JON LOVITZ

Century Plaza Hotel

Century City, CA

November 16, 2000

Photo credit: Jon Lovitz

Well, smack my ass and call me Judy. This was fantastic! Back at the Muhammad Ali fund raiser, Roast This! An Evening With Muhammad Ali and Friends, we'd completed the dinner and entertainment portion of the evening, so people were socializing and working the room. I headed up to the stage where the glitterati had gathered. Athletes and those adjacent to the sport were rubbing elbows. (Literally. The stage was packed.) And, being a huge fan of boxing, I wasn’t going to miss my chance to join them. 

Amid all the glitz and glamour, however, people seemed uncomfortably tense. They looked like they were working very hard to act natural. It felt like everyone was trying to jockey for a better position next to the person with the most power. I saw the standing heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis talking with Jaime Foxx who had recently starred in the movie Ali, but before I made my way over to them, I stopped to talk with Saturday Night Live alum Jon Lovitz. He was one of several comics who was chosen to roast Muhammad Ali at this party. 

I've seen the Mr. Lovitz a few times at different events and he always seems surprisingly quiet, definitely mysterious, and perhaps even a bit morose. But put him in front of an audience, and boy, does he come alive.

Not only is he funny (he was nominated for an Emmy for each of his first two years on Saturday Night Live), but he also has a powerful singing voice. In front of this crowd, he belted out an opera aria that shook the room.

Earlier in the evening, Jon and I were standing near each other in the hallway while I was talking with Muhammad. We’d made eye contact a couple of times, and when I saw him on stage, I thought he would remember me, but apparently not. So, starting from scratch, I caught his eye again and said, “Hi.” “Hello,” he said cautiously. “Can you do me a favor?” I asked. He looked unsure and nodded slowly. I remember doing that as a kid; I’d nod my head the teeniest bit in response to a question my mom had asked, just to see if she could tell. Of course she always could, and I could see Jon's head nodding in the same, barely perceptible way. “Great!” I said. My enthusiasm was a noticeable contrast to his mood. "I have this celebrity photo album. It’s just a bunch of pictures of me taken by celebrities. Will you take my picture?” “Okay,” he murmured. I handed him my camera and in the limited space he had on this crowded stage, he backed up slightly. 

After my request swirled around in his head for a couple of seconds, he began to smirk. Clearly, something was brewing in the mind of that clever man.

I don’t know if he thought this idea was funny, if he had devious thoughts of taking a raunchy photo, or maybe he was remembering something completely unrelated, but he had a grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye as he took my picture.

He quietly handed the camera back, I thanked him, and made my way deeper into the crowd of boxing heavyweights. 

Thanks again for contributing to my project, Jon. I’d like to believe I had something to do with the sly smile on your face. If you’d be so kind as to let me run with that, we can consider it a very slight repayment for all the times you have made me laugh. And one day I’d like to hear more of that operatic voice of yours. Maybe Figaro's aria from The Barber of Seville? I promise I won’t make you listen to me sing anything in exchange.