Harry Belafonte Sleeps Through Talk Show Appearance? [Video]

Harry Belafonte appeared on a Bakersfield’s KBAK morning show today, but that’s about all he did. The 84-year-old singer didn’t talk and he didn’t sing. Nope, Harry Belafonte slept.

Cheery newscaster Layla Santiago introduced the legendary singer than turned to Belafonte who was appearing via satellite and said:

“Hey, good morning, Harry!”

And then there was a pause. Santiago said:

“Wake up! Wake up! This is your wakeup call… OK, he’s meditating. He’s taking a little nap… He is okay!”

Here’s the video of Harry Belafonte sleeping on live TV.

But Belafonte’s reps insist that the singer didn’t sleep through his appearance. Publicist Kristin Clifford told USA Today that Belafonte was “resting his eyes,” and that the singer didn’t hear Santiago because of a technical difficulty. Clifford said that the “technical difficulty was used to embarrass Mr. Belafonte. This was 100% their error.”

Belafonte has been doing the talk show circuit to promote his new HBO documentary, memoir and CD. The singer didn’t get to talk about his new ventures on the KBAK morning show, but he definitely got people talking about him.

Ken Sunshine, spokesperson for Harry Belafonte, said:

“After weeks of literally hundreds of interviews promoting his HBO documentary, memoir and CD, Mr. Belafonte had an early morning satellite TV tour this past Friday. True to form, there was a technical glitch in the feed to a local station in Bakersfield, CA. His earpiece wasn’t working, so he decided to take the time to mediate before the rest of his Day-O. Mr. Belafonte is 84 years young, but sharper and more awake than most who have been interviewing him. Maybe the world would be a better place if more people took a moment to meditate.”

What do you think? Did Harry Belafonte fall asleep during his appearance on the show? Or was he just waiting for his cue?