Dan's Papers - June 5, 2009

Last Friday night, the Axe Lounge at Dune in Southampton was packed by 12 a.m. thanks to the buzz that actor/TV Host, Nick Cannon was scheduled to guest DJ for the night and his wife, Mariah Carey, would be on hand to make a late night appearance.

As my crew and I waited for Cannon to arrive I reminisced about how I first met and worked with him in 1998 at MTV. Cannon was just a baby faced 18-year-old boy on the outside. I directed him in a few MTV specials over the years. I can remember thinking how very young he was, but he was extraordinarily driven, ambitious and hardworking. I recall, between takes, how Cannon would never take an actual rest break. He would sit quietly reading movie scripts or run through his lines. He was extremely professional, focused and evolved way beyond his years.

The last time I actually worked with Cannon was in 2006, in the Bahamas, on a private yacht that I chartered and used as a set for an MTV special that I produced and directed called, "Nick Cannon's Dime Piece Search." Cannon starred in the special alongside 25 swim suit models.

The premise of the reality show was to find a "well rounded" girl to star in his latest music video. At 26 years old, Cannon was just as driven and dedicated. In fact, at the end of each non-stop shoot day, the cast and crew would celebrate with dinner and drinks. But Cannon would always pass on alcohol and opted to mingle with the girls or more importantly, map out his plan to take over the world. Moving to the present, at 28-years-old Cannon is loaded with life experience, and some of those sacrifices he made over the years have clearly paid off.

At approximately 12:30 a.m. Cannon rolled up to Axe Lounge, solo. The mogul in the making was wearing an Italian custom made suit. The label inside the suit actually read, "Exclusively made for Nick Cannon." After a series of flashing lights from photographers' cameras snapping up Cannon's image, I personally welcomed him and tried to make him feel comfortable.

"Hey, remember way back in the day, when we shot on that huge yacht?" I asked. Cannon - who probably owns a few yachts of his own these days - smiled and said, "Course I remember that. That was off the chain."

It was that moment I realized, despite the famous wife and custom threads, Cannon is still that same reserved, yet goofy, creative soul who is even closer to ruling the world.

The chairman of TeeNick was celebrating making the list and the cover of Giant magazine's "50 Most Influential People" issue. When I asked if he planned to wear a suit while performing live, Cannon joked, "By the end of the night, I'll be in my tank top. See, that's what you get when you get Nick Cannon. You get the DJ, the entertainer and the stripper, all in one!"

Partygoers, including Bravo's NYC Housewife star, Ramona Singer and hubby Marco, Vanessa Trump, and Scott Disick, were wondering if and when Mariah Carey would arrive. I mentioned to Cannon,

"Ya know, I heard she [Mariah] was supposed to make an appearance tonight."

Cannon played it off like a pro, "Who told you?" he said.

"A little birdie!" I whistled.

"They just be lying," he quipped, with a smirk.

In the end, Cannon didn't disappoint fans. He honored his wife's absence with "a whole medley of Mariah." He performed live for a few hours and before he ended his alcohol-free evening, he reminded folks to tune into his upcoming series, "America's Got Talent" on NBC, June 23.

"Why should people tune into another 'talent' show?" I asked.

Cannon turned serious and shared his philosophy, "It's one of those things - especially with the economy the way it is today - you can kind of step back and just appreciate great talent. And at the same time people are just striving for their dreams and trying to reach their goals. It's really uplifting."

Cannon really is the perfect host for the upcoming NBC series. He's living proof that if you put in the hard work, dreams can come true.

Until next week - Life is short, you only live once, so party on!

TV host, entertainment & feature correspondent, director, writer and executive producer Gina Glickman can be seen Tuesdays, Thursdays and weekends hosting News 12 Long Island's "What's Hot in the Hamptons."