(Daughter Eileen, Wife Amy and Oakland Co. Sherriff Michael Bouchard)

Last night we got together to raise money to help The O’Rourke Family, who lost their Dad/Husband, Sgt. Patrick O’Rourke who was killed on a domestic police call in W. Bloomfield a while back. At least that’s what what I thought we were doing...raising funds for a family in need. But it is clear to me now that it was so much more than a fundraiser. It was an example of how people in our hometown connect on the most basic, sincere, and personal level when some of us are hurting.

“Love is not patronizing and charity isn’t about pity, it is about love. Charity and love are the same — with charity you give love, so don’t just give money but reach out your hand instead.”
― Mother Teresa

When I think about the event last night at THE STAND Bistro in Birmingham last night, and review the pictures for this blog, It’s clear to me that this wasn’t just about money…it was about Love.

                    (Some of Birmingham’s Finest…Happy to support a Fallen Brother’s Family.)

Lots of folks came out despite the chilly night, to have a drink served up by our celebrity bartenders. Our sincere thanks to our Media friends and family. All of them had worked a long, hard week and most had been up since before dawn. But with big smiles and warm hearts, they gave a lot of love.

(WNIC/Fox2’s Jay Towers and Ch7’s Any Prakash making cocktails)

WNIC’s Kam Carman, Mr & Mrs. Chris Edwards and Anu Prakash from Ch7

Rae and Kathy, our FAVorite members of The Magic Family, with Kam and Lynn Harper from The Wow Factory.

Ch7’s Chris Edwards and me. Chris is one of the most gracious, humble and generous guys on TV.

Two VERY manly-men…never far from the bar. Fox2’s Jason Carr and Mike Bradley.

Our great friend, WCSX Morning Man, Jim O’Brien who has already done a lot of work to raise money for The O’Rourkes, right after Patrick’s “watch ended”. Jim got the party started when he took the mic and stayed until the evening was over.

 

 

Our Good Friend Eric Gorges, Host of PBS-Detroit’s “A Craftsmen’s Legacy” with Amy and Eileen O’Rourke.

Fox2 Giants, Jay Towers, Deena Centofanti and Jason Carr.

Our Good Friends Dr. John and Allison Pappas who kicked off the donations with a very generous amount. That got the money flowing!

Talk about a “small world”, Amy O’Rourke took care of Kam’s babies in the NICU at Beaumont when they were born. The is the first time they’ve seen each other since.

Fox 2’s Deena and Jay are always willing to help out a worthy cause and are  so warm and friendly to everyone.

Yes…there were babes there. Our friend Nicole and her “posse” lit up the room when they arrived. Pictured here with Lynn.

There is no sense of “TV competition” when it comes to helping folks out. Fox 2’s Jason Carr and Ch7’s Anu Prakash.

The fact that the night made Amy O’Rourke smile was all I needed to see.

(John Kelly your Host and Owner “The Stand” Bistro, Sherriff Bouchard, Jim Harper)

Thank You, Everyone who came out last night. Now tonight, we’ve got a four-course dinner at The Stand and tickets are still available! Snow or not, call 248-220-4237 for reservations. I can think of no better place to be snowed-in than The Stand Bistro, Maple & Woodward in Birmingham. Tickets are $80, $100 with a wine paring. There will be some cool auctions and all the proceeds go to The O’Rourke Family.

Hope to see you there tonight!

Tonight’s the night! People from all over will be coming to The Stand Restaurant at Woodward and Maple for “Back The Blue-Night”. A fundraiser to help out the family of West Bloomfield Police Officer Patrick O’Rourke who was killed tragically a few years ago while on a domestic dispute call. Patrick left behind a wonderful, beautiful wife and four kids. Many of us understand how overwhelming this kind of loss is, and we support our local Police and Fire for running this risk every day the go on the job. There is no admission charge for tonight! But proceeds from your drinks and food and the tips you donate at the bar will all go The O’Rourkes in time for Christmas. When my wife Lynn and I reached out to Detroit’s Radio & TV celebrities to help by tending bar and hanging out, the response was great. So much so, that I don’t think there’s ever been a collection of stars this big in one place in Metro Detroit in a long time. Everyone I asked said “yes”, unless they were working tonight or helping out another good cause…because they all do that more often than you’d know. So here’s the list so far…

Channel 7’s Anu Prakash has been VERY helpful plugging this event since the beginning.

Ch 7’s Chris Edwards, who despite recovering from leg surgery was quick to hop on board.

Fox 2’s Deena Centofanti, a long time morning show favorite who always finds the time to help out another Mom like Amy O’Rourke.

Our Buddy Eric Gorges, who is the host of the PBS-Detroit hit TV show, “A Craftsman’s Legacy”. Eric’s a big guy with a bigger heart.

Movie Show Plus/WDIV Hollywood Reporter, Greg Russell who just last week spent the day with Julia Roberts. If you want to know about The Stars, ask Greg!

Detroit’s OWN version of Brad and Angelina, Taryn Asher and Jason Carr from Fox2. (these two need their own TV or Radio show)

Longtime Detroit Radio Legend and the best voice on any airwaves, Jim Johnson from WOMC.

WCSX’s Morning Host and the guy who can always make me laugh when I’m not suppose to, Jim O’Brien. God is he funny.

Keenan Smith, Ch7 Meteorologist was one of the first to sign up. Please limit your questions about this weekend’s snow to under 1 minute.

And of course, our Producer and co-star for over 30 years on our morning show, Mr. Mike Bradley and Lee Ann will be there both tonight and tomorrow night.

We’ve been good friends with Kam Carman since she moved here from Arizona to be on Fox2. She was a regular part of our morning show for years and is now on with Jay Tower on WNIC in the morning. Kam and Jay both were quick to offer their time to meet you tonight, despite being up at 4am this morning, and already working a full day.

 

Many others said they would try and stop by, even though they have other gigs tonight and I hope I haven’t left anyone out! The only thing missing is YOU! Hope to see you tonight at The Stand. Maple & Woodward in Birmingham starting around 6. -Jim

 

 Congratulations to WDIV Local 4’s Karen Drew on being named the new 4pm TV anchor. In the world of TV news, it’s been my experience that getting promoted to “the chair” is what almost everyone strives to do. Certainly there are some newspeople who were born to be reporters…different stories every day…making contacts in the neighborhood…affecting change through brave, responsible journalism. Fox 2’s Charlie LeDuff comes to mind as a born street reporter. I don’t think he’d be happy sitting at the anchor desk unless both legs were in plaster casts.

Karen Drew has earned that spot at the desk after years of hard hitting reporting as one of Local 4’s Defenders, often while hosting a studio show like Live in the D at the same time. And that’s the part of being a TV newsperson many of us don’t realize. Even the people we know and love watching at “the desk” like Ch 7’s Anu Prakash, often have to put in many hours working stories on the road…writing, editing, producing and then promoting feature stories that are often only 2-3 minutes long. It’s not as glamorous as it may seem.

  But Karen managed to do it all with style and with a very, very warm personality and lots of style. I often asked her “How do you get up at 1:30 am to be on the set at 4 or 5, and then host an hour long studio show all before lunchtime, and be a hands-on Mother?” Her answer is always the same “I Love my job.”

I truly think we’re very lucky in Metro Detroit. We have a lot of very talented Radio & TV people who often become stars we love as much as our professional athletes. And they’re all very nice people. They have a strong sense of family which I believe is why we love watching them…that core value can’t be faked and it comes through our screens. They become a part of our family…this loose but somehow connected family of people who call Detroit home. Personally my most cherished compliment was always “You guys are like my family.”

So we can ALL be glad Karen got this promotion. It’ll be good to have another warm, friendly face helping us get through the almost daily challenge of digesting the daily news. And Local 4 deserves credit for promoting someone already on staff. It’s a smart move.

And we all love it when someone’s years of hard work pays off. It’s what Detroit is all about.

Good luck to Ruth Spencer who is retiring after a long career at Local 4. Like almost everyone on Detroit local TV, Ruth put in many hours doing different projects like Ruth to the Rescue and reporting from the street as well as the desk. She’s earned a graceful retirement and is also a very nice, caring person.

-Jim

 

 

 

YOU’RE INVITED!

The Stand Restaurant at Maple & Woodward in Birmingham has decided it’s time for them to give back to the community and help the family of West Bloomfield Officer Sgt. Patrick O’Rourke who was fatally shot on a call about a domestic dispute a while back. Tonight, we’ve got a casual and warm little gathering happening at The Stand starting at 6pm. There is NO admission charge! and YOU are invited! All proceeds and tips to our many celebrity bartenders will go to The O’Rourke Family. We’ve got a lot of people coming…in fact, this is going to be the largest collection of local TV & Radio personalities I’ve seen in the last 30 years.  Every celebrity we asked around town was honored to be invited, and everyone who’s not doing another charity event, or working on the air said they’d be there. Tonight is going to be pretty huge.

BUT, We Need Your Help on Saturday. Tomorrow night, we’re having another event at The Stand to help The O’Rourkes. It’s called the Stand with The Badge-Dinner and this is where we really need your assistance.  This will be a gourmet sit-down, 4-course dinner featuring great food and a wine-paring if you like. Tickets are $80 or $100 with the wine. There will be many auctions and ways for you to help raise money for a family that deserves our help in return for the sacrifice they’ve made…a sacrifice every police officer and their family commits to, to keep us safe. I’m sure you can relate. Almost all of us have had either Police or Fire as relatives or friends, and we’ve all at least smiled at a cop at some time in our life. We’ve taught our kids that these are “The Good Guys and Gals”.

But for many of us $80 or $100 a ticket is a lot for dinner. Times are tough and unless you’re lucky and blessed, that might be hard to swing. But I’d like to ask you to consider a few points: Maybe you could consider making this your “company Holiday party” and instead of spending a few hundred dollars having finger food and buying gag-gifts at work, you could get a few people together and buy tickets for Saturday and not only enjoy the best meal you’ve had in a long time, but you’d  know that you are directly helping a family that should never have to think about making ends meet. Imagine losing your soul-mate and not having the luxury of a normal period of grief…you still have to be Mom...That’s the challenge Amy O’Rourke has to face every day.

Maybe you could have a Family Meeting and suggest to your kids that everyone give up the idea of just one Christmas gift so they can help some other kids. I’ve found that when this idea is presented to our little ones, they don’t give it a second thought. Maybe you can ask another couple to join you to buy tickets and this will be your “Good Deed for The Holidays”? This isn’t that wild an idea when you consider the amount of money you’ll probably end up giving to charity between now and The New Year. Perhaps you and a friend can agree that you’ll give up your Starbucks for the month of December, and buy tickets for our Saturday dinner? That’s a thoughtful re-distribution of your cash and if you buy premium coffee drinks every day, it’s a lot more than $80 a month. I understand this is a stretch for many of us…but isn’t that the core-meaning of helping out people in need? Especially during the Holidays? I think about the sacrifice Police and Fire make every day of the year in order to serve and protect us. They never ask us for anything in return…they wouldn’t think of it. But if they ever did ask us for something, I’d bet it would be “If I happen to not come home some night after my shift, Please take care of my family…my kids…that’s how you can thank me.“ When you think about it that way, $80 doesn’t seem like much for a ticket. 

But if it’s still not in your budget…no worries! C’mon down to The Stand tomorrow night, Friday…have a drink…put a buck or two in the tip jar and shake hands with a cop, or one of your favorite TV or Radio Stars. You may never have a chance to meet Amy and the O’Rourke kids, but you’ll be helping them heal and get a little bit closer to the Joy and Peace this time of the year the rest of us are pretty much guaranteed…because our Police Officers put it on the line every day.

   Tonight, it’s free to get in and you don’t need a reservation. For tickets for Saturday, call 248-789-1056. Hope to see you tonight and/or tomorrow, and Thank You, Jim.

I feel badly for anyone who’s got a disease. Even if it’s a result of a person’s personal behavior or lifestyle. God knows we’re all eligible.

But with EVERYthing going on in the world at this very moment, how in the world does Charlie Sheen’s admission that he’s HIV positive, rate as an important story? Especially after keeping it a secret and risking others health for so many years?

I don’t think it does.

We all have problems…as individuals and as a community…a neighborhood…a state and a nation.

I hope he’s well. I hope anyone who shared his life in any way is healthy. And maybe in some way, someone else will think twice about keeping something so important a secret, and not put others at risk.

But in the meantime…I won’t click on any site or buy any magazine that chooses to give this light.

Sorry, Charlie.

-Jim

http://www.wikihow.com/Explain-Terrorism-to-a-Young-Child

I would also add that as adults we have a craving for information. We feel knowledge and info makes us smarter and therefore more safe. I certainly think this is true, but if you have young kids, better to limit the non-stop news coverage available on your TV. When kids see their parents distressed, angry and afraid, they can’t help but echo those feelings.

God Bless America.-Jim

Prayers and healing thoughts from the U.S.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/science/science-news/11989746/Garlic-gets-the-girl-Forget-aftershave-just-eat-garlic-to-attract-women-study-finds.html

Well Now I know why all the Italian guys are so confident with the ladies…

Seriously…this doesn’t make sense on the surface. I’ve O.D.’ed on garlic in food form and I can smell it in my sweat…not a winner! So how does garlic on a man create an attractive scent to women? Is it subconscious ? I’ve heard psychologists say that a woman will sometimes find a man attractive if he smells like her Father. Perhaps what’s really happening is that eating garlic enhances a man’s personal scent, and it might simply make a guy smell like Dad’s big ol’ bear-hug after a hard day at work?

Of course this conversation gets creepy in a hurry, so I’ll simply ask this:

“Ladies, what’s your favorite scent on a man?”

I’ll be surprised if the answer given most often isn’t “His natural scent.”…

Paging Dr. Freud….

Thank You, to all who commented on the hot topic of the “Man Buns” this week. Overwhelmingly, you Ladies voted it down for a variety of reasons. So any guys wondering about wearing their long hair in a bun should probably think twice.-Jim

Check out this very appropriate jab at how our phones are “sucking” our lives away….

http://www.boredpanda.com/screens-stealing-soul-social-media-sur-fake-antoine-geiger/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=link&utm_campaign=Newsletter

As I try to figure out a new way to communicate with you via technology…either a Livestream broadcast in the morning, a Periscope App, or a YouTube channel, or even a podcast, I find myself spending more and more time with my face sucked into a screen.

Granted, I’m an old guy…I am just barely making my way into a world that’s been out there for quite a while now, and anyone under 30 can do this in seconds (have you ever given your device to a 10 year old when you need to get something to work?)

I’ll get there…

I’m trying something “new” and I’m a pretty quick study but I hate getting so amped up I stay awake long after Lynn’s gone to bed, trying to figure out how to make this all work. I remember when computers first became available for home-use and it took six hours just to get your dot matrix printer to work. A tech-guy once told me the best accessory to buy when installing new things on your computer is a big clock, so you can see how much time you’re wasting.

But I’m back at that point where I’m starting to think this work should be tempered. Maybe I should start following some “rules” to keep the balance? I hate driving around seeing 4 out of 5 drivers either on the phone or worse. I already have my own rule about “no phone when sitting down to eat or drink”, whether I’m at home or out with people.

But here I am composing this blog-post, while I should be on the road taking care of an errand.

What “rules” do you and your family have? A friend of ours is a Mom and she has a “no devices from 4-8pm every night-rule” for her kids. I think that’s a good one. Lynn and I have never discussed it, but if one of us is talking, the other puts down the phone or laptop to offer undivided attention. I think that’s just plain courtesy.

I’m looking forward to your feedback…as always,

-Jim

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