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

CELEBRITY SIGHTINGS

by Diane Bell

Jennifer Love Hewitt was spotted at Uncle Biff's cookie shop on University Avenue a week ago enjoying the specialty of the house – a "killer cookie" (packed with semi-sweet white chocolate, walnuts and pecans) . . .

Story: © 2002 Tribune Publication All Rights Reserved.

THREE LEADING DESIGNERS
LEEP THE FASHION BALL ROLLING

by Suzy Menkes

Like all the strong designers of the Milan season, Giorgio Armani looked East for inspiration, sending out waves of Mao jackets, kimono shirts and Nehru necklines. The show, that closed the 2002 summer season on Thursday, ended lyrically with male and female models in the show's favored sea and sand tones, morphing into the ocean projected on a cinema screen in Armani's Teatro.

"It's so difficult to find something joyful - a feeling of relaxation away from our hard-working lives," Armani said to explain the East/West mood.

The show was calm and the clothes the soft and pleasing equivalent of easy-listening music. Yet it missed that magic touch that Armani can bring to tailoring. That will be seen when Jackie Chan appears in a new movie, "The Tuxedo," when the jacket is full of surprises, according to his co-star Jennifer Love Hewitt, whom Armani had invited to see her first-ever show.

The opening passage was suits - a new sculpted, double-breasted shape with defined waist worn with the ultra-soft pants that dominated the show. Significantly, under the jacket were the Mao shirts that soon took over and moved the collection into more casual territory. Armani's pants even became dhoti trousers and cardigans with pagoda sleeves had a distinctly Eastern flavor. Colors included stormy purples and the show had no precise ethnic influence, but a sense of vacationing in Bali, rather than facing the reality of city life.

Maybe because Armani has explored before this South Sea Island territory, it was the previous day's Emporio Armani line that better captured as fashion the sporty holiday styles. When a smiling Armani took a bow after that show, clutching a beach ball that his models had been volleying on stage, it was a neat metaphor for the big designer game: how to keep the fashion ball in play?

With the world economy in turmoil, the closing shows of Milan menswear week were about reassurance, as three titans of the industry burnished their brands. American designers, Calvin Klein and Ralph Lauren, were followed by Armani. All three, without in any way challenging fashion's status quo, proved that you can be a fashion institution, yet not be bound by rigid limitations.

But whereas Armani's main line had a dream-like quality, Emporio was more dynamic. Projected on the giant screen, the models appeared in their subdued neutral and sea blue and green palette, with a touch of vivid pink and of ethnic print. The show was sometimes entertaining and occasionally bemusing and it underscored Armani's philosophy of design democracy, offering not a single point of view, but a vast wardrobe that is all part of the Armani dream.

Calvin Klein's focus this season was laser sharp. On his streamlined silhouettes he played with three factors: color, detail and proportion. Surprisingly, color made the impact in this strong show, as all-white clothes contrasted with all-black, then mixes of white with beige, or navy blue with tan. In a trio of suits where monochrome shirts and ties went from lilac, through mauve to lavender, the effect was poetic.

Modernity in fabric is nothing new in men's fashion and there was a touch of Jil Sander's original modernism in Klein's use of crunchy or lacy knits for sweaters, papery textures for jackets or an oily finish for a short trench raincoat. But original details were deftly executed, from the jeans with pockets set low on the buttocks to the perforations that ran under arm on the sleeves of a leather jacket. Above all, Klein had moved the spirit of the collection from stark and sober to something lighter and more ethereal.

"I don't know if it is to do with September 11," he said backstage, "but I wanted it to be fresh and young and happy. Clothes should make you look and feel great."

With the WorldCom scandal engulfing the news, how very reassuring it was to see Ralph Lauren's vision of banker's pinstripes, a solid three-piece suit finished with a pocket watch on a chain (forget those new-fangled digital time-pieces). It is a tribute to the seductive power of Lauren's style that by breaking modern codes, he can produce such a convincing collection. Current style is based on imperfection. That generational change leaked into the upscale Purple Label line when a sneaker was apparently stabbed by scissors or when a shirt with a wallpaper pattern hung loose over pants. But the mood was aristocratic refinement, starting with the flower-filled (and air-conditioned) courtyard of Lauren's Milan palazzo, where his family sat front row.

Lauren seems completely at ease with his own and a borrowed British heritage, showing high-rise Oxford bags, V-necked cricket sweaters, cravats and other inspirations from the playing fields of Eton. Yet the clothes are still current in their rough linen textures or geometry played out in herringbone tweed. When Lauren gave zest to formal wear by making a tuxedo in milk chocolate brown, his wife, Ricky, summed up its appeal. "So delicious it was good enough to eat," she said. . Suzy Menkes is fashion editor of the International Herald Tribune.

Story: © 2002 the International Herald Tribune All Rights Reserved.

FOX TV'S 'AMERICAN IDOL' BRINGS
STARDOM TO ANOTHER NASTY BRIT

By Karla Peterson
IN THE AIR COLUMNIST

Simon says, "I thought that was absolutely dreadful."

Simon also says, "Your audition was horrendous." And, "That was extraordinary. Unfortunately, it was extraordinarily bad." And, "I can honestly say, you're the worst singer in America."

There are so many things to love about Fox TV's "American Idol: The Search for a Superstar." There is the cheese factor, which is positively Roquefort-esque. There is the humiliation factor, which gives "Spy TV" a run for its blood money. And there are the endless renditions of "Genie in a Bottle." You can't have too many of those.

But the absolute best thing about the newest addition to the televised talent search canon is Simon Cowell, the judge who lowers the boom.

Imported from Britain for your voyeuristic pleasure, "American Idol" – airing Tuesdays and Wednesdays on XETV/Channel 6 – is a crass cross between "Survivor" and "Making the Band." Over the next few weeks, wriggling wannabes will perform their little Mylar hearts out, while viewers vote on who gets the boot, and who gets the star-making booty.

In the end, the winner will receive a recording deal and a management contract. But before they go anywhere, our potential superstars have to get past Simon.

Along with music-industry veteran Randy Jackson and former American idolette herself, Paula Abdul, the British record-company executive helps cull the herd before the viewers get their say. As a judge on the U.K.'s "Pop Idol," the no-bull Cowell became known as "Mr. Nasty." On "American Idol," he trumps "Weakest Link" host Anne Robinson as the Brit Most Likely to Make Americans Feel Like Pinheads.

During the debut episode, which featured some excruciating auditions, Abdul was the voice of encouragement ("Good attempt, and we really appreciate it"); Jackson was the voice of reason ("You have a pretty voice, but you need more training"); and Cowell was the voice of a vengeful entertainment god.

"You are absolutely gorgeous, but your voice isn't gorgeous," he told one pretty, pitch-challenged beauty.

"Go to an audition where they lie to you," was his advice to one very stubborn loser.

And to a New Yorker named Rose, whose astoundingly bad vocals were matched by her astonishingly huge ego, Simon blurted, "What amazes me is (that) the people like yourself with so little talent have the most attitude."

Cowell is blunt, sadistic and cruel. And as he enthusiastically fillets all this tender young talent, the proper pop-culture response can only be, "Praise the Lord and pass the Ginsu!"

Life is too short for bogus Britneys, faux Michaels and anyone who can't remember the words to "Silent Night." But as we watch Cowell dispense with the shrieking masses yearning to be Whitney, it's hard not to pine for the artistic retribution that never was.

If Simon Cowell had been guarding the gates, Marilyn Manson would still be banging on them. And with a little jurisdictional leeway, Simon would have put a stop to John Travolta long before "Battlefield Earth" did it for him. And if entertainment justice could be retroactive, the following "American Idol" scenarios would have taken place already:

Contestant No. 1: Jennifer Lopez

The audition: Lopez warbles Madonna's "La Isla Bonita," changing costumes five times in four minutes.

The verdict: "On La Isla Simon, we like the voices to be bigger than the hair. Lose the fringe, and don't quit your day job. Next!"

Contestant No. 2: Kevin Costner

The audition: Costner reads the entire first act of "Long Day's Journey Into Night," playing all the characters himself.

The verdict: "I'm sorry, did you say something?"

Contestants 3, 4, 5 and 6: Alec Baldwin, Daniel Baldwin, Stephen Baldwin and William Baldwin

The audition: The four Baldwin brothers bellow Robert De Niro's, "Are you talkin' to me?" monologue simultaneously, leaving Cowell half deaf and covered in spit.

The verdict: "When I awake from what I assume is a ham sandwich-induced nightmare, three of you had better be gone."

Contestant No. 7: Creed

The audition: Chest-beating singer Scott Stapp and his band have their way with the Doors' "Light My Fire."

The verdict: "If you are suffering from intestinal difficulties, I'm calling a doctor. If you're singing, I'm calling the police. Next!"

Contestant No. 8: Jennifer Love Hewitt

The audition: Hewitt sings Stevie Wonder's "Isn't She Lovely" while displaying photos of herself featured in the recent issues of US Weekly, InStyle, People, Teen People, FHM and Pizza Marketing Quarterly.

The verdict: "I can forgive the singing and the Audrey Hepburn biopic, but I cannot forgive the mint-green leather suit you wore to the VH1/Vogue Fashion Awards. Go forth and pose no more."

Contestant No. 9: Bjork

The audition: Wearing her dead-swan dress from last year's Oscar broadcast, the Icelandic pixie trills "I Will Always Love You" as only an Icelandic pixie can.

The verdict: "One more minute of that, and you can top your dead-swan dress with a dead-judge cape. Medic!"

***SHIRT In the Air runs on Mondays in Currents. Karla Peterson can be reached by phone, (619) 293-1275; fax, (619) 260-5082; mail, P.O. Box 120191, San Diego, CA 92112-0191; and e-mail, karla.peterson@uniontrib.com.

Story: © 2002 Union-Tribune Publishing Company. All Rights Reserved.

BILL SHOWS SAX APPEAL AT CASINO BASH

by Gayle Fee and Laura Raposa

UNCASVILLE, Conn. - The Mohegan Sun casino officially threw open the doors of its glitzy $1 billion hotel expansion this weekend with a star-studded $2 million bash that was more fun than creaming the house with a royal flush. Ex-President Clinton wailed on the sax with the Blues Brothers, talk-show titan Rosie O'Donnell dueted with Cyndi Lauper and Cher was Living Proof that Vegas-style entertainment has a new home in New England.

``When you have Cher, Cyndi Lauper and Steven Tyler in the house, why would you even think of going to bed?'' ex-``Party of Five'' gal Jennifer Love Hewitt told the Track.

Well, we didn't. So here's the download:

The fun got underway Friday night when presidential party boy Clinton arrived to kick off the festivities. Clinton, who reportedly got a heavy dose of wampum from the Tribe for his presidential library in return for his appearance, accepted an award for his help in securing the Mohegans' all-important tribal recognition. Which is the federal jackpot that allows the American Indians to run a casino.

The ex-prez worked the room like his old self, startling diners in the Michael Jordan Sportscafe when he blew in to press the flesh. Apres award, Clinton repaired to in the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena with the rest of the sold-out crowd to take in the Cher-Cyndi Lauper show.

Clinton was ensconsed in a skybox but the rest of the celebs were in the front row, including Aerosmith's main man Tyler and his wife, Teresa, and the aforementioned O'Donnell and her galpal, Kelli Carpenter. All the better for Cyndi to pull Rosie onstage for a rockin' rendition of ``Girls Just Wanna Have Fun.'' Cher took the stage about 10 p.m., descending from 40 feet above the crowd aboard a feathered chandelier.

``That woman is hot,'' said Hewitt, who saw the legendary diva for the first time at the Sun and admitted, ``I was attracted to Cher.'' Don't worry, guys, it was just a fleeting lesbian moment. Love says she still ``loves men.''

Midway through the Cher show, the action moved to the casino's Wolf Den bar where Dan Aykroyd (Elwood) and Jim Belushi (Brother Zee, taking over for the dear departed Jake) were rockin' the joint with a reconstituted Blues Brothers band featuring legendary Soul Men Wilson Pickett, Sam Moore of Sam & Dave fame, Steve Cropper, Jeff ``Skunk'' Baxter and Donald ``Duck'' Dunn. The stage was jammed with talent, but there was even more of it in the audience. Dan's old ``Saturday Night Live'' buddies Chevy Chase and Bill Murray were in the front row along with ``The Late Show With David Letterman'' band man Paul Shaffer, who was quickly coaxed to the keyboards. But the place really got rockin' when they were joined by the old sax maniac himself, the ex-prez. ``It's the good-time president,'' bellowed Elwood. ``We miss you!''

Clinton lived up to the rep, geting up for a jam with the band after Pickett made a personal appeal. He acquitted himself well on Pickett's ``99'' and got a good hard laugh out of ``If You See Kay.'' (Wethinks he got the message.) Clinton got down as Tyler and J. Geils frontman Peter Wolf got up and got a thunderous round of applause.

``He was great,'' said Tyler. ``But I was bummed he got off stage. I really wanted to sing with him.''

But not everyone was digging the former Philanderer-In-Chief's act. Surprisingly, hefty lefty O'Donnell said she's still steamed over the Monica mess.

``I've not been in his corner ever since he lied to America when he said he didn't sleep with that woman,'' O'Donnell told KISS-108's Billy Costa. ``I'm not over it. I'm bitter. I waved to him but didn't walk over to him. Did you notice? He really annoys me.''

Clinton went to bed after the Blues Brothers shows but the rest of the party-hearty Hollywood crowd hit the casino's cabaret for an intimate 50th birthday bash for Aykroyd thrown by his wife, actress Donna Dixon.

Crowding around the Conehead cake were ``Serendipity'' star John Cusack, who appeared to be making beautiful music with ``Scream'' gal Neve Campbell; Roseanne Barr in a hideous pink flowered muumuu; 'N Sync boys Chris Kirkpatrick and Joey Fatone, who almost didn't make it by security because he wasn't sporting the American Indian wristband required for admission; the aforementioned Chase, Murray, Wolf, Lauper, Tyler, Moore, Shaffer; ``Saturday Night Live'' sultan Lorne Michaels; Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd; model/ hottie Rebecca Romijn-Stamos; designing man Joseph Abboud; and ``That '70s Show'' star Topher Grace. We spied a few locals toasting Dan including his Vineyard pals Patrick Lyons, Larry Bilzerian and Dick and Nancy Friedman - who also were schmoozing with their summer guest, Clinton. Chef Jasper White was dancing up a storm and GOP bad boy Sandy Tennant was chewing the fat with ``House of Blues'' founder Isaac Tiggrett.

The fun continued yesterday with a clambake at White's Mohegan Sun Summer Shack. Chowing on lobster and linguica were Hewitt, ``Ally McBeal'' cutie Taye Diggs; Ron Silver of ``The West Wing''; '70s pop star Nick Ashford and Tinseltown tough guy Tony LoBianco.

Olives chef Todd English, who was rattling the pots and pans at his Tuscany in the Sun lobby came over to pay his respects. Last night O'Donnell was scheduled to return to the stand-up stage followed by an Aretha Franklin-Ray Charles reunion.

Story: Copyright 2002 The Boston Herald.  All Rights Reserved.

MOHEGAN SUN ROLLS OUT RED CARPET

UNCASVILLE, CT -- Mohegan Sun, the East Coast's legendary entertainment and gaming destination, threw a star-studded, extended party last night to celebrate the results of a $1 billion expansion. With its brand new 1,200-room luxury hotel, Mohegan Sun attracted some of today's hottest celebrities including

Jennifer Love Hewitt.

Mohegan Sun, owned by the Mohegan Tribe, is one of the largest, most distinctive and spectacular entertainment, gaming, shopping and meeting destinations in the United States. Situated on 240 acres along the Thames River in scenic southeastern Connecticut, Mohegan Sun is within easy access of New York, Boston, Hartford and Providence and located 15 minutes from the museums, antique shops and waterfront of Mystic Places.

What began with the Casino of the Earth in 1996 has evolved into a legendary destination that now includes: the Casino of the Sky and over 300,000 square feet of total gaming space; The Shops at Mohegan Sun, featuring more that 40 retail shops and dining venues ranging from food court-style to gourmet; the 10,000-seat Mohegan Sun Arena for world-class sporting events and concerts, and an intimate Cabaret; and a 34-story luxury hotel, featuring 1,200 guest rooms and suites, premier meeting and convention space and a world-class spa.

"This is turning out to be one of the most remarkable events in entertainment history," said Mitchell Etess, Mohegan Sun's Executive Vice President of Marketing. "We are excited to present, in our signature grand style, the completion of what has become one of the most extraordinary entertainment and gaming destinations in the United States."

Story: © 2002 PR Newswire.  All Rights Reserved.
Image: © 2002 Wireimage.com. All Rights Reserved.

WANGO TANGO 2002

From Celine Dion and Will Smith to Steven Tyler and No Doubt, Pasadena's Rose Bowl was the setting for this year's largest outdoor pop extravaganza.

Saturday, KIIS FM's 2002 Wango Tango festival was one-stop shopping for the fans that came to see some of the hottest acts on the road this summer. Even sexy Latina pop star Paullina Rubio got in the groove, saying, “The universal language is in the music, you can feel without understanding what's going on there. That's all of that."

This year Jennifer Love Hewitt made the introductions, but she hopes next year she too can get in on the act. She gave “Extra” the scoop on her own steamy endeavors. Her video for her new CD, " Bare Naked,” debuts in July. She says, “I will say that there are naked people in the video. I could possibly be one of the naked people in the video, but I’m not going to say for sure."

One thing's for sure, from young and bouncy teen idols to heartwarming divas, this was one 10-hour show that will keep fans of all ages humming for days.

Story: © 2002 TTT West Coast Inc.
a Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved.
Image: © 2002 Wireimage.com. All Rights Reserved.

FOX IS ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC THIS SUMMER

by Jay Bobbin

Summer is here, so let there be music.

On the eve of its official start, the warm-weather season will be celebrated by the FOX concert special "Teen Choice Presents: Summer Music Mania" Thursday, June 20 (8 p.m. ET). Taped in late May at Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn., the two-hour show carries on an annual FOX summer tradition by bringing together music acts currently riding high on the charts.

Featured artists include Alanis Morissette, Ja Rule, Craig David, Nelly, Ashanti, Tweet, Ludacris, The Calling, Shakira and relative newcomers Vanessa Carlton ("A Thousand Miles" ) and Michelle Branch ("All You Wanted," "Everywhere" ).

Jennifer Love Hewitt -- who has both an August movie ("The Tuxedo," with Jackie Chan) and a September album ("Bare Naked" ) on the way -- and *N Sync's J.C. Chasez and Chris Kirkpatrick are the hosts of the special, which also will reveal the nominees for this year's Teen Choice Awards. FOX will televise that ceremony on Monday, Aug. 19.

A Teen Choice Award winner herself as 1999's female "hottie of the year" in movies, Hewitt also was a host of ABC's recent broadcast of the 2002 World Music Awards. She's glad that event and "Summer Music Mania" have placed her among many other singers. "These are the first [TV] things I've been able to do not as an actress but as a musical person," Hewitt says, "so it's been really exciting to be there. I'm a fan of creative people in general, and an even bigger fan of people who make amazing music."

"It may sound hokey, but I really believe music is everything in life. It certainly has played a huge part this year, with all that's gone on in our world. Musicians have stepped forward with powerful words to inspire people to smile and live again. I just feel incredibly honored to be a part of anything that has to do with music."

In fact, Hewitt had aimed to be a vocalist before the long-running FOX series "Party of Five" and its spinoff, "Time of Your Life," came her way. "Bare Naked" is being produced by singer-songwriter Meredith Brooks, best known for the single "Bitch," and Hewitt wrote many of the album's tunes. "It's been really special," Hewitt reflects. "I know so much more about myself than I ever did before, and Meredith has become a hero of mine for life. She saw something, believed in it and spent the last year of her life trying to make my dream come true. I feel really lucky."

Hewitt had a minor hit with "How Do I Deal," the theme from her 1998 suspense-movie sequel "I Still Know What You Did Last Summer." She allows that her familiarity as an actress may have stood in the way of her musical efforts up to now: "People look at you and think, 'Right, that's who she is.' I've always found that if you do more than one thing, it's tougher to sell everything you do. The truth is that I'm not just an actress and I'm not just a singer, and I hope I'll be allowed to do both."

Story: © 2002 Zap2it.com, a Tribune Media Services company. All Rights Reserved.

ROLLING STONE BRINGING BRIT IN AS A NEW EDITOR

By PAUL D. COLFORD
Daily News Business Writer

Rolling Stone will rock to a new beat with a British managing editor who specializes in bite-size articles and starlets busting out of their bikinis.

Founding editor and publisher Jann Wenner announced yesterday he's hired FHM editor in chief Ed Needham, who speeded the men's magazine from an initial circulation of 225,000 in 2000 to 1 million this year.

FHM outsells Rolling Stone better than 2 to 1 on newsstands, with covers showing Jennifer Love Hewitt in a barely there bustier and Catherine Bell, co-star of TV's "JAG," way out of uniform.

"The plan is pretty simple," Needham said. "It's a question of newsstand sales and getting Rolling Stone talked about a little more."

Describing FHM as "fast-paced" and Rolling Stone as "contemplative and more thoughtful," Needham, 37, said his version will still run long features while "being more aggressive about how it uses its pages."

When Wenner revealed plans to replace Bob Love as managing editor, he expressed interest in hiring someone with newspaper or weekly mag experience to give his title a newsier focus.

He was turned down by Larry Hackett, an assistant managing editor at People, and Eric Pooley, a senior editor at Time who's covered politics.

"Jann and I had some great talks, he made me a swell offer, but I've already got one of the great jobs as Time's nation editor," Pooley said. He added that Wenner hopes to give his every-other-weekly mag a newsier edge by cutting the time between production and sale.

"Jann also wants to increase music coverage," Pooley said, noting rival Dennis Publishing's new music mag Blender packs many CD reviews into each issue.

Citing FHM's growth under Needham, Wenner said: "I look forward to having him along for the ride as we build upon the foundation that has made Rolling Stone a success."

Launched in the psychedelic 1960s, Rolling Stone has built a circulation of 1.2 million by covering the Grateful Dead and other icons, as well as newer acts such as Eminem.

The overhaul of Rolling Stone follows Wenner's remake of Us Weekly, which new editor in chief Bonnie Fuller has turned into a kind of glossy tabloid focused on the lives, loves and clothes of the stars.

Stories: © 2002 Daily News, LP. All rights reserved.

Both Stories are from The Hollywood Reporter - June 12, 2002

BERTELSMANN SNAGS ZOMBA

by Tamara Conniff

German media giant Bertelsmann AG has fully acquired independent music company Zomba Music Group.   Sources said the deal is worth close to €3 billion ($2.85 billion).  

The acquisition signals yet more consolidation in the music business and marks the end of an era for Zomba, which has enjoyed independent status since Clive Calder founded the company in the mid-1970s.   Zomba, the home to such multiplatinum acts as Britney Spears, 'N Sync and controversial R&B singer R. Kelly, has long been considered a sixth major record company -- providing healthy competition to Universal Music Group, Sony, EMI Recorded Music, Warner Music Group and even Bertelsmann's music division, BMG Entertainment, which has had a distribution deal with Zomba since the 1980s.

Bertelsmann's plans to take complete control of Zomba have been a source of speculation for the past few years. The German company acquired a 25% stake in Zomba's music publishing division in 1991, and in 1996 it acquired a 20% stake in Zomba's record company as well as a "put" option to buy the remaining stake by the end of this year.

DEAL IN TUNE WITH BMG AMBITIONS

by Georg Szalai and Nicole Sperling

Bertelsmann AG's music unit, BMG Entertainment, is the smallest of the world's top five music distributors -- behind Vivendi Universal's Universal Music Group, Sony Music, EMI Plc. and Warner Music Group -- but management in recent years has been keen to change that.  

The news Tuesday that BMG will pay an estimated €3 billion ($2.8 billion) for the shares of Zomba Music Group that it doesn't already own will be a nice step in that direction after several missteps during the past two years, according to observers.   "This deal helps BMG fill out its portfolio, allows it to get a bit larger and gives them a good group of artists -- even if they are not everybody's favorites," one Wall Street observer said.  

The $2.8 billion price is "around where I would expect it to come in," said Hal Vogel, media and entertainment analyst and chief executive of Vogel Capital Management. "Bertelsmann needs to beef up." "Zomba is in a hot music segment right now and was basically on the way to becoming the No. 6 music label," Gartner G2 research director P.J. McNealy said.   "So, BMG's move fits in with the continuing media consolidation we have seen in recent years."

Stories: © 2002 The Hollywood Reporter. All rights reserved.

From Music Dish - June 11, 2002

KIM LOUIE: MY AMAZING/A FEW GOOD LOVERS

by Ben Ohmart (Assistant Editor)

Artist: Kim Louie (917-501-5466)
Title: My Amazing/A Few Good Lovers
Genre: Pop

This is a 2 track single from Kim Louie that shows off Kim's youth and laid back rock spirit. In 'My Amazing' she combines the lazy tug of war between mainstream and alternative rock, but there's a hard influence of hip hop on both songs.

Especially 'A Few Good Lovers' which lingers with a hip hop beat, several acoustic guitars, on top of which Kim oils her voice like a young black thang telling the story in drawn out whole notes, insinuating what's on.

The tunes are catchy and stay with you all morning, like a good, energizing, important breakfast. Like a good friend. That's the kind of mini-diva voice she sings with.

A Jennifer Love Hewitt friend who doesn't try to show off, but just likes the feeling of music, loves the pliable shape it can be molded into, via relationship songs.

I'd welcome hearing the whole album. This is one of the best teasers I've heard in a while.

Story: © 2002 Tag it. All rights reserved.

SPEARS AND STEFANI LEAD
BUTT-COMPLIMENTING JEAN CRAZE

World Entertainment News Network--Singers GWEN STEFANI and BRITNEY SPEARS are leading the way in a new craze sweeping America - jeans that compliment their behinds.

The blonde beauties are joined by JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT, LAURYN HILL, SELMA BLAIR and CAMERON DIAZ as stars who favor wearing the denim attire, designed by Los Angeles-based SEVEN.

STEFANI GREENFIELD, of the trendy New York shop SCOOP, which as sold 8,000 pairs of Seven jeans in the past five months, says, "Everybody loves them because they make your butt look unbelievable."

Story: © 2002 World Entertainment News Network. All rights reserved.

PO5ERS FOR AIDS

PARTY OF FIVER's Jennifer Love Hewitt, Scott Wolf and Patricia Heaton, and magician David Copperfield, and a "mummy" attended the "A Time For Heros" Benefiting The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation presented by Target Stores on June 9, 2002 at Mandeville Canyon Park in Los Angeles, California USA.

Images: © 2002 Wireimage.com. All Rights Reserved.

THE TUXEDO SUITS STORMARE

Peter Stormare, who plays a villain in the upcoming Jackie Chan supernatural comedy film The Tuxedo, told SCI FI Wire that his bad guy is brainier than some of his other villainous roles. "He's a scientist, the bad guy's sort of sidekick," Stormare said. "It's a funny, mad scientist. He's going to take over the world."

In the film, Chan's character wears a suit that gives him magical powers with which to fight villains. Stormare said he only gets to fight Chan "a little bit." Stormare, who is best known for playing the blond murderer in Fargo, originally turned the film down, but was offered a smaller role so that he could join the cast. "The chance came back to me to do another part in Tuxedo, and I didn't turn it down because, first of all, [it was] DreamWorks, and I liked the ... new director, [Kevin] Donovan. He's a young, talented guy. And to get to work with Jennifer Love Hewitt and Jackie Chan."

The Tuxedo will open in October, after being delayed from June to allow more time for special effects work. Stormare was glad the film would have more room to breathe. The summer film schedule is "too crowded," Stormare said. "All of a sudden, it's like a traffic jam. They're aiming for younger people, and they're all [still] in camp."

Story: © 2002 SCIFI.COM. All rights reserved.