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'SAVED BY THE BELL'
WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Hey Preppy! Want To Sing With Mr. Belding?

'Saved By The Bell' Principal Releasing Karaoke CD

UPDATED: 11:38 am CDT August 26, 2009

Remember that very special episode of "Saved By The Bell" where everybody at The Max is stunned as Mr. Belding flexes his golden pipes during karaoke night?

No? That's probably because that episode never happened, although you can't help but wonder how karaoke at the hangout frequented by the Bayside High crowd would have gone over.

With the Sept. 1 release of the CD/DVD package "Karaoke With Your Favorite Principal Dennis Haskins A.K.A. 'Mr. Belding,'" fans of the '90s TV show won't have to wonder any longer.

"Saved By The Bell" fans might have lost track of Haskins, now 58, best known for playing the principal of the fictional Bayside in Palisades, Calif., over the years, but the actor says his new project is a labor of love.

"I love to sing and have been doing karaoke for the past six years," Haskins said. "Karaoke is about having fun and I hope everyone will have fun singing along with me or on their own with our karaoke CD/DVD."

The combo package contains an audio CD with seven karaoke songs, as well as a DVD with interviews and behind the scenes studio footage. The CD allows listeners to either sing along with Haskins or sing solo to the additional instrumental tracks.

Tracks covered by Haskins, delivered in a style that only Bayside resident-nerd "Screech" would be a fan of, include "School's Out," "California Dreamin'" and "Brown Eyed Girl." Six of the clips can be heard on Haskins' MySpace page.

Apparently Haskins has had lots of karaoke practice, as various YouTube clips of his appearances at the Burbank, Calif., karaoke club "Dimples" show. One widely-seen clip presents his karaoke skills in a "Mustang Sally" duet with singer Brooke Hogan, daughter of pro wrestling icon Hulk Hogan.

Celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, "Saved By The Bell" is nearly as popular as it was in its heyday. The show's cast, including Mark-Paul Gosselaar as "Zack Morris," Tiffani-Amber Thiessen as "Kelly Kapowski," Elizabeth Berkley as "Jessie Spano," Mario Lopez as "A.C. Slater" and Lark Voorhies as "Lisa Turtle," recently appeared in a People magazine cover story -- minus Haskins or Dustin Diamond, who played the aforementioned "Screech" -- updating fans on where they are now.

Jimmy Fallon has also been pushing for a reunion of the cast on his late-night talk show.

Haskins portrayed Mr. Belding in all four seasons of "Saved By The Bell" and an additional seven seasons of "Saved By The Bell: The New Class." That run doesn't include "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," the 1988-89 show that started the "Bell" franchise, as well as appearances in two made-for-TV movies "Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style" and "Saved By The Bell: Wedding In Las Vegas."

Before finding his muse as Mr. Belding, Haskins turned a four-year gig as entertainment chairman at his hometown University of Tennessee at Chattanooga into a job as a music manager, agent and concert promoter. Among his customers were Tom Jones, Greg Allman, Leon Russell and The James Gang.

His pre-"Bell" acting jobs included guest roles in 1980s series like "The Dukes of Hazzard," "Magnum, P.I." and "The Fall Guy." He's also appeared on shows such as "The West Wing," "J.A.G.," "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia" and "Seventh Heaven" since his run on "Saved By The Bell" came to an end.

Haskins has spent the last six years touring college campuses, often greeted by standing ovations and chants of "Belding, Belding, Belding," as part of his "Mr. Belding On Campus" tour. His show includes behind-the-scenes "Saved By The Bell" stories, real-world advice gleaned from the show, sing-alongs of the show's theme song and more.

And as if acting, singing and motivational skills weren't enough, Haskins also lists the following as his "special skills" on his Web site: Lyric baritone, southern accent, improv, golf and snow ski.

We also have it from a reliable source (OK, it's from IMDB.com) that his favorite food is the Taco Supreme from Taco Bell.

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