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Harry Connick Jr.

By Diana Nollen/ SourceMedia

My face is hot, my hands are freezing and my heart is pounding. It’s going to be quite a while before my blood pressure returns to normal.

I just had a 25-minute chat with HARRY CONNICK JR.!!! You won’t see me use all caps or exclamation points in my Hoopla story on the eve of Harry’s Cedar Rapids concert. So I’ll use them now!

He was on his way to New York City when he called. He promised that if he lost the connection, he’d call back. Sure ‘nuf, 18 minutes into our chat, I lost him. About 2 minutes later, he was back on the line, to wrap up our interview.

We talked about his career arc, his family (wife and three daughters) and his musical influences. And of course, what it means for the New Orleans native to be part of the monumental step in our flood recovery, by re-opening the Paramount Theatre with his sold-out show Nov. 3, 2012.

“My history with flood devastation is something people can relate to there,” he said. “Any chance that I get to be a part of a healing or closure for something like that, I love to do it.”

That’s all you’re getting for now. Watch for my full story in Hoopla and HooplaNow.com on Thursday, Nov. 1.

Here’s a little trivia: His full name is Joseph Harry Fowler Connick Jr. His dad, a district attorney, goes by Harry, too.

“People in New Orleans just call me Junior.”

OK, the blood has returned to my fingers. Here’s a little video to get your hearts pumping, too. We’ll definitely take all of him!


Hurry! Just 300 tickets left, but they’re in all price ranges:

Paramount Presents

Harry Connick Jr.

Saturday, November 3, 2012

Ticket on sale Monday, September 10 at 10 a.m. – Limited Availability

Cedar Rapids, IA. – Paramount Presents Harry Connick Jr., Saturday, November 3, 2012, at 8 p.m. for the Paramount Theatre Grand Re-Opening Gala. Tickets are $90, $150, and $250 and will go on sale to the General Public on Monday, September 10, 2012 at 10 a.m. Tickets may be purchased at the Paramount Theatre Ticket Office at 119 Third Avenue SE, online at www.paramountpresents.com or by calling 319.366.8203 or 800.369.8863. Limited Availability

Paramount Presents Harry Connick Jr.

Saturday, November 3, 2012 at 8 p.m., Paramount Theatre

123 Third Avenue SE, Cedar Rapids

Tickets on sale Monday, September 10, 2012

Call 319.366.8203 or 800.369.8863

www.paramountpresents.com