Is This Lindsay Lohan Comeback for Real?
Does Lindsay Lohan have any chance of an actual comeback? I keep reading that she's coming back, but so far all I've seen about her is magazine covers and that Chapter 27 movie premiering.Dean, New York City
Magazine covers aren't just magazine covers in this business. They're designed to send messages to producers, casting directors and jaded audience members.
Take that recent New York magazine cover shoot, where LiLo mimicked those ancient shots of a naked Marilyn Monroe. The guy who orchestrated that shoot was the same dude who photographed Marilyn decades ago. Sitting still for a guy who's nearly 80 years old while he shambles around trying to re-create the bygone kickiness of the early 1960s, all without once dissolving into a puddle of crazythat takes talent.
That was the message: I sat still for two weeks wearing nothing but a genie scarf while that codger played with the lights. I am ready to behave, for the love of Pete.
Besides that new Chapter 27 movie that opened in limited release last weekend, other evidence that Lindsay Lohan is on the way back up:
- She's cutting her third album.
- E! News recently reported that she's booked a new acting gig, playing a member of the infamous Manson family in an upcoming movie.
- Just-in photos reveal that she's currently capable enough to dress herself and do her own food shopping.
- Jack Black trusts her enough to work with her. She's working on his new ren-fair-geek spoof, Ye Olde Times, due out next year.
What more do you want from her, you leeches? Even box-office analysts and crisis PR experts say that Lindsay is doing just fine right now, keeping negative press to a minimum and brushing her hair.
She could be on the right track toward becoming big business again, or at least more respected. And unlike her peers Paris Hilton and Jessica Simpson and Britney, everyone agrees that LiLo can act.
Sure, Exhibitor Relations box-office analyst Jeff Bock concedes LiLo's rehab-studded past makes her a liability for producers, but he adds, "the potential gains are more than the losses in terms of her talent and in terms of what she can bring to the table."
Celebrity-crisis PR expert Cherie Kerr agrees.
"We'll have to wait another six months to a year to finally see she if she can recover from her past," Kerr says. "But she's managed to keep herself out of the press more lately, and that's good for her. That's exactly what she needs."
That and maybe a little credit for that genie scarf shoot.
Talking “Dirt” with Courteney Cox - VIDEO
With the season two premiere of FX’s Dirt just around the corner (this coming Sunday, March 2nd, at 10:00PM), you may have noticed that the ad campaign is in full effect. The image to the right has been adorning everything from billboards in Times Square to magazine pages.
For those that weren’t familiar with season one, you might have thought that this was an entirely new show altogether. If you recall the ad campaign for season one, at first glance the show looked much more darker, and it was. The ads depicted Courtney Cox (as ruthless tabloid editor Lucy Spiller) pale faced, in a blood red dress, overlooking Hollywood — the breeding ground for her next headline. Not the case this season as you can see by the much more jovial, comic book feel of the new ads. As much as I loved the first season, it was nothing that I expected it to be. Trust me when I say that season two very quickly makes up for that deception.
I’ve now had the chance to screen the first two episodes and even got the opportunity to sit in on a conference call with Cox last week. Read on for my thoughts on season two, some quotes from the mouth of the woman who plays Lucy Spiller, and a sneak peek of the premiere episode. Be warned though — this does contain spoilers.
For those that recall the pilot, you might remember the opening. Lucy was at some A-List celebrity event and as she walked around and made eye contact with numerous celebs, her mind began to generate headlines and magazine covers for each person. Bulimic! Pregnant again! Gay? It was corny, tabloid-y fun. Then it stopped and the show took on a fairly serious tone — blackmail, hostage situations, and the destruction of lives. It culminated in the attempted murder of Lucy in the finale.
That isn’t to say that Lucy is any less conniving this season. However, during the conference call, Cox was quick to point out that, “it’s much lighter this year and it’s funnier.” She went on to say that, “this year we just want it to be a little more of a broader appeal.” The tabloid feel that was originally intended comes to fruition this season and you’ll immediately notice the change.
The season picks up right after Julia Mallory’s attempt on Lucy’s life. She’s convalescing in a hospital and still has time to shoot down bad ideas for the upcoming issue of Dirt Now. No real change in character there, other than what Cox calls “a different outlook on life.” The most obvious difference is that while she’s just as abrasive as ever with her staff, her one-on-one interactions with employees (such as Alexandra Breckenridge’s Willa) are far more pleasant. Cox attributes this change to Lucy’s realization that she has a great job: “I think she’s a little more daring in ways, but for a better reason. Just a more fun outlook as opposed to… some personal vendetta against people.” Getting stabbed and almost dying will do that to you I suppose.
One of the biggest concerns coming into this season was the writer’s strike. Only seven episodes were completed (13 were ordered) and even though the strike has been resolved, FX made the call to air the seven as is and then make decisions on a season three renewal. The obvious question was how does the season end? Will there be any sort of cliffhanger?
To that, Cox responded: “Well, we didn’t know that we were going to not finish, but the strike kind of changed all of that. So luckily, what works in our favor this year, which would not have worked last year at all, is that each episode is self-contained. Even though there may be a character that goes over a few episodes you can watch each one and feel like you’ve wrapped up a story. So luckily, episode seven, which is the one that we finished on, if you didn’t know it wasn’t, no one’s getting stabbed, but it’s still an exciting episode. I mean, do we have bigger plans? Sure, but does it work? Yes.”
Other changes readily noticeable this season include:
- Don is taking medication (no more talking kittens)
- Willa is far savvier when it comes to her job
- Holt’s star is rising faster than he expected
- There are some new faces around the Dirt Now offices
- Lucy has a new assistant named… Kenny. Again. Look for some hilarious scenes between Cox and Kevin Wheatley, who plays the new Kenny. (If you can’t remember what happened to old Kenny, read this.)
Overall, I’m fairly pleased with the tone of the new season. Not to say that it requires less thinking, but it’s far easier to digest thanks to the break from the serial format and the acceptance of the weekly procedural (ahem, “celebri-cedural”) format.
For fans of the supermarket tabloids that may have been turned off by the dark themes of last season, go ahead and take another look because the show takes plenty of shots at some fairly prominent celeb headlines that you’ll recognize in an instant. Cox made it a point to clear up any discrepancies about their depictions of celebrities though: “We don’t ever intend to hurt anyone.” Fortunately, that’s half the fun because the effort to avoid that fine line results in humanizing some of these characters to the point where you feel bad and laugh at them in the same breath. Definitely something we can all relate to.
As I mentioned before, Dirt’s second season returns to FX this Sunday, March 2nd, at 10:00PM. In the meantime, check out this exclusive preview clip featuring Willa (Alexandra Breckenridge) in action with new Dirt Now recruit Farber Kauffman (Ryan Eggold).
Boa Biography
BoA grew up in South Korea with two older brothers. At the age of eleven, her brother was auditioning in a talent search for the next international icon held by Korean musical conglomerate SM Entertainment. BoA was brought along and eventually chosen. After her reluctant parents agreed to letting her pursue a career in singing rather than focus on school, BoA was trained in singing, dancing, and foreign language before finally making her Korean album debut.
BoA has released albums in both South Korea and Japan, and her recording company, SM Entertainment, is positioning her as a cross-cultural star in Asia. She has released eight full length albums, three “.5″ albums and twenty singles in South Korea and Japan. Her albums have also been released as “overseas versions” throughout Asia. Almost seven million copies of her albums have been sold to date. She can speak native-level Korean, plus fluent Japanese and conversational English and Chinese.”Orizon Style” Magazine Page - 09.12.05
BoA broke records in both Korea and Japan with her smash hits, including “No. 1,” “Valenti,” and “Listen to My Heart”. She has made strides in music and acting with chart-breaking albums released in both Japanese and Korean (BoA accounts for over 75% of musical exports from Korea), as well as being a cover model for huge companies such as Shiseido, Honda, KDDI: Au, Calpis, and recently the Japanese division of Gap. BoA has also become a cross-cultural icon, bridging historical tensions between the nations of Korea and Japan.BoA was awarded “Most Influential Asian Artist” and “Favorite Artist Korea” Prizes at MTV Asia Awards held in Singapore on February, 2004. Her songs are now popular even in Taiwan, PRC and some Southeast Asian countries. She has appeared on numerous magazine covers and some commercials, including KOSE, MISSHA, Lipton, Ting, Pantech & Curitel, Elite, Lotte, Maybelline, and Wired XYZ.BoA also appeared in the Korean Music Festival held in the Sydney Opera House on June 21, 2004 and in the Volvo “Hallyu” Concert in Universal City, California (outside of Los Angeles) on June 11, 2005. Most recently, she performed at the 2005 APEC conference in Busan, South Korea.
Carol Alt Biography
She’s been named “The Most Beautiful Woman in the World” by Playboy and dubbed the “Next Million Dollar Face” by Life Magazine and graced up to 800 magazine covers, but Carol Alt’s most personal project to date is her life changing diet.
Alt is the poster child for the famous line - you are what you eat. You see, Carol is a raw foodist. And no, it’s not just eating salads or being a vegetarian, not in the slightest. She can eat anything, yes, even meat (raw) and as much as she wants and she’s never hungry…ever or rarely gets sick. She’s getting the benefits you wouldn’t believe because her food doesn’t lose the nutritional value (those all-important enzymes) that are lost through cooking that can make you look your best.
In the hopes of looking as good as Alt, we’ll forego cooked food any day.. and keep her new book Eating in the Raw: A Beginner’s Guide to Getting Slimmer, Feeling Healthier, and Looking Younger the Raw-Food Way kitchen-side.
Carol Alt is the epitomy of defying age. She looks better in her 40’s than most 20 year olds. And, it has nothing to do with hours upon hours in a gym or plastic surgery….It’s all in what she eats and it shows. We’ve caught up with her to talk about her style and how raw food changed her life (her very own fountain of youth)
A leggy brunette supermodel, Carol Alt was also a “Cover Girl” makeup representative. Born in Queens and raised on Long Island, she began her modeling career at age 16 and has been seen on more than 600 magazine covers. Alt perhaps is best known for her 1982 Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover. Since the late 1980s, she has appeared in numerous Italian-made films and TV programs. In the USA, Alt is perhaps best-known for her starring role opposite Eric Roberts in the syndicated “Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride” (1991) and its 1993 sequel “Vendetta II: The New Mafia”. She also co-starred in the short-lived adventure series “Thunder in Paradise” (syndicated, 1994). More recently, Alt appeared in “Private Parts” (1997) as an airline passenger to whom Howard Stern recounts his life story and had the lead in the syndicated series “Peter Benchley’s Amazon” (1999-2000).
- Born:
on 12/01/60 in Flushing Point, New York - Job Titles:
Actor, Model, Singer, Bakery worker, Waitress
Family
- Brother: Anthony Alt. older; lives in New Zealand
- Father: Anthony Alt. was also in army reserves; born in 1930; died of cancer on Christmas day 1983
- Mother: Muriel Alt. before her marriage, had worked as a print and runway model
- Sister: Christine Alt. younger
- Sister: Karen Alt. older
Significant Others
- Husband: Ron Greschner. born c. 1955; met in 1982 when he was playing hockey for the New York Rangers; married on November 21, 1983; separated in 1996; divorced; retired from hockey in 1990
- Companion: Alexei Yashin. born in November 1973 in Sverdlosk, USSR; together from 1998; played hockey with the Ottawa Senators from 1993; did not play during the 1999-2000 season because of a contract dispute; signed 10-year, $87.5 million contract with the New York Islanders in September 2001
- Companion: Ayrton Senna da Silva. born in March 1960 in Brazil; although close, Alt maintains they were just friends; died in a racing accident on May 1, 1994
- Companion: Rex Smith. had relatioship in 1982
Education
- Hofstra University, Hempstead, New York
Milestones
- 1979 Began modeling career; handled by Elite; landed first cover on the Italian edition of Bazaar
- 1979 Signed to cosmetics contract by Lancome; appeared in print ads
- 1979 While waitressing, spotted by a photographer who suggested she try her hand at modeling
- 1981 Profiled in Life magazine
- 1982 Was on the cover of the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated magazine
- 1985 Announced she was quitting modeling
- 1985 Appeared in the docudrama, “The Look/Portfolio”
- 1985 Made stage acting debut in L.A. production of “Sweet Charity”, staged by Bob Fosse and starring Debbie Allen; did not remain with show when it transferred to Broadway
- 1986 Film acting debut, “Monte Napoleone”
- 1991 Breakthrough role as a woman who marries the man who murdered her father in the syndicated TV-movie “Vendetta: Secrets of a Mafia Bride”
- 1993 Reprised her role in “Vendetta II: The New Mafia” (syndicated)
- 1994 Co-starred in the syndicated series “Thunder in Paradise”
- 1997 Had featured role in the film version of Howard Stern’s autobiography “Private Parts”
- 1998 Resumed modeling career
- 1999 Starred in the syndicated adventure series “Peter Benchley’s Amazon”
- 1999 Starred in “Thinking of Africa”, a series of 12 two-hour films made for Italian television
- Appeared in about a dozen European features
- Raised in College Point, New York and (from 1971) in East Williston on Long Island
- Signed to contract with Cover Girl cosmetics; featured in TV commericals and print advertisements
- Was featured on the covers of several fashion and women’s magazines including Vogue and Cosmopolitan