES' EXEC. PROD. & WRITER FRANK SPOTNITZ AND DIRECTOR ROB BOWMAN!!

MR. SPOTNITZ AND MR. BOWMAN WILL ENGAGE ATTENDEES IN A 30 MIN. Q&A AT THE SCREENING EVENT, MODERATED BY TV GUIDE'S ERIN FOX!!

Please join the "Inspired By" Gillian" team, in association with 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, for The X-Files double-feature charity screening extravaganza!! In order to celebrate the release of The X-Files: I Want To Believe and on DVD/Blu-Ray and to honour Gillian Anderson's talent and philanthropy, we will be holding a fundraiser screening of FIGHT THE FUTURE and I WANT TO BELIEVE back-to-back!!

This is a charity event being held to solely benefit the organisation Neurofibromatosis, Inc. 100% of the proceeds from the screening will be sent in Ms. Anderson's name on behalf of Philes worldwide.

WHEN -&- WHERE
Time:
Saturday, December 6, 2008 from 2:30pm - 7:30pm

Location: Regency Fairfax Theatre
Street: 7907 Beverly Blvd.
City/Town: Los Angeles, CA

CONTACT
INFO.xfscreeningevent@inspiredbygillian.com
TICKETS: Tickets are on sale now at $50 per person and include:
*Q&A with Frank Spotnitz and Rob Bowman moderated by TV Guide’s Erin Fox
*screening of Fight The Future
*screening of I Want To Believe
*popcorn and soda
*commemorative programme
*a brief speech from a representative from Neurofibromatosis, Inc., who will also be on hand to distribute information and answer any questions.
*your name and brief note included in the letter and event scrapbook being sent to Ms. Anderson.

I can’t even begin to tell you how all of this happened. I’m not sure any of us anticipated how incredibly generous Gillian Anderson was going to be. I’m not sure any of us anticipated how available and generous Frank Spotnitz and Rob Bowman were going to be. I’m positive no one saw Fox Home Entertainment giving us a call.

Hollywood tends to get a bad rap. The image is of a place that is pretty selfish or at least entirely self-serving, and not particularly interested in the “nobody”. But, knock on wood, all we’ve encountered so far are extremely helpful, interested people—and that’s all the way down the line from assistants to managers to business partners to the studio to the “creatives” themselves.

I think you should all come out for the event!! But if you can’t come out to see me potentially pass out when forced to speak to strangers (an event, in and of itself that should not be missed), but you are interested in helping out the charity, there are a couple of ways you can do that, too:

http://allthings.inspiredbygillian.com/xfmoviesscreening

MILES ADRIFT, INCHES APART
Can't make it to the event? Purchase the
long-distance package for $20 which includes:
*information from Neurofibromatosis, Inc.
*one commemorative event programme
*your name and brief note included in the letter and event scrapbook being sent to Ms. Anderson.

And if that’s not your thing, how about an auction of memorabilia?

http://allthings.inspiredbygillian.com/auction

All proceeds will go to NF, Inc. in tandem with the screening event, on behalf of Philes worldwide in honour of Gillian Anderson.

We are very excited to have nine signed photos from Gillian Anderson available for auction. The first wave will commence on Friday, November 14th, 2008. The photos will be available for bidding three at a time, along with beautiful I Want To Believe trading card sets donated by the lovely Jacqueline Lopez, a friend and fellow Phile.

We will be adding more items each week.

Please keep checking back frequently for auction news and updates!!

***
currently available for this wave of bidding

Gillian Anderson signed editorial shot: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170279341153

Gillian Anderson signed promo photo for The X-Files: Fight the Future:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170279340431

Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny dual-autographed promo photo from The
X-Files: I Want to Believe:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170279338877

I hope to see you guys at the event. And if not at the event, I hope to see you jumping into the bidding fray.

Also, if you could pray that I don’t have a complete panic attack between now and then, that would be great, too.

Deep breath in… deep breath out…deep breath in… deep breath out…

Kate

A Dinner Dare

Please enjoy the following excerpt of a conversation I had with my male friend, O, about bidding on a charity auction to have dinner with David Duchovny and Nick Lea (it’s loosely reconstructed, but you’ll get the idea).

O: “$4,000 for dinner? “

K: “Yes. But it’s for charity.”

O: “$4,000 for dinner??????”

K: “Yes.”

O: “But, you’d rather be tortured than go to dinner.”

K: “True.”

O: “You’d spend $4,000 to be tortured?”

K: “Uh…”

O: “Is someone naked?”

K: “Excuse me?”

O: “Is someone naked? As in, are you eating dinner off of someone?”

K: “Um, I don’t think David or Nick have added that to the description of the evening’s activities.”

O: “Do they expect to be eating stuff off of you?”

K: “What kind of restaurants do you go to?”

O: “$4,000 for dinner?”

K: “It’s for charity.”


Sigh. It’s very difficult to explain the temptation to other people who are actually sane, and who don’t actually face the reality of this particular enticement.

The conversation started with a simple question: what would you pay to win an auction for dinner with someone you admire (or desire)? For me, the limit appears to be $4,000. It’s probably actually much less, but $4,000 is the top of what I could justify for curiosity masked by the guise of charitable giving. It’s also the rough amount of my refund, so it’s not something that I would miss. O never did give a number for how much he’d be willing to spend on Jessica Alba (or would have spent before the engagement and pregnancy aspects arrived).

I’m curious what your number would be? If David Boreanaz, or George Clooney, or Alex O’Loughlin, or [fill in the blank here with your most appropriate distraction] were up on the block for dinner (wait, why does that sound like you are actually eating them? Yeah, that’s not right. Also, gutter minds, I can see you) what would you spend?

Oh, and before you ask, no, I haven’t bid on the auction. Why? Please let me illustrate with this handy equation:

Dinner + Stress + Night = Disaster!

There was a small problem with the eBay auction, and they had to re-list, but the high bid before that happened was in the neighborhood of $3,000, so it was within my “drop-dead-and-hide-my-face-with-shame” bidding range. But I haven’t done it. I just can’t. I seriously don’t think I’d ever live through it.

If you know me, you know that dinner is not something I enjoy doing normally, particularly on someone else’s schedule. Dinner at 4pm is a lot more palatable (pun intended) than dinner at 8pm. My body just finds food after a certain hour unacceptable even under the best of circumstances, and my life of early wake up calls has left for even less wiggle room. I mean, Wolfgang Puck catered the Leatherheads after party, and I still didn’t eat (Chloe said the food was beyond wonderful). Dinner has the potential for physical complications, so I avoid it. Bidding a lot of money on dinner seems vaguely suicidal.

Did I mention that dinner combined with stress is rarely a winning combination for me? There is more than one reason that I fear a return to dating. First dates are stressful—except for the handful of you (like the Ex) who find getting to know new people “exhilarating”. Sure, it’s exhilarating—much like being thrown off a bridge without the benefit of crash mats below, or the limited comfort of a bungee cord. If you thought my clothing dramas were bad when trying to figure out what to wear to Leatherheads (an event that was essentially watching a movie in the dark if you forget the party portion), can you imagine what I would go through in order to dress myself for something like this? Hell, I’d spend another $4,000 on possible wardrobe options alone.

Also, dating should never involve food—at least not in the early stages. Even if you love to eat and don’t risk the possibility of violently re-introducing your dinner to your date, you do risk the threat of embarrassing yourself. Who wants to embrace spaghetti on a first date? The sauce alone is a high-wire act. Ever start carving into your nice, juicy steak only to find out that your new date is a vegetarian and can barely conceal his horror?

Yes, I realize that I wouldn’t be buying a “date” with David and Nick. First off, I don’t love the idea of dating two men at once in general terms—I certainly wouldn’t be comfortable with the literal sense. Second, even in my most hazy star-filled dreams, I don’t play those reindeer games with men who are married, or are in committed relationships. Also, I’m pretty sure paying for a date is edging closer and closer to the whole “prostitution” thing which is rarely linked to charity (although now that I think about it, I bet the charity would end up with a lot of money that way). Lastly, men don’t look at me for any reason, so even if these two men were single, reality would never be that kind.

I know what you are thinking, “if you hate the idea and don’t think you’ll live through it, why do you keep checking the auction site?”

Well, it’s not like I don’t appreciate every opportunity to beat myself over the head with the possibilities. It’s only the very real chance of having to finish the event in the hospital that keeps me from clicking on that “bid now” button.

DM did bring up an interesting point: if I could live through this kind of evening then actual dating won’t be nearly as painful. That’s a hard one to argue. I could look at this as extreme practice dating. We’d have the painful elements of dating, night, inferiority complex and stress, but without the other issues like having to return a phone call, or the threat of ever seeing the date again.

I know, I know—you well-adjusted types are yelling “how do you know this would be a bad thing?” or “this could be a great opportunity to network, increasing the chances of working with these guys someday”. To all of you, I just shake my head and laugh. No amount of daily affirmations ending in “and darn it, people like me” is going to erase a few decades of ineptitude when it comes to relating to men.

Regret? Now, that could be a winner. I’m looking at a mental scale with all the dangers associated with this type of reckless hopefulness on one side and the prospect of regretting inaction on the other. And right now, they are dead even.

What would you do?

Bid early, bid often: http://search.ebay.ca/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZ123Q5fgoodQ5fthings


Kate

http://www.cafepress.com/katedating
katedating@yahoo.com
http://katedating.blogspot.com/

For a Good Cause

If I could figure out how to link directly to the relevant page, I would. But I'm technically moronic, so that's not happening. Instead, I will paste in this letter from Nick Lea (aka The X-Files Krycek and hottest religious figure (on Men in Trees) since Father Ralph in The Thorn Birds) and tell you to check out his site for more details.

As an aside, I will now be contemplating how to crack open my piggy bank for this auction. Plus, I seem to recall the government say that there is totally no tax penalty for accessing your 401k early for important things like dinner with David Duchovny and Nick Lea. No, really. I'm 99% sure that's in the literature. Would I lie to you? Of course I would, but this time I'm really pretty sure.

=====
http://www.nicklea.com/index.htm

A Letter From Nick

Hi Everyone!

Myself and some other friends have a very close compadre that is suffering through a life threatening bout of cancer. She was diagnosed with breast cancer 2 years ago and it has now spread to her liver. Our friend Babz Chula is a widely unique and wonderful person. She is a highly respected and talented actor. She has a heart the size of Texas.

She has chosen a particular course of treatment that is not covered by our medical system in Canada and we, her community, have gathered in an attempt to help her through a very scary part of her life. To this end we have organized a number of fund raising events to help cover the cost of this very expensive undertaking.

Beginning on April 2nd 2008 people will be able to bid online for dinners with some of their fan faves from in front and behind the camera. David Duchovny and I will be available for dinner with the person who wins the bid. Chris Chris Carter is also up for grabs. I've put up some of my favorite articles of clothing from the X Files, etc. There is a complete list of actors available for dinner bids as well as other great memorabilia.

This is something that we are behind passionately. Babz is a close friend. She needs our help now. I ask you as a favor to not only take a good look at the website but to also consider a manageable donation or if the spirit moves you to bid on a dinner with David D. and I and others.

It should be fun.

Thank you so much for ALL your support. Thank you for your kindness. Please spread the word as far and wide as you can. Babz is a stranger to you all but believe me when I tell you that this is a worthy cause. You can find out all you need to know at babzchulasociety.org.

Thank you. Lots of love. See you at dinner.

Nick
===

Auction is now live at: http://search.ebay.ca/_W0QQfgtpZ1QQfrppZ25QQsassZ123Q5fgoodQ5fthings