Reba McEntire Serenades Restaurant in Italy to Ronnie Dunn’s Embarrassment
Reba McEntire was recently in Italy to accept a humanitarian award from the Andrea Bocelli Foundation at Celebrity Fight Night, alongside Vegas showmate Ronnie Dunn and BFF Melissa Petersen, and while they were there, it seems like they had some fun.
McEntire, Dunn and others were at dinner one night, when McEntire decided to serenade the entire outdoor restaurant with a rendition of Elvis Presley’s "It’s Now or Never," based on the Italian standard “O Sole Mio."
Dunn explained the background of the impromptu performance to People, saying it may have been at the encouragement of some American youngsters nearby.
"We were just eating and all having a good time and there was a whole table of young students from L.A. behind us," Dunn recalls. "They broke out a great big bottle of grappa — it was huge! — and we were passing that around and before I know it, Reba was standing up singing."
"I didn't know the words so I was getting some help there from my wife. You can see from the look on my face that I'm either thinking, I can crawl under the table or I can join in here. Reba, with no inhibitions whatsoever, just stands up and started singing it and away she went. I'm thinking, 'Oh no, we're going to get booted out of here!'" he says.
Dunn posted a photo on Facebook indicating his mild embarrassment at the whole thing, but committing not to share the video evidence without permission.
But of course, no one kicked the star out after a performance like hers.
"Instead, she gets an ovation. The Italians are a blast like that, they're so much about having fun and just going with it,” Dunn adds.
And thankfully for us, the video clip has emerged. McEntire of course nails the song, even after having a few sips of liquid confidence. Dunn does, in fact, look like he’s trying to pretend he doesn’t know her, but it’s clear the impromptu audience was loving it.
McEntire and Dunn have had a wildly successful run in Las Vegas, recently adding additional tour dates to their Reba, Brooks and Dunn: Together in Vegas run, which continues through December.
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