Scores of prominent celebrities from all corners of the entertainment industry initiated their descent upon the Minneapolis-St. Paul region of Minnesota late Sunday afternoon in preparation for the Republican National Convention, which begins Monday.
Actor Scott Bakula, who played Dr. Sam Beckett in the enormously popular "Quantum Leap," will help usher in the convention Monday as the master of ceremonies for "Living Green: A Salute to Nuclear Power."
"It's a real honor to be associated with such a landmark event," said Bakula, "You know, as a celebrity, it's easy to get caught up in the trappings of Hollywood life - the parties, the press junkets, the awards ceremonies. But it's a nice change of pace to come out here to Indiana and really take in the heartland."
Added actor Dirk Benedict, better known as Faceman from TV's "The A-Team," "When they asked me to be a part of this, I didn't hesitate to say yes. The Republican party needs us right now, and we're here to answer the call, just like in episode 22, when B.A. broke his hand punching a wall, and I - I mean my character - had to help him stabilize his AK-47 while shooting at the Columbian drug lords. Today, we are being asked to be that steady hand on the AK-47 of the Republican party, and I gladly accept the challenge."
World renowned musicians John Tesh, Rick Astley, and Kenny G will also play a major role in the convention's festivities, combining their musical forces to open Tuesday night's proceedings with a segment from Tesh's poltically charged soft rock opera entitled "Bootstraps."
Said an exuberant Tesh, "It's about a scoundrel of a boy, living in the hills of Western Kentucky, who realizes that he must end his roguish ways and aspire to greatness after his parents are tragically mauled by a rabid donkey. I was struck with the concept one night while sitting at a Holiday Inn lounge, chatting into the wee hours with Kenny (G), who is, for all intents and purposes, my creative muse. Long story short, I ended up scribing the whole darn thing right there in that bar, on a stack of cocktail napkins." After giving singer Rick Astley a playful nudge, Tesh concluded, "Astley's a Brit, but he's like-minded politically and sings like an absolute angel. After months of painstaking training, he's got his Kentucky hills drawl down pat."
For actress Soleil Moon Frye, the title character from TV's "Punky Brewster," the convention represents not just an opportunity to help out her political party, but also an escape of sorts. "I will say this," said Moon Frye, "Being a mega-celebrity in Hollywood can be frightening. The fans are great, but they can also get pretty obsessive - and even a little creepy. That's why I haven't left my apartment in nine years. Until today, that is."
Moon Frye and comedian Bobcat Goldthwait will lend a hand at "The Neo-Con Experience," a big-tent attraction that leads conventioneers through the early stages of a preemptive military strike. On the closing night of the convention, a select group of participants will be chosen by former Deputy Secretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, to spearhead an actual invasion of Yemen.
Premier right-leaning celebrities like Benedict, Tesh, Moon Frye, and scores of others will be utilized by the Republican National Committee to serve in a variety of capacities. For example, Ted Lange, bartender Isaac Washington from TV's "The Love Boat," will be tasked primarily with cleaning up after conventioneers.
"I'll be doing mostly light cleaning," said Washington, "and maybe a bit of serving - mostly cocktails. Mike (current RNC chairman, Mike Duncan) said he was always impressed by my work on The Love Boat and thought it would translate well to this venue."
Added Duncan, "Out of all the celebrities helping out at the convention, we love Ted the most. He really is a credit to his race."
I hope Scott Bakula will be making some time to sign autographs. I will have to not lead on to the fact that I was at the Democratic Convention and was completely engaged by such performances as Yanni (sorry Mr. John Tesh- love your work too). Yanni's music was like spiritual heroin. Watching Joe Biden hypnotically engaged gives me chills just recalling the moment.
Posted by: curly | September 01, 2008 at 06:50 PM