Location: The Beacon Theater, New York City
Time: Doors open at 6:30pm
All guests must be seated by 7:30pm (late arrivals will be seated
at
appropriate intervals)
Show will be broadcast live on Comedy Central at 8:00PM
Post-Show Celebration to Follow
Ticket Prices: Ticket Packages of 10: $100,000, $50,000, $25,000,
$15,000*
Individual tickets: $2,500, $1,250* (*limited availability)
Co-Chairs: Lori and George Hall, Doug Herzog, Caroline Hirsch,
Yie-Hsin Hung and Stephen Farinelli, Elyse N. Kroll, Bellanca
Smigel-Rutter and Mitchell
Rutter, Adam Sandler, Laura and Harry Slatkin, Lucia and Irwin
Smigel,
Michelle and Robert Smigel (as of August 15, 2006)
Autism Is
Autism is a lifelong neurological disorder, which makes it
painfully difficult for children to function in the world around
them. Autism robs children of their ability to communicate and to
understand.
Even simple play with others is often impossible. One in 166
children are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and the number
of new cases is exploding. There is no cure.
Evening Benefits
Comedy Love Call will benefit a variety of autism education
programs to support the overabundance of autistic children that so
desperately need schools. Funds raised will support new schools
that have recently or are just about to open their doors, as well
as existing schools that are now developing innovative adult
programs, providing vocational and life skills for adults with
autism. Proceeds will also support outreach programs that provide
training and consultation to families of very young children with
autism in their homes.
A portion of proceeds will go to Autism Speaks, an organization
dedicated to funding global biomedical research into the causes,
prevention, treatments, and cure for autism. Autism Speaks aims to
raise public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals,
families, and society, and mobilize the autism community to urge
the government and private sector to address this urgent global
health crisis.
To Purchase VIP Tickets and Packages for "Comedy Love Call" please
call Debbie Fife at
Event Associates, Inc. (---) 245-6570 x20
debbief@eventassociatesinc(dot)com
Bold emphasis added.
Ooooh, it's like Mike Myers meets Generation Rescue!! He could do a
skit as the "Rescue Angel Lady" instead of the "Church Lady." The
Rescue Angel Lady could meet up with Richard you-know-who! (Isn't that
Special?) Or was that Dana Carvey who played the "Church Lady"? Mike
Myers would do in a pinch.
But wait, the Comedy Central folks say that there is no cure for
autism. Surely they jest! Of course, it's just a joke. But maybe not.
They are funding that organization with the bad joke for a name...
Autism Speaks. Autism Speaks, is supposed to find that cure that there
isn't now. Or something. Except that Autism Speaks links to DAN! docs
who say they have a cure... hmmmm. And there's been an explosion of
autism. Whoa. Dude. It's like this whole tsunami train-wreck thing!
Dude. Totally. No mention that lots of autistic kids do know how to
play with other kids, or how sometimes it's the normal kids that need
to be taught how to play with the autistic kids.
But, this is good, they'll raise money for schools and even programs
for the nearly non existent adult autistic population. Wowee kazowee!
Adults are mentioned in the same press release as "Autism Speaks"!!
Most excellent!!
They even have Sacha Baron Cohen, who makes jokes about weird men
going after little girls, as opposed to his reserved cousin, Simon
Baron-Cohen, the famous autism researcher who wouldn't make jokes
about such things, but did give the Lathe book a good review... hmmm.
Small world. Strange world.
Autism Diva
grossed out
posted by Autism Diva at 3:46 PM
9 Comments:
Blogger S.L. said...
"urgent global health crisis"
Are they talking about AIDS here? I'm lost...
6:45 PM
Blogger Axolotl said...
This is as bad as their commercials comparing the odds of
autism to the odds of being in a car accident. A car accident
is unexpected, over in an instant, and can end your life in a
brutal way. Autism is a ongoing condition from birth. You
adapt, the child adapts, and it probably wasn't completely
unexpected if you looked at your family tree (or yourself!).
To compare a neurological condition (or mindset) to horrific
physical trauma is very very strange. There is no overlap at
all.
Plus, does Sacha talk to his cousin at all?
6:40 AM
Blogger Jemaleddin said...
Curious that they only care about how a "lifelong neurological
disorder" affects children.
9:06 AM
Blogger Autism Diva said...
Autism Diva doesn't know if Sacha talks to Simon very often, it
would seem they run in different worlds.
The Autism Speaks PSA videos are gross and meant to scare
people, it would seem. They are trying to say that there
haven't always been 1 in 166 autism spectrum people, and they
don't clarify that many of the 1 in 166 wouldn't have been
diagnosed with anything like autism had they been born further
in the past.
11:43 AM
Blogger scott said...
I almost felt like donating $200 to get them to stop using the
words 'disease' and 'devastating' on air. Jon Stewart must have
used the word 'disease' at least 4 or 5 times. It's interesting
that in two hours they showed many clips but not a single clip
about what actually goes on in the education programs people
are donating toward...I suppose I shouldn't expect more from
the same people who brought us a film about the 'everyday life'
with autism under non-everyday circumstances...
-Scott
8:04 PM
Blogger Caroline said...
This is an interesting insight. I have a forum for parents of
children with ASD, may I link this blog to my forum?
I caught a glimpse of the show but I was not aware Jon Stewart
referred to autism as a 'disease'. Very sad.
Caroline
9:15 AM
Blogger Mr.X said...
Responding to all:
Speaking from a small sample size, but my mother is an
elementary school teacher and she's said that there has been a
dramatic increase in the # of autistic children coming through
the schools in recent years. I understand that one city/school
district might not be indicative of the global community. At
least these celebrities are doing something positive for the
community rather than others (Paris Hilton, Britney
Spears...too many to list) who only care about themselves and
how much they show up in US magazine. I don't think we should
bash them for trying especially with the underfunding of
schools as it stands right now (and no I don't think they can
look to the Bush administration for help...unless he gets out
of Iraq...a tangent I know). Anyways my two cents.
9:25 AM
Blogger megrum said...
I have never enjoyed Martin Short. I can not for the life of me
understand who it is that does. Last Night's bit by Mr. Short
on Comedy Central was overlong, insulting to those of us who do
have an autistic child, and worst of all......not funny. I
understand that it was C.C.'s 1st attempt at a live
broadcast...and that the guests would be writing their own
material, but come ON people. Adam Sandler too engrossed in a
Baseball game to really participate? Will Ferrell doing a
creepy half-naked Robert Goulet? Martin Short repeatedly
"saying" that "this" wasn't important enough to use his real
voice? I wrote better stuff with my Madlibs in grade school.
Comedy Central, John Stewart, and all who participated deserve
some credit for trying. Those who wasted this opportunity to do
somnething good for the community by waiting till the day of
the show to even write or rehearse their material should be
ashamed of themselves. They should be billed just for wasting
valuable air-time, or possibly flogged in the village square.
Anybody else think it pretty much sucked?
5:45 PM
Blogger Mr.X said...
I agree that it sucked pretty hard, I was especially
disappointed with the Adam Sandler skit.
10:35 AM
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