Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The October issue of Playgirl screams “Leonardo DiCaprio Nude!” But that’s not the whole truth. The slender star did not pose nude for the magazine. Rather, the magazine printed stills from 1995’s “Total Eclipse,” a little-seen art-house film in which he portrayed bisexual poet Arthur Rimbaud.
You have seen “Knock Off” before. And you didn’t like it then, either. Sure, it may have had a different title and maybe a Dolph Lundgren or a Brandon Lee in the starring role instead of Jean-Claude Van Damme. But the premise has always been the same: The charming, vaguely shady hero is caught in a web of deceit where no one is what they claim to be. (In Van Damme’s case, that would be an actor.)
This spare duo delivers a cohesive, 15-track follow-up to 1996’s As Good as Dead. Equal parts sardonic brat (”All the Kids Are Right”), realist (”She Hates My Job”), and dreamer (”Lucky Time”), vocalist Scott Lucas also cranks out the best crunchy guitar licks since Cheap Trick’s heyday. Grade: A-
Cathy Rigby is a two-time Olympian and a Tony Award nominee. But ask the former gymnast what frightens her the most and she’ll answer without missing a beat. “The thought of my 16-year-old daughter driving . . . alone,” Rigby said in a phone interview from Los Angeles. “I’ve been through it before, but you never really get used to it.”
Movie soundtracks have become music to record companies’ ears. Once studios discovered that popular music from such artists as Simon and Garfunkel and the BeeGees could help sell a film, the lush orchestral scores that were the high-water mark of the ’50s all but disappeared. These days, soundtracks have become far more than promotional tools for hyping a movie. They are thriving independently of the films that spawn them to become a force on the album charts – with some even outliving their big screen brethren.
There was one scene in “Dead Man on Campus” that elicited a really good laugh. But I’m not sure whether it truly was funny, or if I was just so bored that it seemed funny at the time. The premise of the “comedy”: A couple of irresponsible college freshmen slack off all semester and freak out when they realize they are about to flunk out of school. So instead of hitting the books and getting tutors, they do what all 18-year-olds do in that situation: They try to find a suicidal third roommate.
What’s wrong with this picture? The reigning single this summer is “The Boy is Mine,” a sultry duet by teen divas Brandy and Monica fighting over a slick, two-timing beau. The tune is catchy enough. But its comparatively moody lyrics and subtle delivery are a far cry from the season’s usual sunny songs.
Vincent Gallo wrote, directed and starred in “Buffalo ’66.” But ask him which of his talents he’s proudest of and Gallo will answer, “Well, I’ve acted in 18 movies, but I would never call myself an actor. I’m not Steve McQueen. More than anything else, I’m probably best as a stylist.” This is the enfant terrible described by some as a “loose cannon”? “I am a bit vindictive and unforgiving to people who behave inappropriately against me,” Gallo said softly in an interview from his Los Angeles home. “But I’m not really mean to anybody.”
What’s wrong with this picture: Roger Daltrey not playing to a full house Tuesday night at the 4,200-seat Rosemont Theatre. I’m not sure how all the no-shows knew they’d be better off staying home that evening, but they had the good fortune of missing a stinker of an event called the British Rock Symphony.
Here are a few factoids I picked up at the Backstreet Boys concert Saturday night at the New World Music Theatre in Tinley Park: Nick Carter, the youngest (18), tallest (6-foot-1) and blondest of the five Boys, is the most popular. The Backstreet Boys say “Wassup?!” a lot. They are the male equivalent of the Spice Girls: young, good-looking and blandly appealing as singers.