Sometimes I receive very tempting party invitations from publicists on the East and West coasts.

However, I don't think my editor would be happy to sign my expense sheet if it included "flight miles."

On Tuesday, I received a fun Halloween party invite from actress Melissa Joan Hart and Ivan Kane. The latter owns Ivan Kane's Cafe Was in Hollywood, "a Bohemian Bistro and Bar featuring live music."

Of course, this invitation arrived just hours before Hart, best known for ABC's "Sabrina, the Teenage Witch," was booted from "Dancing with the Stars."

The invitation mentions other luminaries who will be attending, including Jaime Pressly and many of Hart's dancing cohorts from the dance competition show such as Kelly Osbourne and partner Louis Van Amstel, pop star Aaron Carter and snowboard bad boy Louie Vito, also voted off the show this week.

Also attending will be Hart's dance partner Mark Ballas, who, judging from his expression, never seemed too thrilled to be paired with Hart during the live telecasts.

Special cocktails whipped up with sponsor Veev Vodka will be served and club owner Kane and Hart will serve as celebrity judges for a costume contest during Saturday's festivities. For more info and photos, check out cafewas.com.

Retro fright fun

Exactly 71 years after it scared radio listeners, the original broadcast of Orson Welles' reading of H.G. Wells' "War of the Worlds" will stream at 7 p.m. Central Time via waroftheworldstribute.com.

In 1938, one year after forming The Mercury Theater, Welles took to the air with a series of radio broadcasts on the Columbia Broadcasting System called "The Mercury Theater on the Air." In the most famous episode, Welles directed and narrated an adaptation of Wells' alien-invasion novel, reading without commercial interruption as if it were a news broadcast.

This tribute is part of the early promotion for the soon-to-be-released film "Me and Orson Welles," starring Christian McKay, Claire Danes and Zac Efron, which hits theaters Nov. 25. For more information check out meandorsonwelles.com.

Candy for causes

It's the final push for purchasing Halloween candy for the holiday weekend.

Publicist Courtney Weinberg asked me to remind readers that for the past 100 years, without even knowing it, parents have been contributing to the Milton Hershey School, simply by purchasing Hershey's products.

She said this school, in Hershey, Penn., is the nation's largest free, private, coeducational home and school for children from families of low income, limited resources and social need. It has expanded over the decades, but its mission remains the same: to build character and provide children with the skills necessary to be successful in all aspects of life. Milton Hershey, founder of The Hershey Co., transferred the bulk of his wealth into a trust to run the school and create a learning legacy funded by chocolate. You can find out more about the school at hersheylegacy.com. There's also a new documentary about the school called "Living the Legacy: The Untold Story of Milton Hershey School" that will air on cable's Independent Film (IFC) and Sundance Channel in early November.

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

Chicago TV personality Merri Dee is 79. Actor Dick Gautier is 72. Songwriter Eddie Holland and singer Grace Slick are 70. Actor Ed Lauter is 69. Singer Otis Williams of The Temptations is 68. Actor Henry Winkler is 64. Bassist Timothy B. Schmit of The Eagles (and Poco) is 62. Actor Harry Hamlin is 58. Actor Charles Martin Smith is 56. Country singer T. Graham Brown is 55. Actor Kevin Pollak is 52. Actor Michael Beach ("Soul Food," "Third Watch") is 46. Soccer champ Diego Armando Maradona is 49. Singer Joey Belladonna of Anthrax is 48. Singer-guitarist Gavin Rossdale (Bush, Institute) is 42. Actor Jack Plotnick ("Reno 911!") is 41. "Cash Cab" host Ben Bailey and actress Nia Long are 39. Country singer Kassidy Osborn of SHeDAISY is 33. Actor Matthew Morrison ("Glee") is 31. Socialite Ivanka Trump ("The Apprentice") is 28. Actor Tequan Richmond ("Everybody Hates Chris") is 17.