I sent out a news release on Wednesday about Andrew's attendance at American Idol Camp starting July 7. I blanketed local, Chicago and national print and broadcast media. I'm confident the local print outlets will pick up the story. We thought the NBC affiliate here would since Andrew has been featured twice and will be again on The Today Show July 10th. I have a contact, but she's on medical leave.
However,the Fox affiliate, as expected called about 10 minutes after I sent the release to ask whether I minded if they followed Andrew to camp. I put them in touch with the Idol Camp public relations person. They also asked him to appear on their morning show July 5. The rub: they want him to sing. I am musically challenged, so I'm hardly the person to coach Andrew.
Jeff, a closet Broadway wannabe, stepped right in. We allowed Andrew to select a song, and after much hemming and hawing, he settled on some way too adult song that involved sticking one's tongue down a loved one's throat. Needless to say, we nixed that! I hardly think that's appropriate coming out of a 12-year-old on a light morning news program.
Jeff's suggestion: "New York, New York." Turns out, that perfect, both in terms of the news but also for Andrew' voice. We're working out the kinks, but it should be great.
Showing posts with label Andrew. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Andrew. Show all posts
June 28, 2007
June 18, 2007
Catching Up On Our Lives
It's been quite a while since I've written here, but we have had a lot going on. The funeral for Andrew's mother was quite sad. He seems to be OK, but that, of course, is a wound that will never heal. Though the prospects of him ever living with her were slim to none, I think what really died was his hope. Fortunately, he has a lot of really interesting things to which he can look forward.
Roland and Alex are at Springhill Camp near Seymour. It's a really beautiful place. This is Roland's first sleep-away camp experience, so he was REALLY excited. It was like Christmas. He got up early and kept asking when we would leave, but check-in wasn't till 3 p.m. The camp itself was gorgeous and huge. There was a lot of really cool -- but dangerous -- stuff like the zipline and rock climbing wall. The really cool thing was the boys were taken to their housing, which looked like a Mongolian yurt, in an antique fire truck. Heck, Jeff said we should have let the kids go home and stay ourselves!
Instead, I took Jeff out for Father's Day to the new Brazilian Grill restaurant. It definitely was no Fogo de Chao or Rei do Gado. My caiparinha, a traditional rum-based drink, was the best I've ever had, but it was down hill from there. The salad bar was far too small and the price far too high for this city and what was offered. The cheese bread should have been more like a popover but was too heavy, more like a biscuit. I think I'm spoiled. Every churrascaria restaurant -- at least five -- I've been to has been great till now. This restaurant will do for now, but when one of the other chains makes it here, the Brazilian Grill will be blown out of the water.
Roland and Alex are at Springhill Camp near Seymour. It's a really beautiful place. This is Roland's first sleep-away camp experience, so he was REALLY excited. It was like Christmas. He got up early and kept asking when we would leave, but check-in wasn't till 3 p.m. The camp itself was gorgeous and huge. There was a lot of really cool -- but dangerous -- stuff like the zipline and rock climbing wall. The really cool thing was the boys were taken to their housing, which looked like a Mongolian yurt, in an antique fire truck. Heck, Jeff said we should have let the kids go home and stay ourselves!
Instead, I took Jeff out for Father's Day to the new Brazilian Grill restaurant. It definitely was no Fogo de Chao or Rei do Gado. My caiparinha, a traditional rum-based drink, was the best I've ever had, but it was down hill from there. The salad bar was far too small and the price far too high for this city and what was offered. The cheese bread should have been more like a popover but was too heavy, more like a biscuit. I think I'm spoiled. Every churrascaria restaurant -- at least five -- I've been to has been great till now. This restaurant will do for now, but when one of the other chains makes it here, the Brazilian Grill will be blown out of the water.
May 26, 2007
The Dark Side of Fortune
All of the great things that happened for Andrew over the past several weeks just turned bittersweet. We received the awful news today that Andrew's mother was found dead at home. It seems so much for a boy of 12 to digest.
I was awakened today by his father. Feeling annoyed, I said, "Someone better have died." I don't think I'll ever approach anything that way again.
I'm not a religious person, but I've always figured there was a reason this boy and I were thrown together. When he was little, his father used to call at times that decent people were asleep, crying that he missed my nephew Christopher, his oldest son. Originally, he wanted Christopher to be named after him, but he called me once and declared triumphantly that he'd had another son who was bestowed with his name. I couldn't have cared less. I never figured I'd see this boy. Three years ago, that same child came to live with me.
In April, I had to go to a dinner for the Midwest fellows of the Arthur F. Burns program. At least, I thought at the time that visit to Chicago was about me. I suggested that the Andrews come along so the little one could visit with his mother. I'd been to Chicago before but always was uncomfortable taking Andrew there because I have no legal rights to this child. So this time, I told his dad to come along -- and to bring the guardianship papers with him.
Andrew drove to the westside Chicago basement apartment where the little one's mother lived. We hadn't told the child or his mother about the plan until we already were on the road. We pulled up to the Victorian where a diminutive woman waited anxiously on the sidewalk to see the child who'd disappeared from her life three years earlier. We couldn't open the sliding door to our Odyssey quickly enough. I entered the apartment to change clothes, then Andrew drove me to the Stock Exchange where I was to have dinner at Everest. While I broke bread with this group of strangers, Andrew visited with his mother and other family, eating the fried chicken they offered.
It's got to be more than coincidence that on that day, I was spirited to Chicago. I did my fellowship 10 years ago, and though the program officials keep in close contact with us, I haven't participated in any dinners or programs since they sent me to Germany. Likewise, Andrew hadn't seen his mother once since he'd come to live with me. Yet each of these events converged, and a little more than a month later, his mother is gone.
It's been suggested to me that Mary's death will bring closure to that chapter of Andrew's life. But can one ever really close the book on his parents? Both of my parents are still alive. But I've seen many people damaged by the loss of their parents or by the parents' inability to fulfill the child's vision.
Fortunately, Andrew's mother caught a glimpse of what he's destined to become. She saw him on The Today Show, and she heard about his plans for the summer. Now Andrew must deliver on the promise that his mother saw.
Out of deference to Andrew, The Today Show has postponed airing an update on Andrew's offer from the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
I was awakened today by his father. Feeling annoyed, I said, "Someone better have died." I don't think I'll ever approach anything that way again.
I'm not a religious person, but I've always figured there was a reason this boy and I were thrown together. When he was little, his father used to call at times that decent people were asleep, crying that he missed my nephew Christopher, his oldest son. Originally, he wanted Christopher to be named after him, but he called me once and declared triumphantly that he'd had another son who was bestowed with his name. I couldn't have cared less. I never figured I'd see this boy. Three years ago, that same child came to live with me.
In April, I had to go to a dinner for the Midwest fellows of the Arthur F. Burns program. At least, I thought at the time that visit to Chicago was about me. I suggested that the Andrews come along so the little one could visit with his mother. I'd been to Chicago before but always was uncomfortable taking Andrew there because I have no legal rights to this child. So this time, I told his dad to come along -- and to bring the guardianship papers with him.
Andrew drove to the westside Chicago basement apartment where the little one's mother lived. We hadn't told the child or his mother about the plan until we already were on the road. We pulled up to the Victorian where a diminutive woman waited anxiously on the sidewalk to see the child who'd disappeared from her life three years earlier. We couldn't open the sliding door to our Odyssey quickly enough. I entered the apartment to change clothes, then Andrew drove me to the Stock Exchange where I was to have dinner at Everest. While I broke bread with this group of strangers, Andrew visited with his mother and other family, eating the fried chicken they offered.
It's got to be more than coincidence that on that day, I was spirited to Chicago. I did my fellowship 10 years ago, and though the program officials keep in close contact with us, I haven't participated in any dinners or programs since they sent me to Germany. Likewise, Andrew hadn't seen his mother once since he'd come to live with me. Yet each of these events converged, and a little more than a month later, his mother is gone.
It's been suggested to me that Mary's death will bring closure to that chapter of Andrew's life. But can one ever really close the book on his parents? Both of my parents are still alive. But I've seen many people damaged by the loss of their parents or by the parents' inability to fulfill the child's vision.
Fortunately, Andrew's mother caught a glimpse of what he's destined to become. She saw him on The Today Show, and she heard about his plans for the summer. Now Andrew must deliver on the promise that his mother saw.
Out of deference to Andrew, The Today Show has postponed airing an update on Andrew's offer from the Dance Theatre of Harlem.
May 8, 2007
Andrew and the Dance Theatre of Harlem
We received an incredible phone call today from the folks at American Idol Camp. I told Andrew that when he appeared on The Today Show, things would start to happen. My prediction came true.
One of the people watching that day was Arthur Mitchell. For those who are unfamiliar with dance history, he is the first African-American man to join a major U.S. dance company. He's also the founder and director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Mr. Mitchell offered Andrew a full scholarship to attend the company's summer intensive. He will first spend 10 days at American Idol Camp then be take to New York City for six weeks. That's a long time for someone so young to be away from home, but it will be an extraordinary opportunity.
One of the people watching that day was Arthur Mitchell. For those who are unfamiliar with dance history, he is the first African-American man to join a major U.S. dance company. He's also the founder and director of the Dance Theatre of Harlem. Mr. Mitchell offered Andrew a full scholarship to attend the company's summer intensive. He will first spend 10 days at American Idol Camp then be take to New York City for six weeks. That's a long time for someone so young to be away from home, but it will be an extraordinary opportunity.
April 23, 2007
Andy's Road to Idoldom
This has been an incredibly busy -- and exciting -- time. We learned late last month that my nephew Andrew was accepted to American Idol Camp. Andrew is a Level 3 student at the Russian Ballet Academy of Indiana. He's been sort of a standout since starting at the former Ballet Internationale's Clara Noyes Academy. Within his first month there, I was told by the principal that he could have a career in dance if he kept up with the training. That first year, he managed to earn the lead role of Sancho in the school's production of Don Quixote.
The whole thing with Andrew has been really wild! I was just signing up my kid to go to summer camp, but all this has really snowballed. I happened to be trolling about on the Idol web site, looking at bios, when I saw a banner ad for the camp. I opened it and was taken to an awesome web site. Because Andrew wants to be a triple threat (singer, actor, dancer) on Broadway, I thought this would be an ideal opportunity.
I called Andrew to help write the application -- after all, I didn't know what his favorite song, movie or musical was. Of course, he was going to answer with just West Side Story. I've been trying to teach the boys to write things in threes, so I told him he had to share three reasons why it was his favorite musical.
The extra work paid off. A couple of weeks later, I received a call from an American Idol producer who said the admissions folks were really impressed with Andrew's application and wondered whether we'd mind if he were featured on The Today Show. WOULD WE MIND??? A week later, the Today crew descended on our home, and the segment aired on April 4. I hear scenes from Andrew's segment also were included in another segment where other children were featured. Today also plans to follow up when Andrew goes to camp in July.
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