Today, there was a conference for all the support staff at UTMB -- interesting motivational speakers, displays, vendors, and so on, and then a talent show highlighting some of the many artistic and entertaining staffers from the hospital. On the printed schedule for the end of the day, it said "Talent Show and special guest celebrity."
So, of course, during lunch a few people were buzzing about who the "special guest celebrity" might be. I joked, "Unless he or she has been on the Enquirer cover in the past 10 years, it's not a celebrity." Then we all pretty much agreed that it must be a local Galveston celebrity, not a national one.
The employees who performed were extremely talented -- the final guy who appeared in the show wrote his own lyrics and music for the song he performed. Then came time for the "special guest celebrity." The emcee for the day went up to the stage and the lights went down. "And now, for something really special. It's my honor to introduce our guest today. She came here from Cuba when she was younger and became a famous recording artist in the 80's and 90's." I turned to someone else at my table, mentioning the only famous 80's Cuban I could think of off the top of my head - "Gloria Estefan?" Someone else jokingly said, "Selena!" to which everyone else made funny faces because we all know she's deceased...and not Cuban. The emcee continued and mentioned Miami Sound Machine and then we were all getting excited -- "It IS Gloria Estefan!! No way!! Oh my gosh! Is it really? Yeah, it's Gloria! Estefan?? Yeah! Gloria who? Estefan!! No way!" Then the emceed mentioned the tour bus crash and then something else...but by then, everyone was getting antsy and whispering their affirmations that they had guessed who it was. So, without further adieu, the music began and out came Gloria Estefan singing "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You!"
I ran right up to the stage, along with a few others...well, okay, several others. We were dancing and cell phone cameras were clicking. "Can you get my picture with her!!" I asked one of my coworkers! So I stood there with my back to the stage, pointing up there, making this funny face like "Dude! There's GLORIA ESTEFAN!!" and she took the picture. "Okay, oh my gosh! You gotta email that to me!!" We kept dancing and cheering and singing and she just kept rocking. Then she walked down the steps...right...near...ME! And was dancing...right there --->. I could have touched her! Everyone was up and dancing and singing. She performed "Get On Your Feet," "1-2-3," "Words Get In The Way," and then the BIG ONE! "CONGA!" She came down off the stage again and we were all dancing in a conga line with Gloria Estefan! It was way cool!!
Although I've never racked her up there on the top of my list with Amy, Olivia, Garth, and Billy, I always liked Gloria Estefan. There isn't a song of hers that I don't like or get tired of hearing. It's classic 80's music and so darned dancable. And I always thought she was so darned attractive, especially in the "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" video. And there she was....this ( ) close. That gorgeous long, dark curly hair. Petite little, physically fit dancing body. Cute, little mole just below her eye. Deep, dark brown eyes. And that delicate Cubanized accent.
[img]http://www.sonshinefm.ws/Images/MusicPoint/Gloria%20Estefan%20(beach).jpg[/img]
Imagine my surprise, after dancing around like a lunatic, wired on adrenaline, calling everyone and their monkey who I could get through to with my crappy signal so they could listen to the concert, only to find out afterwards that it was the person in the bottom picture, not the top picture, who was on that stage. The bottom picture is Julie Ellis - a Gloria Estefan lookalike and impersonator and she had me convinced. Me! Snopes-master and top myth debunker. Little Miss "I could never be punked." I got snowed!!! And but goooooood!! It was so crazy. I still can't believe it. I mean, if you grew up in the 80's and liked GE & MSM like I did and you knew her voice (speaking in interviews, not just singing). It was dead-on! Dancing, singing, speaking, looks -- the woman sold me!! I met her afterwards and had to tell her how good she was.
Now, aren't you in awe.
