Ben Vereen and Me.....
By John Amato Monday Jan 19, 2009 2:00pm
I arrived in D.C. late Sunday night and finally made it to the baggage claim. You know how much I hate flying, anyway, I'm really tired, but I look up as the bags are going by and I see Ben Vereen standing next to me. He's got a big smile in his face. I say, "Hi Ben, I'm John."
Vereen: How are you? What a wonderful time...
Amato: Yes it is. The flight attendant announced as we were landing that there's a new President in town and everyone on the plane started clapping and cheering.
He asked me what I did and I said that I play some music, but mostly I'm a political blogger these days.
Vereen: Who did you study music with?
Amato: Milt Hinton...
Vereen: I bet you're pretty good.
Amato: I'm OK...
We laughed...
I said that it was an intense election and there was a lot of right- wing spin that liberal bloggers had to defend against. To which Vereen responded,"That is so beautiful...."
He agreed to take a picture with me. I gave my phone to a man standing next to us and he snapped a quick shot. At that moment, my big bag came around and I missed it. Ben quickly moved to his right and snatched it off the carousel:
Vereen: Here you go, and you have a wonderful time in D.C.
Amato: And the same to you.
He had that big smile on his face, we shook hands and I left. What a beautiful and humble man and and what a way to start the party!
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Thanks for sharing the great story and pic. It's so cool when that kinda stuff happens.
What was the name of that TV detective show he made with Jeff Goldblum?
It wasn't Narcissus and Goldmund wazzit?
Got it, Ten-Speed and Brownshoe.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SMZQ1NqT1j0&fe...
Especially when you think of Ben Vereen's role in Roots, how important the broadcast of that miniseries is to TV history and black American history, and the impact that Roots had on America.
cool pic!
OT but can anyone tell me what time is the actual inauguration so I can set my DVR? Stoopid news programs are running all day specials and won't give a time for the event. I'm not getting up at 4am and my boss will totally frown on my staying home to watch.
Obama will take the oath at noon eastern standard time.
Cheers, POP, thanks a ton!
hbo is claiming that the obama people had placed the invocation as part of the pre-ceremony, which was not to be televised
last nite was the season premiere of big love...a show about the wonderful lives of polygamists
i highly doubt that hbo would blanche at including a prayer by a gay priest
seems like a lack of communication between parties
it was a lovely prayer too
Let me lay on you, a great entertainer, a great humanitarian, and my dearest, dearest friend, for (*inaudible*) years!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bNcl0L7eJUY
didnt see you get in with this before me.
Great movie.
...that John has jumped on the black wagon?
(raise not your quills in angry protest...it's a Vereen line from All That Jazz)
Love ya, Ben!
If they broken into an impromptu version of "Bye Bye Bush!"
Buh-Bye Bush!
Buh-Bye lack of sense!
Hel-lo competence!
I feel like I could cry!
Buh-Bye George Bush
Buh-Bye!
Awesome lyrics.
(I thought I was the only one who was into that particular movie.)
Now that is a wonderful warm and fuzzy story. I love it.
I don't remember so many really young people being so fired up about other elections as they are about this election. During the day they (MSNBC hosts) have talked to people who have gathered around their booth. Little kids are asked their name and what the election means to them. They answer with things like, a change for our country, and such. When I was their age I doubt I knew who the president was. I was in the fifth grade before I paid any attention to politics.
So are y'all starring together in Rosenberg and Gildenstern Are Dead?
unless you were making a joke that I missed.
I'm just a big fan of Love At First Bite.
Very cool. I wouldn't recognize Ben Vereen if I bumped into him at the airport. Or anywhere else.
Ben, I hope you read C&L!
"Ben! You're a great entertainer... a great humanitarian... and my close person friend for *mumble mumble* years!"
Didn't Ben star in a broadway musical. If it's the one I'm thinking of the name of the show began with a P.
and he was Judas in Jesus Christ Superstar.
Yes, thank you that's it. I didn't know he was in Jesus Christ Superstar. Probably because I never saw it.
Won a Tony.
Did a revival of it too IIRC
Ben and I used to hustle pool together back after wwII in Mississippi before he made it big.
Ok, thats not true. I was just jealous of Amato's meet.
Amato lives in LA, he meets celebrities all the time.
Seriously, they're a dime a dozen. I was visiting my sister down in Santa Monica (she lives about 5 miles away from John) and I saw the red-haired chick from Desperate Housewives at a park with her kids (she admired my niece's hair)--don't ask me her name, I don't watch the show, my sister does-- and Diane Keaton at the Farmer's Market in just the first couple of hours I was there.
My best celeb sighting was in NYC, though. My husband wanted to go to the Dakota Building and Strawberry Fields in Central Park and we actually met and took pictures with Yoko as she came out of the building.
But there is something about Ben Vereen...maybe because I remember him being a guest on EVERY show in the 70s, plus Chicken George, plus All That Jazz and all these other bits that have seeped into my consciousness then.
Ya i live in Manhattan, see celebs all the time, usually doesn't faze me a bit, but for some reason it would be cooler to see Ben Vereen than most.
If I went to Worth Avenue in Palm Beach probably the only famous people I would have a shot at seeing would be Anne Colter (sp) or Rush. So I stay home.
Too bad the house arrest hampers Bernie's wintering in Palm Beach this season.
and I Love Ben Vereen! What a wonderful entertainer and amazing person.
Thanks for sharing such an awesome, chance encounter. I'm so glad people like you and Ben are there... so many of us will be watching the excitement on TV while at work or home and living vicariously through friends we know who are lucky enough to be in DC right now. Enjoy!
John don't forget to bring us all souvenirs. I want one of those black and white posters with Obama's face on it, that I see all the people around the MSNBC's booth have. And if you could get President Obama to sign it, that would fantastic. ;)
I hadn't heard about Ben Vereen for years. I remember him as a great tap dancer. It must have been great meeting him. Lucky you.
I still have my tap shoes and I get them out once in a while and sigh.
Do you keep them nice and polished?
Every scuff and scratch were put there through much sweating and exhaustion. Those shoes look danced in. I must have had at least 2 dozen pairs in my dance life but these are my favorite. In a variety show I wore them and did the James Cagney dance he did in Yankee Doodle Dandy. He was a great "hoofer" and we used to exchange letters. He was here in Maine when he got his "final call to show up to audition". He made it back home and died at his farm in CT.
Dancers are very special to me.
Polished shoes are frowned upon by the Sisters of the Benevolent Ruler.
ooh, ooh, I want a poster too.
Enjoy history John.
yep, Chicken George. a sportin' man, himself...
What a great smile. I'm guessing you couldn't slap the happy off millions of American's faces tomorrow. I know I'll be one of them. How very fortunate for you to be able to witness history firsthand, John. Enjoy the day! Hope you're not in too much pain!!!
Heck with tommorow, they'd have a pretty damn hard time of it right now. :-)
He is a truly gifted entertainer and sounds like a super nice guy. I sure hope you realize how truly lucky you are in life. Most people never get to see a famous entertainer, much less see them regularly.
awesome
Back in the day, my boss at American Express took care of some
problems for Ben and he sent her flowers. Lovely man.
Deserves every bit of success he has had.
My husband used to run a children's gym in Beverly Hills. We would laugh about how the most talentless hacks were the rudest people there were. There really is a talent to asshole ratio. I worked for a famous actress as her nanny and met lots of people, but among my favorites and most classy were Katherine Ross and Nancy Ritter (first wife). I got to meet LOTS of golf superstars, hubby was a producer for ABC sports, didn't mean much to me, but most all were kind and polite. My hubby then ran a gym in Sherman Oaks and we met lots of television stars and writers, etc. Our favorites there were Gregory Harrison and his wife Randi Oakes, what lovely and classy people. We also got to know and love Suzanne Kent, from Pee Wee's Playhouse, and Richard Dreyfuss's wife Jeramie. My husband got a big kick out of me the day Lorenzo Lamas brought his kids to a birthday party. My husband said I was staring at him and I patiently explained that he was the most beautiful man I had ever seen.
Anyway, Ben exudes class and a wonderfully positive vibe. He reminds me of a man that works in our cafeteria at the hospital in which I now work. He is always having the best day and every time I see him I let him know how much I appreciate his smile and his positive outlook.
I’ve always admired Ben Vereen that’s why I was so worried when he was hit by a car while jogging on Pacific Coast Highway back in the 80s. I still wonder if the injuries have kept him from working much lately!
Vereen was badly injured. He was hit by a car driven by David Foster, the music producer.
Vereen was fantastic in 'All That Jazz'. Funny, I've been thinking about renting it lately. Best dancin' & singin' movie since the old Gene Kelly flicks back in the 50's.
Ben, if you read this, it's a pleasure to see your smiling face. You're an amazingly talented man, and your work has given me real pleasure.
...BUT,...... I can sing every word of Pippin right now. That's awesome!
Best wishes Ben.
Wonderful World, Beautiful People
Hope everybody has a blast. Go wild! You deserve it.
always good to see ben
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