Tuesday Morning, April 15th! Tax Deadline Day! Last night I had a chance to reconnect with my Nebraska roots at the monthly get together of the Nebraska Coast Connection! “BUZZ” 3 leaders from “Dancing With The Stars”, plus CMT Award winners last night! “PHOTO GALLERY” Herbie Husker, the University of Nebraska Football Mascot with Charlie at the Rose Bowl!
Anybody who’s listened to me on Los Angeles radio for the past 41 years knows I still have a strong bond with my home state of Nebraska where I was born and raised for the first 19 years of my life. I’m especially proud of Nebraska’s football team which is one of the top pigskin programs in the country (if you overlook the last 6 seasons or so), but with a new coach and a new attitude on campus, this should be one of those good years again this coming fall. The spring game this coming weekend is sold out and tickets for this team practice game are going for as much as $100….for a intersquad practice game, that will have nearly 70,000 fans packed into Memorial Stadium in Lincoln. That tells you the locals like our chances this fall too.
So last week I received an invitation to the Nebraska Coast Connection, a monthly gathering of transplanted Nebraskans to California trying to make in the world of showbiz.
Producer/Director Todd Nelson started the NCC with about thirty fellow Nebraskans to be both a network for entertainment professionals and a bridge between home and Hollywood. Here’s the link for more info and how to sign up and register for next month, even if you’re not a Nebraskan. http://nebraskacoast.com/
As the website explains, the idea was fostered by Todd’s frequent trips home. He often visited late UN-L theatre professor Dr. Bill Morgan, who connected him with former students who were pursuing careers in the arts. With support from the University of Nebraska Foundation, the first NCC cocktail event in Bel Air drew 200 people, and the Nebraska Coast Connection was up and running.
Since then, they have hosted barbeques, play nights, Halloween parties, Christmas caroling and comedy nights. They’ve produced radio commercials, a few short films and two extensive websites.
But the centerpiece of the group since 1995 has been the regular monthly gatherings called The Hollywood Salon. Not to be confused with the place you get your hair done, the idea of an artist’s salon has a rich history. From ancient times, writers and painters and poets and politicians have met in salon settings to share their art and discuss events of the day. In Athens, Paris and New York, Salons were important ways for ideas to germinate, artists to be discovered and valuable relationships to blossom. The Hollywood Salon continues that tradition with a slant toward careers in showbiz.
More than 2,000 Nebraskans have found their way into the Coast Connection. About sixty of them attend each monthly Salon. Writers, Actors, Directors, Producers, Musicians, Execs, P.A.s and more than a few Waiters take part. “Wanna-be’s” are most welcome. It’s here, with the support of friendly folks from back home, where dream-sharing is encouraged. Pictured below is some of the group that gathered with me last night on the CBS lot to share their projects, ideas, hopes and dreams.
FOUNDER AND ORGANIZER OF THE NEBRASKA COAST CONNECTION TODD NELSON, AND PANEL MODERATOR ERIC CHAPMAN WITH ME LAST NIGHT.
FOUNDER OF ONE OF MY FAVORITE WEBSITES TO KEEP UP WITH MY HUSKERS FOOTBALL TEAM, DAVID MAX. IF YOU LOVE NEBRASKA FOOTBALL, YOU’LL LOVE http://huskerpedia.com/
THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME BY THE HOME SHOW AND THE BOAT SHOW THIS PAST WEEKEND AND LAST THURSDAY, AND A REMINDER THAT THIS COMING WEEKEND, APRIL 19TH AND 20TH, I’LL BE BROADCASTING “LIVE” FROM THE LOS ANGELES ZOO WITH BOTH MY SATURDAY AND SUNDAY SHOWS, AS PART OF THE EARTH DAY EXPO 2008! COME BY AND SAY HI WHILE I’M ON THE AIR!
SATURDAY FROM 9:00 AM TO 2:00 PM, AND SUNDAY FROM 10:00 AM TO 3:00 PM!
The K-EARTH Street Team will be there on Saturday and Sunday, April 19 & 20, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Join us for music and activities.
There will also be exhibits about recycling, transforming regular old backyards into havens for wild creatures, and more lessons in celebrating, protecting and nurturing the environment.
Activities are free with zoo admission.
