Courtney Crump goes to the prom
For some of her classmates going to the prom, a gown and flip flops are the way to go. But for Warren Township High School senior Courtney Crump, flat shoes are not an option.
Year: 2002
Apolo Anton Ohno
Before the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics in February, few people outside of the speedskating world knew of Apolo Anton Ohno. But NBC clearly saw star potential in the photogenic athlete. The network ran promos for his short track races and kept viewers up to date on all things Ohno. Before he had raced his first heat, the 19-year-old former in-line skater from Seattle was on his way to becoming a worldwide sensation.
How we’d fix sinking relationships
True love never runs smooth on television, but we try to help with advice for our favorite characters.
Five questions with Kyle Brandt
Kyle Brandt looks exactly the way he does on “The Real World”: tall, athletic, handsome and–yes–very much like the actor he says he wants to become. Wearing faded jeans and an Abercrombie & Fitch T-shirt during his interview with GLARE, the muscular member of the Chicago cast is flanked by a publicist and his adorable 11-year-old brother Austin.
Give your wedding a perfect photo finish
Jeanne Farnan knew she wouldn’t cut corners on photography for her wedding day. “My [husband] and I splurged on the photos because we knew we might not remember everything from our wedding, but the pictures would be forever,” says Farnan, 25, who was married earlier this month. “I remember being a bridesmaid and all the pictures from that wedding looked so posed.” Like many modern brides, Farnan didn’t want her wedding album filled with dated photos that could’ve been taken at her parents’ wedding.
Speaking with John Mahoney
Phoning from his Oak Park home, John Mahoney apologizes for his squeaky faucet, which can be heard rattling in the background. “These old houses make so much noise,” says Mahoney, who is known to millions of TV fans as Martin Crane on NBC’s sitcom “Frasier.” “But I love them. They’re just wonderful to live in.”
Sorvino triumphs in life, love and film
In “Triumph of Love,” Mira Sorvino portrays a princess who falls in love with the rightful heir to her father’s throne. Because he has been taught to hate her, she schemes to befriend him (dressed as a boy, of course). In real life, the Oscar winner didn’t have to try nearly as hard to win the heart of her boyfriend of three years, French actor Olivier Martinez. They were set up on a blind date.
Andie MacDowell not ‘Crush’-proof
As she nears her 44th birthday on April 21, Andie MacDowell is a testament to how good you can look in your 40s. She stands almost 6 feet tall, only 5-foot-8 of that thanks to genetics. The other 4 inches are the result of a pair of shoes so sassy and beautiful they’d be at home on one of the ladies on “Sex and the City.”
Looking for a quick score
I am a single woman in a room filled with 56 available men. I could not be happier. Well, yes, I could–but there’s not much I legally can do about the 55 other women scoping out my potential dates. Welcome to FastDater, where the rules are simple and the dates are, well, fast. Three minutes, to be exact. “Date” is a misleading word, actually. What we embark on is more a series of get-to-know-ya interviews. Name. Age. Occupation. Buzz! Time to move on to the next interrogator, er, date.
Hey, make me over
Closets aren’t the only thing to sort through during spring cleaning. How about a little style shake-up to kick off the new season?
‘N Sync shoots for stars but misses
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.
Speaking with … Christopher Titus
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.
Nigella Lawson: Another British invasion
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.
Speaking with … India.Arie
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.”
Speaking with … Dave Pirner
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.
Realism takes leap in hoops games
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.
On the edge with Oscar
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.”
Billionaire Winfrey no ‘businesswoman’
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.”
Five questions with Jamie Kennedy
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.
March Madness
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.