Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
It’s obvious ‘N Sync has spent quite a bit of money on its tour. In the first of two consecutive nights Thursday at the Allstate Arena, the world’s most popular boy band captured its young audience’s attention with a series of flashy explosions, a handful of costume changes and a slew of hit songs. Still, something was lacking from this concert. Or, perhaps it wasn’t that the boys were missing anything but that they were trying to do too much.
When he auditioned actors for his Fox comedy series “Titus,” Christopher Titus took a cue from “Seinfeld.” “Jerry [Seinfeld] was a genius at standup but he wasn’t an actor when his show debuted,” Titus says, phoning from his Los Angeles home. “But he surrounded himself with these fantastic actors.
Good English food was an oxymoron until the Brits invaded America. Again. While they’re barging through our kitchens this time, we’re not so hot to keep them out. It helps that the latest imports such as Jamie Oliver, that hottie on the Food Network’s “The Naked Chef,” are easy on the eye. These days foodies are raising eyebrows at the sexy star of “Nigella Bites,” the delectable Nigella Lawson. She’s slim with model good looks, and this recent widow is raising a family without complaint or a ladle out of place.
Phoning from her tour bus en route to Phoenix, India.Arie is funny, candid and polite. She’s also hungry. “My cook just asked if I wanted a fruit salad,” says the 26-year-old singer-songwriter. “She picked up some ripe mangoes when we were in New Orleans and also has some grapes–two of my favorite fruits–and is going to make it with lemon and tahini dressing.”
You hear of rock stars turned actors. But musicians parlaying a second gig as a renovator? That’s a little more unusual. But Dave Pirner makes it all sound like the norm when he phones from a place he’s working on in New Orleans.
March Madness nears its close this weekend with the matchups of the Final Four men’s college basketball teams, with only one emerging Monday night as the NCAA titleholder. Hoop dreams don’t have to end, though. Thanks to hardworking video game programmers, another season is as nearby as your video game system.
Joe Meredith is the type of guy who’ll sit through the Oscars to find out who won all the fringe awards. This year, Meredith, 30, will have to set his VCR. And, if he’s very lucky, he’ll come home to a tape showing him running from the back of the venue to accept an Oscar for best animated short film for his charming “Stubble Trouble.”
Oprah Winfrey had better start taking some tips from Suze Orman, the financial whiz who writes for Winfrey’s magazine. Seems our billionairess is so cautious about investing her own money in the stock market that she once hoarded $50 million in cash, calling it her personal “bag-lady fund.”
Jamie Kennedy is nowhere to be found. At first, you wonder whether he’s wandering around in disguise as a bellhop, waiting to fool you as he does on his TV series, “JKX: The Jamie Kennedy Experiment,” which airs at 7 p.m. Sundays on WGN-Channel 9. On this twisted homage to “Candid Camera,” Kennedy dresses up as different characters and fools people into thinking he’s some funky Valley Boy taking their daughter out on a blind date or an insensitive boss who makes his temp fire the entire staff.
At Brian Eccles’ Final Four party this year, he’ll offer his guests pizza and beer. But don’t look for a platter of crudites anywhere near the buffet table.