Vereen to Dance to Anti-Drug Tune

Word’s out that Ben Vereen will perform on Sept. 25 at the “Starlight Expressions” gala celebrating the fifth anniversary of the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

That news and word that superstars Paul Newman and Liza Minnelli hope to attend a Nov. 9 gala in Irvine was The Super Buzz on Sunday during a barbecue at John and Donna Crean’s home.

The event, co-sponsored by Celebrities for a Drug-Free America (founded by Vereen) and Drug Abuse Is Life Abuse (founded by Orange County Sheriff Brad Gates), was staged to underwrite the November gala that will benefit the charities and feature a performance by Vereen.

More than $150,000 in underwriting was raised at the alfresco bash. Donations included $45,000 from the Creans and $30,000 each from Kathryn Thompson and Michael Hayde, board members of Drug Abuse Is Life Abuse.

“I promise you a show like you’ve never seen,” Vereen told guests, his voice cracking. No doubt about it, the song and dance man was stunned by the crowd’s generosity. “I’m so touched,” he said. “Thank you for making the beginning of my dream come true.”

Before bellying up to a buffet stocked with he-man vittles (the event was a hoedown), Vereen talked about his reasons for founding Celebrities for a Drug Free America.

“I, like a lot of celebrities, feel we have a responsibility to our public,” he said. “We get knocked around a lot--it’s getting to be a tabloid society, you know--and yet, we’re usually the first to run to a cause. And for me, drugs is one of the most important causes right now.”

The idea, Vereen said, is to educate kids about drug use prevention and make celebrities available for benefits that fight drug abuse.

In order to get his charity off the ground, Vereen approached Thompson and asked for her support. “I told Ben I would get involved if we could do something for Drug Abuse Is Life Abuse as well, “ Thompson said.

When Vereen does a show, it’s usually a mixed bag of songs that have personal meaning for him, he said. “I do medleys from ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’ and ‘Les Miserables,’ --everything from Broadway to Sam Cooke,” he said. “Oh, and Otis Redding too. It goes on and on.”

Vereen and Thompson became friends last year when he performed at the Orange Blossom Ball to benefit the Orangewood Children’s Foundation (one of Thompson’s pet charities). “I’ve changed my act since then,” he said. “I’ve added some new song and dance routines.”

Pssst! Bob and Beverly Cohen (owners of the old John Wayne house in Newport Beach) will be the neighbors of President Bush this weekend when he spends time at the Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills.

Seems Bush is coming to Los Angeles to attend a gala benefit on Sunday for the Simon Wiesenthal Center and plans to stay at the Four Seasons, which is owned by the Cohens.

When the Cohens aren’t living in Newport Beach, they’re holing up in their penthouse at the hotel. And the penthouse just happens to be next to the presidential suite.

“Bob thought we should give our penthouse over to Bush,” Beverly said. “But when I started thinking about all of the time it would take to clear our clothes out of the closets, I decided he’d be better off next door.”

Arnold Schwarzenegger--a Bush pal--will be honored at the Century Plaza bash, staged to raise funds for the Center. Simon Wiesenthal, who lives in Vienna, is famous for tracking down war criminals such as Adolf Eichmann. The goal of his center is to fight bigotry.

Well, Placido Domingo checked out of the Westin South Coast Plaza hotel on Monday, ending his 12-day stay in the luxurious two-bedroom Catalina Suite. While there, Domingo swam in the hotel pool, lounged and watched television on a big screen in a special club room on the fifth floor, and dined on Caesar salad and swordfish in Alfredo’s. “He was very pleasant, very low key,” said hotel manager Michael Deighton. “He made no special requests.” Of course Domingo’s room had a birds-eye view of the Performing Arts Center. Nothing but the best for Domingo’s first extended stay here . . . .