Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
With her girlish voice and sun-kissed looks, Britney Spears is the female answer to the Backstreet Boys, which shouldnt come as too much of a surprise given that Max Martin has penned hits for both the Boys and Spears; and that Nigel Dick has directed videos for both. But while the Boys sing songs about that elusive girl that got away, Spears–like Brandy–does a good job at conveying what it feels like to be the girl whose heart was broken.
You’ve heard of a training bra? Well, Nickelodeon’s All That Music & More Festival, which rolled into town Sunday night, was a training concert, starring that red-hot boy band 98°. Never been to a live show before? No problem. Someone was on hand to tell the youngsters when to scream, stand up and dance. But the kids didn’t always cooperate.
“Turn to me with frozen lips; Your hands are icy cold.” No, Jewel wasn’t describing the chilly conditions Friday night at the New World Music Theatre. Rather, she was singing a verse from “What’s Simple is True.” What’s true is simply this: With two hit albums (“Pieces of You” and “Spirit”), a best-selling poetry book (A Night Without Armor) and a leading role in Ang Lee’s coming film “Ride with the Devil,” Jewel’s ingenue days are over. Talented and lovely, she oozes telegenic charm in her music videos.
“It’s weird to play in front of tons of people,” John Rzeznik said backstage at the New World Music Theatre prior to the Goo Goo Dolls’ set Saturday night. “We’re more adept at working a smaller crowd.”
That may be. But I can think of few current bands that’s music is as tailor made for arenas than the Goo Goo Dolls. The group knows how to do a rock show right. Fronted by singer-guitarist Rzeznik and bassist-backup vocalist Robby Takac, the group from Buffalo, N.Y., charged into a fast-paced set, mixing the punk-influenced rockers with their better known ballads.
“This is my first major singing . . . tour thing,” Brandy said midway through her set Tuesday night at the Rosemont Theatre. “It’s also the last night of my tour . . . and all my dreams have come true.” And what a fun way to end the tour. Backed by seven dancers, a six-piece band and four backup singers, the 20-year-old singer/actress strutted on stage in a pink jumpsuit. With all the perfectly timed explosions going off onstage, it almost seemed like the Fourth of July celebration hadn’t actually ended on Sunday.
Whitney Houston is a lot of things – mother, wife, movie star, glamor queen, diva and all-around superstar. But she’s not “every woman,” as she sang Tuesday night at the Arie Crown Theatre. Every woman hasn’t sold 100 million records, as Houston has since releasing her debut album in 1985. Nor can they sing the way she does, as evidenced by a fan who gamely tried to man the mike while Houston good-naturedly stood by.
If it looks like Hanson and sounds like Hanson – but it’s not – then it must be the Moffatts, who headlined a show Wednesday night at the House of Blues. Think of cloned, Canadian cuties and you can visualize the Moffatts.
You’ve got to hand it to Dogstar. It’s not easy being taken seriously when the media-and even some fans-don’t really want you to be. But the trio-which includes movie star Keanu Reeves on bass-was well-prepared for its one-hour concert Wednesday night at the Park West. Debuting 15 songs from their upcoming album, “Happy Ending,” the musicians’ aggressive set was a vast improvement over their 1995 Chicago debut at the same venue. Back then, Dogstar appeared tentative and somewhat cowed by the adulation aimed at their famous bassist. This time around, they confidently served up catchy songs with muscular rhythms and strong hooks.
Robbie Williams wants to entertain you. In the first five minutes of his sold-out show Friday night at Metro, the British export danced, glad-handed, grabbed his naughty bits, bared his bum and stuffed a fan’s mash note down his pants.
And then he lost his inhibition.
Ben Folds Five plays “The Unauthorized Biography of Reinhold Messner.” Sounds like some weird concept piece at an arthouse, right? But it was actually a sold-out rock ‘n’ roll show Monday night at the Park West. You wouldn’t know it from “Brick” – the band’s breakthrough, bittersweet single in which Folds sang about an abortion his high school girlfriend had – but the group has a wry sense of humor.
As long as there are girls, boy bands such as 98°, which performed Tuesday at the Rosemont Theatre, will fare just fine. And when you think about it, that’s not such a bad thing. Whose concert would you rather have your 12-year-old attend? The one by nice young men in 98°, who sing about eternal love, or a show by wacky Marilyn Manson, who likes to pick fights with Kurt Cobain’s widow?
In her first book, rap star-turned-actress Queen Latifah, candidly writes about her steady rise to fame, her close-knit family and and how she treated her grief with alcohol and drugs after her brother died in a motorcycle accident. At 173 very short pages (the type is huge and the margins generous), readers are entertained and, to a certain extent, enlightened. But they never get the feeling that they have gotten to know the artist.
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.
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.
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.