Ron White puts pot on standby, salutes the troops in TV special
I usually interview Ron White about his fondness for weed, or falling off of porches while drunk, but this time it’s serious, because on Wednesday he will stage a big Vegas TV special for the Armed Forces Foundation.
“Ron White’s Salute to the Troops” fundraiser is White’s seventh at the Mirage hotel. White will perform along with comic friends Kathleen Madigan, Rocky LaPorte, Shane Torres, Gene Pompa, and Finesse Mitchell.
“It’s a great lineup,” White told me. “It’ll be a hoot.”
He said Vegas is a good fit for the annual fundraiser, because the Terry Fator Theatre is “as good a room as you can have for this,” and Vegas offers nonstop flights for cast and crew.
“We work on this all year. It’s always a preoccupation,” White said. “We spend a whole year writing my set, and dialogue, and just talking about it.
“I guarantee there’s people who watch television who have no idea how complicated it is to make a television show.”
White knows it’s easy for all of us to forget the infinite war is still going on.
“But this country is still at war. These guys and gals are coming home, blown to smithereens, worse than any war in the history of war,” he said.
“They’re ours — they’re our young men and women forever, and we have to take care of them. They’ve given a sacrifice to this nation that should humble every one of us.”
Country Music Television will record the show for a later airing. Tickets cost $91-$122 via Ticketmaster or at the door.
Contact Doug Elman at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.
