Stop.
Collaborate.
LISTEN.
Word to everybody's mother in Palm Beach County.
That's right. Vanilla Ice teamed up with Gov. Rick Scott to form a dynamic duo of selling tourism at a gala held at the Boca Raton Resort and Club in Palm Beach on Monday night.
Ice -- whose real name is Rob Van Winkle -- surprised the more than 1,000 state tourism leaders attending the function when he jumped up onstage and took the mic like a vandal to perform his hit "Ice Ice Baby" with the Palm Beach Symphony. As Vanilla Ice rapped, several ballerinas from Ballet Palm Beach glided around him onstage.
The performance and collaboration with Scott was part of the annual Florida Governor's Conference on Tourism and something Van Winkle said was not about politics.
The Cultural Council of Palm Beach County pegged Vanilla Ice to sell Palm Beach as a tourist destination and an area rich with arts and culture.
"We wanted to come up with something really different," Palm Beach's director of marketing and government affairs, Marilyn Bauer, said via the Palm Beach Post. "It is something we think people won't forget."
Indeed. And Ice allowed the symphony to revolve it.
As for his teaming up with Scott, Vanilla took to Twitter to explain his purpose, assuring his followers that this wasn't about politics but about selling Palm Beach.
Here I am with Gov. Rick Scott celebrating the beautiful state of Florida. #CC14 pic.twitter.com/zX11zaNUfM
— Vanilla Ice (@vanillaice) September 23, 2014It was a great night tonight At the cultural Council of Palm Beach event with Gov. Scott
— Vanilla Ice (@vanillaice) September 23, 2014I never performed with a symphony and a ballet at the same time.
— Vanilla Ice (@vanillaice) September 23, 2014I don't take sides in politics, I always "say best man for the job"
— Vanilla Ice (@vanillaice) September 23, 2014This event was not about elections, it's about Florida tourism which is why we can all come together and enjoy beautiful Florida
— Vanilla Ice (@vanillaice) September 23, 2014In the middle of the performance, Vanilla Ice broke off and addressed the crowd.
"Welcome, everybody, to beautiful Palm Beach," he says breathlessly. "You get to see a symphony, a ballet, and a rap show all in one," he tells the audience. "It just goes to show you the diversity we have here in the beautiful Palm Beaches. It's a beautiful place in the sun. It's a great place here."
Vanilla Ice also sold Wellington -- which was recently named one of the most boring places in Florida.
"One of the greatest places here is Wellington," he says. "I've been married for 16 years, and I've lived here in Palm Beach County with my two teenage daughters. We love it here."
According to the Palm Beach Post, the event is expected to bring around 1,400 hotel room bookings and rake in around $1.1 million in economic impact to the county.
So there you go. Despite Rick Scott's presence, Vanilla Ice is doing some good and bringing in money for the county.
Maybe we're onto something here.
As this guy suggested on Twitter:
@vanillaice vanilla ice for president.
— j shmurda (@notjoshaxelman) September 23, 2014Send your story tips to the author, Chris Joseph. Follow Chris Joseph on Twitter
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