AAM FOR THE CURE FUNDRAISER FOR SU2C
As most of Marg’s fans know, the fight against cancer is very important to Marg for personal reasons, so much so that she has devoted much of her life to raising awareness, including serving as an ambassador for Stand Up to Cancer. Finding a cure for cancer is important to her fans as well since so many of us have either lost loved ones to cancer or even have loved ones who are currently battling the disease.
For these reasons and so many more, I am pleased to announce that this year All About Marg will be joining in the fight against cancer. As a way to celebrate Marg’s work in the fight and also as a way for fans to come together and stand with her and do our part, we are hosting an online fundraiser for Stand Up To Cancer (SU2C).
Click Here to Donate.
Since today is All About Marg’s 13th anniversary (Happy Anniversary to us!), I’ve decided to start the fundraiser today and have it run through Marg’s birthday, November 16th. So, yes, our efforts in this fundraiser will be our gift to her this year. We’ve sent her many tokens of affection over the years telling her how much we adore her and how much she inspires us, and we’ve often celebrated her onscreen work, but I wanted to try to do something different this year – something that celebrates her offscreen work, something that truly shows her how much she inspires us all to be better people.
I’ve set our fundraising goal at $500, which I’m hoping we can meet and hopefully exceed. I know that money is an issue for some so I want to say up front that any and all donations are appreciated, no matter how big or small. I’m hoping that having the fundraiser run for 5 months will give people who want to participate ample time to budget for it. I also plan to send out periodic reminders to let people know how we’re doing with meeting our goal as well as shout outs to those who have donated.
Some questions you may have:
Q. I just visited your fundraising page on the SU2C site. Do I click ‘Join Team’ or ‘Donate’?
A. To donate, just click the red ‘DONATE NOW’ button.
Q. How do I know where my donation is going?
A. Our fundraising page is set up directly on the Stand Up to Cancer website so all of your donations will go directly to them. Donating through AAM’s page just puts your name on the list saying that you participated as a Marg fan to celebrate her work. The money does not actually pass through my hands at all. Per the Stand Up to Cancer website, 100% OF YOUR DONATION received by SU2C will support Stand Up To Cancer’s collaborative cancer research programs.
Q. Can I donate if I am not from the United States?
A. Yes, I verified with Stand Up to Cancer that anyone can donate no matter where they are from.
Q. Am I allowed to donate more than once?
A. Yes. If you make an initial donation and then decide you are able to donate more later, you can always donate again.
Q. Will there be prizes?
A. As of right now, no. If that changes, I’ll let everyone know.
Q. How will you let Marg know who has participated?
A. I haven’t decided exactly what I’m doing yet, but it will definitely include a list of the donors and where they are from.
If you have additional questions that I haven’t addressed here, please contact me directly via email at suzanne@allaboutmarg.com.
Q. Do I have to show the amount I have donated?
A. No, not at all. When you fill out the donation form, there is a box you can check so that your donation amount remains private.
Thanks so much and I hope that you’ll all join AAM in our effort to stand with Marg in the fight against cancer. AAM for the Cure!
HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY FROM MARG!
Marg shared this great photo of she and her mother on twitter last night as she tweeted to wish all moms a Happy Mother’s Day. Happy Mother’s Day to you too, Marg!
Wishing my mother & moms everywhere a day filled with much love, laughter, and special treatment! pic.twitter.com/Rjs7RsVjWT
— Marg Helgenberger (@MargHelgen) May 7, 2016
HELGENBERGER FOR HILLARY: MARG CANVASSES FOR HILLARY CLINTON IN OMAHA
One of the qualities I love about Marg is her passion when it comes to politics. She has been a vocal supporter of Hillary Clinton for President for months now on social media and has now taken her support one step further today in Omaha, Nebraska where she has been canvassing for Hillary. I’d be proud of Marg for doing this even if she wasn’t supporting my candidate, but I have to admit there’s an extra thrill in it for me that we’re both Team Hillary.
Here are some highlights that she shared on twitter and instagram this evening. (I’m not sure what’s going on with the image preview in the twitter embedded links, but click the links in her tweets for photos).
Canvassing for #hillaryclinton in Omaha on my first burner phone. #cornhuskercaucus this… https://t.co/89Iz5EBkDm
— Marg Helgenberger (@MargHelgen) March 4, 2016
Keep up the great work Andrew! https://t.co/MEwawersmx
— Marg Helgenberger (@MargHelgen) March 4, 2016
The pleasure is all mine! https://t.co/Mf7XYqZ9O4
— Marg Helgenberger (@MargHelgen) March 3, 2016
WHY MARG HELGENBERGER IS MY ROLE MODEL
A role model is defined as “a person regarded by others, especially younger people, as a good example to follow.” Role models possess qualities that make them stand out as people we can look up to as we try to better ourselves. Role models are unique to each individual because we all have different qualities that we consider admirable. For that reason, a role model could be a parent, a teacher, a mentor, an athlete, a world leader, or yes, even a celebrity.
I tend to admire and look up to strong women. Aside from Marg, my biggest role models in life are my mother and grandmother, Hillary Clinton, Madeleine Albright, and Toni Morrison. While on the surface they may seem to have little in common, the threads that tie them together are that they have always made their voices heard, no matter what, and that they dreamed big and worked hard throughout their lives to make those dreams come true.
Marg is a role model for me for so many reasons. While she possesses that same strength of character that my other role models do, I look up to her as a good example to follow because of many other qualities she possesses as well. First of all, I can relate to her more than I can relate to some of my other role models because I think she’s probably more like me than they are. As someone who grew up in a tiny sheltered town that no one ever left, I was drawn to Marg as soon as I learned that she came from an even smaller town than I did and had had the courage to leave the safety of her town and go out into the world and make her way. Marg made it big on ‘China Beach’ right as I was graduating from high school so seeing the success of another small town girl was the kick in the pants I needed to get out of my town and go away to a good school.
Another reason Marg is a role model for me is because of her devotion to her family. No matter how busy her life gets, family always still comes first and I think it has been that way throughout her entire career. You can see it in how close she and her son still are today. I hope that I can be even half as good a mom to my son as Marg has been to Hugh.
In addition to her courage and her devotion to her family, I also look up to Marg because of how she uses her voice. Because of her celebrity status, she has a big voice when it comes to promoting issues that are important to her. I admire that she uses that voice to draw attention to so many worthy causes such as breast cancer awareness and the fight against MS. I also like that she says what’s on her mind when it comes to political issues and doesn’t back down when the political trolls come after her.
Some other qualities I admire are her kindness, her generosity, and her humility. No matter how much of a monster hit CSI became, Marg remained so humble in all of her interviews. She’s really one of the most down-to-earth celebrities out there. She comes across as genuinely grateful of all of the success that she has had and never acts like she’s somehow entitled to it like some celebrities do. For that reason, it’s just so refreshing to watch her. I’ve also never seen a celebrity more appreciative of their fans than Marg is. Her kindness and generosity are unparalleled.
So, yes, Marg is a role model for me. Do I want to ‘be’ Marg? No, of course not. But do I hope that I will always strive to be strong, brave, family-oriented, kind, generous, and humble like she is? Absolutely.
IMMORTALITY RECAP, RATINGS, & SCREEN CAPS: FAREWELL TO CATHERINE & TO CSI
The CSI series finale ‘Immortality’ literally starts off with a bang when a suicide bomber kills three people and injures countless others at the Eclipse Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. This bombing is what brings now FBI Special Agent Catherine Willows back home to Vegas, as she is now owner of the Eclipse, thanks to Sam Braun’s legacy. With the help of Catherine and of Gil Grissom, who has also returned to Vegas once he hears that Lady Heather is the prime suspect, the CSI teams follows the evidence and catches the real killer.
It probably seems strange that I would sum up the plot of a two-hour series finale in just a few sentences, but for me, ‘Immortality’ is not really about the case. It’s about seeing the CSI family together again one last time and knowing that they’re all going to have happy endings once this show is no longer on the air. That’s what most fans cared about and I think series creator Anthony Zuiker gave us exactly what we needed so that we could say goodbye.
The biggest highlights for me were, of course, Catherine’s scenes, so that’s my focus for this recap.
Catherine and Grissom:
The scenes between Catherine and Grissom were, by far, my favorite moments of the episode. Marg and Billy Petersen have such wonderful chemistry and it was just so wonderful to see them onscreen together again. Even though they hadn’t worked together since season 9 when Billy left the series, it was like no time had passed and they were right in sync with one another.
In my absolute favorite scene, Catherine walks outside and finds Grissom sitting on a bench sketching whales and sharks. After patiently listening to his Grissom-esque explanation of how his drawing is a metaphor for Vegas, Catherine gives him one of her patented ‘Whatever you say, Grissom’ looks, a quick “Okay” and changes the subject. She needs a favor – she wants Grissom to help process some evidence with the new girl, who has had a rough first day on the job and could use a little ‘Grissom TLC’. Grissom says he would rather not but is still curious about this new girl, who when he encountered her earlier in the day, she acted as if she knew him: “Where’d that girl come from anyway?” Catherine’s response is priceless: “My vagina. You don’t recognize her? Grissom, that’s Lindsey. That’s my daughter!” If that isn’t a classic Catherine/Grissom moment, I don’t know what is.
Catherine and Lindsey:
Speaking of Lindsey, Katie Stevens is not who we’re used to seeing play Lindsey, but it was still wonderful that they brought Lindsey back for the finale and so fitting that she is following in her mother’s footsteps to become a criminalist. She even looked like a mini Catherine walking around in her cute leather jacket. And now that we know that Catherine will be running the lab, I love the idea of Catherine running the lab and mentoring her daughter. That’s a happy ending I can definitely live with for Catherine.
Catherine and Sara:
I have to admit that I got a little nervous in the first scene these two had together when Catherine came barging into the crime scene, flashing her FBI badge and basically daring anyone to try to stop her from working the case. When Sara walked over and started talking about the conflict of interest and Catherine started to fire back at her about being the owner of the Eclipse and that she had to work the case as long as there were bodies on the floor of her father’s casino, it brought back memories of so many tense scenes between these two. Thankfully though, this time Catherine and Sara quickly come to a meeting of the minds and there was no conflict.
Not only was there no conflict between Catherine and Sara, but they even had a wonderful moment of sisterhood later in the episode as they bonded over their mutual dislike of Lady Heather. This was another of my favorite scenes. When Lady Heather comes in for questioning, she seems to focus much of her attention of Sara, intent on getting under her skin. She unfortunately succeeds and Sara ends up storming out of the room. Catherine immediately jumps up and goes after her to give her a little pep talk about not letting Heather get to her. In yet another classic moment, Catherine tells Sara: “Don’t beat yourself up. I don’t feel the way you do about Grissom and I want to kill the bitch with my bare hands.” Yes, it was a hilarious line but it was also just a great reminder of how far their friendship has come over the years.
Catherine and Brass:
They didn’t have much screen time together but I was thrilled to hear that Brass is now working for Catherine at the Eclipse. It’s nice to know that she has someone in her corner who will always have her back.
Catherine and the children:
One final scene that really stood out for me, even though it pertained more to the case and not so much to any kind of CSI reunion, was the scene where Catherine has to go tell the two little girls that their mom was killed in the bombing. Seeing how gut wrenching it was for her and knowing how much she wanted to protect them took me all the way back to the scene in the pilot episode when Catherine had to interview a little girl who had been molested.
Catherine’s big heart and those fierce maternal instincts were the essence of her character and what made me fall in love with her in the first place, even more so than the fact she’s such a badass, so it was nice to be reminded of that side of her in the final episode of the show. I felt like we came full circle there.
As much as I’m going to miss Catherine Willows, I feel like this finale has given me the happy ending that I would want for her. She’s home, she’s with her daughter, and we know the crime lab will be in good hands with her. Maybe it’s not sailing off into the sunset on a boat with the love of your life, but it will do quite nicely so thank you to Anthony Zuiker for writing it, thank you to Marg for coming back and giving us the opportunity to say goodbye one last time, and thank you to CBS for allowing the show to have a proper sendoff.
“Never doubt, never look back. That’s how I live my life.” – Catherine Willows
Since this is the last time I’ll have the opportunity to make screencaptures of Catherine Willows, I probably went a little overboard. You can view those HERE
The complete series finale is also online now at CBS.com.
And courtesy of CBSPressExpress.com, we also now have the ratings for the CSI series finale. Marg fans will recognize that the series finale audience was the largest audience since Marg’s final episode “Willows in the Wind” back on January 25, 2012:
With an average of 12.12 million viewers, “CSI” is Sunday’s top scripted broadcast in viewers. The series finale of CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION delivered its largest audience since January 2012 and ranked as Sunday’s top scripted broadcast in viewers, according to Nielsen preliminary live plus same day ratings for Sept. 27. From 9:00-11:00 PM, CSI averaged 12.12 million viewers, its biggest audience since Jan. 25, 2012, and scored 1.8/05 in adults 18-49 and 2.7/07 in adults 25-54, its best deliveries in those demographics since May 7, 2014.