Phoenix News & Information

As if getting used to a new schedule (alarm clock: bbbbrrrrrrzzzzz- it is 3:15am!) this week wouldn’t keep me busy enough, we decided to head to L.A. for two days of special shoots. But no complaints here, there’s nothing like a change of pace.

Photographer Jim Cox (That’s him with Megan Mullally.) and I hopped on a plane early Tuesday morning, and from LAX we headed to Cuver Studios in Culver City, Calif.

We spent the day checking out the ins and outs of a new daytime talk show, “The Greg Behrendt Show”. You might know Greg — he is the author of two best-selling advice books, “He’s Just Not That Into You” and “It’s Called a Breakup Because It’s Broken”. He is a writer and stand-up comic who is going for a rock-and-roll-Dr.-Phil vibe with the show. It airs here on 3TV beginning Sept. 12.

There we ran into newlyweds Adrienne Curry and Christopher Knight, and Dr. Drew Pinsky. These interviews will air to coincide with the show’s launch. The topic of the day: “Marriage ruined my relationship”. It’s a little distressing for an engaged-to-be-married reporter, but I’m OK.

The next day it was Hollywood, Calif., and the woman we know and love as Karen Walker on “Will & Grace.” “The Megan Mullally Show” debuts on 3TV Sept. 18, and sitting down with her was a treat.

The show is less Oprah and more Letterman, with celebrity guests, musical performances, and a lot of comedy.

She told me I’m more glamorous than Paris Hilton, and she cooed over my dog’s photo. Robaire (Isn’t he cute!) is a Poochon (Bichon-Frise and Poodle mix), and Megan Mullally (who has poodles) says she wants one, too. I offered him to her as a guest on the show; she said she’d think about him as a potential co-host.

All in a day’s work, and it was back to the Valley of the Sun, home sweet home.

That is, until the alarm went off in the dark of night.

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Arizona

I’ve always wanted to go to the Hollywood Bowl and finally got my wish this past weekend when we saw John Williams direct the L.A. Philharmonic in favorites of film music.

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3TV Anchors & Reporters

Does the name Fr. William Wasson ring a bell? Probably not.

He wasn’t a great theologian. He wasn’t pastor of a huge, wealthy parish. He was just a priest. Like many other priests, he preached the Gospel of Jesus. Unlike many others, he LIVED the gospel.

Bill Wasson was born in Phoenix, but for health reasons he was not ordained in this diocese. Instead, he went to Mexico and was serving as a parish priest when a young boy was arrested for stealing money from the church collection box. The youngster explained that he was poor, had no parents and was going to use the money to buy food for his brothers and sisters. Rather than having the boy arrested, Fr. Wasson gave him shelter. Though no one knew it at the time, that boy was the first of what is now more than 15,000 orphans throughout Mexico and Central America who owe thier lives to Fr. Wasson.

That incident, 54 years ago, gave birth to Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos. “Our little brothers and sisters.” They are the little ones, the forgotten, the abandonded and the un-loved. Today, there are homes in nine countries with more than 3,000 pequenos who are given shelter, clothing, food, education and un-conditional love.

All the homes exist on the donations, mostly from americans. But money, clothing, school supplies and the like are sent from all over the world.

It is amazing that a single act of love, has over the years, evolved into a huge world wide orgainization whose only goal is to help children.

Fr. William Wasson died last week. His funeral is today at St. Mary’s Baslica.

Pequenos from all over the world attended to pray for and say goodbye to the man they called Father. Not father as in priest, but father as in Dad. There were of course many tears. But not as many as you might expect. There is a joy in theese pequenos. It is a joy that comes from someone who has known “un-conditional love.” It is the only way they know how to love. They know they’ve been blessed by Fr. Wasson having been part of thier lives. They also know that he is at rest and in the loving arms of the God he so beautifully served.

In the gospel, Jesus says we will be judged by only one thing: Did you see me in the least of the brothers and sisters? In Fr. Wasson’s case the answer is obvious. Its been said, the measure of one’s riches is not what you possess, but how much you loved and were loved. By that standard, Fr. Wasson died a very rich man.

And to think, it all began because one man showed mercy on a poor, hungry child,
Rest in Peace Fr. Wasson. and thank you for your example of a life well lived.

3TV Anchors & Reporters, Frank Camacho