This just in from Ben Silverman: “The ‘Great Wall’ is an understatement—it’s the Awwwesome Wall!!!!”
That’s just one pearl of wisdom courtesy of the voluble NBC Entertainment co-chairman, who’s been on the scene in China this week and phoning in daily dispatches on the Olympics experience to Ryan Seacrest’s KIIS-FM (www.KISSFM.com) morning radio show.
Seacrest dubbed him “Beijing Ben” and even worked up a splashy intro. The intro came in especially handy Tuesday, when Silverman’s cell-phone call dropped repeatedly. Once the technical difficulties were resolved, however, Silverman’s signature intensity came through loud and clear.
“When I got out of my taxi in the hotel I thought I was entering an emergency room, so many people were greeting me!!” he recounted by way of complimenting his Chinese hosts.
Asked why he thought so many TV viewers have been tuning in to the Beijing Games, Silverman explained, seemingly in one breath, that “people are not only interested in the athletes and the sports; we have been bummed out by all the crud going on. Every time you open the paper, somebody’s invading somebody, the oil prices are up. And I think this is what humanity is all about: people coming together on the world stage, totally dynamic, competing with purity and focus!!!”
The multiple exclamation points don’t even begin to capture Silverman’s intensity. Listen to Tuesday’s segment here.
And for those looking for a daily dose of Beijing Ben, look for audio segments from “On Air With Ryan Seacrest” here.
By Melissa Grego
