And... here is the latest from Alison and hubby Bob.

April. And yes, Alison is still in France. No, wait! Here she is!! She's home!!! Hurray!!

Well, welcome back. We have a busy week coming up, so you better get some rest.

Let's see, what's first? Oh, yeah - we just saw the absolutely hysterical new musical, "Almond Grove! That Pioneer Karaoke Musical Formerly Known As Something Else" a production described as: "a musical mash-up of the beloved television series we can no longer mention by name with karaoke hits of the 70's, 80's, 90's and beyond!"

It USED to be called "Prairie-Okie", but SOMEBODY, (cough, cough), sent a "Cease and Desist" letter demanding the removal of any and all references to "small domicile on the grassy plain", if you know what I mean. Although now, it's almost funnier with all the euphemisms they have had to resort to instead. It features "Drew Droege as everyone's favorite bitchy blond with the sausage ringlets and nasty disposition." (Now, who could THAT be referring to?)

It's at the Cavern Club at Casita Del Campo. (http://www.cavernclubtheater.com/ or 323-969-2530) It runs through April 27, two more shows only. We're hoping it will then play somewhere else, but who knows? So order quickly, it's been selling out, and I think we're going again!

Then we went to Las Vegas to participate in a Birthday Surprise. (And it was!) And we just got home.
Then, on April 27, Alison is doing something different: In conjunction with the fabulous Richard Sebastian and Dearly Departed Tours, Alison is presenting 'The Nasty Nellie Oleson Tour of Hollywood'.

From the Website: "Alison Arngrim grew up in Hollywood - and it shows! She became a television icon with her portrayal of Nasty Nellie Oleson on the classic show, Little House On The Prairie. Alison was one of the lucky ones that made it out of childhood stardom alive and reasonably sane (?), and continues to pack houses with her one woman show, Confessions of a Prairie Bitch, and being an activist for the fight against child abuse and finding a cure for AIDS. During this special 3 hour tour on wheels, Alison will entertain you with personal anecdotes from her zero degrees of separation to the legends. You name it; Nasty Nellie has a story for just about everyone from Liberace to Michael Jackson, from Paris Hilton to the Manson Family. In three hours, Alison will share her personal history geographically, from Gardner Elementary School (and her superstar classmate MJ) and Hollywood High School to the legendary Garden of Allah and the Chateau Marmont."

Whew! Very descriptive! And a 3 hour tour? Will she run into Mary Anne and the Professor? Only one way to find out: Take the tour on April 27!! Oh, wait, you can't! It's sold out!!! Never fear, there's another one on May 24th. But hurry, only 8 seats left as I write this. You may purchase tickets at www.zerve.com/DDTours/Nellie. Or check out Dearly Departed Tours at www.dearlydepartedtours.com (If you're interested in a future tour, and you know when you're planning to come to LA, let us know and we'll see about setting one up.)

Next we're expecting visitors from France (Quick, get out the good dishes, the ones for when really important people visit, that we've never even used!) This should be fun!

And then Alison is off to Orlando Florida! She'll be presenting "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" at the Footlight Theatre, at The Parliament House, 410 N. Orange Blossom Trail, Orlando FL 32805 on Saturday, May 11 at 7:30 PM, and Sunday, May 12 at 3:00 PM. Tickets are $28. (http://www.wanzie.com/) You can contact the club at 407-425-7571. Or try: http://www.parliamenthouse.com/ (Ok, it's not yet on their website, but it is on their FaceBook page) This is, I believe, her first time in Orlando since shooting the infamous "Throw Out the Anchor" with Dina Merrill and Richard Egan there when she was a wee thing. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0072286/combined (Please don't let her bring home another possum.)
Once she's back from that, we're off to Tennessee on another Secret Mission! Check with Sock Monkey. (Hint: This involves relatives and graduations, and such things.)

Then there's June. Alison will be dropping in on her friends at INSP TV in Washington, DC, for a few days. These people re-run Little House constantly! http://www.insp.com/ (Like today, for example, a marathon from 9 AM to 11 PM Pacific time!) While she's there, she's doing a book signing at her favorite DC hangout, Nellie's Sports Bar on June 11. Nellie's is always a good time! That's Nellie's Sports Bar, 900 U Street, NW Washington, DC 20001, Call (202) 332-NELL (6355), or www.nelliessportsbar.com. Watch their calendar, or wait for the next newsletter for details.

From there Alison returns to New York City for two nights of "Confessions of a Prairie Bitch" at the Laurie Beechman Theatre in New York. (http://www.westbankcafe.com/beechman_theatre.html) She'll be there Friday and Saturday, June 14th and 15th, at 7:30 PM each night. That's The Laurie Beechman Theatre at the West Bank Cafe, 407 West 42nd Street, New York, NY 10036. (212.695.6909) That's just west of Ninth Avenue - Subway Station: Times Square. Tickets are $22 online at http://www.spincyclenyc.com/index.php/pride/333-confessions. This has become her regular stop in June, and this trip will include a visit to one of the many pre-pride-week events to kick off Gay Pride Week in New York City from June 22 thru June 30th.

And then in July, pack up your butter churns and follow Alison to Wisconsin for Laura Ingalls Wilder Days at Heritage Hill in Green Bay, Wisconsin on Friday and Saturday, July 26th & 27th. (http://www.heritagehillgb.org/calendar/laura-ingalls-wilder-daysfriday/267) Admission: $10 adults, $9 senior citizens and $8 for children 5-17, those 3 and under are free. This is one of those "back by popular demand" situations. She was there last year, and everyone had such a great time that they invited her back this year! And I predict it will be even more fun this time!

Then there's August, and all bets are off for August. She's promised to be in town for my birthday, and there's no telling what will go on for THAT!

So, that's all we can see in the crystal ball at this point. Hmmm . . . what else? Well, remember that you can still get the French edition of her book, "La Petite Garce dans la Prairie", on kindle: http://www.amazon.fr/Petite-Garce-dans-prairie-ebook/dp/B007SFVUYK/ref=sr_1_2_bnp_1_kin?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1363579277&sr=1-2. And she did bring home one copy of the French paperback version (livre de poche), but I'm not sure where you can get that one. And there are rumors that there will be a few more copies of the original French edition available soon, but these are just rumors.

And Heeere's Amy is still available on I-Tunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/heeeres-amy/id476625725?ls=1.

Prairie Tidbits

Tracie Savage (Christy Kennedy) - Tracie has a website at http://traciesavage.tv/ AND Tracie is working on a film that is in production for 2013 called "The Bone Garden". From the website: "The twisted tale of one Alice Hardy, an attractive middle aged woman who has it all: a successful husband, a beautiful Victorian house, and a best friend named Laurie, a hot-ticket divorcee with whom Alice shares many crazy adventures." (Tracie is playing Alice Hardy) It's a thriller, and their tag line is: "Nothing is ever what it seems!" Try http://thebonegardenmovie.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/pages/ThE-bOnE-gArDeN-a-mike-gutridge-moving-picture/113184922063130

Katy Kurtzman (Anna Gillberg) - Katy has an acting clip reel, and guess what the first item on the reel is? Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/user/KatyKurtzmanActingUp Also, a little bird told me that Katy just finished working on an episode of Grey's Anatomy, which I believe airs later this week.

Pam Roylance (Sarah Reed Carter) - Pam had a birthday last month, (I think she was 29!) and her film, "HER", is to be released in The Netherlands on October 17, 2013. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1798709/combined) It was directed by Spike Jonze, and the synopsis is: "A lonely writer develops an unlikely relationship with his newly-purchased operating system that's designed to meet his every need." Pam plays a 60 Minutes reporter. (Why The Netherlands? Beats me!)

Charlotte Stewart (Miss Beadle) - Charlotte was at the Napa Valley Elvis Festival in March. Check it out at: http://westcoastelvistribute.com/ She will also be in Southern California in May shooting a film called "The Frontier". (No other info available at this time, but we're actively snooping!)

Dean Butler (Almonzo Wilder) – Dean has been working on his documentaries, and has two available now: "Little House On The Prairie: The Legacy of Laura Ingalls Wilder", and "Almonzo Wilder: Life Before Laura". Check them out at: http://legacydocumentaries.com

The Saga of Sock Monkey (Chapter Seventeen)
No answer. So, Alison knocked again, this time in a specific pattern. Sock Monkey heard the locks click, the sound of a bolt sliding back, and the door slowly creaked open. He peered in. It was dark, and a little smoky, and he could smell the sweet smell of incense. I don't remember anything like this! he thought. They pushed the door open, slowly. As they walked in, they could hear jazz music playing, softly, from another room. Sock Monkey looked around. "Notice anything different?" asked Alison. Sock Monkey looked some more. Then he saw it! "There's a Monkey on that wall!" he said. "And another on that wall!"…"and there's THREE OF THEM OVER THERE!!" And yes, there was…. hanging on the wall, an enormous painting of…..a monkey. And another monkey. Monkey after monkey, wall after wall, and finally a gigantic mural of three monkeys. "Yes, said Alison, you've had quite an effect on Agent J!" Sock Monkey was impressed, and yes, more than a little disturbed! (To be continued. . . .)

Alison's book made Library Journal's BEST BOOKS OF 2010!! The French-language version of Alison's book, "LA PETITE GARCE DANS LA PRAIRIE", was released. (http://www.florentmassot.com) Click here to read more
It may be because of rather than despite a lifetime of being loathed for her onscreen personality that Arngrim is an immensely likable narrator. She hilariously portrays 1970s Hollywood among a family of actorsliving in the Chateau Marmont and making soup from KFC chicken bones. Arngrim has no shame in bowing to the B-list celebrity gods and opens the door to the Little House in order to promote activism for people with HIV and abuse survivors.