From Batavia High to Vegas to L.A.

Nicholas Brooks surely wasn't thinking about being a TV star when he was impressing people 13 years ago as a member of the "Swing Singers" choir at Batavia High School.

Time has a way of changing one's thinking and things are changing for the 30-year-old Brooks, a 1998 graduate of Batavia High School and longtime Las Vegas entertainer.

Brooks has performed in Las Vegas for the past eight years, with the last four in a headliner role of Sammy Davis Jr. in "The Rat Pack." After passing an audition the week before, he was on the set of a new CBS show "The Defenders" for one grueling 14-hour work day last week for his first shot at a part on an episode of a network TV series.

"I have been on television many times, singing or dancing, or being on talk shows, but never in an acting role," Brooks said. "It was hard, hard work, but very rewarding."

One gets a better understanding of what it takes to film a one-hour drama when Brooks said his full work day entailed the shooting of just two short scenes one in which he is sitting at a bar talking to one of the show's stars, Jim Belushi, and another where he is at a table talking to the other star, Jerry O'Connell.

"The character I am playing is actually myself because I play a Sammy Davis Jr. impersonator who is a friend of an Elvis impersonator who is accused of stealing some Elvis memorabilia," said Brooks, whose episode is scheduled to air Oct. 27.

The changing world of Hollywood was apparent to Brooks, who said there were at least seven script revisions during his single day of shooting.

"At first I was supposed to sing in the episode, and then I wasn't, so it ended up being my first time on a prime time show, and the first time I wasn't singing or dancing," Brooks said.

"I believe I will be actively pursuing this area of show business," Brooks said of his future plans. "I would like to do something that I don't know as well, and challenge myself to get out of the comfort zone."

Brooks said his work schedule and travel plans don't allow him to come back to the Tri-Cities area, where he attended elementary school in St. Charles, high school in Batavia and college at Northern Illinois.

"I really miss that area," Brooks said. "I believe it is the best place to grow up."

Interview connections: There is an interesting connection between my interview with Las Vegas entertainer Nicholas Brooks of Batavia last week, and the actor he met while shooting an episode of "The Defenders."

The drama's star, Jim Belushi, is well known in these parts, having lived in Wheaton and being the brother of the beloved John Belushi.

Brooks was thrilled to meet Belushi and mentioned what a great guy he is.

Back in 1973, when Belushi was a student ambassador to the Faculty Senate at College of DuPage, I interviewed him for the COD newspaper.

The guy was unbelievably hilarious, and I went back to the newspaper office and declared, "I just talked to another Belushi who is going to be on TV someday."

So what's my point? I was correct. And I can't believe how long I've been interviewing people for stories.

Keep on fighting: Only two months after graduating from St. Charles East High School, Jessi Griffin was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and began nearly three years of battling the disease until doctors gave her an all-clear last April.

Now a 21-year-old graphic design major and senior at Harrington College of Design in Chicago, Griffin is using her experience as the catalyst for her "Forever Fight" campaign.

Items with the "Forever Fight" slogan and logo are at the core of Griffin's business, which was showcased at a recent open house, where more than $500 worth of items were sold at Hallmark in St. Charles.

"There are T-shirts, candles, chocolates, bracelets, poems and angel wings," Griffin said of items still on sale at Hallmark. "They are intended to inspire people who are fighting cancer or for people who just want to show their support."

Griffin said the Living Well Center in Geneva helped her during her ordeal, and a percentage of the money she earns will go toward that center. The rest goes back into her business and toward her college education.

"My goal is to inspire people to fight and give them something positive among all the chaos," Griffin said. "This really is a business I can pour my entire heart into."

To order items or obtain more information, contact Griffin at foreverjess88@yahoo.com.

Handyman helps out: Cathy and Al Lins were grateful when Lazarus House in St. Charles helped their son through a tough situation years ago. They used the National Day of Service on Sept. 10 to do their part to help the homeless shelter.

The Lins, who own Mr. Handyman in Geneva, sent 10 technicians to Lazarus House to complete a "wish list" of tasks covering everything from electrical work and plumbing to fixing doors, windows and a power wash of the building.

"We put a new floor in the entrance, and that was a big job," said Cathy Lins, who estimated the Mr. Handyman project totaled about 100 hours of work.

"It's really nice to service leaders, and we told them to get their wish list together for next year, because we could see the extent of work that could be done," Lins added. "I think this will become a good partnership."

Lins said the workday was organized in a way that would not interrupt the residents.

"It was a wonderful day, with wonderful weather, and we just had a great time," Cathy said. "They were really happy with the work when we were finished."

dheun@sbcglobal.net