By Jae-Ha Kim
Chicago Sun-Times
September 28, 1999
You can’t go wrong with either cover of the October issue of Latina. In its annual tribute to Hispanic men, the magazine produced its first-ever split cover.
Half of the 300,000 issues shipped nationwide feature Ricky Martin on the cover. The rest showcase a bare-chested Benjamin Bratt, formerly of “Law & Order” and currently Julia Roberts’ better half.
So what’s it feel like to be desired by women (and men) around the world? Martin says in the interview, “You know, when I’m onstage, it’s the only place I don’t feel insecure. . . . I have control. I have power. I can do anything. You’re listening to your band play, and at the same time people are singing and you’re sweating. It’s completely addictive.”
As for Bratt, he dispels rumors that the wedding bands both he and Roberts have been sporting signify anything. “I’ll be in a wedding soon,” he tells Latina. “It’s my youngest sister’s. I’m giving away a bride, not taking one. . . . I just know right now I’m not ready. For those . . . who have taken that step, I have admiration and see the beauty in it.”
If you feel the need to tell the world which cover you prefer, log on to www.Latina.com and register. Randomly selected voters will receive prizes.
Speaking of hot men with marriage phobias, George Clooney is the cover boy for the October issue of Esquire. Of the demise of his relationship with a French girlfriend, he says, “I was in a three-year relationship with this girl . . . who I really adored. A great girl. The truth is, it just became tougher and tougher for us to make it. . . And she lasted as long as I think she was going to last. It was like, `I don’t really think I want to play anymore.’ And I really understand that. It was frustrating for a minute. Because you also think: Am I sort of relegated to three-year relationships for the rest of my life? And if that’s true, then that is certainly my fear of intimacy, I would suppose.”
Interview celebrates its 30th anniversary with a phat 352-page issue that celebrates what book is best known for: its (sometimes bizarre) photo spreads. Almost as an afterthought, there’s some text thrown into the back of the section with the celebrity being interviewed by another celebrity interviewer. A sampling? Brooke Shields asks future “Lord of the Rings” star Elijah Wood, “How would you describe a hobbit?” The former child actor answers, “A hobbit is a very short, amusing character. They don’t wear shoes. They have hairy feet and pointy little ears.”
