Can you spare $5.00 a month to save a child?

You probably get requests in the mail for donations for various charities, and you probably throw a lot of them, if not all, away.  Please allow me to tell you the importance of just $5.00 a month toward these great healers for hope.

Hopefully, you have never heard these words.  "Your child has cancer," or "We've done all we can."  Never let an announcement like these tear you down.  There is help you can turn to.

For Cancer, St. Jude's Children's hospital in Memphis, Tennessee will take your child and develop a recovery plan specific to his/her needs and, at no charge to the child or parents.  All treatment, no matter how long it takes, will be free of charge.  So how can this hospital operate without funding?  It all starts with you.  You may think $5.00 a month won't even cover a fresh sheet on the hospital bed, but you're wrong.  Your $5.00 along with thousands of other $5.00 donations help run the very successful St. Jude hospital, plus there are major contributors who send a very healthy check every month or annually to keep this hospital afloat. 

The Shriner's hospital for children takes patients who have spinal issues, and a variety of other problems.  They have no fee either and operate under the same conditions as St. Jude.

For animals in shelter care at ASPCA, your donation to them goes a long way for food, medical help and advertising for a forever home.

So what I want you to think about is putting up an automatic $5.00 donation to one or all three of these institutions who desperately need your contributions.  This is what I do.  I don't even think about the $15.00 I have going out of my bank account each month.  I think about what my contribution and those of other people can do to help others in crisis.

It's a great feeling when I see my donations go out each month.  I know I'm doing my part in helping three groups who are there for YOU when you need them.  Remember, these donations are tax deductible.

 stjude.org - Donate to St. Jude - Help St. Jude End Childhood Cancer‎
Shriners Hospitals - We Provide Care Beyond Cost‎
aspca.org - Support the ASPCA - Help Animals in Need Today‎

What a Joy Kindergarten is

Over the past twenty five years I have taught adult classes in city colleges, Annex groups and Libraries.  As a substitute teacher I am teaching Kindergarden to twelfth grade high school students.  Most everything I teach is drafted out for me by the permanent teacher, so even if I don't know the subject, the instructions will tell me to watch a video, then talk or write about it, or maybe the regular teacher has games, reading or writing to do in class.  Because I have lived many years, I know all the subjects of the classes I'm teaching - all except one.

As I entered my classroom last Friday and read the description of the class on the white board, I was stumped.  "Drones" are the new way to communicate, dictate and do what humans usually do.  We discussed how Drones can transfer messages to let farmers know their soil needs more water or how important it is to "feed" it now.  Wow.  I'm learning something that my grandson told me has been around for a while.  This class was interesting because I was learning something too. Even though the only thing I had to do in that class was to take roll and let each student describe in their own words what a Drone is capable of doing in the future, I was taking notes.

During my tenure as a sub, starting in 2016, I have taught grades 4 through 12 and I will say that some of the kids can be very testy, but tolerable.  I had heard if I teach a Kindergarten or 1st grade that all I will be doing is watching them play with toy stoves, pots and pans, monitor lunch and get them ready for dismissal.  Boy, was that wrong information.  First, I love Kindergarten because they still love whoever is teaching them, but they aren't in toy heaven at all.  Here's how it went for me with my first day with Kindergarten.

Arrival time 12 noon.  Take them to lunch until 12:30.
12:40 - Computer room until 1:20
1:30 - Language Arts until 2:20
2:30 - Math and beginning writing until 3:15 (snack time too)
3:15 - Put paperwork away, clean up around desk, get back packs and get in line to go home.
3:30 - Dismissal

Oh the busy life of Kindergarten. I love it though.

Angelina Joli is a terrible example of a mother

I said I wasn't going to talk about "AJ" but I can't resist.  I get so angry when I read what she's saying about her husband Brad Pitt that I have to enter my comments.

As we all know, AJ is a gifted actress and Director, but she has made the biggest mistake of her life announcing her husband, Pitt, is an unfit Father.  This comment brought in the Children's Services, a County Government agency and so much unnecessary publication.  Of course she loves to be on the cover of magazines and willingly gives a story to anyone who wants it.  What she said will haunt Pitt for years to come.  Imagine Pitt having to be with a social worker when he visits any of his children.  Shame on you AJ.  This kind of a statement will create much havoc.

AJ doesn't have a plan for any of her children.  They can stay up as late as they want, eat whatever they want and have whatever they want.  Brad grew up with a family who had home rules, boundaries and great love.

My genuine liking of Angelina Joli is down the drain.  And, I never liked the way she treated her Father, (Voit) - to brand Pitt with child endangerment is just unthinkable.

September 24, 2016

WOW!  I've been out of touch for a while.  No, I'm not going to talk about Brangelina.  Actually, I thought they would last forever, but there are still many surprises in Hollywood. 

Secondly, I read where Aniston and Theroux may be having some problems.  This I am not shocked at.  As much as I love Jennifer in Friends and the movies she's done with Jason Bateman and Adam Sandler, she is the Queen in her marriage and I'm sure the dictator.  I didn't think her marriage the second time would last more than four years and that was really stretching it.  I think Justin has great screen presence.  Wish I took HBO.

My main point today is I wish everyone who is married, or thinking of getting married, will be living their lives harmoniously until their lives end.  I wish I could say that for my own 8 failed marriages.  I know now why they failed and to be honest, I couldn't have saved any of them.  I am not disciplined enough to do what I know makes a happy marriage.  Example:  #8 asked me to move my recliner next to him so we could hold hands watching TV.  Simple request for a five foot move, but I was stubborn because I had my own little area with all my personal stuff and it would have been inconvenient for me to make the move.  A silly error on my part for such a simple request.  Since there won't be a next time I don't have to practice what I preach.

For more information on my show business life, partners and husbands, please read my book "You Can't Marry Them All" and other Hollywood Stories.  In libraries now.  Also at Barnes & Noble, Amazon and other book distributors.  It's "R" rated, not for children.  You can also find it in Ebooks.

Til next time....

Melisssa McCarthy's Journey

Melissa McCarthy's weight loss of nearly 70 pounds and still counting is remarkable for it is one of the most difficult tasks today - dieting.

She has proven that she can stick to a low calorie diet and take the weight off slowly, however, let's take a look at her TV credits.  For 6 or 7 years she was on Gilmore Girls as a cook, moving over two yeaars later to Mike and Molly for another 7 years.  During her tenure on the second series she did some movies.  Tammy was written by her husband and herself and was very funny.  The Heat with Sandra Bullock was OK.  She played the same character as she did in Tammy.  The movie with Jason Bateman - she stole his credit information and together they brought the film into some laughs.  But...with McCarthy losing weight, what will she be funny for?

The main reason people laughed at her antics was because she was so grossly overweight her pranks, falling down, tripping on things created laughter.  Now that she's slimming down, her dialogue is what's going to make people laugh, not the pranks she has done in the past because it won't look right for a normal size person (which she isn't even close to yet) to be falling down or falling out windows.

Lucille Ball found her niche without falling down, but by doing tricks and pranks standing up with head gear, coats and other schtick that made her famous.

I am curious to see what movies McCarthy will do as a thinner person as her regular personality isn't that remarkable.  She's not a Lucille Ball or Barbra Streisand who do comedy very well.  Actually, Streisand can do anything.  She has screen presence and ability to do comedy or drama.

The one to watch out for is the black performer in Ghost Busters 2.  I haven't seen the movie, but reviews say she out performs McCarthy and the other two.

Jennifer Aniston in Cake

I have been a fan of Jennifer Aniston since Friends, as I also have been with every other cast member of that series.  I have not only seen all movies Jen has been in, I own most of them.  The only one I hadn't seen was the one where she was disappointed she didn't get nominated Best Actres for.  "CAKE."

I am confident in my summation as to why she was not nominated.  She is a better Rom-Com actress, and the movies that have been hits for her included her co-star and what the movie was about.  It has never really been about her with the exception of Cake which I was disappointed in and here's why.
In the first ten minutes of the movie I was bored.  There was nothing that made me want to see the next ten minutes.  Her character never changed through the movie except in two scenes where she did show some varied emotion, the rest of the film was monotone and very boring, infact so boring I had to move the film forward on three occasions.

Aniston needs to do a movie where "she" is what the story is about.  That has never been the case, but I will say her dramatic film that she was excellent in was "Derailed," with Clive Owen.  She was not only good in it, she was dynamic in it.  She should have been recognized for it.

Cake has the worst storyline.  It reverts back again and again never really bringing the plot or ending where it should be.  The ending is blunt where she moves from lying down in the car to sitting straight up.  That's it.  No follow-up, what she was ill from, how pills affected her and who she was.
I would say this is the worst film I have ever seen, with one exception.  The Hispanic maid should have been nominated for something.  She was fantastic. 

My Pilot is ready for production

20 years ago I wrote a Pilot called "Hatcher's Way," then changed it to "The D.P.O.'s".  Deputy Probation Officers.  I worked at San Diego County probation department and saw many stories that I have brought to life in this series, without citing any names. 

I originally wrote it with Billie Dee Williams as the leading character, and he would have been perfect at age 60, but now at almost 80 I doubt he would be interested.  I have been looking at other black actors in their 50's to 60's but there are few, but of course it only takes one.

I have had interest from one of the networks 20 years ago, so I feel confident I will get this project produced this year or the beginning of next.

If you know of a black actor in the age range of today's needs, please contact me at mslindaroberts@yahoo.com.