Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“If someone gave me the option of staying this age forever, I’d say no,” says Jonathan Jackson, who stars in the love story “Tuck Everlasting”–which opens Friday in local theaters. “Just thinking about staying the same age forever and seeing everyone else grow old and die would be depressing. I’d rather die and go to heaven.”
Arriving at 7:30 Friday night at the Chicago Theatre, a dapper Pierce Brosnan surveyed the fans screaming out his name. “Being an Irishman, I’m very happy and proud to be here in Chicago,” Brosnan said. “Chicago is a good Irish city in many respects, and I’m here to premier our film ‘Evelyn,’ which is an Irish story. Everything just feels right.”
Dressed in a black suit and accompanied by his wife, Keely Shaye Smith, Brosnan was honored at the 38th Chicago International Film Festival with the Career Achievement Award.
Though Jackie Chan is hesitant to show off his dexterous martial arts moves when he’s not on set filming, he’s game for just about anything else. Last week, the popular actor helped Fox news anchor Tamron Hall celebrate her birthday by presenting her with a cake. Later that day when a reporter asked him to sing, he broke into a pitch perfect rendition of “Always on My Mind” that was more Willie Nelson than Elvis Presley.
After their United Center concert Tuesday night, the Stones had a craving for something their gourmet caterer hadn’t provided: sushi. Tsunami on Dearborn was more than happy to accommodate Mick Jagger and company when they rolled in around 1 a.m. to feast on maki, nigiri and other delicacies.
Tickets are so pricey that most of us won’t be able to spend any night together with the Rolling Stones. But if you keep your eyes peeled, you may be just a stone’s throw from one of the band members. Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, Ron Wood and Charlie Watts love Chicago and have a history of exploring the best it has to offer.
Vicki Lawrence is one woman who gets along just fine with her Mama. She likes her so much, in fact, Lawrence is on tour and she’ll be the opening act for the cantankerous old lady. “It’s a two-woman tour that’s really been years in the making,” says Lawrence, 53, phoning from New York. “I’m thrilled to be doing it. It’s me on stage for an hour for the first half and then Mama comes out for the second half.”
“I kind of like being a minor,” says Avril Lavigne, who favors laid-back skateboarder chic over high heels and midriff-baring tops. “I don’t have as many responsibilities as an adult. I’m not looking forward to my birthday at all.”
Piper Perabo doesn’t look like the type of woman who could take on The Rock. But the big-time wrestler had nothing on the diminutive actress when he accidentally spilled a glass of champagne on her mother. “I looked at him and said, ‘You’re huge. You shouldn’t be going around bumping into people and spilling things on them,'” says Perabo, laughing.
“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.’ ”
Toby Keith isn’t the “angry American” anymore.His latest album, “Unleashed,” debuted at No. 1 on both the Billboard 200 and Top Country Albums charts. First-week sales of approximately 338,000 units are nearly three times the first-week sales of his previous album, last year’s “Pull My Chain.”
Pro wrestler Lita has fought some of wrestling’s toughest women. But it was a stunt double who put her out of commission for at least another year. While filming a fight scene on the series finale of “Dark Angel,” Lita (born Amy Dumas) landed head first on the ground. Lita, 27, said star Jessica Alba’s stunt double “wasn’t familiar with wrestling, and I didn’t think I’d need a stunt double to handle my fights. I was in pain, but I finished shooting. I didn’t realize how serious my injury was until later. I cracked three vertebrae and had to have surgery.”
It’s a different world for Train’s Jimmy Stafford these days. One minute he’s watching Gwyneth Paltrow act it up in “The Royal Tenenbaums.” The next moment, there she is touring with them. Come again?
Though his publicist warned that Clint Black might call a few minutes earlier or later than our scheduled appointment, the country music star phones exactly on time. To the second. “My stomach starts to hurt if I’m late,” Black says during a conversation from Nashville, Tenn. “I don’t like wasting other people’s time by making them wait for me.”
Eight hundred million dollars just doesn’t stretch as far these days. Just ask Michael Jackson. The self-proclaimed King of Pop may not yet be headed for the poor house, but some experts estimate that the litigious singer is at least $200 million in debt.
“The Rising” is making a strong move toward the top. By early afternoon Tuesday, fans had snapped up about 100 copies of Bruce Springsteen’s new CD at Tower Records, 2301 N. Clark. Two dozen or so were purchased in the wee hours.
Five years ago, Susan McLaughlin Karp delivered a stillborn baby. On the first anniversary of her child’s death, Karp wrote the play she will perform at this year’s seventh annual Fillet of Solo Festival. A miscarriage isn’t exactly the best source for a one-woman show, but Karp handles her subject matter evenly in “Still.” She shares her experience in a way that won’t leave her or the audience drained.
“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.
When Jewel performs cuts from her latest album, “This Way,” at the Chicago Theatre this Sunday, don’t expect the singer to strap on her electric guitar. Her collarbone and ribs are still tender from when she was thrown from a colt at her boyfriend’s ranch in April. “[The accident] hasn’t really inhibited my show a lot,” Jewel says. “Touring Europe was a little painful ’cause the ribs were still tender. But it didn’t get in the way of the show. It just wasn’t a lot of fun.”
Call it poetic justice. In “Without Me,” Eminem brags, “I am the worst thing since Elvis Presley/to do black music so selfishly/and use it to get myself wealth.” The controversial rapper has been displaced by Nelly to No. 2 on the album charts, but the best-selling single in America belongs to none other than Presley.
By Jae-Ha Kim Chicago Sun-Times June 28, 2002 Since tackling his Showtime series “The Chris Isaak Show”–a thinly veiled version of his life–Chris Isaak has had little time to do nothing. Currently on tour supporting his latest album “Always Got […]