Money doesn’t grow under the tree
Preaching about how difficult it is to earn money is one thing. Actually putting yourself in the situation to experience it is another.
Year: 2003
Girls Gone Nuts Going to Strip Clubs
The average hetero man would say, “Hell, no!” if his wife asked him to go to Chippendales with her. But everyone from Naomi Campbell to Courtney Love to pensive Robin Wright Penn has been to strip clubs like Scores. Oh, wait, I believe they’re referred to as gentlemen’s clubs these days. I keep forgetting how classy these joints are now.
“The Lord of the Rings: Two Towers”
You’d think that tacking on an additional 43 minutes to the three-hour movie would be overkill. But the extended version actually feels shorter than the theatrical release — possibly because it tells a more thorough story. “Two Towers” continues where “The Fellowship of the Ring” left off. With the Fellowship splintered into two groups, Frodo and Sam head for Mordor to destroy the Ring.
Michelangelo unplugged — After decades of protecting actors from baring more than just their souls, the film industry has finally served up a trifecta of mainstream actors who are taking it all off for the big screen
Mark Ruffalo appears nude in “In the Cut.” Sean Penn bares all in “21 Grams.” And Ewan McGregor — Obi-Wan Kenobi himself — shows off his lightsaber in “Young Adam.” “It’s about time that men are stripping down,” Neve Campbell says in the current issue of In Style. “If we have to take it off, they should too.” Hallejuah, sister.
‘Hungry’ for a second wave of fame
Twenty years after rising to fame on MTV — and 13 years after the same station refused to give the musicians tickets to its annual awards show — the original five members of Duran Duran are back with a vengeance.
Hamill tests mettle with ice ballet
Leaping and spinning her way through figure-skating routines at the 1976 Winter Olympics, 19-year-old Dorothy Hamill won hearts around the world as she won her prestigious gold medal. These days, that medal is a reminder to Hamill not of how great she once was, but of how much untapped potential she still has.
Mother’s little helper
You got reamed at the office. The baby spit up on you. And you just spent the last two hours doing the kids’ chores. All you want to do is go to bed, but your husband wants to do more than sleep. If this situation could be rectified by an herbal supplement, would you snap it up? That’s what the makers of Avlimil are hoping with a flashy ad campaign that has some experts wondering whether there’s any substance to back up the glitz.
Speaking with … Tracy Morgan
Former “Saturday Night Live” cast member Tracy Morgan likes Andrew Dice Clay, does a mean impersonation of Oprah Winfrey and more than held his own against camera-hogging guest stars like Britney Spears. He may be gone from the ensemble cast, but the Not Ready for Prime Time Players lost Morgan to prime time. He’s currently working on his own sitcom, “The Tracy Morgan Show” for NBC, which is scheduled to debut this winter.
Andrew Dice Clay
The Diceman cometh again, and nothing is safe from his vitriol — not even parsley. The maligned herb is nothing compared to his take on obese people, shoplifting and keeping up with the Joneses. How much of this is shtick vs. reality? You be the judge. He performs tonight at the Rosemont Theatre.
Game Zone: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Mega Man Zero 2, Super Mario Advance 4: Super Mario Bros. 3
Feel like you’re missing out on some secrets within “Arc the Lad?” Use the steal spell on your enemies and shake them down for items that uncover extra bonuses in the game.
The stars stay in the Zone with their own chefs
Jennifer Aniston does it. So do Madonna and Demi Moore. No, we’re not talking about the latest yoga craze, but rather the Zone diet, which promotes eating 40 percent carbohydrates, 30 percent protein and 30 percent dietary fat in each meal.
“Prey for Rock and Roll” spins out of control
There are some musicians who claim fame doesn’t interest them. Jacki, the central character in “Prey for Rock and Roll,” isn’t one of them. She wants to be rich, famous and adored. She wants to be a rock star. But when you’re pushing 40 with a wheelbarrow, and your band has to divvy up the $54 gig fee four ways, stardom is a pipe dream.
Game Zone: EA Sports Rugby 2004, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo, XIII
“My favorite is ‘NBA Live,’ because I love basketball. It’s very entertaining and realistic. The graphics are great. It’s almost like you’re watching a real basketball game. –DaMarcus Beasley, the Chicago Fire midfielder
‘Returner’ delivers compelling sci-fi action
The year is 2084 and the human race has been isolated to the Tibetan mountains. Threatened by extraterrestrials who are taking over what’s left of Earth, the commanders send a young girl named Milly back in time to stop the aliens and thwart the threat. In Takashi Yamazaki’s stylish “Returner,” we see elements of films we’ve seen before. The slo-mo bullet-dodging shots are dead-on “Matrix.” The baby alien captured and tortured looks like it could be a first cousin to “E.T.” Throw in a little “Terminator” and “The Day the Earth Stood Still,” and you’ve got the makings of what could have been a lame ripoff.
Game Zone: P.N.03, Jak II, Dance Dance Revolution Max 2
Peter Gabriel recently inked a deal with Ubisoft to provide his song “Burn You Up, Burn You Down” on November’s “Uru: Ages Beyond Myst” game. Why stop there? We think Ubisoft’s “Ape Escape 2” is a perfect match for Gabriel’s “Shock the Monkey.”
Game Zone: Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg, Bombastic, Wrestlemania XIX
Everybody loves a bargain–especially gamers. Nintendo reports that GameCube sales have quadrupled since they dropped the price to $99.99.
Cuba Quarter
The “Lord of the Rings” crew may have left New Zealand, but Wellington hasn’t lost its buzz – particularly not the city’s Cuba Quarter. Located adjacent to the financial district, the nabe is home to funky boutiques, cafés and some crazy nightlife.
Game Zone: Tiger Woods PGA Tour, Voodoo Vince, Simpsons: Hit and Run
Game Boy Advance players won’t need cables to link handhelds together anymore, thanks to Nintendo’s plan to include a free device (similar to Bluetooth technology) with its upcoming “Pokemon” title, due out in 2004.
Game Zone: Disney’s Extreme Skate Adventure, Starsky and Hutch, Boktai
“I like ‘Halo’ on Xbox because you can play up to 16 players at once. We usually play four at a time and just kill each other. It’s fun.” — Chicago Fire defender Carlos Bocanegra
Speaking with … Joe Perry
Somehow, you don’t imagine rock guitar god Joe Perry tanning on a beach. But on this afternoon, that’s exactly what the Aerosmith guitarist is doing three hours before a Florida concert. Taking a breather from tanning, he phoned to let us know why Chicago stores love him, his mixed feelings about downloading music and why his kids made him change his bathing suit.