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It practically gallops!

Working for the Weekend

Somewhere in my consciousness is the memory of a “seven-day weather pattern.” I don’t recall which TV weatherman talked about it or where I was living at the time. Regardless of the details, I want for the pattern to be real this week. The weather in Knoxville was great yesterday. I hope and pray that it’s just as good on Sunday, April 1st for the Kids Helping Kids Fun Walk.

We had a site meeting yesterday at Knoxville Catholic High School. As we enjoyed the sunshine and comfortable temperature, I thought how nobody would have wanted to schedule the Walk for March 25. In fact, we were worried that April 1 was too early when we had to pick a date. The date for the Walk varies each year because of Easter and because of the Spring break schedules of both the public and parochial schools. Last year we moved the Walk from May to April in order to get on the Star 102.1 promotional calendar.

Earlier in the day, I spoke at the end of the 8:30 and 10:30 a.m. Masses at St. John Neumann parish. Monsignor Garrity allowed me to promote the Kids Walk and announce that I would be outside after Mass to distribute brochures. One parishioner introduced herself to me. I recognized her name as a local advertising executive. She thanked me for supporting Columbus Home and said that she had seen the Kids Walk PSA on WBIR.

March 26, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | Leave a Comment 

Undercover Ossuary

cover art for "The Inquisitor's Key" by Jefferson Bass The next Jefferson Bass novel, “The Inquisitor’s Key” will be released on May 8, 2012. Authors Jon Jefferson and Dr. Bill Bass have two book-signing events that day, one in the morning and one at night. They start the day at the Farragut West Knox Chamber of Commerce Speaker Breakfast Series.

The official book release event will be held at 6:00 p.m. on May 8 at the New Hope Center in Oak Ridge. Tickets go on sale on April 2, with proceeds benefiting United Way of Anderson County, Friends of Literacy and the William M. Bass Forensic Anthropology Building. Jennifer Alexander and I are co-emcees for the evening. The exact details about ticket sales are almost finalized and will be listed on BoneZones.com and elsewhere.

Jon Jefferson started a blog last month to “to share behind-the-scenes stories with readers between now and when the book comes out on May 8.” In the U.K., the book’s title will be “The Bones of Avignon,” which reveals a little more about the novel’s plot: “Could the ancient skeleton found hidden in the Palace of the Popes actually be the bones of Jesus?” Christians believe that Jesus ascended into heaven, without leaving a corpse behind. With a sacrilegious slugline to stir things up, I’m sure Jon is hoping for some of the success enjoyed by “The DaVinci Code.”

March 16, 2012 | Filed Under Body Farm | 1 Comment 

The Phantom Knows

In the days before DVRs, I would have popped out the tab on the VHS tape immediately after recording “The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall”. Now, I wonder how long I will have room to save the show on my DVR. The excellent production starred Ramin Karimloo as The Phantom and Sierra Boggess as Christine. After the curtain calls, there was a special guest appearance by Sarah Brightman and past Phantoms Michael Crawford, Peter Jöback, John Owen-Jones, Anthony Warlow, and Colm Wilkinson. The group sang an amazing version of the title song.

East Tennessee PBS pledge drive - March 11, 2012 - Frank Murphy at "Premium Desk/Monitor" The special episode of “Great Performances” aired on East Tennessee PBS during their quarterly pledge drive last night. I solicited pledges on-air from the premium desk while volunteers from the Knoxville Opera worked the phones. They cranked the volume on the studio monitor during the musical. Earlier in the evening, the phones were staffed by a group from a website called “What’s Happening George?”

“The Phantom of the Opera” is one of the few stage productions I’ve seen more than once. My first experience was at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The tickets were a gift from my mother-in-law, who also gave tickets to my wife’s sisters and their husbands. My wife and I saw the play at least twice more in Los Angeles. I remember taking our kids to see it when they were old enough. The song “All I Ask of You” has special meaning in our family. My wife and her friend Clint Butler sang the duet at the weddings of several of their friends and classmates.

Watch Clip from The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall on PBS. See more from Great Performances.

March 12, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | 2 Comments 

Contributive Justice

The 14th Annual Kids Helping Kids Fun Walk benefiting Columbus Home will be held on Sunday, April 1 at Knoxville Catholic High School. For the third year in a row, I’ve been asked to serve as honorary chair of the event. After we recorded a radio interview to promote it, Fr. Ragan Schriver joked that I could end up becoming the Jerry Lewis of the Fun Walk.

The Walk is more than just a walk. It’s a family festival with t-shirts, games, prizes and food from Domino’s Pizza, Krispy Kreme Doughnuts and Rita’s Ice. The cost is $15 per person or $30 per family in advance. The prices go up to $20 and $35 on the day of the walk. Participants are encouraged to get pledges to raise extra money. The top fundraiser wins a movie ticket each week for a year from Regal Cinemas.

As Executive Director of Catholic Charities of East Tennessee, Fr. Ragan oversees Columbus Home and several other ministries. Because he also teaches classes in the University of Tennessee College of Social Work, I asked him to put on his professor hat and comment on the roles of government and charitable organizations in today’s society. You can listen to the half-hour show by clicking on the play button below.

FrankMurphyInterviewsFrRaganSchriver-KidsHelpingKidsFunWalk-03-11-12.mp3 Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

March 11, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | Comments Off 

Talk-tioneer

Frank Murphy at 2012 Catholic Charities of East Tennessee annual dinner; wearing suit from Meridian Formal Wear “Between Ragan and Frank, I’m exhausted!” said Bishop Richard Stika as he opened his remarks last night at the 27th Annual Catholic Charities Dinner. Bishop Stika’s comment followed Fr. Ragan Schriver’s inspirational speech and a live auction, which I conducted again this year.

In his address, Fr. Ragan compared Catholic Charities of East Tennessee to a sports franchise. The owners are the Bishop and the Diocese; the coaches are the members of the board of trustees; the trainers are the local councils; the managers are the staff members; the players are the clients served by the agency; the referee is the Council on Accreditation; the groundskeepers are the priests and sisters of the diocese; and the cheerleaders are “you all.” He talked about picking a name and mascot for the hypothetical team. In typical Fr. Ragan style, there were three options: Braves, because bravery represents the intersection of fear and love; Flutes because they have to empty themselves in order to let  beautiful music flow through them; and Volunteers because of their willingness to get involved.

There were three items up for bids: a basket with $2,000 worth of gift cards; a week at a luxury condo in Hilton Head; and dinner for ten people with celebrity guests Fr. Ragan, Dane Bradshaw, Bruce Pearl and Dr. Jerry Punch. The dinner will be held at Connor’s Steak & Seafood, which is slightly ironic since Fr. Ragan is a vegetarian. The date of the soirée is undetermined but I joked that with Fr. Ragan and Bruce Pearl in attendance, it was certain that the dinner would not take place on Good Friday or Yom Kippur. I asked the potential bidders to imagine themselves talking basketball with Bradshaw and Pearl, NASCAR with Dr. Punch and tennis with Fr. Ragan. Then I asked Fr. Ragan if he could name any NASCAR drivers. He knew there was one named Ragan. Or did he mean one named Regan?

The three auction items brought in almost $7,000 for the cause. I was extremely impressed by the generosity of the donors and the bidders. Even though the prices were out of range for most people, we all have something we can give. Pastors often ask parishioners to donate their time, treasure or talent. While the attendees gave some of their treasure, I gave some of my time and talent. In this instance, my talent happens to be the willingness to stand up in front of everyone and risk failure in the hope of getting laughter and applause.

There is something odd about comedians and other performers who are compelled to overcome the fear of public speaking just so they can feel normal. I think of my condition as a “deficiency of Vitamin Applause.” I need approval like a sailor with scurvy needs oranges. Even though I was completely drained after the auction, it was worth it for the money it raised and for the nice compliments I received.

March 9, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | 2 Comments 

Samedi Gras

St. Joseph School Mardi Gras - Fr. Chris Michelson plays "Helping Hands" Today might be Mardi Gras but my wife and I celebrated on Saturday at St. Joseph School’s fundraiser gala. Fr. Chris Michelson asked me to serve as emcee. I made announcements about the silent auction items, the buffet line and the evening’s entertainment. A highlight of the night was when Fr. Chris played the improv game “Helping Hands.” Mary Jane Pitts, the parish secretary at St. Albert the Great, provided the hands that smeared shaving cream on Fr. Chris’ face.

St. Joseph School Mardi Gras - guitar autographed by The Band Perry My wife bought two items in the silent auction: a tub of Fr. Chris’ homemade chocolate-chip cookie dough and a package of Regal movie tickets and circus tickets. Fr. Chris conducted the live auction. Some of the items he auctioned off were dinner with Bishop Stika, a week at Waterside condos, and a guitar autographed by The Band Perry. They threw in tickets to see The Band Perry and Brad Paisley in concert next month. Jennifer Morgan, who is a host at Perry’s Estate Jewelry TV, donated an amethyst bracelet, which she modeled during the auction.

The recorded music during dinner included some great zydeco tunes. After the auction, the ChillBillies took the stage. One of the band members is Judge Tim Irwin, who mentioned that he is an alumnus of St. Joseph School.

February 21, 2012 | Filed Under Catholic | 1 Comment 

Dance Scene Investigation

An unexpected opportunity presented itself at “Star 102.1’s Dancing with the Knoxville Stars” last night. I had a few extra minutes to chat backstage with Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel. Jamie, who specializes in covering crime and the law, wrote an excellent account of her experience in the FBI Citizens Academy last Fall. I asked Jamie to consider joining the FBI Knoxville Citizens Academy Alumni Association, even if only to be eligible for our trip to Quantico in August. I loved what she posted on Facebook in reply to my congratulations: “It was an amazing experience. Thanks for all you do to for this cause and so many more. Hope to join you soon in the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association, Mr. President.”

Later, I spotted WATE’s Hana Kim in the audience. She and I were classmates in the Citizens Academy but she hasn’t had time to join the Alumni Association. Assistant News Director Jay Quaintance (and FBIKCAAA member), took a picture of me asking her to consider dancing in the future. After the show, Dan Andrews of the Knoxville Focus took a picture of me asking Hana to consider joining the FBIKCAAA too.

Each of the local television stations had a representative in the dance contest. WATE’s Bo Williams scored a perfect 30 but lost to the Dixie Stampede’s Jay Teter in the judges’ tie-breaker deliberations. WVLT’s Lorena Estrada and WBIR’s Kris Budden both did well as the news reports on their respective stations shows.

February 17, 2012 | Filed Under Uncategorized | Comments Off 

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