Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Sports agent Evan Morgenstein is used to the comparisons to Tom Cruise’s character in “Jerry Maguire.” But he says that Jeremy Pivens’ portrayal of uber-agent Ari Gold in “Entourage” was more true to life, because Gold ticked more people off. “I’m a little bit like them,” says Morgenstein, 46. “But I’m taller and have more clients.”
Swimmer Amanda Beard won her first Olympic gold medal in 1996 at the summer games in Atlanta. Now 30, the swimming champion — who has won seven medals at the Olympics — is hoping to bring home more gold for the United States in her fifth consecutive Olympiad this summer in London. Beard, who also has a successful sideline career as a model (including a nude spread in Playboy), recently penned “In the Water They Can’t See You Cry” (Touchstone, $24.99). The revealing memoir gives readers a look at the struggles she faced with bulimia, learning disorders and broken relationships.
Many people know that Natalie Coughlin is a world champion swimmer. She has won 11 Olympic medals, three of them gold, and made history in the 2008 Summer Olympics when she became the first American female athlete in Olympic history to win six medals in one Olympics.
Apolo Anton Ohno will be competing in his third Olympic Games this month. The short-track speed-skating champ already has five Olympic medals, two of them gold. Ohno also showed his dexterity on the dance floor by winning the mirror ball trophy on “Dancing with the Stars” three years ago. As for the sport that made him famous, Ohno, 27, says, “I’m just enjoying my sport and taking it day by day. Anything can happen in short track and I’m blessed that I still have the talent to skate competitively and the desire to want to represent my country.”
Michael Phelps may not have matched Mark Spitz’s record seven gold medals, but the Olympic swimmer has him beat hands-down when it comes to style. The 19-year-old — who won six gold and two bronze medals at last month’s Olympic games in Athens — set tongues wagging when he competed in Speedos that rode down so low on his hips they made Britney Spears’ outfits seem demure by comparison.
Leaping and spinning her way through figure-skating routines at the 1976 Winter Olympics, 19-year-old Dorothy Hamill won hearts around the world as she won her prestigious gold medal. These days, that medal is a reminder to Hamill not of how great she once was, but of how much untapped potential she still has.
Sarah Hughes had a heart-to-heart with President Bush, met ‘N Sync (twice!) and won an Olympic gold medal in figure skating. Oh yeah, in between all that, the honors student attends school in Great Neck, N.Y., where she’ll be a senior next fall. Hughes plans to compete next year. But her immediate goal isn’t the 2006 Olympics. It’s all about scoring well on the SAT.
“Toy Story” begins in a young boy’s bedroom. When the household isn’t looking, the toys come to life. Their feelings mirror that of human beings. They get jealous, flirt and long for home. All the favorites from the movie version are here, though Woody the cowboy is more loose limbed and fey than his big-screen counterpart. His rival, Buzz Lightyear, doesn’t realize that he’s a toy and believes that he actually is a space ranger. Had he looked in the mirror, the big-chinned toy would’ve realized that he really was Jay Leno’s doppelganger.
According to the Olympic creed, “the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to take part.” Try telling that to the managers and sports agents who are counting on the athletes to upgrade their medals into deals with the likes of Nike, Gatorade and McDonald’s. That’s a cynical view of the Olympics. The latest Omnimax film, “Olympic Glory,” presents a purer version of the Games.
Perhaps the best way to present “Grease” from now on is on ice. Ever since Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta starred in the 1978 film version of the play, most productions of the musical have been overshadowed by memories of the movie. But when you’ve got skaters performing double loops and death spirals, you tend to forget about the film and lose yourself in the fun.