New Faces: Loey Nelson
“Venus Killed the Moon” is Loey Nelson’s impressive debut. My interview with Nelson for Rolling Stone.
Category: Interviews
Thoreau’s Walden is Don Henley’s cause celebrities
Don Henley is manning two telephones in his St. Louis hotel room. On one line is a reporter; a book publisher is on the other. He puts the reporter on hold. “I’m sorry about that,” Henley said, returning to the interview. “I’ve got this book coming out and I’m kind of frazzled. We’ve still got some last-minute details to work out.”
Fleetwood Mac proudly wears its new `Mask’
Lindsey Buckingham did not equal Fleetwood Mac. The gifted guitarist-vocalist-songwriter left the group three years ago to pursue solo projects, but to many people, his ghost lingers. “It’s quite true that Lindsey was quite architectural in the arranging of some of our songs,” said vocalist-keyboardist Christine McVie. “But by the same token, the rest of us weren’t sitting there twiddling our thumbs and staring at the ceiling. Very often, Lindsey would ask me what I thought should be done, just as I’d ask him.
Will Susan Lucci finally win?
Television actress Susan Lucci will be the center of attention again later this month when the 17th annual Daytime Emmys are presented in New York. But it won’t be because people are expecting her to win an award. Already a 10-time loser for best actress in a daytime serial, Lucci gets more publicity every year for not winning an Emmy than her peers do for winning.
Matthew Perry looks beyond “Sydney”
When he was a child, actor Matthew Perry said, he had a major crush on Valerie Bertinelli. She was the co-star of “One Day at a Time,” a popular CBS sitcom. Years later, when CBS cast Perry to play the boyfriend of Bertinelli’s character on her new “Sydney” series, he was on Cloud 9. But after he had psyched himself up to kiss the actress, the producers told Perry they were changing his character from her boyfriend to her younger brother.
Even without partner Cheech, Chong goes against the grain
Nepotism may be a dirty word in some circles, but to comedian-actor Tommy Chong, it spells clout. When the credits roll listing the cast and crew of his latest film, “Far Out Man,” now playing at local theaters, it reads like a who’s who in the Chong clan. Daughters Rae Dawn and Robbi, son Paris, wife Shelby and son-in-law C. Thomas Howell are featured prominently in the raunchy comedy that Chong wrote, directed and stars in.
Elmhurst’s Craig Hurley hoping `Nasty Boys’ boosts career
Craig Hurley had studied various acting techniques before he landed a starring role on NBC’s “Nasty Boys,” but none of his classes prepared him for what took place during the first week of rehearsals. A group of black-garbed men burst into the actors’ rehearsal room, threw them down on the floor, handcuffed them and read them their rights. Actors, meet the real Nasty Boys, an elite unit of the North Las Vegas Police Department trained to deal with criminals in an efficient, if unorthodox, manner.
Sean Kanan loves playing bad guys who look good
Sean Kanan got his first major role playing Ralph Macchio’s cold-blooded nemesis in “Karate Kid Part III.” TV viewers may remember him in guest-starring roles as the greedy, egocentric baseball player on “Who’s the Boss,” or as the jealous, chauvinistic boyfriend on the short-lived “Baby Boom.”
Actor becomes a fan — `Elvis’ grows on Michael St. Gerard
Michael St. Gerard’s Presley is the singer during his most attractive stage. Slim-hipped and ever-so-surly lipped, Presley idealistically dreams of fame and fortune as a means of moving his family up from its poor socio-economic roots. St. Gerard’s portrayal of Elvis also has won him admirers both with longtime Presley fans and with the press. Although “Elvis” hasn’t been the ratings winner ABC hoped it would be, the network seems committed to giving the show a chance. With nine shows already in the can, ABC gave the producers the go-ahead to film four more episodes this month.
D.J. Jazzy Jeff, Fresh Prince rap for Disney
Rap sensations D. J. Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince are famous for hits such as “Parents Just Don’t Understand” and “I Think I Can Beat Mike Tyson.” But fans will see another side of them when the duo sings an unusual version of “Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” on a Disney special.
British actor takes turn as American in `Glory’
Cary Elwes doesn’t sound like you’d expect him to. The English actor speaks in an accent that has more traces of Charlie Sheen’s Eastern intonations than any of the crisply accented British characters he has played during the last six years. Eight years of living in the United States and his first co-starring role as an American have seen to that.
Sara Gilbert grows up as a TV brat
Sara Gilbert portrays Darlene Conner, the sarcastic middle child, in “Roseanne,” airing from 8 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesdays on WLS-Channel 7.
Donny Osmond tries gritty new style at 31
Donny Osmond had hit records before he hit puberty, and his own network TV show before he was old enough to vote. Today, he has something he values more: “Donny Osmond,” a pop album he can respect.
‘Young Riders’ star says he’s `the best’ as Buffalo Bill
“Nobody in our family ever thought of pursuing acting professionally until Alec started doing it,” Stephen Baldwin said. “He was the groundbreaker for us.”
`Doogie’ co-star grows up to be a doctor – on TV
Mitchell Anderson isn’t a doctor, but he plays one on TV. And the folks back home in Jamestown, N.Y., say it’s about time.
Motown music influences British singer Rick Astley
British singer Rick Astley says he has no illusions about being a musician or a pop star. “I count myself as a singer,” said Astley, 23. “I can get by on the guitar and keyboards to write my songs, and I’m a good drummer, but I’m not good enough to refer to myself as a totally well-rounded musician. Becoming a musician is something I’d like to become. It’s one of my long-term goals. But I’m still quite young and have time to grow into it.”
Sidewinders’ guitarist credits Peace Corps experience
Many musicians say they learned how to rock ‘n’ roll in their garages. But Sidewinders guitarist Rich Hopkins may be the first to have honed his guitar skills during a three-year stint with the Peace Corps.
Ziggy Marley and his family grow within reggae tradition
Ziggy Marley is a young man of few words. He prefers that people get his message through his music. “I have nothing to say that I think is more important than the music I make,” said Marley. “It seems useless to me that I talk so much about myself. In the long run, how important is that? A quote is a quote. Music is forever.”
Billy Wirth
“I’ve had people tell me I’ve got to be more focused with my career,” says Billy Wirth. “But that’s bull. I don’t want to be just one thing. I do what I want to do because I like it. And as long as I’ve got food on the table, my rent paid and a little spending money, that’s all I need right now.”
No more Nazis: German actor plays hero in `Restless’
When German actor Hans Gudegast decided to become an actor in the U.S., he changed his name. “I realized that if acting was something I seriously wanted to pursue, it probably would be better to fit in,” he says. “So, I decided on using Eric Braeden, because Eric is a family name. And Braedenback was the name of a village back home.”