Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
You know Jeremy Piven. Or at least you think you do. Chances are you attended Evanston Township High School with him, or were in acting classes with him at his parents’ Piven Theatre Workshop, or knew someone who knew someone who did.
Before she helped Mary Tyler Moore turn the world on with her smile, Valerie Harper was a pretty New York dancer trying her hand at comedy at Chicago’s Second City. “Making a crowd laugh is one of the most difficult things to do, but it’s also one of the most enjoyable,” says Harper. “I learned early on that you can only force a laugh so much. You have to really mean it.”
Everyone has a favorite shoe designer, be it lowbrow (Keds) or haute couture (Jimmy Choo). Though Sarah Jessica Parker steps into Choo and Manolo Blahnik shoes on “Sex and the City,” the diminutive actress has been known to scour Soho boutiques for a great pair of Robert Clergerie boots. And Chicago-based actress Shane Williams has a love affair with Ferragamo.
In the 1950s, sophisticated fashionistas traded in their chunky 1940s shoes for sexy Italian stilettos. But for the bobby-socks set, penny loafers were still the rage.
There’s a scene in “Bull Durham” that encapsulates why women enjoy getting pedicures so much. Kevin Costner is cradling Susan Sarandon’s foot in his hand while he carefully paints her toenails red. The scene is sensual, but also surprisingly relaxing and comforting.