UPBEAT NEWS

Voice-over (or VO) is a specialized industry that touches our lives everyday when we watch TV, listen to radio, or even go to a movie. It is the spoken voice that you hear "off-camera". It could be simply "You are watching Member-Supported Thirteen", the voice urging you to visit your local Dodge dealer, the sound that emanates from your child's favorite Saturday morning cartoon character to a complete narrative about an ancient civilization featured on The History Channel. These talents' names are usually not well-known, but their signature voices undoubtedly are.

Now, many of these very same voices are touching lives in a different way, by uniting together donating their time and contributing their unique stories about how they started and succeeded in a book and traveling seminar program written and produced by Actress, Voice-Over artist and Instructor, Joan Baker, determined to help provide a voice for those afflicted by Alzheimer's Disease and can no longer speak for themselves.

Baker, co-founder and vice-president of Push Creative, Inc., an advertising agency based in NYC, was always known both on- and off-camera for her fine work, but when her father, James Palmer Baker, was stricken with the debilitating and degenerative symptoms of Alzheimer's which ultimately claimed his life, she pledged the proceeds of her book Secrets of Voice-Over Success and related seminars to fund research in finding a cure.

Alzheimer's is a very emotionally and physically-devastating disease. It causes a gradual loss of brain cells, as discovered and described in 1906 by German physician Dr. Alois Alzheimer. While the disease was once considered quite rare, research has shown it is the leading cause of dementia which includes, but is not limited to, loss of memory, reasoning and judgment skills, language skills, and even routine and simple tasks.

The book, which, released last June, features a foreword written by legendary actor and voiceover artist David Hyde Pierce who serves as a National Board Member for the Alzheimer's Association. The book shares a rare insight into the lives of these behind-the-scenes artists, whose vocal interpretation of the written script can oftentimes make or break the product or event they are representing.

The book features 19 of the top voiceover artists today: Don LaFontaine, Steve Zirnkilton, Hattie Winston, Joe Cipriano, Joan Baker, Fred Collins, Janice Pendarvis, Les Marshak, George DelHoyo, Valerie Smaldone, Rodd Houston, Bill Ratner, Sylvia Villagran, Dave Fennoy, Nancy Giles, Stephen Newman, E.G. Daily, Cedering Fox, and Keith David with their bios and photos. The space in this article does not allow us to detail their credits; the group represents some of the Fortune 100 Corporations, Movies, Radio, Cable and Broadcast Television Networks today. For instance: You can't watch a movie promotion without hearing the deep baritone sound of the legendary Don LaFontaine, or watch an episode or promo for Law and Order without the dramatic, earthy voice of Steve Zirnkilton.

To compliment the book, Baker and her contributors have developed an informative seminar and reception event to help experienced as well as novices in the industry get a candid, personal and refreshingly insightful look into the world professional voice-over. Her seminars run both independently and as part of The Learning Annex's California and New York City course offerings.

A recent reception held at the Museum for the Moving Image adjacent to the famed Kauffman Studios in Astoria, Queens, was moderated by Alan Kalter, the tall, red-haired gent, who unlike most voiceovers, is regularly seen ON-CAMERA on The David Letterman Show. The seminars include a chance for several randomly-chosen audience members to "audition" for the panel and be coached by them, in an effort to improve the novice's vocal skills and an informal meet and greet afterwards, where attendees can mingle with the artists, get pictures, autographs...and very savvy advice worth many times over the cost of the book and seminar alone.

Baker and her colleagues, are not just concerned with raising money, but, through their unique combination of talents, is also raising public awareness of Alzheimer's. "The Association appreciates the fact that Joan Baker is raising awareness of Alzheimer's disease," said Yolanda Hancock, Associate Director at the Alzheimer's Association. "There are currently 4.5 million people in the US with Alzheimer's and that number is expected to grow to as many as 16 million by 2050. So it's vitally important that we educate the public about this deadly brain disease."

Along with a full schedule of seminars, Baker plans torelease an audiobook version of her work in the upcoming year. Published by Sentient Publications, Secrets of Voice-Over Success is available at most larger bookstores, or by clicking here.

For more information about Alzheimer's and the Alzheimer's Association, go to www.alz.org, for inform-ation about the upcoming Learning Annex programs that feature Baker, go to their web site www.thelearning annex.com, or Joan's site, www.secretsofvo.com.

Once again, people gathered in droves at the 15th Annual Piscataway Town Fair on May 13 on the grounds of the Municipal Building in Piscataway. The day was filled with fun and things to try and buy. Dance, music, sport and craft demonstrations, cultural events, raffles and of course, plenty of delicious hot and cold foods. Nonprofit and community organizations had a chance to meet fairgoers and supply information about their various activities and events. UPBEAT NEWS talked with more than 450 residents at its booth during the day and got some very positive responses about our on-line publication and its concept. The event, which is produced by the Mayor's Office of Public Relations is always a crowd-pleaser.

Below, Piscataway Police Officers on bicycles provided security and emergency first-aid response to the Piscataway Street Fair.

Local Students Focus Awareness on a Troubled Nation

SPHS Raises Awareness and Donations for Darfur

By Michael Duquette

South Plainfield High School's efforts to raise money and awareness for the ongoing crisis in the Darfur region of the Sudan are still going strong. In the last week of May, students have helped raise nearly $1,000 in aid, welcomed a guest speaker who talked about the United Nations' role in the conflict, and have begun plans for a special day of awareness.

On May 17, South Plainfield resident Sherine Guirguis, who travelled to Darfur last August to conduct nutritional surveys, visited SPHS to talk about the duties of the U.N. in the Sudan. She discussed the effects of the violence on the Sudanese, outlined the basic needs of the men, women and children displaced by the conflict, and explained the obligations that the U.N. can and cannot do to provide aid.

Guirguis became involved with UNICEF at a young age, participating in the model U.N. at her high school in the United Arab Emiriates and studying international relations at New York University. She meticulously described some of the more confusing aspects of the Darfur situation accurately and in a way her audience could understand.

The tone of the presentation, while serious, also maintained a sense of optimishm that peace could one day be attained between the warring people of the region. "Things have gotten better," she said, "and it's great that the United States has officially declared the conflict a genocide...The recent peace talks are a great indication (of the future), and I hope that leads to peace for the people of the Sudan."

Guriguis' visit is one of the latest victories for new SPHS chapter of HELP DARFUR NOW, a non-profit organization created by high school students in New Jersey which, as their official website (www.helpdarfurnow.org) proclaims, is "committed to the goals of raising public awareness of the atrocities currently unfolding in Darfur, and providing much needed financial aid to refugees and refugee camps."

Under the guidance of SPHS history teacher Frances Flannery, who has helped raise awareness about other genocides in history through her Genocide Studies course at SPHS, the high school's chapter has sold nearly $1000.00 worth of candy, bracelets, pins, and shirts since its inception in late April. The group is planning a "Save Darfur Day," tentatively scheduled for June 9, to further raise awareness of the plight of the Sudanese people.

Editor's Note: Michael Duquette, a graduate of South Plainfield High School, is active in the SPHS Chapter of "Help Darfur Now," and is a freelance journalist. We thank him for his contribution.

CHARLOTTE PUERARI Assistant Vice President - Branch Manager