It's no secret Norman Lear has been directly and or indirectly responsible for the launch of many careers within the entertainment industry. The "family tree" was planted over 40 years ago and has never stopped growing. Names like Carroll O'Connor, Bea Arthur, Redd Foxx, Rob Reiner, Janet Jackson, George Clooney, Sherman Hensley, Valerie Bertinelli, Fred Willard, Robin Wright, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Holland Taylor are just a few of the many talented individuals that would make up the branches of such a tree. Yet like life, the unpredictable growth of some branches are out of our control.
Beau Sia is as talented and smart as any of the most famous spoken word artists known today. And yes, Norman discovered him over a decade ago. Unfortunately, though, neither Norman nor the hundreds of guests that attended his 80th birthday celebration could have predicted Beau's performance that evening. It has never been seen publicly, but upon the release of his new memoir Even This I Get to Experience, I felt it best to release the footage to ensure that all old people fortunate enough to still be alive today can protect themselves from this angry, disgruntled and passionate poet.
Norman's book hits the stands on October 14th and I can only imagine the backlash and personal frustration that will ensue once Beau Sia bears witness to the cover -- the picture of an old man, still wearing that hat, still collecting Social Security and still ready and eager for whatever is next.