Year: 1988

Happy Chris Sarandon `good guy’ in `Child’s Play’ 

Jae-Ha Kim

After spending most of his film career portraying weirdos or villains, Chris Sarandon finally gets to be the leading man – a role he said finds more comfortable. “I’ve been the bad guy on screen for so long it’s difficult for me to remember whether I should wear a white or black hat in the morning,” Sarandon joked in a recent interview. “I’m more at ease now playing the hero, but I still approach every part as a character role. I think you put more into it than if you just play the bland, good guy.”

Beach party or a TV show? It’s `Squares’ in the Bahamas

Jae-Ha Kim

A woman wearing nothing more than a bikini bottom and a tan walked past a group of men. Instead of trying to get her phone number, they quickly and politely asked her to leave. As part of the production team for “Hollywood Squares,” their job was to keep the audience’s attention on the stars of the TV game show.

Edo Ya

Jae-Ha Kim

The story behind this sushi restaurant review: AsiAm’s publisher, Tom Kagy, didn’t pay me for my work and wouldn’t even reimburse me for the meal I had to purchase to write this review. I was young and he was an attorney who knew that he could get away with this. It just goes to show that not all Korean Americans stand up for each other. Some steal from their own people and have no compunction about it.

Linda Ronstadt and Hank Williams Jr.

Jae-Ha Kim

In the first of two Poplar Creek shows, Linda Ronstadt played to an enthusiastic, predominantly adult audience, of many of whom sang along with the Mexican lyrics she belted out in her inimitable, guttoral soprano. I got the impression that if she needed to, she could do just as well without the microphone. The tour is in support of her latest album, “Canciones de Mi Padre” (Songs of My Father). Subtitled “A Romantic Evening in Old Mexico,” the Poplar Creek show was the same production that played for three weeks on Broadway. The two-act revue was as much theater as it was a concert.

Sinjin Smith: Star volleyball player’s success nets him new careers as model, actor

Jae-Ha Kim

Competitive volleyball got major exposure during the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles when the American men won the gold medal. But beach volleyball is a different sport, with two-man teams covering the entire court. Sinjin Smith and his partner, Randy Stoklos, are the No. 1 team in the world. “It’s hard to believe I get paid to play in the sun and ogle girls in bikinis,” Smith said with a chuckle. “Seriously, the great thing about volleyball is it’s a sport anyone can play. It’s cheap, and you don’t have to be 19 to excel at it.”

Dustin Nguyen `jumped’ into a bonus – Star is `lucky to be alive’

Jae-Ha Kim

In 1975, actor Dustin Tri Nguyen and his family escaped Vietnam during the fall of Saigon at the end of the war. His best friend wasn’t so lucky. The Viet Cong killed him. “A lot of people say I’m so fortunate to be on a hit TV series. But when you put things into perspective, I’m just lucky to be alive. Being an actor is a bonus. Being on a series where controversial topics are addressed is an actor’s dream.”

Tiffany: Teenage pop singer enjoys life as an overnight sensation

Jae-Ha Kim

When pop singer Tiffany embarked on her first tour last year, her record company used a gimmick to promote her: It sent her to shopping malls across the country where she sang to prerecorded music. Now, with a self-titled debut album that has sold 4 million copies, along with two No. 1 singles and a Top 10 hit, the 16-year-old is performing across the country with a seasoned six-piece band.