Meeting Wayne Newton

Last week for work, I was in Vegas at the Licensing Expo. During the trade show my team was working on a special surprise Vegas-style musical number with the iconic singer and entertainer Wayne Newton as he sang the theme song to Disney Channel's hit animated series Phineas and Ferb. Joining Mr. Las Vegas for the crowd pleasing performance included costumed characters from Phineas and Ferb dancing with Vegas showgirls dressed in platypus embellished outfits to resemble the show’s character— Perry/Agent P.

My colleagues were unfazed by working with Wayne Newton, but I was a little giddy during rehearsals. I had seen him in concert in Atlantic City back in '94 where I unexpectedly had a really good time. Although he might not have many hits, he definitely has a presence and is a true entertainer. I'm also an old soul, so that might have something to do with it too.

In recent pop-culture, in the movie The Hangover, Wayne Newton is shown in one of the pictures during the end credits getting in a fight with Phil, lol. Apparently he also has a reality TV show coming out soon on WeTV called "Wayne's World."

Anyway, during rehearsals I timidly went up to him and luckily he was more than welcoming. In fact, he greeted me with a kiss on the cheek and a big smile. He graciously posed for photos with me and my colleagues too, shook hands, etc. (He's pretty tall!). He gave me another kiss goodbye and that was my Wayne Newton encounter 16 years after I saw him perform in AC :)

My latest Huffington Post article: The Many Offerings at the LA Film Festival

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