(Mike Chiodo/Mikiodo Media)

Given how spoiled we've been with numerous invites to soirées and galas of late, the novelty of a charity event set in a bowling lane—a bowling lane!—seemed just delightful, a real opportunity to let our hair down. And there was still a generous helping of celebrities in the crowd who had come to support Our Time, a charity aimed at helping young stutterers. Fronting the event was genial film star Paul Rudd, who took time out of his acclaimed Broadway play Grace to lend a famous face to the event.

Bowling may not be considered the pinnacle of athleticism, but that didn't quell the competitive streak of several guests.“I can see you getting into a challenge with a kid tonight,” speculated the charity's founder Taro Alexander to Mr. Rudd, who made no attempts to deny the accusations. “If it happens, I welcome it,” he laughed, before insisting, “I've brought my own wrist guard, balls, shoes and a bottle of Purell.” We can only hope he was joking.As is often the case with these charity shindigs, the children honored outshine the celebrities by a mile, and last night stayed true to form. One of the real success stories in attendance was 10 year old Saadiq Wicks, who had overcome school bullies and started up his own charitable foundation after being inspired by the work of Our Time and Mr. Alexander. His mom Kimberley gushed: “I’m super proud, he’s really courageous. He did a presentation at school for National Stuttering Awareness Day to his fifth grade class, and his poise amazes me.”

Someone who made less of an impact on the kiddy winks was yesteryear's English X Factor runner up Olly Murs, who was all smiles in spite of admitting that “nobody here has a clue who I am.” Well, it was nice of you to show up.

After the ubiquitous foyer schmooze fest (“do you know Danny? Danny's so great, isn't he? Danny loves you!”), a kind of bongo circle time ensued, with everyone gathering round to play a game of Hype. Cheering away on the sidelines was RENT actor Anthony Rapp, another committed Our Time supporter whose bowling prowess was rather hit and miss. “I either hit strikes or gutterballs, but I never know when I get up there how it's going to turn out.” How prophetic.  His former co-star Jesse L. Martin was down to attend but failed to show, scuppering our fantasies of an impromptu scene from RENT being acted out between the lanes. Some people are just so selfish. But everyone seemed to be having good wholesome fun— much to the dismay of several youngsters lingering near the bar— and we were tucked up in bed nice and early, ready for school the next morning.

Henry Wachtel (screengrab from promo video for "Our Time")

Educator, author and screenwriter Karyn Kay, age 63, was brutally beaten to death in her apartment at W. 55th Street and Eighth Avenue Tuesday. Police believe she was killed by her son, 19-year-old Henry Wachtel. A report from the Daily News stated Ms. Kay called 911 and said her son was assaulting her and that he was having a 'seizure.' Police arrived to find the victim unconscious. Later examination at Cornell Hospital indicated Ms. Kay suffered major trauma, including fractured skull, facial bones and broken ribs.

Authorities told the Daily News there was no evidence Mr. Wachtel used a weapon:

Neighbors said they were alerted to the horror by shouting.

One said he could hear the son. "He was screaming, 'I'm sorry mommy! I'm sorry mommy!' over and over and over," said one neighbor who lives three doors down from Kay's 10th-floor flat.

"Then suddenly it all stopped."

Karyn Kay taught at La Guardia High School and was a visiting instructor at Brooklyn's Pratt Institute. Her bio on the Pratt Institute's website listed other highlights of her career:

She has written three books on film, Women and the Cinema: A Critical Anthology, Myrna Loy, and Besides Berman, a short work on independent films from Scandinavia. She teaches English—writing, film and literature—at LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts in Manhattan, as well as at Pratt. She is currently working on a feature film project, tentatively title Service. Ira Zinman is the producer.

Karyn Kay has written primarily about issues of feminism in film. She conducted the first interview with Dorothy Arzner, the first woman director in Hollywood. She has written and produced a feature film, Call Me, which won awards for screenwriting, and she has directed several shorts.

Karyn Kay's legacy as an educator was apparent in a passage from a former student's blog, written after hearing news of her death:

Dear Ms. Kay,

I never got to tell you that I decided to minor in creative writing. That would have made you so happy. You inspired us so much with all of your stories. The way you would just write a word on the board and say “just write” and leave the room. When you would come back, we would have all written short stories, poems, and songs about the topic you chose. You never told us how to write. You just told us that we were good. That made me feel more confident about sharing my writing with the world-which is why tonight I will put up all of the poems I wrote for your class.

While the Daily News interviewed friends of Mr. Wachtel who had only good things to say, it was evident Ms. Kay had ongoing problems with her son. She reportedly told a Zumba instructor that she was "very worried" about Mr. Wachtel and described him as "getting really angry lately." At least one of Ms. Kay's neighbors also stated there were "so many screaming matches" coming from the victim's residence.

Ms. Kay was one of the 46 Kickstarter supporters for the short film "Our Time," described in the promotional video below. The film featured Henry Wachtel as a young man named Derek, who with his friend Tyler was making "the impending crossover into adulthood." Mr. Wachtel speaks in the promo video, urging donations and stating that the film is "the story of my life" as well as his friend Duncan's (who played Tyler) life.

From the Kickstarter page for "Our Time," a short film featuring Henry Wachtel