Apolo on TV alert!

[billiey36]

I don't know what this is, but Apolo's going to be there:

www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/news_press_release,32620.shtml (cut and past the whole address)

'Dr. Phil' Plays the Ultimate Santa When Deserving Families Receive a Bounty of Gifts on the 'Dr. Phil & Robin's Holiday Show' to Air Monday, December 11
Posted on : Fri, 08 Dec 2006 20:44:00 GMT | Author : Dr. Phil
News Category : PressRelease



HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- The annual "Dr. Phil & Robin's Holiday Show," featuring Dr. Phil, Robin and the McGraw family, as well as celebrity guests Jay Leno; Steven Cojocaru ("Entertainment Tonight"); Michael Bolton; the entire cast of "How I Met Your Mother," Vanessa Williams and Michael Urie ("Ugly Betty"); Lisa Rinna ("Dancing with the Stars") and Olympic speed skater Apolo Ohno airs on Monday, December 11 (Check local listings for time and channel).

The U.S. Marines Corps will be on hand to assist in the distribution of toys and other goods -- including computers, MP3 players, gas and food gift certificates, vacuum cleaners, guitars, clothing and airline tickets -- that are being given to honor the audience of underprivileged and deserving families. These people were culled from Southern California's local churches, schools and agencies serviced by The Marines Toys for Tots Foundation, for which Dr. Phil and Robin McGraw are this year's National Spokespersons.

[4ofCups]

billiey, thanx for the heads up ;D!!! That sounds like an Apolo thing. How great would that be, to have Apolo deliver u'r Christmas present

[tabatha]

Thanks billiey!

[epiphaniii]

Thank you, Billiey! ;D

[susie]

Thanks, Billiey!

Kimo apparently sent word to Noelle on OZ that Apolo is on the show in connection with his sponsorship of Landroller skates.

I want to put in a good word for the Marines' "Toys For Tots" program. The school that I teach at (an inner-city school serving poor and disadvantaged children) is a receiving school for this program. Every year, just before Christmas, we have a "Toy Day". The walls of our gymnasium are lined with toys and each kid (escorted by an "elf" volunteer) gets to go pick out a toy. I just love to see my line of first graders come back with each kid proudly bearing his or her toy!

In my class this year I have a girl from an African refugee camp, a girl from one of the former Soviet republics, a homeless boy, and other children who come to school tired, hungry, and in ragged clothing. "Toys For Tots" is a *wonderful* program that puts a little bit of sparkle back in their eyes during the holiday season.

[Krysten]

Sweet. I already watch Dr. Phil believe it or not and I will most definitely will be watching this show on Monday!!! Haha!

[EnElYaK]

0o0o0 how awesome! I was gonna watch the show on Monday already, so now it'll be even better to watch now that Apolo's gonna be on

[CrimsonAngel]

He's going to be on Dr. Phil on Monday? Is that what I am reading right?

Or will it air on Monday? There is a difference.

[Bella]

Good find Billiey! Thanks for sharing it with us. I believe that show tapes in LA, so I wonder if it was taped recently, as in he's back from Korea? It would be nice to know that he's somewhere in nearby in my city of angeles.

[billiey36 guest]

They taped the show in the last day or two and it will air on Monday.

From the sound of what Kimo told Noelle on OZ, Apolo isn't involved in the whole show. Maybe there's a segment on new products or something.

On the (probably fake) Apolo MySpace, someone wrote in that they ran into Apolo at O'Hare Airport the week before Thanksgiving. Didn't say where he was going or coming from. But he's apparently been back in the states for a few weeks now.

[billiey36 guest]

Susie, what grade do you teach? It must be a very heartwarming and satisfying job to see the difference you can make in those kids' lives.

[Bella]

Good. I like when he's back on the home court. And I like knowing that there's a possibility I may run into him somewhere in LA. *Bella gets giggly thinking about it*

OK, I'm done now.

[susie]

billiey36 said:

Susie, what grade do you teach? It must be a very heartwarming and satisfying job to see the difference you can make in those kids' lives.

I teach first grade, Billiey -- six year olds. It's probably the most challenging of the elementary grades to teach because you take them from knowing their ABC's to reading rather well in ten months. My African girl came to me as a "tabula rasa" -- a blank slate. She didn't recognize numbers or letters. She's just starting to read now. One of my boys successfully decoded the word "basketball" this week and I was thrilled.

At-risk kids are by definition challenging to teach and I have a particularly wild group this year. I get called a "b----" and given the finger multiple times per day (usually for something mundane like asking the child to sit down or pick up a pencil and write his or her name.) I was already punched in the face once this year and take random hits and kicks daily. Realistically many of these kids will be lost to the streets, but some of them will make it. I can take whatever the kids dish out but it's the administrators who end up breaking our hearts. *sigh*

It's *really* nice to leave all that at work and come here to admire the oh-so-handsome and talented Apolo.

O'Hare airport, Billiey? He was probably changing planes. I've done that sprint myself.

[billiey36 guest]

I actually had time between planes once at O'Hare to have a famous Chicago hot dog. I have to say it was the best hot dog I've ever had. I don't usually have that much time though.

I worked with at-risk kids many years ago, Susie. I agree the kids are not the problem. Many times the parents weren't helpful and didn't want to admit that the their child had a problem. And don't get me started about the teachers when the kids were mainstreamed into their classrooms.

Of course, the talented and gifted program wasn't any better. Sometimes I think schools aren't equipped to handle kids who don't fit in the "average" category.

[susie]

billiey36 said:

Sometimes I think schools aren't equipped to handle kids who don't fit in the "average" category.

Truth. Teachers of at-risk kids need to have reduced class sizes *and* an assistant. And don't get me started on the parents of these kids.

The funny thing is, we can see major problems ahead. Sometimes I'll hear about a murder, and I'll come across the teacher that had that kid (the murderer) in grade school. I'll ask, "Did you see it coming?" and inevitably, the answer is, "Yes." WE CAN SEE IT AS EARLY AS PRE-K. Why don't these kids get the help that they obviously need?

I don't mean to imply that all of my children are awful. About half of them are lovely, a quarter are very difficult but managable, and the remaining quarter are difficult with a capital "D", LOL.

Regarding Apolo changing planes at O'Hare: Noelle posted on Ohnozone that Apolo is training at the Marquette (Michigan) facility now.