Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
When I first saw Tommy Conwell’s teen-idol face, I thought here was a guy who could win over the Tommy Page crowd with no problem. When I first heard him sing, I was shocked by what came out of that mouth. Make no mistake about it. Conwell is nobody’s pretty boy. He is a serious musician who happens to have a youthful, not-so-serious outlook on life.
Back in 1979, Cheap Trick didn’t have to beg anyone to want them. The power-pop quartet from Rockford was riding high on the phenomenal success of their fourth album, “Live at Budokan.” The hit album, recorded in Japan during a concert tour, spawned several Top 10 singles, including “I Want You To Want Me.” The buzz surrounding “Budokan” also taught the group that timing can be more important than substance. The studio version of the “Want You” song from 1977’s “In Color” album went nowhere fast.
Deee-Lite is a self-described “holographic house groove band” with three members, who have taken the musical influences they grew up with to create a sound that’s both nostalgic and new. They’re also a mini-version of the United Nations, with one young man from the Soviet Union, another from Japan and a young woman from the United States. All three are brave or outrageous enough to wear dorky-looking clothes, designed to look like the worst of everything from the 1960s and ’70s.
Not playing instruments, not singing and not dancing must have winded them, because after performing for a half hour, 2 Live Crew left the stage for almost that same amount of time. When they returned, they seemed refreshed enough to pick on some more women and encourage the men to call their dates “whores” and “bitches.”
Gene Wilder is sitting in a very demure-looking hotel room, sipping on an early-morning cup of coffee. Dressed in a pair of beige chinos, a blue polo shirt and a pair of well-worn Adidas, he ruffles his hand through his trademark mane of curly brown hair. Unlike his on-screen image, where he generally portrays wild and crazy characters, Wilder is genteel in person.
At 25, actor Blair Underwood has no memory of the Watts riots that tore apart Los Angeles in 1965. But after conducting intensive research and discussions with the former reporter he plays in the TNT movie “Heat Wave,” Underwood has an understanding of why the riots happened.
“If I had come to Hollywood three months earlier or three months later than I did, I may have been waiting on tables right now, or back home in New York,” Jennifer Aniston said. “Getting roles isn’t based solely on talent, unfortunately. Looks, drive and being at the right place at the right time seem to have as much, or more, effect on who gets what role. It’s certainly not fair, but Hollywood isn’t exactly a bastion of fairness.
He has the ice-blond good looks of a matinee idol, but Cary Elwes’ ability to totally transform himself into the character he plays is what has made him one of today’s most outstanding young actors. While many of his peers are guilty of accepting roles that don’t stretch them as artists, Elwes has taken risks throughout his career.
“Venus Killed the Moon” is Loey Nelson’s impressive debut. My interview with Nelson for Rolling Stone.
Don Henley is manning two telephones in his St. Louis hotel room. On one line is a reporter; a book publisher is on the other. He puts the reporter on hold. “I’m sorry about that,” Henley said, returning to the interview. “I’ve got this book coming out and I’m kind of frazzled. We’ve still got some last-minute details to work out.”