‘Giant’ DVD stirs huge memories for director’s son
Had George Stevens Jr. known then what he knows now, he may have worked up the nerve to ask out Elizabeth Taylor.
Category: Interviews
Hulkamania
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.
Speaking With … Ziggy Marley
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.
Backstreet Boys close to calling it quits
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.
Speaking with … Mark Roberge
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.”
Speaking with … Tim Wheeler
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.
Five questions with Kyle Brandt
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.”
Big Bird flies high with new book of wisdom
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.
Speaking with … Rick Nielsen
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.
Film editor helps keep the series a well-oiled machine
“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.
Speaking with … Rob Thomas
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.
Speaking with … Ben Taylor
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.
Local performers find themselves caught up in ‘The Circle of Life’
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.
Speaking with…Joie Calio
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.
Jamie Kennedy has his ‘Malibu’–and TV, too
If Jamie Kennedy’s movie career takes off, it could end up killing his TV show. But Kennedy, whose feature film, “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” opens Friday, doesn’t seem too concerned.
Critical approval means Justin Lin’s ‘Luck’ is here to stay
When funding ran low for “Better Luck Tomorrow,” filmmaker Justin Lin called on an unlikely resource to help: MC Hammer. Yup. It was Hammer time. “I had met him in Vegas when I was working on the script,” says Lin. “He was really nice and offered to help. I called and said, ‘Hi, remember me?’ He couldn’t have been nicer. He wired me a decent amount of money within two hours.”
‘Apart’ part was Tate’s for the taking
Larenz Tate has the kind of smile that makes you believe anything he says. Sitting in a suite at the Ritz-Carlton downtown, the 27-year-old actor flashes it often as he talks. “Yeah, I think Vin [Diesel] loved my smile,” he says, jokingly. “That’s how I got the role.”
Speaking with … Kris Roe
Kris Roe isn’t your typical rock star. While most musicians dread talking to the press, Roe says, “I love doing interviews! I never get tired of them.” The 26-year-old frontman for the punky pop band the Ataris has been chatting up the media quite a bit lately, thanks to the strength of the band’s latest album, “So Long, Astoria.”
Marriage to Jacko no bed of roses, Lisa Marie says
Did she or didn’t she? Sleep with Michael Jackson, that is. Lisa Marie Presley reveals all in the current edition of Rolling Stone magazine and says that, yes, she had sex with Wacko Jacko. “That was part of it, for a while,” she told Rolling Stone. “And then it became the Def Con 2. It just got really ugly at the end.”