Remembering 9/11 and a Happy Birthday to Dickie Moore! The Kinsey Sicks...and more!

"Hope, like faith, is nothing if is not contagious; it is nothing if not ridiculous."
-Thornton Wilder, American playwright (1897-1975)



Hello, Everybody!

It is so good to be back! And it's a full moon to boot! I'm ready to howl!
I had a wonderful time away for the past 11 days, but as the saying goes, There's no place like home! I had every intention of writing my daily blog on the road but the wi-fi service both in Oklahoma City and Malibu was precarious at best so I gave up on that idea.

It also gave me a chance to recharge my batteries and give you a break from me. I hope the old adage holds true, Absence makes the heart grow fonder! I've certainly missed all of you!
First of all, ALL of my traveling was a breeze...no issues coming or going! And all of my shows were successful, thank God!

But I have to say how blessed we are in New York AND California that these are essentially smoke free states. It seems as if EVERYONE smokes in Oklahoma City. I requested that I get a smoke free room in the hotel (which I got) but it became an issue when I requested that my show be smoke free (which I got eventually) as well. I arrived on Friday, September 1st, and went immediately into rehearsal for the show the next night. When I got to the hotel, people were smoking EVERYWHERE. I went into my room and stayed there until my rehearsal the next day in the club room that I was performing in.
Even though my show was smoke free, the smoke is in the carpets, the drapes, everywhere. As soon as the air started circulating (and it was 105 degrees outside!), I thought I was going to choke to death! One of the waiters was smoking as he was setting up; I asked him very politely to refrain from smoking and he snapped back, "One cigarette is not going to kill you", took a deep puff and blew the smoke in my direction! So much for a guest in his venue! After words, I went back to my room and stayed there till show time.
I even got dressed in my hotel room. The show was a huge success with a great audience. I left EARLY the next morning for Malibu! What a great time there. Decompressing, relaxing, and deep reflection. This was my 9th year there and I was told by the organizers of the event that I have a lifetime invitation to attend every year whether I perform or not.
I hosted two talent shows as Richard and performed my Carol Channing show Friday night.
All successful with GREAT audiences.
I have always said that I am only as good as my audience and I truly believe that.
Having not performed, for the most part, since February, this trip was very cathartic. Thanks to ALL involved for making this trip so wonderful!
Yesterday, I had huge trepidation about flying on the 10th anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11/01. Thank God, there were no issues here. Although Afghanistan had a terrorist situation yesterday. We are reminded daily how precious LIFE is. I flew JetBlue yesterday.
Almost every channel was covering 9/11.
I cried from Los Angeles to New York.
My eyes are red and puffy today.
Know I love you all and am ready to start a new series of blogs!

This is from my friend, Adrienne Haan

Remembering 9/11:
Today, my heart goes out to all those who lost their lives during 9/11. I usually don't express personal feelings nor do I see the necessity to share political points of views on social networks, but I lived in NYC when it happened and New York is my second home, as you know. From my building we saw the towers go down, saw firemen gather in front of Roosevelt Hospital covered in ...dirt and ashes crying from exhaustion and having lost their friends, we gave blood to people who never needed it. How ironic that during that time I was in rehearsal for "The Passion Play" of all plays and I was working as a waitress at a restaurant on the Upper East Side. Of all restaurants to pick we were the very one which hosted all funerals of one particular Fire Department and I simply can't express my emotions, even 10 years later.
So I am with all of you New Yorkers today, all of you who lost family and friends, my friend Tom who worked on Wall Street and barely made it out, my ex-neighbor Jeff who worked at One World Trade Center and had a dental appointment that day so never made it to work! He was one of the lucky ones.

Do I still wish the government and president at the time had made different choices afterwards? - You bet!
Nevertheless, all I can say now: United we stand!

From Wikipedia: The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/11 were a series of four coordinated suicide attacks upon the United States in New York City and the Washington, D.C., area on September 11, 2001. On that Tuesday morning, 19 terrorists from the Islamist militant group al-Qaeda hijacked four passenger jets. The hijackers intentionally crashed two planes, American Airlines Flight 11 and United Airlines Flight 175, into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in New York City; both towers collapsed within two hours. Hijackers crashed American Airlines Flight 77 into the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia. The fourth jet, United Airlines Flight 93, crashed into a field near Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after passengers attempted to take control before it could reach the hijacker's intended target in Washington, D.C. Nearly 3,000 died in the attacks.

We will NEVER forget!




On a more positive note...
Today is the 86th birthday of Dickie Moore known mostly for his appearances in the OUR GANG comedies. I have been lucky enough to meet Dickie Moore on more than one occasion. ALWAYS a true gentleman! Happy Birthday, Dickie!
Dickie Moore (born John Richard Moore, Jr.; September 12, 1925) is a former American child actor. Besides appearing in a number of major feature films, he was featured as a regular in the Our Gang series during the 1932–1933 season.
In addition to his Our Gang work, Moore is most remembered for his portrayal of the title character in the 1933 adaptation of Charles Dickens' Oliver Twist and as Marlene Dietrich's son in Blonde Venus (1932).

He is also famous for giving Shirley Temple her first onscreen kiss, in the film Miss Annie Rooney.
He was less successful as a teenage actor and young adult, and he retired from the screen in the early '50s. He went on to teach and write books about acting, edit Equity magazine, perform on Broadway, in stock, and on TV, write and direct for TV, produce an Oscar-nominated short film (The Boy and the Eagle), and produce industrial films.

Winnie Kinsey Sicks in my new Facebook Friend!

If you've never seen The Kinsey Sicks, you have no idea what you are missing! We were booked at The Crown And Anchor at the same time 9 years ago! Wow! Hard to believe it has been that long! They were more than supportive!

Look at the schedule they have! UPCOMING HIGHLIGHTS!
There's lots ahead. So pay attention.
Smith College - Thursday, September 22
The Kinseys return to Smith with their critically acclaimed touring show, Each Hit & I. Showtime is 8 PM at John M. Greene Hall.
This show is open to the public.

Harvard University - Friday, September 23
The Kinseys take reunion weekend by storm with their show, Each Hit & I.

Tampa, FL - Friday, December 2
The Kinseys launch Oy Vey in a Manger at the David A. Straz, Jr. Center for the Performing Arts in Tampa.

Showtime is 7:30 pm. For tickets, visit the Straz Center.

Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Saturday, December 3
The Kinseys return to the Broward Center with two performances of Oy Vey in a Manger, at 6 and 9 pm. For tickets, visit Kinseys at Broward.

Pittsburgh - December 8-11
Four nights of Oy Vey fun on the mainstage at City Theatre, 1300 Bingham St. Get tickets by going to Citystage.

Baltimore - Friday, December 16
Oy Vey in a Manger continues with 2 shows at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson, 3134 Eastern Avenue. Get tickets by going to Creative Alliance.

San Francisco - Saturday, December 17
Oy Vey comes home for the holidays to San Francisco's Herbst Theatre. Tickets already onsale at City Box Office.


New York City - Friday, December 23
Oy Vey comes to the fabulous Highline Ballroom, 431 West 16th at 8 pm. Get tickets at Highline.

Puerto Vallarta - Jan. 11-27, 2012
The Kinseys return to their very first PV home: the inimitable Palm on Olas Altas. Watch this spot for shows, showtimes, ticket info.

And to make sure never to miss them, just sign for their mailing list!

The Kinsey Sicks are continuing to rewrite their past. Go to their website for details, as soon as they've manufactured them.

Watch a Kinsey Sicks music video, like "Bedroom Ants," below.


And now, you can take The Kinsey Sicks home with you!

Are you on Richard Skipper Events? If not, please sign up today on Facebook to get announcements of what I am doing and to get my blog brought to you every day.

And from David Friedman, TWO LITTLE WORDS CAN MAKE ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN YOUR EXPERIENCE

When something is happening that is generating uncomfortable sensations, we must realize that we are not our thoughts and we are not our sensations. We are NOTICING them from a safe place that is unaffected by them.

When we can exchange the thought, “This is happening to me” for “I NOTICE that this is happening; I NOTICE that I’m experiencing this sensation: I NOTICE that I’m having this thought” everything changes.



Today, when something upsetting happens, you’re feeling an uncomfortable sensation or holding a limiting thought, try saying, “I NOTICE that this is happening; I NOTICE this sensation; I NOTICE that I’m holding this thought, and watch what happens.



And have a SENSATIONAL day!

It’s impossible not to.


David Friedman

TheThoughtExchange.com

THE NEW THOUGHT EXCHANGE AUDIOBOOK
The Thought Exchange is now available on audiobook format online. Click Here to order your copy today.

Did you get your copy of The Thought Exchange, by David Friedman?

In this groundbreaking book, The Thought Exchange, Overcoming Our Resistance to Living a Sensational Life, David Friedman takes us on a journey that begins where most of us started and perhaps still are; firmly entrenched in the ambitions, strivings and frustrations of the physical world; and leads us, step by step, discovery by discovery, to this new world, the REAL world, that has always been right here, inside us. In this world, we not only find that we have all that we’ve looking for, but we discover that the “outer” world has no choice but to reflect the contentment, success and peace that we already have, and have always had, inside of ourselves. By opening this book, you are taking a journey that perhaps you have begun many times, only to get lost, frustrated or sidetracked along the way. This book will lead you, in ways you’ve never been led before, to where you’ve always truly wanted to be.
Get your copy today -- click here!

For information about attending a Thought Exchange or Inner Voice Workshop click here Tell David I sent you!

To contact David or to comment, click here

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As usual, when I started this blog today, I had no idea where it would take me!

Thank you for joining me on these nostalgic journeys! I've added a new aspect to my blog.. Every five days, I answer a question on video that YOU send to me. You can ask me ANYTHING and I will answer your question on video within my blog. Send your questions to
Richard@RichardSkipper.com
Next question will be answered Thursday.

"Richard, for supporting the ARTS and calling attention to the STARS of yesterday. You are a STAR in your own right!! With admiration and friendship"
Arlene Dahl

Thank you to all who have encouraged me! Thanks to all who have tried to stifle my art. I have learned from ALL of you!
Here's to an INCREDIBLE day for ALL!


GO SEE A LIVE SHOW TONIGHT

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Tomorrow's blog will be Jason Graae, Jerry Herman, Suzanne LaRusche, and Lucille Ball!

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TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com

Celebrating EXCELLENCE...That is ageless!

"When you pray, rather let your heart be without words than your words without heart."
-John Bunyan (1628-1688)

Happy End of August!
How did that happen!?!?! Well, this summer, for the most part, has come and gone. I didn't get to a beach once this summer. I'm about to make up for that. I'm leaving in the AM for Oklahoma City!
And then off to Malibu till 9/11.

If I have wi-fi on my plane, My blog will be written from Continental Airlines tomorrow morning! Christine Talbott Sutin, you may want to tune in!

And I can't believe that we are hurling towards autumn.

I hope you all are more advanced on some level today than you were on August 1st!

My highlights for August were dinners with friends, seeing Lee Tannen's I LOVED LUCY with my friend Diane Findlay(pictured).

We also experienced an earthquake and Irene this month. If nothing else, August was anything but boring! May September be just as exciting with no natural disasters.

I'm looking forward to 10 days in Malibu! Seeing FOLLIES when I return.

Today, I am writing about excellence in entertainment that is ageless.The first entertainer, I saw only once in concert.
Did you know Carole Cook was the 2nd actress to play Dolly after Carol Channing? Yes! In the Australian company!
The second, I saw her in the original 42nd Street on stage and a couple of other times in events honoring Carol Channing.

She promised me years ago that the next time she was in New York, we would get together for a cheeseburger. I'm still waiting, Carole. The third entertainer, I have NEVER seen live but I'm a big fan of through her cds.

I read in the NY TIMES earlier this week that Tom Jones was recovering in a hospital in Monaco on Sunday and said that "severe dehydration" had forced him to cancel a concert. Well, EVERYONE deserves a rest. I fainted on stage once on an opening night in front of a sold out house because of dehydration. It happens at every age. The bottom line is Mr. Jones is still working and is still at the top of his game.
I saw him several years ago when I was appearing in Atlantic City. We were invited by the head of the entertainment department and I was blown away by his show. A TRUE entertainer in EVERY since of the word. Here is wishing him a speedy recovery and back on the boards as soon as HE is ready!
Sir Thomas John Woodward,

(born 7 June 1940), known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh singer, particularly noted for his powerful voice.

Since the mid 1960s, Jones has sung many styles of popular music – pop, rock, R&B, show tunes, country, dance, techno, soul and gospel– and sold over 100 million records.
When we saw Tom, Whoopi Goldberg was at our table and he devoted this song to her.
Tom Jones was born at 57 Kingsland Terrace, Treforest, Pontypridd in South Wales.
His parents were Thomas Woodward (died 5 October 1981), a coal miner, and Freda Jones (died 7 February 2003).

His family was mainly of English descent, with both of his paternal grandparents being born in England and his maternal grandmother born in Wales to English parents. Most of his ancestral roots appear to lie in Gloucestershire, Wiltshire and Somerset.

Jones began singing at an early age: he would regularly sing at family gatherings, weddings, and in his school choir. Jones is dyslexic and he did not like school or sports; however, he was able to gain confidence through his singing talent.

At age 12, Jones was diagnosed with by tuberculosis. Many years later he said, "I spent two years in bed recovering. It was the worst time of my life." During convalescence, he could do little else but listen to music and draw.

Jones' bluesy singing style developed out of the sound of American soul music. His early influences included blues and R & B greats like Little Richard, Solomon Burke, Jackie Wilson, and Brook Benton. Jerry Lee Lewis’s music also influenced him from a rock and roll perspective.
Woodward contrived the stage name "Tom Jones" to link himself to the image of the title character in Tony Richardson's then-recent hit film and to emphasize his Welsh nationality. Jones became the frontman for Tommy Scott and the Senators, a Welsh beat group, in 1963. They soon gained a local following and reputation in South Wales.
In 1964, Jones recorded several solo tracks with producer Joe Meek, who took them to various labels, but had little success. Later that year, Decca producer Peter Sullivan saw Tommy Scott and The Senators performing in a club and directed them to manager Phil Solomon, but their partnership was short-lived.
Love you Tom Jones! Now on to Carole Cooke!



Look Who Has Her Own Wine!!!Carole Cook has her own wine! Wines being sold to benefit an AIDS organization in San Francisco. $18 a bottle. I'll drink to that. But after one sip, you sound like you are from Abolene, Texas!

Carole Cook has appeared in many theatrical productions, in films and on television.

Born as Mildred Frances Cook, she was a protege of Lucille Ball. Ball gave her the stage name of "Carole", after her friend Carole Lombard because, Ball reportedly told Cook, "you have the same healthy disrespect for everything in general".
Cook appeared regularly on two of her shows, The Lucy Show and Here's Lucy. Ball was matron of honor at Cook's wedding in 1964 to actor Tom Troupe.

Cooke starred in the animated Disney film Home on the Range, as the voice of Pearl Gesner, the farmer of Patch of Heaven. She appeared in such feature films as The Incredible Mr. Limpet, Sixteen Candles, Grandview, U.S.A., American Gigolo and Summer Lovers. Her first film role was in Palm Springs Weekend.
She made guest appearances on such TV shows as The Lucy Show, Here's Lucy, Knight Rider, Magnum, P.I., Murder, She Wrote, Dynasty, Charlie's Angels, on a fourth season 1985 episode of The A-Team called "Members Only", and, more recently, on Grey's Anatomy. In 1974, Cook played Marta, the money-grubbing former wife of Walter Findlay (Bill Macy) on the series Maude. In 1976, she appeared as a bullying nurse in an episode of Emergency! in which Johnny Gage is injured by a hit-and-run driver. In 2006, she appeared as an elderly patient on the ABC drama Grey's Anatomy (episode 14 "Tell Me Sweet Little Lies", season two).
This is a teaser for Saturday's blog! HELLO, CAROLE!



TIERNEY SUTTON HAS A NEW ALBUM!! AMERICAN ROAD DEBUTS SEPT. 6!!

-About The Tierney Sutton Band
The Tierney Sutton Band is currently celebrating its 3rd consecutive Grammy Nomination for "Best Vocal Jazz Album".
During a collaboration that has spanned 17 years, they have also been awarded a JazzWeek Award for Vocalist Of The Year, consecutive nominations for Jazz Journalist Association awards, recorded several #1 Cds on jazz radio, and garnered critical praise throughout the world. Comprised of acclaimed vocalist Tierney Sutton and instrumental virtuosos Christian Jacob, Trey Henry, Kevin Axt and Ray Brinker, the band is an incorporated partnership and a model of both musical and business unity. Members of The Tierney Sutton Band have played and recorded with a diverse array of music legends including Ray Charles, Natalie Cole, Placido Domingo, Bonnie Raitt, James Taylor and countless others, yet the Tierney Sutton Band has demanded and received their commitment for almost 2 decades. They have headlined in recent years at Carnegie Hall, The Hollywood Bowl, The Kennedy Center and Jazz at Lincoln Center and have recorded 8 CDs to increasing recognition and acclaim. The Band's Album "On The Other Side" has been called by BusinessWeek "A Masterpiece ...eloquent, honest and magnificently sung and played." and the band's most recent CD, "Desire", has been described by The Chicago Sun Times as "a conceptual masterpiece."

Critics agree that the reason this band endures is in the music:

"Here and throughout the performance, Ms. Sutton conveyed a sense of jazz singing as an extension of spiritual meditation in which adherence to an ideal of balance and consistency and, yes, humility took precedence over any technical or emotional grandstanding.
Ms. Sutton is a pure jazz spirit who respects a song. Even when going out on an improvisatory limb, she never lets its essence slip away. The singer and her trio with whom she has worked for years - Christian Jacob on piano, Kevin Axt on bass and Ray Brinker on drums - have refined the kind of rapport that could only be achieved over time. Her deep, lingering renditions of chestnuts like "Blue Skies" and "Without a Song" are especially impressive for the sense of quiet joy she breathes into them."
-THE NEW YORK TIMES

Thank you ALL who contributed to this blog!

Tom Jones, Carole Cooke, and Tierney Sutton, thank you both for the gifts you have given me over the years!


To read more, Go to WIKIPEDIA, A Main Source of this blog!

Thank you for joining me on these nostalgic journeys! Remember, every five days, I'm going to answer a question on video that YOU send to me. You can ask me ANYTHING and I will answer your question on video within my blog. Send your questions to Richard@RichardSkipper.com Next question will be answered on September 5th from Malibu!



Here's to an INCREDIBLE September for ALL!


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Tomorrow's blog will be SONGS ABOUT THE RAIN...suggested by Christine Talbott Sutin! Tune in!!

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TILL TOMORROW...HERE'S TO AN ARTS FILLED WEEK!
Richard Skipper, Richard@RichardSkipper.com