A Musical Salute to the Troops

When you think of entertaining the troops, what names pop to mind? Cuba Gooding Jr.? Marc Anthony? Celine Dion?

All of them and more are present tonight at 9 for the CBS special “Rockin’ for the USA: A National Salute to the U.S. Military,” taped aboard the country’s newest aircraft carrier, the Harry S. Truman, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. With Memorial Day weekend taking on special significance, this variety show indulges in some ol’-fashioned flag-waving. The only thing missing is Bob Hope.

Comparisons between Gooding and Hope are unavoidable here, even if they are a bit unfair. So here goes: Gooding can scarcely fill Hope’s golf shoes, offering some introductory remarks and a couple of jokes. He’s not much of a presence, which might be more the fault of the director and producers than his.

In fact, he doesn’t even introduce most of the performers. That task is given to representatives of the service branches, who parcel out a few facts about the carrier before making awkward segues.

“It takes a lot of skill to sail a 97,000-ton ship,” says Seaman Chris Johnson, “or to bring a beautiful song to life. And when it comes to music, here’s a young lady whose talent is totally in command. Ladies and gentlemen, Jessica Simpson!”

The eclectic lineup moves swiftly from opening act Marc Anthony (with cutaways to fawning by the women) to Simpson (drooling by the men); from comic Jeff Foxworthy (“you might be a redneck” guffaws) to a new version of the Miami Sound Machine (lots more drooling); from Clint Black (pure enchantment) to Lonestar (pure emotion, save for one sailor yawning in the crowd).

Curiously enough, this patriotic show’s headliner is Dion, who sings three songs. The finale is “God Bless America,” in which she’s joined by the entire cast and the Band of the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Of course, Dion is a Canadian citizen. But the sentiment holds just the same.