Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
No matter how many television series are available in syndication, there are some shows you just want to have on DVD to watch any time you please. You can catch up with all the action of the third season of “Alias” starring Jennifer Garner on the “Alias: The Complete Third Season” DVD.
Video games aren’t just for kids anymore. The Entertainment Software Association’s most recent data shows the average age of gamers is 29. While many games still are marketed for the kiddies, video gaming these days is hardly child’s play.
It’s near the end of the year when everyone will be making the same resolutions: Save more money, promote world peace and, um, lose weight. I’ll certainly give it my all with the first two, but I won’t be among the millions of Americans vowing to diet.
“I am your No. 1 fan.” And so began Paul Sheldon’s terrifying encounter with Annie Wilkes, the obsessed character in Stephen King’s Misery who chopped off her idol’s feet so he couldn’t escape. (In the film version, she merely broke his ankles.) In real life, celebrities such as Sheryl Crow, Mel Gibson and Catherine Zeta-Jones are dealing with their own slew of “No. 1 fans.” Some go to prison for their obsessive behavior. But others don’t.
There are two types of holiday card recipients — those who display them well into the new year, and those who throw them away the second after they’ve opened the envelope. If you don’t want your card to fall into the latter category, try sending something a little different this year: cards you’ve made yourself.
Minnie Driver knew that when she released her debut album, “Everything I’ve Got in My Pocket,” some would be quick to dismiss her as just another actor-turned-wannabe-singer.
Thanksgiving is over. You’d think we’d be relieved the big day is past us, but some of us can’t get beyond the fact it’s just that much closer now to Hanukkah and Christmas. OK. Take a deep breath and relax. We’ll get through this together. “In today’s world we’re all running around all the time, so it’s difficult for many people to slow down at all,” says Kathleen Galvin, a Northwestern University professor who specializes in family communications.
By Jae-Ha Kim Chicago Sun-Times November 25, 2004 When his manager called to ask if he wanted to co-host television coverage of the 71st annual State Street Thanksgiving Parade, Ricardo Chavira said no. “I love […]
Young star-on-the-rise Keke Palmer joins seasoned pro William H. Macy in “The Wool Cap,” a TNT original film airing Sunday night.
While her friends would dream of having their daddies build them the perfect dollhouse, Tina Hanson was figuring out ways to make her own. Armed with a hammer and nails, she would build little sheds next to her family’s house. Flash forward about 30 years. Hanson, now 40, has done enough work on her Skokie home to make Bob Vila jealous. “Instead of going in the business finance world, I wish I’d had the foresight to have studied architecture in college,” says Hanson, who works as a bookkeeper for a local travel agency. “I think I would’ve been pretty good at building houses. I do all right repairing them.”
When it’s all said and done, you’ve got to give your props to Tony Hawk. Though the extreme athlete is getting a little long in the tooth (dude, he’s in his 30s!), he’s got a nice little franchise going with his eponymous skateboarding videogames.
Singletons, take note. “Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason” is just a couple days from opening, and that’s reason enough for many of you to celebrate. While all the “smug marrieds” are at home arguing about whose turn it is to pay the bills (or bathe the children), you can kick back with your bitchin’ friends, enjoy a cocktail and revel in all things Bridget.
At face value, there is no reason why women would choose Hugh Grant’s character over Colin Firth’s in “Bridget Jones’s Diary.” Both are good looking, have great jobs and cute English accents. But throw in the fact that Mark Darcy (played by Firth) is a soft-spoken gentleman while Grant’s Daniel Cleaver is a womanizing cad and Grant is the bad boy winner. Never mind that whatever woman he’s dating is destined to be the loser. The fact is, just as high school girls love the pot-smoking, long-haired dropout, women love bad boys, too.
“Celebrities migrate toward the Caribbean because it’s one of the few places they can go where they’re left alone,” says Keija Minor, editor in chief of Travel Savvy magazine. “It’s the perfect place for them to get some relaxation, quiet time and seclusion.” What’s not to love? The fruit and fish are always fresh, and the weather usually cooperates. Besides the laid-back tranquility of the islands, celebs also enjoy a bit of welcome anonymity from fans and paparazzi when they’re tucked away in their own pockets of paradise.
We know. Thanksgiving isn’t for another few weeks and Christmas is almost two months down the line. But trust us. It’s never too early to do a little reconnaissance work when it comes to searching for that perfect holiday dress. Forget about understated. Go for full-out glam, because every woman and her sister will be dressed to thrill.
Lawd knows Lori Petty’s a busy woman. She’s an actress, painter, director and writer. But that hasn’t stopped the quirky actress from adding designer to her list of credits. Best known for her work in “A League of Their Own” and “Point Break,” Petty has a year-old line of casual wear called Lawd Knows that reflects her inspirational side.
Doing Dong! Unless you haven’t watched TV in the last few years, you’re probably familiar with the foreboding two-note intro that starts every episode of “Law & Order” and its spin-offs. The latest in the “Law & Order” PC game franchise takes you into the world of an Anna Kournikova-ish tennis star who is found dead the day before she’s supposed to play at a big tournament.
While thousands of would-be actors toil away as waiters waiting for their big break, Wanda Sykes is sauteeing veggies in a Chinese restaurant, driving athletes around in a limo and snapping photos of a couple at their wedding. Of course, it’s all part of her reality Comedy Central series, “Wanda Does It,” in which the sassy comedic actress tackles non-showbiz jobs.
Oprah Winfrey couldn’t do it. Michael Jordan had to change his game plan. And even Wolfgang Puck hightailed it back to Los Angeles after his restaurant failed in Chicago. Could it be that the Second City actually is more persnickety about celebrity-owned eateries than its East and West Coast counterparts? Quite possibly, when it comes to restaurants owned by celebrities — whether they’re athletes or superstar chefs.
If you were sitting at a symposium and a well-spoken expert in a suit talked about the benefits of enslaving the poorest sectors of society, would you challenge the speaker’s theories, walk out enraged or clap politely?