Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The music rocked. A bride bonded with Superman. And the clothes weren’t bad, either. This year’s Fash Bash–Friday night at the Chicago Theatre–had all the frenetic energy that was lacking at the event’s more staid Chicago debut last year.
Christina Aguilera, a former Mouseketeer, has set herself apart from the other blonds who have clambered onto radio’s playlists. Sure, former “New Mickey Mouse Club” co-castmate Britney Spears has sold more records. And Jessica Simpson’s climbing the charts, while Mandy Moore has her own show on MTV.
I realize that no one’s going to mistake me for Tyra Banks and that Keanu Reeves probably won’t be knocking on my door any time soon with an engagement ring (although a girl can always dream). But I’ve got a good career going, my mental health is stable and I’m debt-free. In some countries, I would be considered a good catch.
Queen Latifah. Hip-hop star, actress, talk show hostess, author and fashion diva. At 5-feet-9 3/4 inches (and none-of-your-business pounds), the personable artist and star of a Lane Bryant ad campaign is the host of this year’s Fash Bash.
Thirty years after the Fab Four broke up, Paul McCartney has put together a “new” Beatles single. McCartney announced Tuesday that the new single, “Free Now,” offers snippets from the band’s recording sessions in the 1960s.
“Autumn in New York” is a movie built to tug at our heartstrings. But with its rote story line, the film proves to be little more than pretty eye candy in the form of stars Richard Gere and Winona Ryder. Will Keane (Gere) is a 48-year-old womanizer who owns a hip New York restaurant. Celebrating her 22nd birthday at his restaurant, Charlotte Fielding (Ryder) catches his wandering eye.
At the end of “I’m the One That I Want,” Margaret Cho declares, “I’m gonna stay here and rock the mike until the next Korean-American, fag hag, shit starter, girl comic, trash talker comes up and takes my place!” Any takers? This film version of Cho’s savagely funny one-woman show is true to the tour she took on the road last year.
Chicago is good enough to eat. Just ask Bon Appetit, which features eight Chicago restaurants in a list of its 100 favorite restaurants nationwide.
Fop by day, dashing hero by night, Sir Percy is the central character in “The Scarlet Pimpernel,” a swashbuckling musical comedy set during the French Revolution. That’s right. Swashbuckling. Musical. Comedy. Of the three elements, the comedy works best in this play, where the generic music does little to set the tone. The production–which opened Wednesday night at the Shubert Theatre–comes courtesy of Frank Wildhorn, whose other weird musicals include “Jekyll & Hyde” and “Civil War.” His musicals have a strong pop edge that don’t fit the period pieces he’s trying to create.
George W. Bush is a plucker. Take a peek at his pictures from the 1980s and you’ll see that he was sporting a unibrow that has now disappeared.