Category: Interviews

Black History? Director Peebles Defends Controversial New Film

Jae-Ha Kim

“After I graduated (from Columbia University with a degree in economics), I got a job as a budget analyst,” said Mario Van Peebles. “I wanted to get into films, so I quit my job and modeled. I was at this Calvin Klein go-see where all these beautiful models were in the waiting room – Iman, (Dutch-Japanese model) Arianne, my sister. . . And (the bookers) saw everyone but me.  I was like, `Ah, saving the best for last.’ And then, click, the lights went out, literally, and the lady said they would never use a black model.  And what she really meant was they’d never use a black male model. Until then, I had never really seen color.”

Steve Dahl: Prank Blew Up In Dahl’s Face

Jae-Ha Kim

As with many of Steve Dahl’s greatest stunts, his infamous Disco Demolition Night started as a joke. When WDAI-FM (94.7) – now known as WLS-FM – changed format from rock to disco, DJ Dahl was out of a job. “That’s where it really started,” said Dahl, 40. “While I was still on (WDAI), I would be talking about how ridiculous it was to have a 24-hour disco station. Like who’s going to dance to a 20-minute Donna Summer song in the car? Back then, disco was more of a cultural thing than it is today. It seemed like (disco) was trying to take the place of rock ‘n’ roll, which is why I found it kind of irritating.”

Look! It’s Russell Wong

Jae-Ha Kim

Russell Wong has been recognized. Best known for his role as the cruel, playboy husband in “The Joy Luck Club,” the 6-foot actor seems oblivious to the gawking female guests at the Four Seasons Hotel. He’s more interested in finishing his fruit salad and peppermint tea. Wong, who stars as Jian-Wa Chang in the syndicated series “Vanishing Son,” took a breather to chat with us during his first trip to Chicago.

Steadfast Stedman — Meet the Man Behind Oprah

Jae-Ha Kim

“Stedman is very ambitious and driven,” Oprah Winfrey said. “One of the things I admire and love about him is that once he gets something or figures it out, he always wants to give back and share. And he feels very strongly about the sports world and particularly athletes being able to work beyond athletics.”

Crispin Glover’s Quirks Hit The Road

Jae-Ha Kim

Crispin Glover, a character actor, also is quite the character. He once lived in an apartment painted all black, kept an operating table rumored to have been used for gynecological exams in his living room and gave new meaning to the word “hyper” when he greeted David Letterman with a kick-boxing move that got him booted from the show.

Chris Isaak Plays a Wicked Acting Game

Jae-Ha Kim

Chris Isaak used to joke that he had less screen time in the three films he’s been in so far than in the video for his breakthrough single, “Wicked Game.” Those days are gone. The San Francisco-based singer-actor stars as the father of a young boy believed to be a reincarnated Buddhist teacher in Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Little Buddha” (now playing in Chicago at the Fine Arts). Last year, Isaak took a break from recording for filming in Nepal and Seattle.

Ian Hart Gets Back To the Leader Of the Band

Jae-Ha Kim

When the producers started auditions for the film “Backbeat,” they saw more than 100 actors for the role of the “forgotten Beatle” Stuart Sutcliffe, at least 50 actresses for the part of his German girlfriend Astrid Kirchherr and dozens of other actor-musicians for the other members of the Fab Five. But when it came time to cast the role of 19-year-old John Lennon, they saw only one actor – Ian Hart.

`Brady Kid’ Has Grown-up Advice: Maureen McCormick Touts Birth Control

Jae-Ha Kim

Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! What would Alice say if she heard you were going around the country talking about safe sex and birth control? “She’d probably say, `Good for you,’ ” said Maureen McCormick, the actress who portrayed Marcia Brady on “The Brady Bunch.” “Marcia may have been a virgin, but obviously I’m not.”

Pass the Syrup: Celine Dion Defends Her Smooth, Sweet Style

Jae-Ha Kim

Candy-coated. Saccharine. Gaggingly syrupy. Celine Dion’s heard it all from critics who hate her music. “I’m used to getting some critics who like me and some who can’t stand me,” says the French-Canadian singer, who was sweet enough to call us from Quebec. “Thank goodness there are more people out there who like syrup.” Since 1990, when Dion released her first English-language album, “Unison,” Dion has won a loyal following of fans who fell in love with her smooth vocal delivery on such songs as “Where Does My Heart Beat Now?” After her duet with Peabo Bryson on the Grammy Award-winning “Beauty and the Beast” a couple of years ago, she became a bona fide star.

Haircut’s Nick Heyward Takes Solo Flight With `Kite’

Jae-Ha Kim

Until releasing his latest album, Nick Heyward hadn’t had a fantastic day for a long, long time. A decade ago, Heyward fronted the English pop band Haircut 100, whose debut album, “Pelican West,” spawned a trio of hit singles (“Love Plus One,” “Favourite Shirt” and “Fantastic Day”).  At the height of the group’s success, he trimmed himself from Haircut to pursue a solo career.