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The Rich & The Famous by Shoshannah Rosenstein Continues on Page 92
Goldie Hawn Photo: Goldie Hawn.
Goldie Hawn won an Oscar at the young age of 23 and has
made a career of the role of ditzy blonde. Now nearing 60, she
has published her memoirs exploring the experiences, good and bad, that
have shaped her. She is now writing a book, a sort of memoirs
about the anger, abuse and desperation of her early years and how they led
her to joy and spiritual faith. Another expected book to make a big buzz
is the new memoirs of Lauren Bacall. This magnificent actress and
stage diva defined a new kind of sex appeal with her angular looks,
vulnerability and wisecracks. At twenty they married and she became half
of one of the world's most celebrated couples. At twenty-four she was a
mother, at twenty-five an actress on the wane and at thirty-two she was a
widow. Sixty years later she's still making films, and headlines.
In her new book, Bacall tells us a lot about
stardom then and now, and her life with and without Bogie.
Lauren Bacall was catapulted into stardom
in 1944 starring opposite Humphrey Bogart in To Have and Have Not.
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OBESITY AND WOMEN
Photo: Deborah Voigt. LONDON- The Royal Opera House has cancelled a performance by one of the world's most sought-after sopranos because she is too fat, a theatre spokesman said. American Deborah Voigt had been scheduled to play the lead in a summer production of Richard Strauss's Ariadne on Naxos, but casting director Peter Katona decided a slimmer singer would be better for the part, spokesman Christopher Millard said. Mr. Katona had selected a black evening dress for the part and believed Ms. Voigt would not look right in it, Mr. Millard said. "Normally, Ariadne is presented on a stylized Greek island with the singers wearing toga-type clothes, but we wanted to present it in an elegant, modern evening dress," Mr. Katona said. Anne Schwanewilms, a more slender but lesser-known soprano, will sing the part of Ariadne. Ms. Voigt's weight remains a closely guarded secret. The best estimate of observers is that Ms. Voigt is on the heavy side of 200 pounds. "I have big hips and Covent Garden has a problem with them," she said. "Or, at least, their casting director, Peter Katona, has the problem, and he's made it clear that I won't be singing in his house as long as he's around. Which is sad." Mr. Katona said: "In making these kinds of decision, it is not just a question of how someone looks; it is also how they move on stage. "Mr. Millard confirmed by telephone that size was the reason the 43-year-old Ms. Voigt was no longer scheduled to sing in the Royal Opera House production. There is a growing movement against fat singers in the opera, traditionally one of the places where they are most welcome. Luciano Pavarotti was ordered on a diet after he cancelled some performances. Vocal coach Seth Riggs said the weight loss would most likely improve the singer's delivery. ''You do not have to be fat to have a beautiful voice,'' he said. ''Look at Renata Tebaldi, she was a large woman, but not a fat one, and she had a beautiful voice,'' he said. ''And Norman Treigle was the skinniest fellow you ever saw. But he was a bass baritone with a booming voice. Tenor Franco Corelli had a beautiful figure.'' There is a misperception, Mr. Riggs said, that large diaphragms, and therefore large bodies, are needed for singers to sing well. Last year, Toronto heldentenor Ben Heppner returned to the opera stage after a 14-month absence, with two big differences: His vocal problems were gone and so were 90 extra pounds. His voice returned after he stopped taking high blood pressure medication. Then came a new diet and exercise regimen to take off the weight that was contributing to the blood pressure problem. Mr. Heppner said people should know opera singers do not need big bodies to have big voices. 'That,'' he said, ''is a myth.'' Ms. Voigt was awarded France's Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in 2002, and was named last year's Vocalist of the Year by Musical America.
Photo: Janet Jackson. NEW YORK-Janet Jackson has been exposed -- and this time, Justin Timberlake is nowhere to be seen. A video clip showing Jackson sunbathing naked has been circulating on the Internet and was still playing on some websites Thursday. The 40-second paparazzi video was shot from bushes near the singer's home. Jackson's publicist didn't immediately return a call from The Associated Press on Thursday for comment. Her lawyers were reportedly attempting to have the video taken off the web. On one site, a freeze-frame was still up Thursday, but the video link had been taken down -- replaced with the message "removed because lawsuits aren't really my thing." The exact source of the video and when it was shot was unclear. Photos taken at the same time popped up online last year. Jackson found herself in the middle of controversy last year when Timberlake revealed her right breast -- the now infamous "wardrobe malfunction" -- at the end of their set during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. Last week, her former brother-in-law, Young DeBarge, accused her of having a "secret" child -- a daughter, Renee, now 18 -- with ex-husband James DeBarge. The 39-year-old singer issued a statement Wednesday saying: "I do not have a child and all allegations saying so are false." Jackson's brother Tito defended her in an interview that was to air Thursday night on syndicated TV entertainment show Extra. "I do not have a nephew or niece or whatever it is that's being said right now," he said. "I'm pretty sure it bothered her a little bit, but she's going to go on and be strong like Janet always is.... She'll be OK."
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Madonna
kicks things off at MTV Europe The Foo Fighters perform during the MTV Europe Music Awards ceremony Thursday, at the Atlantic Pavillion in Lisbon, Portugal. LISBON, Portugal -- British cartoon band Gorillaz took home the Best Group award at the 12th MTV Europe Music Awards (EMAs) in Lisbon, Portugal on Thursday. The band, the brainchild of Blur's front man Damon Albarn, was running up against Coldplay, Green Day, Black Eyed Peas and U2. They were up for four additional awards but won no more. "Best group and we don't even exist," said the band. Earlier the band had staged the world's first 3D hologram performance to their award nominated song Feel Good Inc. British band Coldplay took the award for Best Song. This top accolade was given to the band by singer Alison Goldfrapp. "Thanks, this means a lot to us," said the band's front man Chris Martin. "In two weeks time we will be back in this building to perform again so we hope to see you then," he said. U.S. band Green Day collected two awards, one for Best Album for American Idiot and another for Best Rock band. "We've been a band for a while now. Thanks very much," they said. They were up against 50 Cent, Coldplay, Gwen Stefani and U2 for Best Album. Green Day later also received the award for Best Rock from soccer players Luis Figo and Nuno Gomes. "This is for kick-ass rock 'n' roll music forever," they added. The show kicked off with a performance by Madonna, who gave a first-ever live TV rendition of her new single Hung Up, taken from her upcoming album Confessions on a Dancefloor. Madonna would later return to hand the Free Your Mind award to Sir Bob Geldof for work done to fight poverty in Africa through his Live Aid concerts. The 47-year-old songstress showed up on stage clad in a purple bodice, leather jacket, knee high boots and sunglasses, surrounded by a group of dancers. The ceremony was hosted by Borat Sagdyev, a spoof Kazakh television presenter and an alter ego of British comedian Sacha Baron-Cohen. Baron-Cohen, known for his daring and risquι sketches, had already presented the EMAs as his best known character, Ali G, in Frankfurt, Germany, in 2001. Best Female award went to Colombian bombshell Shakira. The singer said she was very surprised to receive the accolade. "I can't believe this," Shakira said. "I didn't expect it so I don't have a speech," she added, thanking fans in perfect Brazilian Portuguese. A black clad Robbie Williams took the award for Best Male shortly after singing his latest single, Tripping. The British singer dedicated the award and the song to his mother. Williams was also nominated for the Best Pop award. The Best New Act accolade went to fellow Briton James Blunt. The singer/songwriter, who did not attend the ceremony, was running against hip hopster Akon, rockers Kaiser Chiefs, Canadian balladeer Daniel Powter and teen hip-hop sensation Rihanna. The Black Eyed Peas took the award for Best Pop. They received the accolade from the hands of British girl band Sugababes. "We'd like to thank all our fans in Europe for all their support," the Black Eyed Peas said. Fellow U.S. Rapper Snoop Dogg then took home the award for Best Hip Hop. Before, U.S. hip hop girl collective Pussycat Dolls had crowds jumping up and down to the sound of their chart topping hit Don'Cha. Additional performers included the Black Eyed Peas who played their most recent hit Humps, System of a Down, Shakira and the U.S. rockers Foo Fighters. The foursome, fronted by former Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl, sang D.O.A from their album In Your Honor. Presenter Borat interrupted their performance to ask the way to the bathroom, sparking laughter from the packed pavilion. Other awards were given to rock band System of a Down for Best Alternative act, to U.S. R&B performer Alicia Keys for Best R&B and Best Video for the British band The Chemical Brothers for Galvanise. The red carpet pre-show kicked off with a performance by R&B singer John Legend who played a medley of his hits Ordinary People and Number One. Legend returned for a rendition of his newest single Cloud Nine. Presenters at the ceremony included actress Brittany Murphy, British girl band Sugababes, British R&B singer Craig David and actor Jared Leto, among others. MTV's annual European awards are held in a different city every. The prizes are voted by fans in Europe. Organizers estimated that 10,000 watched the show on site. Some 1 billion people were watching the televised broadcast. Joannah Mateus Clooney denies 'suicide thoughts' Clooney: "I certainly did n ot talk about wanting to kill myself..."Actor George Clooney has denied reports that he contemplated committing suicide after he was injured on a film set. Reports that he considered self-harm after being hurt filming Syriana were taken "out of context", Clooney said in a statement to the BBC News website. "I certainly did not talk about wanting to kill myself," he said. The reports had quoted him as saying he felt so low after he injured his spine and head that he thought he would "have to" take his own life. Clooney had been hurt after accidentally falling to the floor while tied to a chair for a scene in the movie. The reports stated that Clooney had said in a US radio interview that he found the pain "unbearable" and was considering self-harm before a series of operations eased the problem. The Ocean's Twelve star told the BBC: "I was talking about living a long time in that sort of pain." |
Photo:
Lauren Bacall.
Opera world
freezing out obese singers. Heppner lost 90 pounds
Nude Janet video circulates on
the 'net
