More than a month ago I asked the folks at WNIR (100.1-FM) when the ailing Tom Erickson might be back on the air, and was told it could be in about a week.
Unfortunately, Erickson’s medical problems continue, and it may be months before he is well enough to get back on the air. And things are serious enough that a fundraiser to help with his medical bills will be held Aug. 19 in Ripper Owens’ Tap House.
According to Erickson’s daughter Heather Nagel, he has mainly been fighting the effects of a nasty case of peritonitis, an infection which has ruined his stomach and spread into the rest of his body. He has been hospitalized for months, Nagel says, and cannot eat or drink. Surgery is planned, but it could well be another three to six months before he gets back to work.
And he wants to. “His drive to get back on the air is what keeps pushing him,” Nagel said.
But he is facing ongoing costs for insurance and treatment. An email from Erickson’s son Erik Nagel to the Beacon Journal’s Jewell Cardwell said, “He exhausted his sick/vacation time at work and is no longer receiving a paycheck, thus leaving him with no way to cover his medical expenses.”
Hence the fundraiser, from 5 to 8 p.m. on the 19th. It will include a raffle, two sets by the reggae band Human Nature and other activities. Raffle items include Indians and roller derby tickets, jewelry, gift bags, photo sessions and more. (You can see a longer list at www.radioboytom.com.) You can also donate via PayPal to TomEricksonFund@gmail.com. And get-well cards can be sent to Erickson in care of Heaven Can Wait, P.O. Box 4865, Akron 44310.
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Speaking of WNIR … The station hopes by next week to make a decision on the replacement for Howie Chizek, who died in June.
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Film Business. Local film and games community Akron Film+Pixel is accepting entries for an Akron Film+Pixel Night of short films and videogames in the Akron Art Museum and Summit Artspace on Sept. 13.
All submissions must have been made in 2011 or 2012. Entries can be an online screener or a DVD/Blu-ray screener; visit www.akronfilm.com and click the “Submit” link. The deadline for entries is Aug. 31. Full terms and conditions may be found at that site.
The group is also having a “secrets of science” competition beginning Sunday. Participants must make “a short animated movie that re-imagines how a given technology or natural phenomenon works” — with each animator or team randomly assigned a subject at an orientation at 1:30 p.m. on Sunday in the art museum’s Charles and Jane Lehner Auditorium. They will then have two weeks to make a film that either tells a story of its invention or discovery (and the story does not have to be true) or provides an explanation of how the technology or phenomenon works; again, the explanation does not have to be true.
Entries must be delivered by Aug. 26, with the entries shown and a winner picked on Aug. 30. Registration is $20, and you can find out more at www.akronfilm.com.
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Schooled. Rob Kardashian caused some Twitter frenzy recently when he tweeted “Going to Law School very soon and so excited and can’t wait!” — with a hashtag mentioning the University of Southern California. The USC law school tweeted back that “Rob Kardashian is not coming here, but we wish him luck at law school,” later adding that he had not even applied. Kardashian never addressed the comments directly, instead just tweeting that he had gone to USC for his undergrad degree.
While Kardashian has tried to be one of the more serious members of that clan, the former Dancing With the Stars contestant has not had the greatest journey in adulthood. Says ABCNews.com: “After graduating from USC with a degree in business entrepreneurship in May 2009, Kardashian failed to find a solid career path. … In 2010, he helped his famous sisters launch their skincare line, PerfectSkin, and in 2011 he became the face of Rivalspot, a video gaming website. The 25-year-old tried music management in early 2011 when he co-managed the all girl group, the BG5, which never managed to take off. The star is also launching his own sock line which will hit Neiman Marcus shelves Nov. 1.” Which really sounds like prep for law school, doesn’t it?
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and Ohio.com, including in the HeldenFiles Online, www.ohio.com/blogs/heldenfiles. He is also on Twitter (as @rheldenfels) and Facebook. You can reach him at 330-996-3582 or rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
