My Past Loves - February 2003 (Page 1)


	MY PAST LOVES FEBRUARY 2003

Release Dates: February 1-28, 2003

Press Release: Various Press & My Love Hewitt Websites

Here a Love, There a Love, Everywhere a Love....

PAGE ONE TWO

From Reuters in association with My Love Hewitt Websites - February 28, 2003

COMPOSER, ARRANGER: WALTER SCHARF

by Melissa Goldberg and Jon Burlingame

HOLLYWOOD, CA - Walter Scharf, who orchestrated for Gershwin, arranged for Jolson and composed music for such television classics as "Hawaii Five-O" and "Mission: Impossible," died of heart failure Monday at his home in Los Angeles. He was 92.

Nominated for 10 Oscars and a winner of two Emmys during a career spanning six decades, the composer, arranger and conductor for film and TV was perhaps predestined for success.

A native New Yorker raised in a musical family, his mother, Bessie Zwerling, was a comic in the New York Yiddish Theater. And it was in theater that Scharf first made his mark, serving as one of the orchestrators on George Gershwin's 1930 Broadway musical "Girl Crazy."

He moved to Hollywood in 1934 and worked as an arranger for Al Jolson, Rudy Vallee and Alice Faye. Over the next 40 years he would work with Danny Kaye, Elvis Presley, Barbra Streisand and Jerry Lewis.

His Acadademy Award nominations included those for adapting the scores for "Funny Girl," "Hans Christian Anderson" and "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory."

He won the 1972 Golden Globe for the title song for "Ben," which became a top-10 hit for Michael Jackson.

TV credits include original music for "Hawaii Five-O," "Mission: Impossible" and "The Wild Wild West." He also scored more than a dozen "National Geographic" specials and won two Emmys for "The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau."

In all, Scharf is estimated to have worked on more than 250 films and TV shows as composer, arranger, or musical director. He is survived by wife Betty and a daughter.

In 1992 singer-actress JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT recorded her version of "Ben" (Lyrics by Donald Black - "Theme from True Grit") for her first CD album, "LOVE SONGS".

From Anorak News - February 28, 2003

HOLLYWOOD EXPECTS

WAR is an ugly thing and it could get uglier still if a riot of celebrities get their call-up papers. The Enquirer casts its eye over a list of they who might just be expected to fight for their country.

In the female contingent are Jennifer Love Hewitt, America Pie's Mena Suvari and Christina Ricci. Can they use their considerable acting talents to pretend to be fighting folk?

And what more rousing sight is there than Venus and Serena Williams lobbing, volleying and smashing grenades into the heart to the Arab foe.

For the guys, Macaulay Culkin would be the first in. If he were captured, he would never crack. Look out for the star's next movie: Far From Home Alone. The impish one will have his jailors eating from his hand when he's finished terrorising them.

And the battalion will march to the music of an M-16 touting Justin Timberlake and his former girlfriend Britney Spears.

And here they are with a version of the Battle Hymn of The Republic. "Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the war, we are knocking out the records, we are filing up the stores... And the truth is marching on..."

From YM Magazine for My Love Hewitt News - February 27, 2003

MOVIE ON YOUR LIFE

A reader of YM Magazine and YM.com answered these questions about making a movie on her life.

1. Who would you have play you in the movie of your life?
I would have some unknown actress play me.

2. Who would play the "love interest"? *optional for those not in touch with their inner feelings*
I would have someone a little "out there" play my love interest, as currently he is a little strange. maybe Marilyn Manson.

3. Who would direct this movie?
I would direct!

4. Who would write the screenplay?
I would write the screenplay! Think I trust someone else with the story of my life?

5. Who would star as the villan(s)?
Natalie Portman, Julia Stiles, Rachel Leigh Cook, Tara Reid, and Jennifer Love Hewitt.

6. What kind of movie would it be? (comedy, action, horror, drama...)
It would be a mixture of all kinds of genres... a funny, light hearted coming of age story to begin with, but by the end switching gears and winding up a gore-fest!

7. What Grammies do you think it would win *creation of new categories acceptable*
It would win the most erratic and incomprehensible movie of the year. it might fare better at the raspberries.

8. How well would you expect it to do at the box office?
Quite well in my home town! wait, we don't have a theatre... so it'll suck everywhere, but that's OK!

9. What franchise items would you be willing to sell? (action figures, trading cards, Barbies...)
I would sell little doll sets, complete with school, mud, and ugly old school bus.

10. Would you personally shell out the eight bucks plus movie goodies to see it?
Of course I'd pay money to see it!

From The Post and The Courier of Charleston, NC for My Love Hewitt News - February 27, 2003

HEAD2HEAD TRIVIA

Trivia for gold diggers and cynics

by George Georgas @ gjgeorgas@yahoo.com

Special to The Post and Courier "Joe Millionaire," for all its mindlessness, could help us finally understand the difference between the words "cynical" and "skeptical."

This reality program successfully taps into the nation's desire to see wrong-minded people -- in this case, gold-digging women -- get their comeuppance. This show goes a long way to affirm that cynical streak many of us have. Now to the lesson. The word "cynical" is one of the most misused words in the English language. Hundreds of journalists and television commentators alike have incorrectly defined it as meaning either "skeptical" or "doubting." Entire advertising campaigns -- see Travelocity's "we're a nation of cynics, because we've been told that we may already have won $1 million." These have been based on the false assertion that a cynic disbelieves everything that is said or heard. To be cynical means that you believe people or actions are motivated by greed or self-interest. A skeptic wouldn't believe Johnny when he says that he is going to donate his favorite books to the library, whereas a cynic would believe it, but say he is doing so because the donation is a tax write-off.

This week's head2head trivia looks at characters that speak to the cynic in all of us.

Champion Dwayne Green, attorney for the city of Charleston, battles Kenton Barham of the Gibbes Museum of Art. They consider movies with females who seem to love the ones they're with because of their money.

The questions:

1. Oh, how Catherine Zeta Jones, who may or may not be a real-life gold-digger, freaked when it appeared she had lost her gravy train of a husband to prison in this 2000 Steven Soderbergh film.

2. What is the title of the man whom the opportunistic Nicole Kidman is bent on seducing in "Moulin Rouge"?

3. This 1994 Woody Allen film has shapely Jennifer Tilly dating an unshapely, ungainly Italian mobster, who, by the way, is quite rich and powerful.

4. Cynical viewers might say that this actress' "St. Elmo's Fire" character was hanging with her boss and Arab sheiks just because of their money.

5. Which veteran horror actor and star of "House on Haunted Hill" plots to kill his gold-digging fourth wife in the 1958 movie?

6. Who marries Al Pacino in 1983's "Scarface" despite the fact she was openly contemptuous of him when he was poor?

7. This actress plays the con-artist mother of the equally money-grubbing Jennifer Love Hewitt in last year's "Heartbreakers."

8. In "Some Like It Hot" (1959), Marilyn Monroe's "Sugar" wants to marry a millionaire in Florida, but kisses this cross-dressing actor instead.

9. Marilyn Monroe's Lorelei, an unabashed millionaire-hunter, croons, "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" in this 1953 movie.

10. Dennis Hopper's "Hot Spot" (2000) finds this blond bombshell using her aging husband for his bank account and Don Johnson for his youthful good looks.

11. What 2001 movie stars Chris Klein and features Sally Field as the gold-digging mother of Heather Graham.

12. David Keith's heart gets broken in this 1982 Richard Gere vehicle when "bodacious" Lynette dumps his character Sid after he decides to forgo his lucrative military options.

Dwayne's answers:

1. Oh, "Traffic"

2. Duke

3. "Hannah and Her Sisters"

4. Demi Moore

5. Gregory Peck?

6. Michelle Pfeiffer

7. Whoa, hmm, don't tell me Ö Susan Sarandon?

8. Don't tell me, Tony Curtis.

9. Not the one when her skirt blows up -- "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes."

10. I don't know.

11. Yeah, I saw that Ö "Say It Ain't So."

12. "An Officer and a Gentleman"

Kenton's answers:

1. "Traffic"

2. Oh, Duke.

3. "Bullets Over Broadway"

4. Demi Moore

5. Vincent Price?

6. Michelle Pfeiffer

7. Sigourney Weaver

8. Oh, I never saw that movie.

9. I don't know.

10. Elisabeth Shue?

11. "Say It Ain't So"

12. "An Officer and a Gentleman"

The actual answers:

1. "Traffic"

2. Duke

3. "Bullets Over Broadway"

4. Demi Moore

5. Vincent Price

6. Michelle Pfeiffer

7. Sigourney Weaver

8. Tony Curtis

9. "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes"

10. Virginia Madsen

11. "Say It Ain't So"

12. "An Officer and a Gentlemen"

Well, the non-gold-digging Kenton Barham wins this wafer-thin contest over Dwayne 9 to 8. The difference was her educated, and correct, obviously, guess of Vincent Price for the "House on Haunted Hill." Dwayne leaves us graciously, after one week at the top, but hopes for a chance at future "Simpsons"-oriented trivia.

From Reuters in association with My Love Hewitt Websites - February 27, 2003

MUSIC GROUP BMG FLATTENS SALE RUMORS

By Merissa Marr,
European media correspondent

LONDON (Reuters) - The head of Bertelsmann Music Group poured cold water on recent speculation that the music company could be taken over or sold, saying on Thursday that parent Bertelsmann saw music as core to its media empire.

BMG chief Rolf Schmidt-Holtz also said in a letter to staff that he was staying put in his role at the helm of the music firm that is home to pop stars Jennifer Love Hewitt, Alicia Keys and Dido, after recent speculation that he would move to German media giant Bertelsmann's broadcasting arm, RTL Group.

Schmidt-Holtz, who has overseen a radical turnaround of BMG, conceded that 2003 would not be easy as the music industry faces another year of declines. But the chief said Bertelsmann was now more comfortable with the business after its makeover.

"I would like to give you my assurance that current speculations about takeovers or a sale of BMG are completely unfounded. Bertelsmann not only recognizes BMG's achievements, it has pledged its commitment to music as a core business," Schmidt-Holtz said in the letter obtained by Reuters.

Sources close to the companies say BMG has held "informal talks" with rival EMI Group about reviving discussions over a merger or takeover, in a move to soften the blow of declining sales hit by rampant piracy and weak economies.

Recent reports have suggested that EMI wanted to be the acquirer in any deal. However, some sources suggested those talks had ended in recent weeks and EMI has also been talking to its other rival Warner Music, part of AOL Time Warner.

Nevertheless, media industry sources said on Thursday that EMI and BMG remained in close contact.

Like EMI, BMG faces the prospect of huge cost savings if it merges with one of its rivals -- a tantalising prospect in the current climate as music sales look set to fall another six percent this year, after an estimated 10 percent fall in 2002.

Before BMG's makeover, Bertelsmann considered getting out of music altogether and shopped BMG around, industry sources say. However, the German media group subsequently brought in German executive Schmidt-Holtz to turn around the business which ranked fifth among the world's five big music companies in 2001.

Charged with reversing losses of some $400 million, Schmidt-Holtz set to work axing 1,200 jobs, bringing new talent gurus on board and restructuring the group's labels which now include Arista, Jive/Zomba and RCA.

BMG, whose back catalog includes Elvis Presley, was on track to make a profit of around $125 million last year. But Schmidt-Holtz has said he expects global music sales to fall seven percent this year.

"The continuing weakness of the international music market, the unrealized potential of digital distribution as well as the development of a new business model are among the most important challenges facing BMG today," Schmidt-Holtz said in his letter.

BMG tried and failed to merge with EMI three years ago after European regulators made clear they would not accept the world's five biggest music companies, which control 70 percent of global music sales, shrinking to four.

However, some believe that regulators could now be more open to a deal given the tough conditions in the industry.

Schmidt-Holtz was seen as a natural candidate for the top role at RTL Group having previously run one of the television businesses now owned by the broadcaster. But, it would have taken him away from BMG at a crucial time.

"I am happy to announce that I have decided to remain at BMG in my current role as chairman and CEO," Schmidt-Holtz said.

From The Canadian Newswire for My Love Hewitt News - February 26, 2003

LAND WAND ..... A REAL EYE OPENER

NEW YORK -- If you're wondering how Elle Macpherson, Kylie Minogue, Charlize Theron, Catherine Zeta Jones, Elizabeth Hurley and Jennifer Love Hewitt get such amazing lashes without donning falsies, wonder no more.

Those in the business have been using Lash Wand, a revolutionary new heated eyelash curler developed and imported by leading edge Australian company Model Co. Now you can bat your lashes with the best of them with new Lash Wand.

A sure way to deliver the hottest look, Lash Wand will transform even the shortest of lashes into perfectly curled, wide-eyed wonders in a matter of seconds. Simply turn Lash Wand on and curl your eyelashes, applying as if it were mascara. Lash Wand won't overheat even on the highest temperature setting, and its battery powered so you can use it anywhere, anytime, to ensure you always look eye-catching.

So say goodbye to your outdated manual eyelash curler. Lash Wand's advanced technology and superior heating mechanism ensures your eyes will never be pinched or burnt again. Light and compact in size, no bigger than a mascara, Lash Wand is a must-have for every beauty junkie's handbag. Lash Wand's an eye-opener you can't live without.

Lash Wand is affordably priced at only $29.95 and available at Shoppers Drug Mart, London Drugs, Pharmaplus, The Bay, Pharmasave or by calling 800.361.1273 for further store locations.

From The Official Oakland Radiers Website ( www.raiders.com ) - February 25, 2003

Lupita Romero
performs during
the 2003 Pro Bowl.

PRO BOWL EXPERIENCE

by Lupita Romero
2002 Raiderette of the Year

Photos by Lisa Coelho

Never in a million years did I think that I would be selected the 2002 Raiderette of the year. At the December 22 game, no one else was more surprised than I was when my name was announced as the recipient of this honorable award. My plans for February had changed from my ordinary routines to going to Hawaii and dancing with the top cheerleaders in the NFL. WOW!

Let me take you through my journey. I flew directly to Hawaii from the Super Bowl. I traveled with my choreographer and the cheerleader from Tampa Bay who was also my roommate in Hawaii. We got to know each other pretty well on the five-hour flight. She was very sweet, smart and genuine. It was obvious why she was chosen to represent her squad.

Day 1: When I arrived at my hotel room there was a large duffel bag filled with work out gear. It was quite welcoming. Not to mention the weather was prefect!

Day 2: The following morning we were introduced to the E2K staff, our security guards and briefed on what to expect for the up coming week. After the meeting, we had a half-hour to get ready for our group shot. Every year a poster is made of all the Pro Bowl cheerleaders, in their uniform, for the fans in Hawaii. Anytime we did a promotion we would autograph these posters, they were definitely a fan favorite. Following the photo shoot we had about nine hours of practice, which lasted until 10:00 p.m. After this, I was exhausted and ready to hit the sack.

Lupita embraces
Raiderette Director
Mary Barnes after
being named 2002
Raiderette of the Year.

Day 3: The next day I woke up at 4:30am to perform on a morning show and go live on the radio - I had never been live on the radio before, which was a total blast. My next performance was at Hickam Air Force Base. There were families, Airmen and children who were brought in on school buses. We performed two dance routines, introduced ourselves and signed autographs afterwards. They were very excited to see us and welcomed us with lots of applause and compliments. It gave me chills to know that they enjoyed the performance and that I was a part of it. That night we had dinner on the retired battleship USS Missouri. The ship was gorgeous!

Everyone who was involved with the Pro Bowl attended. I got to meet Jennifer Love Hewitt, Cris Judd and many other dancers who performed with her at the halftime show.

Day 4: I was up early for breakfast and we had rehearsal for the pre-game routine. Next I was off to my next appearance, which was at the NFL Experience. There were Raider fans everywhere.

Day 5: It was another early morning. I was ecstatic find out that I was one of the cheerleaders chosen to do a swimsuit photo shoot for Maxim magazine which was also going to be televised on ESPN. That was a great surprise. Later that evening, I had an appearance at a very nice sports bar.

Lupita performs during
the 2003 Pro Bowl.

Day 6: We went to the stadium to practice for the game which was also the day my family was arriving. I couldn't stop thinking about them. When I found out they arrived all I did was cry because I was so happy to see them.

Day 7: The last day we were all together as a group was the best. The Pro Bowl game was the most amazing game. I will cherish it forever. The fans came down as close as they could to get pictures with us and have autographs signed from their favorite cheerleaders. The stadium was filled with many Raider fans. They made me fell right at home. My family was up close and personal. My daughter couldn't keep her eyes off of me. It was a fantastic feeling to know my kids were that close watching me do what I love to do. They made that game mean more to me than any other game because they are my world and they came all the way to Hawaii to support me.

My experiences at the Pro Bowl were incredible. I will always keep them close to my heart and always be grateful for this blessing.

From The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel for My Love Hewitt News - February 24, 2003

DIRECT FOM INDIANA, HERE'S MICHAEL ESSANY

by Joanne Weintraub @ jweintraub@journalsentinel.com
Journal Sentinel TV critic

Twenty-year-old Michael Essany lives with his parents in Valparaiso, Ind., and hosts a public-access cable talk show in their living room.

His mom does his makeup, sound and camera, while his dad is the staff chauffeur and cook. Essany writes all his own material and books every one of his guests.

Laugh all you want. But have you been hugged lately by Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child? Do you rub elbows with Tom Green? Are you a mere one degree of separation from Kevin Bacon?

Bacon, Green, Rowland, Ray Romano, Jewel, Ed McMahon, Gerald R. Ford, Sinbad, Carrot Top and David Brenner have all been to Indiana to appear on Essany's show. As for the host, who's been doing the weekly program since he was 14, he's been a guest on "The Tonight Show" - where, as he'll tell you proudly, Jay Leno let him sit behind the desk to introduce another guest.

Starting next week, he'll get a national tryout when the E! cable channel airs six half-hour episodes of "The Michael Essany Show," direct from Valparaiso.

The exposure is "certainly not going to make me the king of late night," Essany said at a news conference last month. "What it will do, hopefully, is give me an opportunity to establish a national presence."

Reality TV has given hundreds of Americans the chance to strut their stuff, but that's not the kind of presence Essany has in mind.

A self-described "student of late-night," his goal is to sit behind a really big desk, preferably the one on the "Tonight" set.

It's a job he's been preparing for since middle school with the kind of seriousness some kids devote to tennis, violin or dance.

No 'Wayne's World'

Though Valparaiso is less than 100 miles from the Aurora, Ill., of "Wayne's World," Essany bears no resemblance to Mike Myers' fictional slacker, host of a hilariously dumb local cable show.

On the air, he's smartly suited, with a snappy tie and the hair of a young congressional candidate. Before the guests come out, he does a polished monologue in front of a blue curtain hung from the ceiling. The jokes, which he writes himself, are hit-and-miss, much like Leno's or Letterman's.

The absence of a live audience most nights - Essany uses canned laughter to pep things up - doesn't faze him.

"I wanted it to be very much like 'The Tonight Show' in Indiana," he explains. "That was the goal. That was the vision all along."

You can see the influence of Johnny Carson, whose tapes he studies closely, in the glib patter and the way Essany winks when he says, "We'll take a break - stay with us."

Skewing older

But his hearty, jovial manner with guests also brings to mind the avuncular Mike Douglas and Merv Griffin, two more role models from Essany's tape archives.

"I must admit, I feel 35 years old," says Essany, a sophomore at his hometown college, Valparaiso University. "When someone makes me aware of my age, I'm kind of surprised."

As Essany tells it, the fire in his belly started smoking when he was just 12. Hearing that Regis Philbin and Kathie Lee Gifford were about to celebrate their 10th anniversary on the air, young Michael decided to write a Lettermanesque "Top 10" to mark the occasion.

"I sent it off to 'Live with Regis & Kathie Lee,' expecting maybe an autographed picture in return," he says.

"Well, one July morning, Regis read the thing on-air, and it went over very well.

"And I knew at that moment," Essany adds, in the manner of someone who's told this story many, many times, "that my first laugh from a national audience could not be my last."

At 14, he started putting his show together; the first three took him a year to complete. He took them to the cable-access director of Northwest Indiana, who gave him a weekly slot.

But even with a potential audience of 200,000 Hoosiers - the reach of Essany's show now, up from 20,000 in 1998 - how do you get a Gerald Ford or a Ray Romano to come out to Valparaiso?

To borrow an old joke: Practice, kid, practice.

"The first 200 requests I put out were rejected," Essany says. "I responded with 300 more. I was hung up on and sworn at so many times at the age of 14 and 15 you would not believe it."

But from those 500 calls to networks, studios and agents came his first three guests: McMahon, Timothy Dalton and Leeza Gibbons.

Charisma calling

The fact that Valparaiso is only an hour and change southeast of Chicago helps. But there's something else, says Gibbons, whose production company, LGE, is producing the show for E!

"He called my office when he was 15 years old, and immediately, (through) layer after layer of people, he was so charming," she says.

"He's incredibly bright. He's sacrificed a lot for this, his pure, absolute love. And it just spoke to me."

What else does Essany have that other would-be TV stars lack? Half-jokingly, Gibbons replies, "Mom and Dad."

Mom is Tina, a homemakerwho looks amazingly like a middle-aged, female Michael. Dad is Ernie, who has spent 35 years as an electrical wireman at U.S. Steel.

Between them, they handle most of the show's technical chores, ferry stars to and from the airport, make vast quantities of lasagna to feed guests and shop for those little things the famous crave, such as organic raisins and ripe mangoes for the Bacon boys, actor Kevin and his musician brother, Michael, who dropped by to promote their band.

The Essanys helped their son pick out the city-skyline wallpaper that serves as the backdrop to his talk-show desk. The desk itself was a birthday present from them.

They say they'll do anything for Michael. That includes chauffeuring their son, who says he's never had time to get a driver's license.

"We always knew he would accomplish his goal," Tina says. "We're just here to support him, that's all.

"He was very creative, even as a toddler. I guess I realized his potential at 15 months, when he became potty-trained."

"Oh, good Lord, Mom," her son breaks in with practiced exasperation. "Letterman's mom never says that about him."

The E! miniseries will combine segments of Essany's monologues and interviews with behind-the-scenes glimpses: Ernie in the supermarket, joking about product endorsements; guest Tom Green quieting a noisy neighbor; Michael working the phone, telling his mom he'll be ready for lunch when he's done with Jennifer Love Hewitt's people.

The first episode features singer Rowland, whose hip-hop entourage, including a hulking bodyguard Essany inevitably addresses as "Big Guy," heaps praise on the Essanys' Midwestern hospitality and bountiful kitchen.

So does the second week's guest, professional bad-boy Green. For his appearance, Essany recruits a small audience - no more than can huddle in the living room - among his classmates at Valparaiso U.

Essany is majoring in political science at "Valpo," as everyone calls it. A talk-show host, he reasons, needs something to talk about.

His social life? No, Essany says, not sounding particularly regretful, he doesn't have time for a very busy one.

Actually, though, he adds with a smile, the show's success has boosted his status on campus, "because, otherwise, I'd just be, you know, a dork."

The Michael Essany Show - Sunday, March 2, 2003 @ 9:30 PM e/p on E! Entertainment Television.

From The Globe and The Mail - February 22, 2003

DESIGNER SWEATS

by Karen von Hahn

Fashion makes strange bedfellows. Ever since common blue jeans got the designer treatment, we have become accustomed to other blatant inconsistencies such as designer T-shirts, designer teakettles, even designer wall paint.

But the latest oxymoron to hit the streets is perhaps the least plausible. The lowly sweatsuit -- once the exclusive territory of Vegas tourists and overweight shut-ins -- has recently had a makeover. Now, the new status must-have is a $500 designer version of what you wore to gym class in 1972.

For years, it was rare to see Madonna dressed in anything but the latest and greatest from the likes of Nicholas Ghesquière and Versace. Today, the yoga-buff supermom bops about in chic two-piece jogging suits from cool-again sport label Adidas, and her personal favourite, Juicy Couture. So haute that it is customized, her toffee-coloured Juicy two-piece is embroidered with "Madge," hubby Guy Ritchie's pet name for her. In this, as in every other trend she adopts, she has many followers.

The list of California girls who wear Juicy is a long one. Julia Roberts, Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Jennifer Love Hewitt all power-breakfast, shop and check in for their colonics in head-to-toe Juicy Couture. Spoiled rich kid Tori Spelling reportedly has one in every colour.

And it's never too young to start: The preschool daughters of Reese Witherspoon, Kate Winslet and Uma Thurman are all juiced up already. J.Lo, who, along with Nelly Furtado has sported a Juicy tracksuit in one of her music videos, is so passionate about the look she ripped it off for her own signature fashion line. "It is the modern uniform for all L.A. girls," Juicy co-owner Gela Taylor (wife of Duran Duran's John Taylor) recently told USA Today. "It's the perfect downtime thing to wear."

Sarah Michelle Gellar wore one of her many hoodies to an In Style photo shoot. "I even have one with a big ol' F on it for Freddie," Gellar told USA Today, referring to her husband, Freddie Prinze Jr. "Juicy would be embarrassed to know how many I have. Let's just say that when I get up at 5 in the morning to go to work, there's only one thing that I wear and that's Juicy Couture."

Juicy Couture sweatsuits are unlike any item of clothing you have ever tried on before. On the shelf, they look like run-of-the-mill sports clothes. The tops have the familiar sporty hoodies and zip fronts, and they come with matching bottoms with drawstring closures. What makes these tracksuits couture is the cut. In the way that Seven jeans are denim taken to a higher level, Juicy sweats appear to have mastered the ergonomic capabilities of stretch velour and terry cloth. The tops are cut so close to the body you can barely squeeze in a La Perla bra, and the bottoms are cut so low you can tell if the wearer is up to date on their waxing schedule.

It goes without saying that with this particular sweatsuit, fatties need not apply. It's so lean and mean that it is the exact opposite of forgiving. Even accessorized with the requisite Chanel flip-flops, Marc Jacobs bag and Gucci shades, you would have to be a hard-body fitness freak not to feel naked walking down the street (which is probably why Juicy sweats are also the favourite gear of Hef's young live-in playmates at the Playboy Mansion. On a recent episode of MTV Cribs that toured the mansion, one playmate's closet was filled entirely with Juicy Couture tracksuits all in the same shade of pink velour).

Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy founded Juicy Couture as a T-shirt company in 1996. The line has expanded to include jeans, tops, sweaters and the uber-sweatsuit, now available in terry, velour, thermal, fleece and cashmere in more than 25 colours. Skaist-Levy and Taylor call the colours "lickable, like candy." Boutiques such as New York's Scoop and L.A.'s Fred Segal, which has an entire room devoted to the line, have trouble keeping it in stock.

Big-name designers have taken notice. This spring, no less a fashion auteur than Yohji Yamamoto announced he would be producing a haute line of workout-inspired clothing and accessories for Adidas called Y3. And lines such as Burberry, Kors and Miu Miu have all shown their signature versions of the sexed-up tracksuit on the runway.

What is telling about the trend toward high-end sweats is the category that we have chosen to elevate to designer status. When Brooke Shields wore nothing but her Calvins, working-class denim was air-lifted out of Jersey and dropped behind the velvet ropes at Studio 54. When humble housepaint was knighted by Ralph Lauren and Martha Stewart, it was the start of home-reno lust and shelter-chic madness. In each case, the particular commodity we chose for transformation from the banal into the luxe accurately reflected what it was we most desired at the time.

Right now, if the evolution of the crass and cozy sweatsuit is any indication, what we want more than anything is downtime. And even if we can't get it, we want to look like we do. Botox-ing away our worry lines and Zoloft-zapping our insecurities and fears, it appears that anything that makes us appear relaxed is a sure-fire hit. And what better way to express the idea that you are not freaking out like everybody else than to cruise around town in a hot designer tracksuit that's as reassuring as your favourite jammies.

From News Press of The Los Angeles Times - February 21, 2003

PERFORMING ARTISTS

The Glendale High School choirs and the Center for the Visual and Performing Arts hosted the 26th annual Pops Concert on Thursday and will perform the show again at 7 tonight in the auditorium at Glendale High, 1440 E. Broadway. Tonight's performance is $8 and open to the public.

"Unconcert 2003: Oops! We're Singing Again!" features solos and ensemble numbers performed by members of the school's A Cappella, Chamber and Hand Bell choirs. Glendale High students will perform songs by Alicia Keyes, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Foo Fighters, Mandy Moore, Natalie Imbruglia and others. Students also performed an assembly Thursday morning for students in fourth, fifth and sixth grades. Grace Sheldon-Williams is the vocal music and hand bell director at Glendale High.

Annie Aboulian, right, sings "Torn" by Natalie Imbruglia during Thursday morning's performance for elementary school children at Glendale High School. There is also a performance scheduled at 7 tonight in the high school auditorium.

A company Jennifer Love Hewitt is contracted with via Jive Records/Zomba Music and publishing, is going through some hell...

From The Hollywood Reporter - February 21, 2003

BERTELSMANN FACES $17 BILLION SUIT

by Tamara Conniff

NEW YORK -- Songwriters and music publishers have filed a $17 billion lawsuit against German media giant Bertelsmann AG, claiming that their investment in Napster constitutes copyright infringement.

The case was filed late Wednesday in U.S District Court of New York. Plaintiffs in the suit include songwriting duo Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, whose hits include "Hound Dog" and "Stand by Me," and music publisher Peer International Corp.

Of note is that the lawsuit is seeking class-action status for other music publishers represented by the Harry Fox Agency. If this were to happen, BMG Music Publishing, which is a division of Bertelsmann, would then be a plaintiff in the suit. A Bertelsmann spokeswoman declined comment.

The suit alleges that Bertelsmann's $50 million investment and strategic partnership with Napster formed in October 2000 "kept the infringing Napster service alive." The suit claims that because of Bertelsmann's funding, Napster users continued to download copyrighted works for free until July 2001.

The plaintiffs are seeking the maximum statutory damages.

From USA Today - February 18, 2003

CRIS JUDD GETS READY FOR HIS TV CLOSE-UP

by Kelly Carter, USA TODAY

HOLLYWOOD — Cris Judd is best known as the man who was married to Jennifer Lopez for seven months. But that could change with tonight's premiere of ABC's I'm a Celebrity — Get Me Out of Here!

He's one of 10 celebrities leaving behind their pampered lives to live off of rice, beans and water under primitive conditions in the Australian rain forest to win money for their favorite charities (and, maybe, get a career boost).

CRIS JUDD

"You watch these reality shows and say, 'Oh, I would do that, except for eating all the gross stuff,' " says Judd as he sips a vanilla latte with soymilk at a coffeehouse on Sunset Boulevard. "These reality shows are like everyone's little guilty pleasure. To have an opportunity to be on one, why not? Anybody who says 'No, I don't want to be on one' is kind of lying in the back of their heads."

And when you want to get into acting, as Judd does, it could be great exposure. Up till now, his airtime has been limited to coverage of his marital status. The choreographer met J. Lo while working on her Love Don't Cost a Thing video in late 2000. By June 2002, they had gotten engaged, gotten married and split up. They last spoke around the time their divorce became final on Jan. 26.

"I still love Jennifer, and I'll always love her," says Judd, 33. "There's no animosity toward her whatsoever. I just wish her the best. If she's happy, then I'm happy."

While J. Lo has moved on to fiancée Ben Affleck, Judd, who lives in L.A. with his 2-year-old chocolate Lab, Buster, hasn't entered the dating arena again.

"I'm not in that place to try and even date anybody right now; I'm still struggling through (the breakup) and trying to day-by-day cope with it," he says. "It's all good. We're still friends. We never fought."

He says the marriage just wasn't meant to be. "You just have to take your bounces and get up when you get knocked down and move on."

For now, he's concentrating on his career. Besides Get Me Out of Here, he's choreographing (he did Jennifer Love Hewitt's halftime show this month at the NFL's Pro Bowl in Hawaii) and touring the country giving dance lessons with partner Eddie Garcia. He also has begun directing videos. In March, he makes his TV acting debut as a self-defense instructor on UPN's Half & Half.

He says he's too busy to worry about women, but "I want to love again. I want to have the fairy-tale life with a wife and three or four kids. It will come."

From The Hartford Courant - February 18, 2003

MAGAZINE STAYS HOT ON THE TEEN SCENE

by TARA WEISS, Courant Staff Writer

NEW YORK -- Barbara O'Dair likes what she's hearing. O'Dair, managing editor of Teen People, sits at the head of a staff meeting grinning as music editor Matt Hendrickson lists the celebrities attending their American Music Awards after-party. The list is impressive, and it grows by the hour.

A sample of the yes column: 'N Sync's Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass, Mandy Moore, the Osbourne family, Sarah Michelle Gellar and husband Freddie Prinze Jr.

"Keep naming names - I like this," O'Dair says to Hendrickson.

Throwing star-studded parties is integral to O'Dair's job. In the competitive world of teen magazines, landing A-list celebrities for the cover is vital to sales. It's something Teen People is good at, and it's probably why the magazine dominates the competition in newsstand sales. Newsstand sales are particularly important to editors because they feel it's a sign of a magazine's vitality. (Seventeen, the genre's matriarch, has the highest overall circulation, including subscriptions, at about 2.4 million, compared with Teen People's 1.7 million, according to the Audit Bureau of Circulation.) The music awards post-party gives O'Dair and her staff a chance to exchange business cards and discuss future coverage with celebs and their publicists.

So they party. And schmooze. A lot.

"We have more parties than I had in college," Hendrickson tells the group, only half joking.

As Teen People marks its fifth anniversary this month, it remains one of the most successful publications in the teen genre. Its circulation is up slightly from last year, by about 40,000. (Newsstand sales are down a bit from the same time last year.) And it was the first spinoff of a grown-up magazine.

Since Teen People's launch in 1998, Elle and Cosmo have developed their own teen versions. And Vogue recently brought a little sister into the fray with Teen Vogue, featuring rocker Gwen Stefani on the cover.

"Every year, it seems like there's a new magazine that comes out," says O'Dair, Teen People's second editor.

Teen People's success - it started turning a profit within 16 months of its debut - illustrates something that most marketing types already knew: Courting teens is a profitable business. To wit: The amount teens spend grew 41 percent from 1997 to 2001, according to Teenage Research Unlimited, a market-research firm. And the average 16-year-old spends $104 a week.

But the challenge for all of these magazines is finding the editorial formula to capture those dollars. They each have a mix of celebrity, products and real-life stories. The degree to which they present those elements is the difference.

"Teens are the hardest people to get as subscribers or as loyal buyers," says Paul Caine, Teen People's publisher. "They're the most fickle demographic. Adults are more forgiving. They stick with a brand for years, or they try a brand because it's interesting. If you're not connecting with teens, then forget it. If you have connected with them and you stop connecting with them, then forget it. It's an all-or-nothing deal."

The other difficulty is finding a celebrity dynamic enough to draw people to the newsstands who isn't gracing the cover of other magazines.

"It's the most difficult thing right now - to sell out on the newsstand on a personality alone," Caine says.

When Teen People made its debut, that wasn't the case. Its first issue featured Jennifer Love Hewitt, who at the time was an A-lister. She portrayed Sarah on TV's "Party of Five." Teenage girls wanted to emulate her, and teenage boys wanted to date her. Subsequent issues featured Leonardo DiCaprio and the sizzling boy band 'N Sync.

Before Teen People, teen magazines generally fell into two categories - celebrity-driven books like Tiger Beat or lifestyle magazines like Seventeen and YM. Teen People is different because it covers pop culture, real life and fashion in one magazine. And, unlike its counterparts, it appeals to boys and girls. (Its readers are 20 percent male.)

"I think we're one of the last real general-interest magazines out there," says O'Dair, 40. "It's very hard not to go totally niche right now."

Maybe so, but the differences among teen magazines are subtle. Essentially they're all going after one audience, with a slightly different take on the same thing. But they contend the slightly different take is the key.

Teen People is skewed a bit more toward celebrity and music. But Teen Vogue's first issue, with Stefani on the cover, has a story discussing her new clothing line. Also on its cover is a tag line that promotes "sexy scene stealers" and lists Matt Damon, Chris Klein and Colin Hanks. That's easily something that can be found in Teen People. And the latest issue of Cosmo Girl has Jennifer Lopez on its cover.

But with its focus on fashion, the editor of Teen Vogue, the new competitor, says it's filling a void.

"There was no teen book that focused on fashion, beauty and style," says Amy Astley, editor in chief of Teen Vogue. "Most of the teen books focused on advice and most embarrassing moments. That's already there, and it's well covered. "

So while Teen People uses its teen "trend spotters" to alert editors to new trends, Teen Vogue tells its readers what's hot.

"We want to show them things they're not wearing yet," says Astley. "They want to see new stuff, to get inspired. We consider ourselves to be trend spotters. We go to runway shows and have incredible access."

Meanwhile at Cosmo Girl, editor Atoosa Rubenstein is focusing on what she calls the teen girl's lifestyle.

"We recognized what's missing from the teen market is a focus on the girl herself," says Rubenstein. "All the magazines out at the time we launched focused on fashion and celebrity. We've owned the area of lifestyle."

With each editor saying her magazine owns one key area, there may seem to be no angle that's not covered. That doesn't mean there won't be another teen magazine revealing itself soon.