Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Like many Americans, Caroll Spinney remembers watching the tragic Challenger shuttle mission in 1986. Had it not been for Big Bird, it could’ve been him on the mission instead of school teacher Christa McAuliffe.
Threading is so old school it’s trendy. The ancient Middle Eastern practice of hair removal is tops with trendsetters such as Jennifer Aniston and Salma Hayek. Even Grammy winner Michelle Branch sings the praises of threading.
Cheap Trick has been rocking for over a quarter-century, more or less with the original lineup. None of the band members–guitarist Rick Nielsen, singer-rhythm guitarist Robin Zander, bassist Tom Petersson and drummer Bun E. Carlos–has changed much over the years: two are hot; two, well, are not. And, Zander’s vocals have only gotten stronger. The ubiquitous Nielsen–a co-owner of the Wicker Park eatery Piece–took time to chat about boy bands, living in Rockford and Billy Corgan.
“No one can be told what the Matrix is. You have to see it for yourself,” Morpheus says in “The Matrix” (1999). Four years later, the world is ready to feast its collective eyes on “The Matrix Reloaded”–the first of two sequels that have already been filmed.
Once you get past the exotic costumers and Kabuki-inspired makeup in “Onmyoji,” you realize that the subtitled Japanese film really is a dark, supernatural fairy tale not unlike “The Lord of the Rings.” OK, there are no dwarves, elves or sorcerers in “Onmyoji,” but the film is peppered with magicians, demons and, well, the undead.
Rob Thomas is more than you think he is. Touring to promote Matchbox Twenty’s latest album, “More Than You Think You Are” (Atlantic), the band’s singer took a break to talk about Santana, Enrique Iglesias and his never-ending quest to meet Kurt Vonnegut.
Beyonce Knowles is doing it. So are Richard Gere, Brendan Fraser, Dustin Hoffman and Howard Stern. They’re all taking pictures with Polaroid’s latest instant camera–the Polaroid One ($49.99).
To print or not to print. That is the question for a lot of digital camera users who’ve stashed hundreds of images and aren’t sure what to do with them. If you’re like many Americans, you may store them on your computer or a CD. You may even e-mail a few images to your friends and family. But print them out? What a hassle, right? Not really.
“The Baby Ceiling,” a three-part series describing the quest for children for professional women and written by Debra Pickett, Lisa Lenoir, Sara Fiedelholtz, Jae-Ha Kim, Jim Ritter, Chris Ledbetter and Deborah Douglas won the features award for daily newspapers of more than 300,000.
Reality not only bites in “The Real Cancun.” It smells. Watching this film, I thought about a recent Onion Headline: “Girl Gone Wild Actually Just Regular Girl, Only More Insecure and Drunk.” Add the male gender into that headline and you’ve pretty much got the plot for what’s being touted as the first reality feature film, courtesy of the producers of MTV’s “The Real World.”
Carly Simon is his mom. James Taylor is his dad. Unlike many celebrity children, musician Ben Taylor will answer anything about them and loves nothing more than to get onstage with his famous parents.
If you’re like most people, you choose your destinations based on things like beaches, museums, shopping and night life. But why be like most people? We’ve got one of the best reasons yet to hop on a plane: eclectic and fun cooking classes, where you can learn from the best and then splurge — go ahead, you’re on vacation — on your own creations.
Unlike most of the local theater scene, Derek Hasenstab had no clue “The Lion King” was casting in Chicago when he got a call to audition for the extravaganza. Actually, he didn’t know what the musical was about, much less the plot of the animated Disney film that inspired the production.
When Dada’s “Dizz Knee Land” hit radio in 1992, fans flipped over the line, “I just flipped off President George.” More than a decade later, the song has gotten a resurgence, thanks to another controversial President George.
“Free Winona”? That was so 2002. This spring’s must-have shirt is the plain and kinda ugly T-shirt touting “Jesus is My Homeboy.” Brad Pitt, Ben Affleck, Ashton Kutcher and Pamela Anderson have all been seen wearing the shirt. Even barely-there Lara Flynn Boyle (above) found a size small enough to fit her. Urban Outfitters reports brisk sales of the shirt, which is priced at $28.
If Jennifer Lopez has anything to do with it, torn sweatshirts, leg warmers and a big ol’ hairdo will be back in style, thanks to the “Flashdance” theme running rampant in the music video for her latest single, “I’m Glad”–a song she wrote for the man of her dreams, Ben Affleck.
If Jamie Kennedy’s movie career takes off, it could end up killing his TV show. But Kennedy, whose feature film, “Malibu’s Most Wanted,” opens Friday, doesn’t seem too concerned.
Lying 41 miles south of Cancun, Playa del Carmen is a dream for Americans who don’t want to be surrounded by their countrymen (and women). Popular with Europeans, who account for 80 percent of the tourists who visit the lush locale, Playa del Carmen boasts pristine beaches, clear blue water and, yes, topless sunbathers. The crowd is older than the spring breakers who flock to Cancun every year, so the aura is relaxing, rather than frenetic.
Have you heard? Hilton Hotel heiresses Paris and Nicky Hilton are the latest “celebrity” designers. Last GLARE noticed, the only designs the sisters had before were on the likes of hottie actors Leonardo DiCaprio and Edward Furlong.
When funding ran low for “Better Luck Tomorrow,” filmmaker Justin Lin called on an unlikely resource to help: MC Hammer. Yup. It was Hammer time. “I had met him in Vegas when I was working on the script,” says Lin. “He was really nice and offered to help. I called and said, ‘Hi, remember me?’ He couldn’t have been nicer. He wired me a decent amount of money within two hours.”