Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
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.
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.
“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.’ ”
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.
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.
“Stuart Little 2” tackled the big boys at the box office and almost beat “Road to Perdition” for the No. 1 spot last weekend. Michael J. Fox–who voices the congenial little mouse who knows how to drive, fly and play soccer–called from New York Thursday to fill GLARE in on the film and his co-stars.
“If I’m gonna go around one more time, it better be good,” Cher said Thursday in the first of two consecutive nights at the United Center. “I have to raise the bar for a lot of these young girls coming up.” Without missing a beat, Cher jokingly challenged, “All right, follow this, you bitches.”
Jewel may have been nursing a broken collarbone and ribs, but there was nothing ailing her voice Sunday night at the Chicago Theatre. Backed by a five-piece band, the singer-songwriter captivated the sold-out crowd with a two-hour plus concert that showed off her flexible range. She sang all the expected hits from her three studio albums (excluding her Christmas CD, for obvious reasons).
If you were to believe the songs Chris Isaak sings, he is one unlucky son of a gun when it comes to love. “Wicked Game” is about a tortured love affair. He wrote “Forever Blue” after his fiancee broke up with him. And in his latest single, “Let Me Down Easy,” Isaak pleads with his latest lover to go easy with his heart.
Who says Americans are done playing soccer? Whether you’ve just discovered the sport or are a lifelong fan, there are plenty of video games to help you get your fix–even after the final World Cup match on Sunday. Here’s a look at some of the more colorful titles.
Friendship isn’t the first word most people would think of to describe the World War II epic “Windtalkers,” which opens Friday. But it pops up frequently when the film’s stars Nicolas Cage and Adam Beach, and their director, John Woo, get together to discuss the movie. “I knew very little about this part of history,” says Woo. “That is one reason why I wanted to make the film. It was important to me to show how important the Navajo Americans were to World War II. But I also wanted to show the camaraderie and friendship between the men–the respect that they gain for each other in a very difficult time.”
Matt Damon has portrayed All American boys (“Good Will Hunting,” “All the Pretty Horses”), gaunt junkie soldiers (“Courage Under Fire”) and creepy thin killers (“The Talented Mr. Ripley”). But unlike his good friend Ben Affleck, who showed off his action hero prowess in “Armageddon,” “Pearl Harbor” and “The Sum of all Fears,” Damon has been slow to capitalize on his hunk factor.
Back when the Goo Goo Dolls debuted, they were a straggly threesome that put little thought into on-stage wardrobe. They just rocked the house like the best little garage band from Buffalo, N.Y., that they were. These days, the look is more refined with expensive haircuts, leather pants and even a little eye liner. But the sound hasn’t changed much. Sure, there are more ballads than before, but the deliciously raucous rock ‘n’ roll spirit remains the same.
The opening of “Undercover Brother” perfectly sets the tone for this comedy. Driving a vintage Cadillac, Undercover Brother has one hand on the steering wheel and the other holding a filled-to-the-rim drink. As the car executes a few 360-degree spins to avoid a car crash, our cool hero has a smile plastered on his face and not a hair of his retro ‘fro out of place. Not a drop of the soft drink spills on the car’s upholstery.
When she was a little girl growing up on the North Side of Chicago, children’s book author Katharine Holabird imagined herself as a beautiful, graceful ballerina whose jumps were as light as a feather.
“I was a theatrical, melodramatic child,” says Holabird, phoning from Los Angeles. “I was also a tubby little 4-year-old waltzing around the house who thought I was this beautiful archetype–a ballerina.”
There are many dangerous sports. Athletes have been paralyzed in gymnastics and football. And the dangers of boxing don’t need to be explained. But there’s nothing like the litany of thrilling events at an X Games competition to make you wonder, “Why would anyone do that?”
Maria Peevey and Megan Weinerman dated them all–the “It’s Not You It’s Me Guy,” the “Couldn’t Be Nicer Guy,” the “Girl Hair Guy.” You probably have, too, which is why the sassy entrepreneurs wrote Are You My Boyfriend? (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $14.95)–a humorous look at 19 types of men they’ve dated.
In “Triumph of Love,” Mira Sorvino portrays a princess who falls in love with the rightful heir to her father’s throne. Because he has been taught to hate her, she schemes to befriend him (dressed as a boy, of course). In real life, the Oscar winner didn’t have to try nearly as hard to win the heart of her boyfriend of three years, French actor Olivier Martinez. They were set up on a blind date.
As she nears her 44th birthday on April 21, Andie MacDowell is a testament to how good you can look in your 40s. She stands almost 6 feet tall, only 5-foot-8 of that thanks to genetics. The other 4 inches are the result of a pair of shoes so sassy and beautiful they’d be at home on one of the ladies on “Sex and the City.”
It’s obvious ‘N Sync has spent quite a bit of money on its tour. In the first of two consecutive nights Thursday at the Allstate Arena, the world’s most popular boy band captured its young audience’s attention with a series of flashy explosions, a handful of costume changes and a slew of hit songs. Still, something was lacking from this concert. Or, perhaps it wasn’t that the boys were missing anything but that they were trying to do too much.