Harry Belafonte Sleeps Through Live TV Interview as Anchors Crack Up
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Maybe call it one of the privileges that comes with age?
Songwriter, singer and actor Harry Belafonte peacefully snoozed through a live interview with KBAK in Bakersfield, Calif last Friday.
"Hey, good morning Harry!" chirped anchor Layla Santiago.
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With no response from the 84-year-old, Santiago attempted to rouse him.
"Harry, wake up. Harry? Wake up, wake up! This is your wake-up call! OK, I'll tell you what, he's meditating. He's taking a little nap."
Belafonte never did wake up to do the interview with KBAK. He was in a remote studio, waiting to promote his new memoir, "My Song," when he appeared to doze off. His rep, however, insists the singer was not sleeping, rather he was meditating.
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"There was a technical glitch in the feed to a local station in Bakersfield, CA," said Ken Sunshine in a statement released to TMZ. "His earpiece wasn’t working, so he decided to take the time to meditate before the rest of his Day-O.”
"Maybe the world would be a better place if more people took a moment to meditate," he added.
The rest of the morning KBAK’s morning crew could barely contain their laughter.
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“I’ve been doing this for quite some time now,” said one anchor. "I’ve never seen that.”
Another anchor wondered aloud, “Was he in a R.E.M. sleep?”