Another well balanced column

Yay, quotes! I'm starting to think that Cathy Kightlinger was beginning to hit a road block. Many of her columns were just full of information but recently she began adding more quotes to give a little color to her columns.

Kightlinger's most recent column about The Indianapolis Art & Antiques Show was a well balanced column of info and quotes. I now know that this show is one of the best that comes to town because of a quote but I also know that the event raised more than $100,000 for Methodist Hospital.

All-in-all, I think this was another good article. And because I'm keeping tallies, I think it's the 3rd or 4th one in a row that had some great quotes and more of the information that I needed.

*Just a side note: I know that I talk about quotes a lot and it must get tiring but sometimes I think they are needed to really understand how people at the event felt or thought instead of getting an outsider's view.

Joan Rivers to smell of vodka?

So this was a very interesting article to say the least. Now I will say that the headline of this article really got my attention, however, it didn't really fit the whole article. Yes, Rivers did say that she uses vodka and water to keep her costumes smelling fresh but this was also an article about what she will perform and her previous experiences in Indiana. I know the headline isn't Cathy Kightlinger's fault but I felt that there was more to this column.

On another note, sorry to get sidetracked, I didn't really feel as though this was a finished column. It almost felt as though Kightlinger had more to say at the end or maybe it was me feeling like I needed more of an explanation.

I did appreciate the quotes from Rivers so that was all very good and I could feel Kightlinger having fun writing this piece. That may be because it is about Joan Rivers, but it had some spunk.

I really enjoyed reading it. Oh, and I'll be interested to know the hits she takes on Tiger Woods and anything else "that annoys her."

The latest of Gyllenhaal at Indy 500

One of Cathy Kightlinger's more recent columns was about how Jake Gyllenhaal might be a star at the Indy 500. One aspect of this column that I really enjoyed was the first graph. It was interesting, it drew me in, and it set up the whole column.

Kightlinger also did a really good job of providing information in a story-like way. There were interesting quotes sprinkled throughout so it had a good balance of information and quotes.

Something that I just recently noticed about Kightlinger's columns is that sometimes she tends to write lengthy sentences. I don't have a problem with that but sometimes (on few occasions) they can actually lose the reader. I'm tipping my hat off to her for doing a good job of not confusing the reader (or at least this reader).

Go Butler Bulldogs!

The Bulldogs won their 20th game in a row and a chance to play in the NCAA tournament. Butler's men basketball team has drawn a lot of Indianapolis-area fans. I think it's great that so many are supporting the Bulldogs about I don't want a list.

This is the list given in the column:
Mayor Greg Ballard showed up with his wife, Winnie. Tobin McClamroch, managing partner of Bingham McCale, was on hand, as were Carpenter and his wife, Heather, and WTHR's Kevin Rader. Philanthropist Lori Efroymson-Aguilera and her husband, Sergio Aguilera, former Mexican consul in Indianapolis, chatted with Butler President Bobby Fong and his wife, Suzanne, before the game. And, spotted sitting in one of Hinkle's courtside seats was Ron Gerwig, Conseco founder Stephen Hilbert's business partner at MH Equity Investors.

Did you read all that?

I had to skip over this just to get the fabulous quote at the end:
"There is nothing else like this," said Chris Wirthwein, who operates Carmel's 5MetaCom and is a 1979 Butler graduate. "This is real Hoosier basketball. Every time I walk in here, I get kind of a chill."

Great quote! It gave me a real feeling of why all these people come to watch the Butler Bulldogs basketball team.

I won't remember everyone in the list but I will notice that Chris Wirthein was there because he gave such a great quote. There needs to be more of the quotes (as I've said too many times) and less listing of all the Indianapolis hot shots.

Recognition of Service Excellence

I enjoyed reading this column from Kightlinger. It was a breath of fresh air from what I have been reading. She started with a cute little statement and the second graph was a quote!

The column was about an award ceremony. The three that were awarded the ROSE have all been part of selling Indianapolis as a tourist vacation spot and are part of the local hospitality industry.

I also enjoyed reading about Kendra, former star of "The Girls Next Door." Kendra recently moved to Indiana because she married Hank Baskett, a Colts wide receiver. Season two of the show will be showing parts of Indianapolis, which is going to be great for the city.

Oscar-night fundraiser to support United Way

When I read Cathy Kightlinger's little bio on the Indy Star website, I thought it was going to be interesting to read columns about all the latest fundraisers and special events that are happening in Indianapolis.

Like my last post, I will again express how little I'm enjoying these short little blurbs. To me they don't feel like columns. I don't want just information. I want quotes and feeling and description and insight and with all of that the information will be there.

Kightlinger's recent column is about how 400 people watched the Oscars together as a fundraiser for United Way. There was a '20s theme that had a lot of people all dressed up and looking fabulous and while I want that kind of information, I want to know a lot more.

It was only halfway into the article that I began to be interested in what was being read. It wasn't until the end of the column when I found a fun quote. I was once told that quotes shouldn't be better said any other way. If they can, then you should just paraphrase.

I'm sure it's hard to make it to all these big events but I think there needs to be a change to these "columns." Columns are what I love to read and write and so I just expect more life in them.

American Heart Association's Go Red for Women fundraiser

When reading a column about a fundraiser for the American Heart Association and finding out who of the who was there and knowing how much they raised left me a little unsatisfied. It didn't really feel like a column but more like a little description. I want Cathy to switch things up a little, get creative and just have fun writing these articles. The more of them that I have read, the more I realize that sometimes I feel that she's gotten into a rut of informing her readers of the same things. I need more.

Harry Connick Jr. brings peace offering

Connick, a native to New Orleans, apologized to his crowd in Indianapolis for our dashed dreams of seeing the Colts win another Super Bowl. I was glad that the crowd laughed when he did say sorry. It proves that we can still have good sportsmanship.

I really enjoyed this type of column. Recently, Cathy Kightlinger has been writing about fundraisers and though that is part of her job, I'm really glad to have this change of pace. Even though Super Bowl 2010 has been a couple months back, it was still interesting to read about.

I really enjoyed the quotes again. It keeps me interested.

Another Miller Column

So Miller is back again. The premiere of "Winning Time: Reggie Miller vs. New York Knicks" is the reason $55,000 for the People's Burn Foundation, Riley Hospital for Children's Pediatric Burn Unit and the Pacers Foundation.

I loved Cathy's opening two graphs. She really sets up the scene. I can feel the excitement of the fans and I can almost hear it as well. I think this was very well done. Also, she had a nice quote in her column from Dan Klores.

I thought this column had some great information. I really enjoyed it.

Pink Tie Ball for Susan G. Komen for the Cure - 02/28/10

At the "Pink Tie Ball' women and men come together (wearing pink) to raise money for a good cause. There were about 400 people who made it to this event, including Indianapolis Colt center Jeff Saturday. The fundraiser, which had a silent auction plus other fun events to raise money, raised around $75,000!

I felt like this short column needed a little bit more. I enjoy hearing about these types of events and it's great to know who went and how much money was raised. But what did this event mean to the people who went? How has breast cancer touched their lives and made them feel that the fundraiser would be a good way to give back?

I'm all about humanizing a piece especially if it's about a more somber topic such as breast cancer. Give me something to relate to. I love the description of men in pick but I need more.

The Phoenix Theatre is hosting another big event (02/25/10)

I am getting excited about the Phoenix fundraiser already. A night on the red carpet, eating gourmet food and catching the theatre's newest shows sounds like a really good time to me. Though the price of $80 does seem a little pricey, it is all going towards a good cause.

The fundraiser is being held to help a restaurant manager who was paralyzed by a bullet. Seven area chefs are coming to help their friend a colleague and to provide the fundraiser with some really good food.

I really enjoyed this column because there were many sources, it was written well and with flavor. However, I thought Cathy kind of barried the lead on this one. I don't think it should have taken seven graphs before she got to why the fundraiser was being held. When I think fundraiser, my mind goes to "what does the money go towards?" By the time I had figured it out, I had forgotten that it was even a fundraiser. It more or less seemed like a really fun, expensive party to go to.

Cathy did a really nice job of setting up what the Phoenix Theatre is. This has been one of her more colorful pieces where isn't just facts but that she put a bit of her own style into it. I did feel that this column had some really great flavor.