“Liars Club” has trouble telling the truth
The moviegoer is never sure why the hero of “Liars Club” is so unlucky with women. He’s good-looking, bright, kind and has a decent sense of humor when he’s not wallowing in self-pity.
Author: Jae-Ha Kim
A warm and tender moment with Watts
After their United Center concert Tuesday night, the Stones had a craving for something their gourmet caterer hadn’t provided: sushi. Tsunami on Dearborn was more than happy to accommodate Mick Jagger and company when they rolled in around 1 a.m. to feast on maki, nigiri and other delicacies.
Rush Street, blues bars best bet to spot a Stone
Tickets are so pricey that most of us won’t be able to spend any night together with the Rolling Stones. But if you keep your eyes peeled, you may be just a stone’s throw from one of the band members. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts love Chicago and have a history of exploring the best it has to offer.
Crowd gives Avril Lavigne big, wet one
Every generation has a hero, and this one seems to idolize Avril Lavigne–the neck-tie wearing, skateboarding Canadian teenager whose plaintive songs have struck a chord with teenagers. Of course in kid years, a generation only lasts a couple years tops. But judging by her debut album, “Let Go,” and the strength of her live performances, Lavigne appears to have the talent and tenacity to mature as an artist who will continue to win fans regardless of her core following growing up.
Speaking with … Vicki Lawrence
Vicki Lawrence is one woman who gets along just fine with her Mama. She likes her so much, in fact, Lawrence is on tour and she’ll be the opening act for the cantankerous old lady. “It’s a two-woman tour that’s really been years in the making,” says Lawrence, 53, phoning from New York. “I’m thrilled to be doing it. It’s me on stage for an hour for the first half and then Mama comes out for the second half.”
Avril Lavigne: the anti-Britney?
“I kind of like being a minor,” says Avril Lavigne, who favors laid-back skateboarder chic over high heels and midriff-baring tops. “I don’t have as many responsibilities as an adult. I’m not looking forward to my birthday at all.”
Let the night games begin
The club is thumping, and everybody’s having a good time: You spy a woman across a sea of beautiful people and want to meet her. Do you: a) look in her direction until she smiles at you; b) send over a friend to see if she likes you, or c) saunter over to her and scream, “Wazzup?” You’re probably going home alone if you answered (b) or (c), but both are better than what a lot of people do: stare. “Many people walk into clubs with a defensive mind-set,” says Rodney Battles, author of Night Games! A Guide to Understanding and Enjoying the Nightclub and Bar Scene (Brown, $19.95), which hits stores later this month.
More ‘Rules’ for single women
In a dating rut? Maybe a few Rules are in order. Ellen Fein and Sherrie Schneider are betting enough singletons are fed up with being fixed up that they will give online dating a shot. And they’re counting on women to be desperate enough to pick up a copy of their latest book, “The Rules for Online Dating” (Pocket, $12).
Piper Perabo
Piper Perabo doesn’t look like the type of woman who could take on The Rock. But the big-time wrestler had nothing on the diminutive actress when he accidentally spilled a glass of champagne on her mother. “I looked at him and said, ‘You’re huge. You shouldn’t be going around bumping into people and spilling things on them,'” says Perabo, laughing.
Cho ‘Notorious’ for unstereotypical laughs
Over the past few years, Margaret Cho has grown comfortable with herself–a funny, whip-smart comic who doesn’t fit any of the glorified stereotypes of what an Asian American woman should be. She doesn’t play the violin. She doesn’t figure skate. She’s not good at math. She never wanted to be an anchorwoman. And if she knows how to make sushi or give a good back rub, she’s not telling.
Rich get richer with goodies by trunkload
Forget about a fruit basket. Today’s stars expect to be treated to a lot more when they appear on awards shows. And MTV delivers.
Virtual scouting report
So the major league baseball teams might go on strike Friday. Don’t fret. There are plenty of baseball video games to sate your appetite until the players return to the field. We’ve reviewed some of the hottest games out there. The hotdogs and peanuts are on you.
Speaking with … Maureen McCormick
“My father happened to be over the day that I was sent the script [for ‘The Vagina Monologues,'” says McCormick, 46. “He read the whole play and said, ‘Every gal and guy should go see this.’ He was so amazed by it. It’s such a well-written, well-crafted show. I have to say that when I read the script, I was like, ‘Yes, I’ll do it. This is so cool.’ ”
Oasis: Brash brothers live up to bravado
If Liam Gallagher ever quit the music business, he could make a nice career for himself as an actor specializing in freeze-frame. If the guy moved more than a few times Tuesday night at the Chicago Theatre, it usually was to exit when his older brother, guitarist-songwriter Noel, sang lead. But that’s nothing new. Oasis never was known for its enthralling stage presence.
Speaking with … Toby Keith
Toby Keith isn’t the “angry American” anymore.His latest album, “Unleashed,” debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. First-week sales of approximately 338,000 units are nearly three times the first-week sales of his previous album, last year’s “Pull My Chain.”
Sheryl Crow just a passenger on this runaway Train
As the headliner for the Jeep World Outside Festival tour, Sheryl Crow did everything right Sunday night at the Tweeter Center. She played a tight set, had an interesting stage setup and sang all the hits her fans wanted to hear. But Train, which preceded her onstage, ended up stealing the show.
TV tougher than ring for mending Lita
Pro wrestler Lita has fought some of wrestling’s toughest women. But it was a stunt double who put her out of commission for at least another year. While filming a fight scene on the series finale of “Dark Angel,” Lita (born Amy Dumas) landed head first on the ground. Lita, 27, said star Jessica Alba’s stunt double “wasn’t familiar with wrestling, and I didn’t think I’d need a stunt double to handle my fights. I was in pain, but I finished shooting. I didn’t realize how serious my injury was until later. I cracked three vertebrae and had to have surgery.”
Speaking with Jimmy Stafford of Train
It’s a different world for Train’s Jimmy Stafford these days. One minute he’s watching Gwyneth Paltrow act it up in “The Royal Tenenbaums.” The next moment, there she is touring with them. Come again?
Beach Blast scores big for Jordan club
The Friends of the James Jordan Boys and Girls Club made quite the splash with their first Beach Blast. Held at Phil Stefani’s kicky Castaways Restaurant at the North Avenue Beach–a favorite hangout for the Chicago cast of this season’s “The Real World”–the benefit attracted almost 200 revelers wearing their best casual beach attire. Surveying the crowd, Deloris Jordan appeared particularly chic and cool in a crisp summer suit.
Beauty tips take wrinkles out of the aging process
Aging gracefully can be pretty … if you’re Tina Turner. But for the rest of us who never foresaw a future of thinning hair, wrinkles and expanding feet, growing older might be easier to deal with if we knew what we were in for. With that in mind, we asked some experts to warn us about what we may expect as we approach middle age.