UPDATE: 10/12/15 - Ted's website now has a new name! You can visit it at this link:

UPDATE: 3/13/07 - Ted now has his own website! You can visit it at this link:

http://neeleyontheroad.com/

BREAKING NEWS!!!

TED'S NEW 2024-2025 VENUES
AND PROJECTS!!!

1. UPDATE 7/1/24 (From Ted Neeley.com and Ted's Facebook Page)

2024-2025 TED NEELEY - THE FAREWELL TOUR

DATES

CITY

THEATRE

December 3, 2024	Livermore, CA	The Vine Cinema
December 6-7, 2024	Santa Ana, CA	The Frida Cinema
January 10-11, 2025	Burbank, CA	The Hollywood Show
February 11, 2025	Sedona, AZ	Sedona Film Festival Theater
February 27, 2025	Allentown, PA	Civic Theatre of Allentown
March 1, 2025	Ewing Twp. New Jersey	Villa Victoria Academy Theatre
March 2, 2025	New Cumberland, PA	West Shore Theatre
March 30, 2025	Tampa, FL	The Tampa Theatre

Please keep checking here, on Ted's Facebook page & on tedneeley.com, as more dates will be announced.

For more details on this tour, you can also go HERE. and HERE

2. UPDATE 6/18/24 (From Ted Neeley.com and Ted's Facebook Page)

TED AND YVONNE'S NEW MEMORIAL VIDEO: "NOW AND THEN"!!!
(In loving memory of director Norman Jewison and John & George from our favorite band, The Beatles! …and to all our loved ones we’ve recently lost… Directed By: Frank Munoz Produced By: Brenda Shahpari Edited By: Dave Streicher The Band: Clinton Degan - Musical Director Ethan Leff - drums Francis Hickey - bass Sean Rohrer - guitar Tim Carrigg - keyboards Alida McKeon - vocals, percussion Fatima Elmi - vocals Filmed at the Greenwich Odeum, East Greenwich, RI, 3/30-31/2024)

3. SuperstarS The Documentary Extended Version

Available on Blu Ray and DVD

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One of Ted's more recent press photos - thanks to Tina Henley (Itsokimcrazy2@aol.com) for this one!

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TED NEELEY

MY THOUGHTS ON, AND EXPERIENCES WITH, TED

I’ve had the privilege of watching Ted Neeley perform live since 1973, when he came here to perform in Tommy at Musicarnival. Throughout the years I have seen Ted numerous times in Jesus Christ Superstar (both live onstage and in the film version), and I have also been lucky enough to see him perform in Rasputin (12/18/99), Murder In The First (6/10 & 6/11/00), Waiting For Godot (9/2 - 10/4/04 - (in BeckettFest 9/18-10/4)), the JCS AD Tour (2006-2009) and Ted Neeley and the Little Big Band (3/23/13 in Cleveland). I have also been fortunate to perform with him in the JCS YTA Benefit at the Ricardo Montalban Theatre in Los Angeles in August 2006 with the Agape choir.

I have also had the privilege, as have many of us ("Tedheads," as we are called these days, though I prefer the phrase "Ted Family"), of meeting and spending time with Ted. I have found him to be one of the kindest, most gracious, and most compassionate people I've ever met. I am honored to call him a friend, and to know that he considers me his friend as well.

While I could not make the trip to Italy and the Netherlands to see Ted's latest incarnation of JCS (no $$$), I was very glad that he, Barry and Bob stopped in Cleveland during his 2015 JCS 40th Anniversary screenings once he came back to the US. The Superstar Sing-A-Longs by request afforded me more cherished visits with Ted, when the screening returned here this past December (12/8/19), and, again this year (6/29/23) to the Cedar Lee Theatre for a second visit this year. Spring had originally been proposed for this event, but COVID pushed everything back. Whenever any date is announced it will be posted here and on the JCS Anniversary Screening Page. UPDATE 6/26/22: Now that Ted has completed his latest JCS Italy Tour, he and Team Neeley commenced with the JCS Screenings for the 50th Anniversary of the film in late August, and as you read this, the Theatre Manager is working with Team Neeley to bring them back for a third visit here next Spring. Even though COVID is still very-much alive, and we ALL want Ted and Company to stay healthy, and WE need to stay healthy, the M&G's still continue at the screenings and sing-a-longs. My latest visit with Ted was just last month (9/20/23) at his 80th Birthday Bash at RTC. It was a truly wonderful evening. Check out pictures of the event HERE.

The Grand Forks ND Herald published an article that, I think, can give the best illustration of the special man that Ted is. It's entitled: "Looking Inside Ted Neeley's Heart". You can find it here:

Looking Inside Ted Neeley's Heart

This article was part of an entire Ted/JCS Directory on skynet. For the entire skynet JCS article directory, see:

ftp://ftp.charm.net/pub/usr/home/sky/
If any of the articles don't come up on their links, let me know.

Ted, to this day, is still humbled by all the attention he gets. When we spoke in June, 2000 in Ventura he told me: "I don't know what I did to deserve all of this, but I must have done something good in a past life." It takes a very special person to be that humble in the face of all the notoriety and fandom that Ted experiences, and this is what makes Ted so special. He is always polite, and never dismisses a fan, no matter how late it gets (he's held fort after shows as late as 5AM, and past the next day's sunrise in the past!), and the best thing is that he remembers everyone he meets, AND where he meets them.



Then and now: The picture on the top right is my favorite picture of Ted and me, taken backstage after "Rasputin" (12/18/99) at 2:30AM. The one on the top left was taken at "O'Neil's Dennys" on the last night of "BeckettFest" - (10/3/04). The one, just below those, was taken 3/23/13 after the Ted Neeley and the Little Big Band Cleveland concert, just below that is a picture taken 3/30/15 after the JCS 40th Anniversary Screening at the Cleveland Cinematique, two taken before and after (respectively) at the 12/8/19 JCS 40th Anniversary Screening at the Cedar Lee Theatre, below that is one taken 9/20/22 at The Drexel Theatre JCS Screening/Ted's Birthday Party, below that is one taken on 6/29/23 at the JCS 50th Anniversary Screening - a continuation of the original JCS 40th Anniversary Screening at the Cedar Lee Theatre, and the most current picture, just above this, was taken at Ted's 80th Birthday Bash on 9/20/23 at The Rubicon Theatre Company. I'm not usually "curly" these days - and hope I don't look too much older, but Ted - in three "colors" - hasn't really changed much at all!

To illustrate this, I will tell you the tale of our first three meetings. I first met Ted here in Cleveland after Superstar in 1993 (I think), and spoke to him briefly for about 5 minutes. This was in the very first autograph line Ted and Carl had. I mentioned seeing him in Tommy here (in 1972), and he told me that another fan had also mentioned Tommy, and that she had brought a picture he had taken with her at Tommy to show him. A year later, during our second meeting, which was, again, not more than 5 minutes, I showed him a copy of the then 22-year-old program from Tommy (it’s now 48 years old). Well, he was knocked out by it, and showed it to everyone. Three years later I was in line after another performance of JCS, this time in Akron. When I got to the front of the line, Ted turned around to say hello, saw me, and said (and I will NEVER forget this): “We’ve met before.” Well, you could have knocked me over with a feather! I figured, different city, different theatre, 3 years later, and only 5 minutes per previous meeting, there was NO WAY he would connect the two places, or remember meeting me at all. But he did. He even remembered the Tommy program! Whenever I saw him after that, he still remembered, and he remembers today. (We should all have such good memories, shouldn’t we?)

THE "TEDHUG"

I'm sure that everyone who's reading this has either heard of, and/or experienced firsthand, a "Tedhug". If you haven't; then you really need to get one. Don't we all just LOVE these? They are amazing things. Ted hugs you so tight, it's like squeezing the juice out of an orange. I know of no other celebrity (actually no one at all) who hugs people like Ted does. I got the top one on Thursday (10/5/06) in Toledo, OH after JCS (and it's quickly becoming another favorite picture of mine - thank you Sean Grindle!), the one below left after dinner at The Pierpont Inn when we saw Ted in June, 2000 (someone took it on my camera - don't know who - but, thank you!) in "Murder in the First" at The Rubicon Theatre in Ventura Ca., the below right one in April, 2008 in Pittsburgh at the M&G after the JCS Saturday night performance, the next two on 2/27/09 after the Friday night Cleveland, OH performance, and the latest on on 6/29/23 after the 50th Anniversary JCS Sing-A-Long Screening in Cleveland, OH.

If you have not met Ted yet, I would HIGHLY RECOMMEND that you try to meet him after the show the next time he comes to your city, or go to the VIP meetings he sometimes will schedule for a venue. For anyone who doesn’t know this (and I’m sure there are very few who don’t and are reading this), you will probably have to wait for quite some time to say hello, because Ted greets each and every person like they are the only one who came back to say hi. It is true that M&G's were much fewer and rarer during the last leg of the JCS TOUR (Ted needed to stay healthy and well-rested to perform at his best for all of us on the road!), and only happened in the lobby, if at all, rather than at the stage door, the way they did in the past. But, with the first phase of the LBB TOUR, the M&G's were more readily available, and, fortunately, during the JCS screenings are even literally scheduled and mentioned at each venue. With the COVID outbreak, the last two Sing-A-Longs that were held were with the caveat that there would be no Tedhugs, in the interest of all staying healthy during this Pandemic. Once vaccines were created, and things were more under "control", the screenings and concerts that were postponed were rescheduled, and, as Ted promised the Tedhugs returned. Ted's current JCS screenings and sing-a-longs include the VIP meetings, and general M&G's before and after the show, with many Tedhugs to go arounjd!. The next time Ted is in your area, if you're lucky enough to get an M&G, or a VIP event, trust me, it’s WELL WORTH the wait.

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MY NICKNAME FROM TED:

Photo courtesy of Jenn/Judy Bernbaum (j_bernbaum@yahoo.com) and Veth Javier (VJ) (vjla@netzero.com) - 12/13/03

A quick word about the photo posted above. This is one of many photos taken on 12/13/03 at The Pierpont Inn, where Jenn, Judy and Veth were fortunate to have a private lunch with Ted when weather kept him from appearing in RTC's Winter Wonderland fundraiser. As Ted gave me the nickname on the sign he's holding, this just seemed to be a good spot to post this picture. The nickname came from my main e-mail address at the time: cverbelun@core.com, back in 2003. As Ted explained when he made the request:

"I hope you do not mind my addressing you as, "Cver." Somehow it just seems natural after reading so many E-mail messages from you and they all are addressed, cverbelun@core.com. If you are truly at the core, then it follows that you would also be a receiver of information. Therefore, a term of endearment for one who receives, could certainly be, "Cver." And, I say Cver with the utmost respect."

So it kind of stuck, and even though social media has made Ted and Team Neeley extremely adept at relaying their own messages directly (none of us has access to Ted directly at this time), Ted still calls me "Cver" to this day when we say hello.

ON MY NICKNAME FROM TED - JUST FOR FUN:
(as well as fun with Ted's name)

Saw both of these go-quizzes on Denise's My Space Site (see my links).

1. WHAT'S YOUR PERSONALITY COCKTAIL?

http://www.go-quiz.com/cocktail/cocktail.php

Here's the one that came up with the nickname Ted gave me:

How to make a C'ver

Ingredients:
3 parts intelligence
3 parts courage
5 parts leadership

Method:
Blend at a low speed for 30 seconds. Add a little cocktail umbrella and a dash of curiosity

And here are four for Ted:

How to make a Ted Neeley	How to make a Ted
Ingredients: 1 part intelligence 5 parts ambition 3 parts beauty	Ingredients: 5 parts intelligence 5 parts silliness 1 part joy
Method: Layer ingredients in a shot glass. Serve with a slice of curiosity and a pinch of salt. Yum!	Method: Add to a cocktail shaker and mix vigorously. Add a little lovability if desired!

How to make a Teddie

Ingredients:
5 parts success
3 parts humour
5 parts instinct

Method:
Blend at a low speed for 30 seconds. Serve with a slice of lustfulness and a pinch of salt. Yum!

How to make a Teddie-Joe

Ingredients:
3 parts competitiveness
5 parts self-sufficiency
5 parts joy

Method:
Stir together in a glass tumbler with a salted rim. Top it off with a sprinkle of lustfulness and enjoy!

2. What's your Name Acronym?

http://www.go-quiz.com/acronym/hs~acronym.php

My Name and Nickname from Ted:

C	Complicated
I	Influential
N	Natural
D	Delightful
I	Irresistible

C	Controversial
V	Vain
E	Enchanting
R	Refined

And three for Ted:

T	Twisted
E	Enjoyable
D	Dramatic

T	Timeless
E	Energetic
D	Dirty (!)
D	Dirty (!)
I	Intense
E	Energetic

T	Timeless
E	Extreme
D	Dashing
D	Dignified
I	Innocent
E	Exquisite

J	Joyous
O	Odd
E	Excellent

"TED-SPECIFIC" PAGES ON MY WEBSITE

You can find pages specifically about Ted on my website at these links:

Ted's Biography Page
Ted's Film Credits Page
Ted's TV Credits Page
Ted's Theatre Credits Page
Ted's Composer/Arranger Credits Page
Ted's Recording Artist Credits Page
Ted's Little Big Band Page
Ted's Ted Shots Page
Ted's Early Ted Page
Ted's Ted "Family" (a.k.a. Tedheads) Page
Ted Neeley Fan Club Page (now Ted Neeley and NOTR)
Ted's Birthday Projects Page
Ted's Miscellaneous Page

Pages involving Ted's different projects are in their own sections on my website.

Enjoy them all!!!

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