This month's news from Alison... actually from Alison's hubby Mr. Bob Alison Arngrim Home Page

10/1/2021   OK, so, it's dark. It's late. The cats have decided that Alison is NOT going to France. Roswell is camped out on her jacket, and Morticia has staked out her jeans. She goes nowhere . . . . .   Or so they think, anyway. Truth is, Sock Monkey is going to chase them away, and we're heading for the airport in the morning. Then she's off to gay Pareee one more time!   So, let's get you caught up. Starting off with this story:   Many, many years ago, our friend Steve was diagnosed with AIDS. Then he got real sick, then he got better, then he got sicker again, then . . . well, that's a story for another time. Anyway, at one point in the story, he was invited to do a TV interview with Tammy Faye Bakker. (!!) Yep, he was the guy on stage next to Tammy appearing on a TV monitor, while she sat in a chair next to him and did the interview. And it was intense. So time goes by. Then there's a documentary about it, ("Eyes of Tammy Faye", 2000), a play, (a one woman show with Charlene Tilton!), rumors of a Broadway show, and then, finally, Jessica Chastain goes and makes a movie of it, "The Eyes of Tammy Faye"...... and Randy Havens, (the guy who plays the teacher on "Stranger Things"!), gets to play Steve in the movie! And his interview is the pivotal point of the film! Here's the IMDB link: Eyes Of Tammy Faye IMDB So the movie has a New York premier, and they fly Steve out to join them on the red carpet! (He was very, very happy!) And here's a link to an interview with him that will fill in some of the details: Steve Pieters  And one more thing, Steve is also a minister, and he performed our wedding. During the service, he used the autographed white leather Bible that Tammy Faye gave him after that interview! Funny how things connect . . .   Then we had the Air Conditioning in the house redone. And just in time, there's another heat wave on the way! Next Alison went to New York City and did Confessions at Caveat. Well, let me just say, "Sold out, standing ovation!". A smashing success! And she got to see friends there. Pamela Bob came to the show. (Pamela from 'Livin' On A Prairie': Pamela Bob ) And then they both went to dinner with Carter Calvert. (Remember when Alison did that play, "Always . . . Patsy Cline"? Well, Carter was Patsy Cline! Voice of an angel!) Here's a link to Carter's page: Carter Calvert  Now, the story I got is that they had a wonderfully debauched evening. Sock Monkey was there, but he's not talking! ("I was sworn to secrecy!" claims Sock Monkey!)   Then, while she was still in her wonderfully ancient hotel in New York City, (yes, Alison actually slept at the Chelsea!), Alison participated in an online event on Stars In The House. It was a special edition of their game night that featured a battle between the cast of Little House On The Prairie and the cast of The Waltons! Classic TV battle! And who do you think won? Oh, be serious! Of course it was the cast of Little House! (Do I hear re-match??) Did you get to see it? No? Want to? Try this: Prairie vs Waltons  (Careful, it's like, two hours!)   Then, since she was not ready to come home just yet, Alison hopped on a plane and went to Rochester New York and did Confessions for two shows at the Rochester Fringe Festival. Two shows, another resounding success, and then back home to me, if only briefly . . So, time for the rundown. But first:   * * * * WARNING * * * *   As you know, Alison is about to leave for France. She will be gone for the entire month of October. Some special notes:   1. Mercantile - Don't order anything until the end of October. Alison signs everything personally, and she can't do that unless she's home. Nothing is ever pre-signed. So, be patient . . . 2. Readings - Well, maybe. Obviously not every day, and since there's a 9 hour time difference and she's gallivanting all over France, who knows if, let alone when, she'll be able to read. But she's taking her books, ring lights, and goldfish. 3. Cameo - Maybe, but probably not. Hold off for now. 4. Coach The World - When she gets home. 5. Radio Show - Re-runs for the month. 6. Cooking Show - Maybe. No promises, but maybe. But they can cook in France! It would be like taking coals to Newcastle, if you get my drift! Rundown:   1.            Daily Book Readings - Every day, usually at 1:30 pm Pacific time, Alison goes on Facebook Live and reads. She was reading from "Little Town On the Prairie" today. Here's the link to her page: Alison FaceBook  This may vary as she resumes travelling.   2.            Bonnets, Etc. - Bonnets, tin cups, books, photos, Alison sells them all at her online store, 'Not Your Mothers Mercantile'. Everything autographed. Here's the link to the store: Not Mothers Mercantile   And that shipment of Audio Books has arrived. (Don't order yet, see above)   3.            Cameo - Alison and many others from the show are now on Cameo. You can now have your favorite cast member record a personal video greeting - Happy Birthday, Congratulations, Get Well Soon, you name it!   Check it out: Cameo Website   Or... cut to the chase: Cameo Alison   4.            Coach the World - Alison is also on Coach The World, where you can book a 15 minute interactive chat with your favorite celebrity. Here's their website: Coach The World   5.            Radio Show / Podcast - The Alison Arngrim Show is on every Tuesday night at 5:00 pm Pacific Time. The best way to catch the show live is to go to the UBN Radio page on FaceBook: UBN FaceBook. Her guest this last Tuesday was Steve Pieters, character in the movie "The Eyes of Tammy Faye", and the pastor from our wedding.   6.            Who's Going To Do The Cooking? -  Alison will be appearing on her FaceBook page, cooking something with instructions. And the show has moved to Friday mornings at 11:30 am. The idea is to go simple and basic, for people who don't cook, or haven't cooked, or think they can't cook. So far she has made many incredible dishes. You can find all of these on her YouTube Channel: Who's Going To Do The Cooking?   Schedule? Ya think?   Obviously, France is first. I had a request to include Alison's French schedule in English. Well, here goes, from her FaceBook page:   France... Here I come!!!   - Saturday, October 9, 20 pm: ATTACKS (Pas-de-Calais) 06 73 43 90 - Friday, October 15, 20 pm: SAINT-GEORGES-DES-COTEAUX (Charente-Maritime) 06 58 48 03 70 - Saturday, October 16, 20 pm: SAINT-DONAN (C ôtes-d ' Armor) 06 46 45 79 41 - Saturday, October 23, 20 pm: SCHIRRHEIN (Bas-Rhine) 06 06 29 87 76 / 06 42 42 97 97 - Sunday, October 24, 18 pm: ILLY (Ardennes) 71 06 77 13 - Friday, October 29, 20 pm: CAPBRETON (Landes) 06 56 75 79 07  - Sunday, October 31, 14 pm: RIVE-DE-GIER (Loire, between Lyon and St. Etienne) 06 39 51 20 39   For more information you can contact Patrick on Facebook.   OK, France in French: Pour nos amis Francais: "La malle aux trésors de Nellie Oleson" Un spectacle humoristique d'Alison Arngrim & Patrick Loubatière   Cela faisait si longtemps! Si longtemps que je n’avais pas pu recontrer en personne mes formidable fans francais . . .  Fevrier 2020. Est-ce que cela fait deja plus d’une annee? Et une annee tellement difficile et effrayante . . . .  Vous m’avez tous tellement manqué! Mais . . . apres la longue nuit, le soleil fait son apparition . . . Et maintenant . . . Je Reviens!!! Oui!!! En octobre 2021, dans a peine un peu plus de deux mois, Patrick Loubatiere et moi-meme retournons sur les scenes de France! Une tournee (des petites communes, comme d’habitude!) qui va nous amener dans le Nord, dans le Sud, et de l’extrmite Quest jusqu’a l’extremite Est. Ce serons nos grandes retrouvailles. J’espere vraiment vous y voir!  --  Alison Samedi 9 octobre 2021, 20h30 :  LES ATTAQUES (Pas-de-Calais) Renseignements / Réservations : 06 43 73 19 90 Vendredi 15 octobre 2021, 20h30 :  SAINT-GEORGES-DES-COTEAUX (Charente-Maritime) Renseignements / Réservations : 06 48 58 03 70   Samedi 16 octobre 2021, 20h30 :  SAINT-DONAN (Côtes-d'Armor) Rens. / Réserv. : 06 45 46 79 41 / http://bzh.me/LMAT   Samedi 23 octobre 2021, 20h30 :  SCHIRRHEIN (Bas-Rhin) Rens. / Réservations : 06 29 87 85 76 / 06 42 92 55 97   Dimanche 24 octobre 2021, 18h :  ILLY (Ardennes) Renseignements / Réservations : 06 71 77 83 13   Vendredi 29 octobre 2021, 20h30 :  CAPBRETON (Landes) Renseignements / Réservations : 06 75 56 79 07   Dimanche 31 octobre 2021, 14h :  RIVE-DE-GIER (Loire) Renseignements / Réservations : 06 51 39 20 39 Chaque représentation est suivie d'une longue séance de PHOTOS et DÉDICACE Pour plus d'informations:  www.alison-arngrim.com Then she comes back to relax and get ready for what will be the thirteenth production in the Basement Comedy Club at our house, "KNOCK THE STUFFING OUT OF NASTY NELLIE!", on Saturday, November 20th, at 2:00 pm Pacific Time. The usual crew will be in place. It will be live, pay per view, and you will not be able to find it on You Tube when it's over, they will not be available after the broadcast. Tickets are only $10 per show. Tickets are available at: Nellie Stuffing Tickets   Watch the Spin Cycle website: Spin Cycle  for more information. And for those of you who plan ahead, there is "NASTY NELLIE'S NAUGHTY NOEL", Saturday, December 18th at 5:00 pm pacific time. Tickets at:  Nellie Noel Tickets   And that's enough schedule for anyone.   Rumour Control   1.    An Osmond on Alison’s Radio show? Maybe?? And which one . . .  ??   2.    Catahoula Christmas? And what would that even be like?? Hmmm . . . ?   3.    Another book? Could it be? And could it be Dean Butler???   4.     A return to the Laurie Beechman in New York? The infamous Mother's Day Brunch Show strikes again? Miscellaneous   Rumours Do Come True - As predicted, the blu-ray of "Even In Dreams" is available for pre-order. Check out their website: Even In Dreams  And they say you should expect delivery by December 1st. (Christmas presents for anyone in particular?) And the first film, "Twice the Dream", is now on sale. (Shopping, shopping, shopping!)   “HELLOooo..BROADWAY!” - Remember David Friedman (Jason Carter)? Well, David has a new project that he is excited about. From his e-mail: "A neighbor of mine, Nancy Horak, who has been deeply involved in the Performing Arts for decades has been working tirelessly on her "opus". Nancy has Parkinson's Disease (PD)...  In an effort to raise funds for Parkinson's research, she is holding a fundraiser gala which will be used to produce her event to help create awareness for PD.  The first performance will be a mini teaser which will occur during the fundraising gala to be held on April 9th.  The funds raised from this event will go towards the production for the full-scale performance of the original revue “HELLOooo..BROADWAY!” This production is a live action musical which will take place in mid to late June 2022 at the El Portal Theater in North Hollywood.  Nancy is trying to engage Michael J. Fox, as he is the poster child for PD.  She has given his manager a copy of the script, but is unaware if he has read it. The plot of the show essentially is Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly curating an adventure taking the audience "Back to the Future '' showing the evolution of Broadway.  The journey spans from The Ziegfeld Follies of the early 1900's to present day Hamilton.  Here's the fun/exciting/interesting part...  Yours truly will be "dusting off his (proverbial) boots" to come out of a 36 year hiatus to play Michael J. Fox! "   Please watch the sizzle reel here:  Broadway Sizzle    OK, well, I'm in! Schedule permitting, we'll be there in April and again in June. This sounds like fun!   Books - So, just how many of our beloved cast and crew have written books, eh? Let's see: Alison - "Confessions Of A Prairie Bitch" - Available at the Mercantile (See above) Melissa Gilbert - "Prairie Tale - A Memoir" - Amazon: Prairie Tale Melissa Anderson - "The Way I See It" - Amazon: Way I See It Charlotte Stewart - "Little House In The Hollywood Hills" - Amazon: Miss Beadle Karen Grassle - "Bright Lights, Prairie Dust" - Website: Prairie Dust Ketty Lester - "Ketty Lester: From Arkansas to Grammy Nominated "Love Letters" to Little House on The Prairie" - Amazon: Ketty Lester Wendy Lou Lee - "A Prairie Devotional" - Amazon: Prairie Devotional  Melissa Francis - "Lessons From The Prairie" - Amazon: Prairie Lessons Kent McCray - "Kent McCray: The Man Behind the Most Beloved Television Shows" - Amazon: Kent McCray Did I miss anyone? Maintaining our lives in the age of COVID-19 - This is still going on. And we're only slowly making progress. And I don't understand. When I was a kid, we were all so happy when they came out with a vaccine for polio, that we couldn't wait to get one! So, what are the complaints?   1. "It's too new, not studied enough" - Work on mRNA vaccines started back in the 1980s. Research on possible vaccines against corona viruses (SARS and MERS) began around 2014. (Remember, COVID is referred to in science as SARS-2) That work intensified as COVID emerged. 2. "You can get infected by the vaccine" - No, you can't. These vaccines are not made from any part of the virus. 3. "We haven't studied it enough to know the side effects" - Seriously? We are vaccinating millions of people every day. If there were any large number of side effects, we would know. 4. "There's a microchip . . . ." - No. No, there's not. Just no. And Bill Gates does not care where you are! So, no. Just stop it!   As with any disease, the approach that works is Avoid, Prevent, Treat. Avoid: social distance, wear your darn mask, wash your hands, disinfect. Prevent: Get the vaccine, and the boosters when that comes about. Treat: At least one company is testing a pill to treat COVID infection.   So, let's get on the bandwagon, here. Mask up, get your shot, and don't listen to the sensationalized crap on the news and especially social media. And listen to Dr. Fauci: "I don't know how to explain to you that you should care for other people." But we must. Be kind, be considerate, and take precautions. Prairie Tidbits   Charlotte Stewart (Miss Beadle) - Charlotte just stays busy all the time! Along with making those fabulous Beadle Bags (You can order one by e-mail at lottebanks@yahoo.com ), Charlotte will be appearing at Powerhouse Comic Con at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, California on Saturday, October 9th. The show goes from 10 am to 5 pm, and tickets are $11 online and $17 at the door, children under 12 admitted free. Oh, and masks are required. Check out their website: Powerhouse   Charlotte, you are unstoppable!   David Friedman (Jason Carter) - Well, David, that's some announcement you have there! Coming out of retirement after what, 36 years! And that's a fascinating project. Let's see what we can do to help make it happen! Just for fun, here's an interview with David from 2019: David Interview  Nice going, David!   Shannen Doherty (Jenny Wilder) - Shannen has completed a new film, "List Of A Lifetime", scheduled to be released this month. Here's the IMDB link: List of a Lifetime  She also has another film due out this year called, "Fortress". (  IMDB: Fortress ), and two other projects in pre or post production, all while dealing with a Stage 4 Breast Cancer diagnosis. Here's an interview with her from September, 2021: Shannen Interview  A beacon of strength for the rest of us. Keep it up, Shannen!   Karen Grassle (Caroline Ingalls) - Karen's book comes out next month, and can be pre-ordered here: Karen Book  And check out all of the comments on the book from her various friends, co-workers, and assorted interested persons. I can't wait to get mine. Karen, hope to see you the next time we get up to the bay. You go, girl! The Saga of Sock Monkey    (Chapter One Hundred & One) Sock Monkey settled into his seat. They were finally on the plane. He had been a little worried earlier. Usually, he just rode along in Alison's handbag until they got on the plane, and everything was fine. This time he had to get out, show his Monkey passport, show his vaccination card, and get shot between the eyes with a thermometer-gun! It was all so strange! But Sock Monkey knew it was for the best. He had NOT forgotten his bout with the dreaded Banana Brain Rot, and he had no intention of going through THAT again! That got him a little stressed, but they were good now. They were on the plane. It wasn't Air France, but it was Delta, and Delta was good. He remembered the little flask of cognac he had managed to smuggle aboard, and smiled to himself. Things were going to be all right! Of course, he was still a little concerned about their arrival in New York. Even though he had spent hours on the cross trainer, he still wasn't sure he could hold his own in a spinning class. Would his tail get caught in the spokes? Would he pull a hamstring? Do Sock Monkeys have hamstrings? And just what IS a hamstring, anyway? The things Alison got him into!! He sighed, and reached for his flask . . .   (To be continued . . . ) Catahoula News    Catahoula is still on hiatus from performing. Check out our eventually to be updated website:  www.catahoulamusic.com  And we may be showing up somewhere deep in the bowels of the internet! As things are starting to open up, we will be booking and posting on our website. And if you really need a shot of Catahoula, you can always get copies of our CDs at Alison's Mercantile, or at I-tunes: I-Tunes  Or Spotify: Spotify  As always, "Laissez les bon temps rouler!!", with or without Catahoula! We will be back with you just as soon as we possibly can! Stay safe! (Wash your hands, wear your mask!)   There you have it. The Tenth Nellie Newsletter for 2021. Stay safe, mask up, wash up, get your shots, and be good to each other. And we'll see you in person soon! As usual (Comme d’habitude), be good bonnet heads, and I’ll talk to you next month. -       Bob