David Cassidy on the Web
Live blog: 5th annual New Jersey Hall of Fame induction ceremony
Saturday, June 9, 2012
By Jaime Lutz
The Star-Ledger
www.nj.com
The New Jersey Hall of Fame is preparing to induct ten new honorees starting at 7 tonight, but as early as 5, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark rolled out the red carpet for the honored guests' arrival.
But Michael Douglas, Joyce Carol Oates and the like aren't the only celebrities expected at NJPAC tonight; astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Good Morning America host Kathie Lee Gifford, and singer David Cassidy should also be here.
We'll be bringing you up-to-the-moment coverage of the event all night, so make sure to frequently refresh your page!
6:29 p.m. — David Cassidy seemed to be having fun on the red carpet. He lingered a good 20 minutes as fans of "The Partridge Family" asked to take pictures with him. "Nice to see that I have a fan," Cassidy said, garnering a few cheers. He later joked that all four fans showed up.
Joyce Carol Oates, former Nets coach P. J. Carlesimo, and Paris Vaughan - honoree Sarah Vaughan's daughter - all passed Cassidy before he reached the end of the carpet.
David Cassidy walks the Red Carpet at NJPAC
No sign of Michael Douglas - is there a chance he won't show?
7:48 — after a jazz-music introduction, the inductions are coming quick: Annie Oakley, Joyce Carol Oates, Samuel Newhouse and John T. Dorance.
The best line so far is perhaps from the New York-born Oates, who said this in her short, sincere speech: "I'm going to stay here the rest of my life and set all my future fiction here." No idea if she was kidding or not.
We heard that Governor Christie was supposed to host, but he hasn't yet appeared on stage.
8:02 — oh boy - David Cassidy is on the stage and is, surprisingly, bringing the sparse audience to life. First, an energetic, lively performance of "I Woke Up In Love This Morning." This was followed by a speech in which he gushed about ex-governor Brendan Byrne for remembering his mother - Byrne and Cassidy are both from West Orange. Cassidy dedicated the next song to his mother, who is suffering from dementia.
For a rousing performance, for that touch of sentimentality, for making the audience cheer every time he said the words "West Orange" - Cassidy has been the best part of this show so far.
8:56 — we've moved back into inductions, this time in the Hall of Fame's sports category. Bob Hurley got a standing ovations after a funny, excellent speech by Carlesimo, who said that Hurley possibly meant more to the state of New Jersey than any other past inductee.
"Bob Hurley has never left the state of New Jersey," Carlesimo said. And it's true: the high school basketball coach was born in New Jersey, went to school in New Jersey, and, despite lucrative outside offers, never coached basketball for any other team but Jersey's St. Anthony High School.
Hurley was followed by the induction for Wellington Mara, the former head of the New York Giants. His daughter accepted the statue on his behalf, making special note of Mara's decision to move the team to the Meadowlands.
Next up: Milt Campbell. He was the second inductee to get a standing ovation, giving a speech that drew upon his time as a motivational speaker to explain how he got to be one of the best athletes in the world.
9:50 — while the in memoriam montage plays (what is this, the Oscars?), let's take a look back at the past 50 minutes. Kathie Lee Gifford, her face looking especially taut, gives a breathless speech about Christopher Reeve. "Fear is truly paralysis," she said — and Reeve was always fearless. Reeve's incredibly well-spoken children accepted the statue on his behalf. All three looked uncannily like their father.
Christian McBride gave an incredible speech for Sarah Vaughan & mdash- his admiration for the singer was apparent. Her daughter accepted and helpfully gave the score of the Devils' game (then, 1-0; now, 2-1).
Finally there was the Unsung Hero award, given to Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand, whose paralysis last October sent shocks through the state. His teammates greeted him on stage, one of them offering up this great line: "I thought Eric was an unsung hero, too, until I saw that he had over 62 thousand followers on Twitter."
10:09 — a final performance by Cassidy ("I Think I Love You," of course) and... that's it! No Michael Douglas or Gov. Christie as far as I could tell. Verryy interesting.
David Cassidy performs as the 2012 class of the New Jersey Hall of Fame is inducted at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark on Saturday, June 9, 2012. (Aristide Economopoulos/The Star-Ledger)
