Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Barefoot and clad in a pair of sweats that have seen better days, Viggo Mortensen walks over to introduce himself. His hands and arms are covered with names and phone numbers he has scribbled on himself after checking his answering machine. And his hair is tousled and flecked with tiny bits of paint. None of this can hide Mortensen’s deadly good looks.
Who knew that the ‘N Sync crowd would be familiar with the Beatles, much less the Sugarhill Gang? But when photos of the former were flashed on a screen above the stage Friday night at the Rosemont Horizon, the young crowd gave a knowledgeable ovation to the Fab Four.
You’ve heard their song “Tearin’ Up My Heart” on the radio. You’ve seen the video on heavy rotation on MTV. And if you have a little sister, young niece or a daughter with a subscription to Teen People, there’s a good chance you could even pick Lance Bass, JC Chasez, Joey Fatone Jr., Chris Kirkpatrick or Justin Timberlake – the Fab Five who make up the pop band – out of a dreamy lineup.
Janusz Kaminski has a brother for 5-year-old Oscar. His name is . . . Oscar. The Columbia College graduate won his second Academy Award Sunday night for best cinematography for “Saving Private Ryan.”
Deftly directed by Robert Johanson, who shows a keen eye for detail, the immaculately staged, 90-minute musical is a whirlwind of eye candy. With the collaboration of set designer Michael Anania, Johanson brings the scenes to life. One minute you see the cantankerous neighbor/witch flying high above the stage on her bicycle. The next, a farmhouse is furiously swirling through the epicenter of a tornado. All this sets the stage for the trip to Oz, where the kaleidoscope of colors are as bright as a rainbow and the onstage pyrotechnics just add to the fun.
I’d never really thought of sushi as a to-go option like I do with Chinese, Thai or Italian. But when you’re craving an uncluttered, fresh and filling meal, sushi – bite-sized creations based on flavored rice and other ingredients, often raw fish – makes a delicious change of pace from a burger and fries.
Julian Lennon has never enjoyed the security of anonymity. Not only was he John Lennon’s firstborn. He was also the first Beatle baby.
Myles Berkowitz was a man on a mission: He would go on 20 dates with 20 different women, film each date and, hopefully, land a girlfriend and a movie deal at the end of the project. The 36-year-old hyphenated guy (actor-screenwriter-director) couldn’t have scripted a better ending. He got engaged to lovely Elisabeth Wagner and he sold “20 Dates” to Fox Searchlight (“The Full Monty”). The film opens Friday at Pipers Alley.
There’s a certain cruelty to these type of contests that the filmmakers don’t address. It’s easy to understand why poor people would want to win a car. But why do sponsors feel the need to humiliate and torture them this way? Surely there must be a better, more humane way to get themselves publicity and give away an automobile.
Forget about the Spice Girls. Britney Spears has real girl power. After debuting at No. 1 last month with her album ” . . . Baby One More Time,” the teenager has sold more than 800,000 copies. Surprisingly enough, the album has sold more copies each week that it has been out. Fans snapped up 230,000 copies of Spears’ debut album the week ending Feb. 14 – 50,000 more than the previous week.
“Writing songs is like therapy for me,” Rick Springfield said earlier this week from the set of NBC’s “Suddenly Susan,” where he was taping a guest-star role as Brooke Shields’ boyfriend, scheduled to air March 15. “I’ve been working on this album for about the past three years, and it was really something I needed to do.”
People think that teen shows are just for teen viewers. But cop shows aren’t just for cops, just like doctor shows aren’t just for doctors. Between `Party of Five,’ `Dawson’s Creek’ and (the canceled) `My So-Called Life,’ American TV (programmers) have finally discovered that the lives of teenagers make for good television literature.
Just as the musicians in Remy Zero began building a name for their superb album “Villa Elaine,” vocalist Cinjun Tate married actress Alyssa Milano. Suddenly, the band’s press coverage extended into gossip column items.
Synopsis: Greaser Danny Zuko (Todd DuBail) has a summer romance with sweet Sandy Dumbrowski (Sandy Rustin). When they bump into each other in high school, Danny hides his true feelings for her because he’s afraid of looking uncool in front of his buddies. Trying to impress her, Danny joins the track team and becomes a letterman. But in the end, it’s Sandy who trades in her poodle skirt for a skin-tight getup designed to jump start his heart. Never mind the obvious message that this play sends: that the girl has to tramp herself up to get the boy, while the boy returns to his old self. This is a play where you have to suspend good sense. Otherwise, too many things would bother you.
Three years ago, Wes Anderson was an unknown writer-director winning praise for his charming, offbeat feature film “Bottle Rocket.” These days, he’s traveling on a bright yellow tour bus promoting his latest picture, “Rushmore,” which opens Friday. (Anderson prefers not to fly.) And check this out. The soft-spoken Anderson has groupies.
Last year it was Ashley Judd. This year’s “fun, fearless female,” according to Cosmopolitan magazine, is February cover girl Shania Twain.
Carson Pirie Scott’s State Street store was transformed into a TV studio one day last September, when a scene for the hospital drama “Chicago Hope” was shot there. Producers say they like the different exteriors they find while shooting in the Windy City.
At 19, Queen Latifah was the first female solo rapper to have a major label record deal. Four years later, she had crossed over into acting with roles in Spike Lee’s “Jungle Fever” and her own Fox sitcom, “Living Single.”
A. Magazine: Inside Asian America features “Martial Law” star Kelly Hu as its December/January cover girl. The former Miss Hawaii appears in a fashion layout that showcases Asian-American models posing in a “holiday masquerade” theme.
You have died and gone to heaven. You are inside the West Town factory where Fannie May and Fanny Farmer chocolates are manufactured, and you are thisclose to vats of caramel, chocolate and pecans. Never mind that there is a TV crew filming a news segment (there are no public tours), and you’ve been spotted wearing a hairnet and a white lab coat with the name “Catherine” embroidered over your pocket. Never mind that you’re not Catherine.