It's a busy weekend of events ahead to welcome the arrival of October, along with some interesting names and opportunities.

Actress-turned-minister Della Reese of "Touched by an Angel" fame will help Christ Universal Temple, 11901 S. Ashland in Chicago, celebrate the church's 53rd anniversary on Sunday. FYI: (773) 568-2282 or cutemple.org.

I still smile when I think about comedian Tracy Morgan's "Saturday Night Live" impersonations of Reese, who was no stranger to appearing on the annual "worst dressed list" for red carpet events. In fact, one of Morgan's "in drag" skit parodies had him as Reese arriving on the red carpet for the Emmy Awards and crass interviewer Joan Rivers (impersonated by the funny Anna Gasteyer) horrified by the fact Reese was wearing a gown made from a Hefty Garbage Bag with a grey duct tape belt "that did not match."

If readers would rather travel to the East rather than to the West, Fox media personality and former ABC News correspondent John Stossel, most famous for his time reporting for "20/20," will discuss current affairs at this year's kick-off of the annual Sinai Forum presentations at 7 p.m. Sunday. Stossel has authored two national best-sellers and earned 19 Emmy Awards. He also suffered from a severe stuttering problem as a youth, which he was able to overcome to become a broadcast success. His talk is at Elston Middle School, 317 Detroit St. in Michigan City. A book signing will follow Stossel's talk. A $20 donation is suggested to attend and tickets are available at the door. Students with valid ID are admitted free. FYI: (219) 785-5697 or sinaiforum.org

And besides comedian Lily Tomlin's Friday night performance in Aurora at Paramount Theatre (which I wrote about last week), if you want to head a little North of Chicago, Centre East Arts presents seven-time Emmy Award-winner Ed Asner in his one-man show as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in "FDR" at 8 p.m. Friday at the North Shore Center for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., in Skokie. This one-man show takes the audience through FDR's historic White House years and shares why he was scorned by many and admired by most. Immediately following the performance, all audience members are invited to Centre East's complimentary 30th Anniversary Celebration reception in the lobby. Tickets are $56 and parking is free. FYI: (847) 673-6300 or northshorecenter.org.

Bright and shiny

I can't believe it's been four years since the last time I helped out at Albert's Jewelers annual live and silent jewelry auction for charity to benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. How quickly the time passes. Helen Garrison, of Albert's Jewelers, called to remind me about this Sunday's charity auction. The staff at the store at 711 Main St. in Schererville have been busy cataloging all the treasures from so many generous donations. Most bids start at $10 and yes, Josh, Fred and Charlie Halpern are always on hand to share the day.

When I last served as one of the "celebrity guest auctioneers," it was only the event's second year and more than $25,000 was raised in just one afternoon.

This year's Sixth Annual Live and Silent Jewelry Auction starts at 2 p.m. Sunday. This year, more than 100 items valued at over $100,000 will be auctioned with NO minimum bids. Last year's items included sporting tickets, electronics, memorabilia, gift certificates from many local businesses and of course, jewelry by top designers such as Bellari, Cartier, Chopard, David Yurman, John Hardy, Scott Kay and many others. I've added some special "bling" and rhinestone accents to the trio of custom birdhouses my dad Chester created for my donated auction lot, which will also include one of my autographed cookbooks. FYI: (219) 322-2700.

The opinions expressed are solely those of the writer. He can be reached at philip.potempa@nwi.com or 219.852.4327.

Today's Celebrity Birthdays

Pianist Roger Williams and President Jimmy Carter are 85. Actor Tom Bosley is 82. Actress-singer Julie Andrews is 74. Actress Stella Stevens is 71. Rock musician Jerry Martini (Sly and the Family Stone) is 66. Jazz musician Dave Holland is 63. Baseball star Rod Carew is 64. Actor Stephen Collins is 62. Actor Randy Quaid is 59. R&B singer Howard Hewett is 54. Actress Yvette Freeman is 52. Alt-country-rock musician Tim O'Reagan (The Jayhawks) is 51. Singer Youssou N'Dour is 50. Actor Esai Morales is 47. Baseball star Mark McGwire is 46. Actor Christopher Titus is 45. Actress-model Cindy Margolis is 44. Rock singer-musician Kevin Griffin (Better Than Ezra) and actor Jay Underwood ("The Boy Who Couldn't Fly") are 41. Actor Zach Galifianakis is 40. Singer Keith Duffy is 35. Actress Jurnee Smollett is 23. Actress Brie Larson is 20.