Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
The Black Eyed Peas are enjoying the success of their new album, “Elephunk” (Interscope). Currently on tour with Christina Aguilera and Justin Timberlake–who sings with them on the oh-so-cool “Where Is the Love”–while also playing their own gigs, the Peas’ sole woman, Fergie (no, not that one), woke up early to call us at noon, yawning every now and again.
The lawsuit between Viacom and director Spike Lee may be settled, but that doesn’t mean the filmmaker is happy. He told GLARE Tuesday, “I think that when people settle, no one’s happy because it’s a compromise. But we’ll all move on. I would like to state that I have no affiliation whatsoever with Spike TV–never did and never will.”
Sydney Chaplin isn’t surprised his father–the late, great Charlie Chaplin–still has so many fans worldwide. “He’s larger than life to a lot of people still,” says Chaplin, 77. “He’s even bigger in Europe than he is here. I remember meeting a guy in France. He shook my hand and started to cry. If he met my father, he would’ve had a stroke!”
Jennifer Holliday won a Tony Award portraying Effie White in “Dreamgirls” and a Grammy Award for her signature song, “And I’m Telling You.” But it was her guest-starring spots on “Ally McBeal” that won her a new generation of fans who had never heard of–nor heard–the power-house singer. That’s about to change.
Petite Rachael Ray looks exactly the way she does on her Food Network shows, “30-Minute Meals” and “$40 a Day.” But even she’s a little surprised when–as she leaves a Starbucks in downtown Chicago–a man stares at her cup of java and shouts, “Hey, Rachael! Is that on your $40 budget?” It’s not.
By Jae-Ha Kim Chicago Sun-Times June 6, 2003 Jim Belushi/Dan Aykroyd and the Have Love Will Travel Review 8 tonight Vic Theatre, 3145 N. Sheffield Tickets, $36 21-and-over show (312) 559-1212Jim Belushi has a sure […]
Had George Stevens Jr. known then what he knows now, he may have worked up the nerve to ask out Elizabeth Taylor.
Lou Ferrigno is a champion body builder and a former pro football player for the Toronto Argonauts. But let’s face it–we all know and love the strapping 6-foot-5 lug for his role in the 1978 TV show “The Incredible Hulk.” Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Ferrigno lost 65 percent of his hearing when he was 3. Thanks to a hearing aid, his hearing has been restored to 100 percent.
As a kid living in Jamaica, David Marley was such a big David Bowie fan he was nicknamed “Ziggy” (after Bowie’s alter ego Ziggy Stardust)–a moniker that stuck after he got famous. The son of Bob Marley and the brother-in-law of Lauryn Hill, Grammy-winner Marley, 34, is the recipient of an NAACP Image Award and was a Goodwill Youth Ambassador for the United Nations.
Is a breakup in the works for the Backstreet Boys? Sounds as though the group wants it that way. Us Weekly predicted a breakup more than a year ago and in the new issue–on stands today–the magazine reports the band members are readier than ever to say bye, bye, bye. (Er, sorry. Wrong boy band.) According to Us, eldest member Kevin Richardson, 31, said the Boys were “having meetings to discuss” calling it quits.
The new album by O.A.R., “In Between Now and Then” (Lava), won’t be in stores until Tuesday, but you can meet the boys and hear them sing Sunday at Tower Records. “We love doing these shows,” says O.A.R. frontman Marc Roberge. “Any chance to play for an enthusiastic audience is a great time.”
When the group first toured the United States, Ash’s Tim Wheeler was the ripe old age of 19. Now 26, the Irish frontman phoned just days after his visit to the hospital (more on that later). Calling from Manchester, England, Wheeler chatted about touring, aging and how a “Dawson’s Creek” star surprised him.
After watching his own life melodramatically played out on MTV as one of the Chicago cast members of “The Real World,” Lincolnshire’s Kyle Brandt is ready to tackle another kind of soap opera. The 24-year-old actor has a three-year contract, starting today, to portray Philip Kiriakis on the
long-running daytime drama “Days of Our Lives.”
Like many Americans, Caroll Spinney remembers watching the tragic Challenger shuttle mission in 1986. Had it not been for Big Bird, it could’ve been him on the mission instead of school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
Cheap Trick has been rocking for over a quarter-century, more or less with the original lineup. None of the band members–guitarist Rick Nielsen, singer-rhythm guitarist Robin Zander, bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos–has changed much over the years: two are hot; two, well, are not. And, Zander’s vocals have only gotten stronger. The ubiquitous Nielsen–a co-owner of the Wicker Park eatery Piece–took time to chat about boy bands, living in Rockford and Billy Corgan.
“No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself,” Morpheus says in “The Matrix” (1999). Four years later, the world is ready to feast its collective eyes on “The Matrix Reloaded”–the first of two sequels that have already been filmed.
Rob Thomas is more than you think he is. Touring to promote Matchbox Twenty’s latest album, “More Than You Think You Are” (Atlantic), the band’s singer took a break to talk about Santana, Enrique Iglesias and his never-ending quest to meet Kurt Vonnegut.
Carly Simon is his mom. James Taylor is his dad. Unlike many celebrity children, musician Ben Taylor will answer anything about them and loves nothing more than to get onstage with his famous parents.
Unlike most of the local theater scene, Derek Hasenstab had no clue “The Lion King” was casting in Chicago when he got a call to audition for the extravaganza. Actually, he didn’t know what the musical was about, much less the plot of the animated Disney film that inspired the production.
When Dada’s “Dizz Knee Land” hit radio in 1992, fans flipped over the line, “I just flipped off President George.” More than a decade later, the song has gotten a resurgence, thanks to another controversial President George.