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by Trish Fodor Beautiful Boy: A Father’s Day TributeLately ABC News has been featuring stories about several former Beatles including a wonderful interview with Paul McCartney about his new album, Memory Almost Full (Which you should definitely check out! Just cut and paste the address below and you can take a listen to the tracks and even see the debut video.) http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Almost-Full-Paul-McCartney/dp/B000P2A242#moreAboutThisProduct Besides McCartney, ABC also did a story on Yoko Ono’s recollection of her late husband John Lennon’s final thoughts the night he was tragically gunned down outside of the Dakota in NYC on December 8,1980. They were leaving a midtown recording studio after working on Yoko’s song, eerily titled, “Walking on Thin Ice” and she asked if he wanted to stop somewhere for dinner on the way home. John declined, opting instead to get back to the apartment to spend time with their son young before he went to bed. In the story Yoko also revealed the startling revelation that, after she found out she was pregnant, she considered aborting her baby boy because she and John had just reconciled after a long break up and she didn’t want to force parenthood on him. But Lennon wouldn’t dream of it. He was ready to be a father and, as the world would later see, put his music career on hold to become a fulltime caregiver to his (second) son, Sean. During that self-imposed hiatus, John would pen one of the most beautiful ballads ever written from a father to a son; a song called “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)”. Yoko considers “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” to be one of the late Beatle’s finest works and I have to agree. Even while watching Richard Dreyfuss do a humbling job of warbling the song in the film, Mr. Holland’s Opus, the tune’s sentimental meaning was only magnified by the performance. That’s a sign of an amazing song. But, of course, John - and Paul - were full of them. What does any of this have to do with daytime? I’m getting there, I promise! I first met Greg Vaughan, (Lucky Spencer on General Hospital) the summer of 2006 at his fan club event at The Sportsman’s Lodge in Studio City, CA. It wasn’t an overly spectacular meeting. In fact, I was so busy chatting with a new friend at the table that I didn’t even see Greg come up behind me. When she cleared her throat and I turned my head, I found myself literally face to face with some of the most mesmerizing, mischievous green eyes I’d ever seen. He startled me; he knew it and took some pleasure in that. Given all the new faces these actors greet during GH Fan Weekend, I was happy to give him the chuckle, even if I paid for it with a deep crimson blush and a few faltering words of chagrin about my Ohio State Buckeyes losing to his Texas Longhorns. Mercifully, the awkward moment passed and ended with a huge hug and no fanfare or pictures to speak of. I was left with the impression that he was a genuinely nice guy, down-to-earth and not full of himself like some celebrities can be. Later, when Debby O’Connor announced that a slew of GH stars would be doing weekend-long fan event in New York City in February ‘07, I was stoked! First of all, I love, LOVE New York! Any opportunity to visit The Big Apple is a welcome one. So I joined the cavalcade of fans in battling the elements and numerous flight delays to get to NYC and then started my Saturday morning at Greg’s event. He and his lovely (and then very pregnant) wife Touriya had arrived somewhere around 3 a.m. that morning, contributing to the travel horror stories that were buzzing around the room over muffins and coffee. The first thing I noticed was that Greg was a different man from the one I’d met last summer. He was still warm, charming and down-to-earth but there was an underlying joy in all he said and did that had to be attributed to the fact that he was going to become a first-time father. Of course, the crowd didn’t fail to pump up the enthusiasm by showering him with baby gift after baby gift amidst guesses as to whether it would be a boy or girl. I sat by myself at a table happily snapping away with my digital camera (with the honkin’ zoom lens!) observing the shear effervescence of the man on the other end. He was traveling from table to table and by the time he reached my seat, he was very familiar with that lens, even mentioning the number of photos I’d taken. Granted, photography is a budding passion of mine but I was truly captivated by his essence that day.
“Congratulations on being a father!” I said after an initial hug. “You must be thrilled!” Remember those green eyes? This time, I wasn’t too startled or nervous to really gaze into them. This time they were on fire with love and pride and, I dare say, there was even a slight break in his voice as Greg thanked me. It was a moment where he melted at the thought, which I imagine is similar to what John Lennon felt while he was anxiously awaiting the arrival of Sean. It’s the kind of outlook that humbles, inspires and rejuvenates even the toughest of men and turns them into cubs of compassion. On May 4, Greg and Touriya proudly announced the birth of their son Jathan James, at 8 lbs., 20.5 inches long. Now, a lot of people have babies. It happens everyday. But I still remember seeing that look of exuberance and anticipation in Greg Vaughan’s eyes that February morning. As this June weekend approaches, I can’t help but think that this is going to be a spectacular one for Greg. Yes, he celebrates a birthday on June 15, which, ironically is the same day of the 34th Daytime Emmy Awards. He was highly anticipated as a nominee this year only to fall victim to Emmy’s fickle fate and be excluded from the ballot. But what greater present than to cap off a birthday celebration weekend with than his first Father’s Day? Little Jathan is the most precious gift in the world and no Golden Lady can hold a candle to that bundle of love and joy. After all, he’s his daddy Greg’s beautiful boy. Happy Birthday, Greg. Happy Father’s Day too.
Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) Close your eyes, - John Lennon I always have been my Daddy’s girl. One of the things that we both love is music. I can remember sitting in a dim lit room at Christmas with my father listening to Andrea Bocelli’s version of “The Prayer” and being reduced to tears. As the final strains of the song faded out, we looked over at one another with glistening eyes and collectively sighed, “Wow!” That’s what it’s all about. Until next time, pop in a good CD, kick back and enjoy the music! Trish
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