TV Guide Author: jeanne.wolf

Behind the Scenes at Arista's Big Bash

Former Arista Records chief Clive Davis ? the man behind Whitney Houston, Aretha Franklin, Dionne Warwick and countless other superstars ? still has regrets about the one artist that he let get away. Speaking before a packed house at L.A.'s Shrine Auditorium for NBC's upcoming 25th anniversary Arista special (airing May 18), Davis publicly apologized to singer Melissa Etheridge for rejecting her original demo tape. "Even though we're celebrating the successes tonight, I have to say that rejecting Melissa was the biggest mistake of my career," said the veteran record producer. Etheridge, among the many performers paying respect to Davis on the upcoming special, clearly has gotten past the rejection. "Even though I'm not part of the Arista family I came out to celebrate Clive," she sa

Wed, May 10, 2000

Luke Wilson Says He's Committed

Drew Barrymore's no longer dating Luke Wilson but the actress-producer still managed to carve out a role for her ex-boyfriend in her upcoming Charlie's Angels flick. "It's just a smaller, kind of comedic part," says Wilson, who'll play the naive boyfriend of Angel Cameron Diaz in the upcoming big-budget action pic. Wilson tells TV Guide Online he's remained close with loopy Barrymore, who's now dating MTV weirdo Tom Green. "Drew was one of the few times I've been in love and been committed to somebody," he admits. The Charlie's Angels set has been fraught with tales of trauma and turmoil ? including talk of a big blowout fight between two of the film's stars, Lucy Liu and Bill Murray ? but Wilson says he was too concerned with issues of his own to notice. "I only heard about the fight," he says. "I just kind of kept my head low on that.

Mon, May 8, 2000

Paula Cale: Big Girls Do Cry

Crying on a weekly basis on the NBC drama Providence has been downright therapeutic for star Paula Cale. "I think if all of us had to make ourselves cry over something once a day we'd all probably be much more balanced and happy," the actress tells TV Guide Online. "It's always interesting to me to see what pushes my buttons. I think it's a very healthy thing." Still, crying Cale admits it can sometimes be pretty rough switching emotional gears on the set. "The hardest part is [when] you get something in your mind, and you're very emotionally involved, and then you hear, 'Cut!' And then it's like, 'OK, where are we going for lunch?' And I'm like, 'What? I'm a wreck over here!' So that gets difficult." Cale recently had to cry through virtually an entire episode and was completely exhausted after a week's worth of shooting on the Universal lot. By the last day of the shoot, which wrapped at about 3 am, the actress found herself crying the whole way home w

Fri, May 5, 2000

Jamie Luner's Cellular Theory

If Profiler star Jamie Luner looks different these days, chances are it's because her body's regenerating. We're still not sure that we follow all of this, but Luner insists that the human body ? in concert with Saturn's orbit ? somehow regenerates new cells every seven years. "And every seven years, when this happens, there's usually a major transformation," says the 28-year-old actress. "This was my largest year ? most change, biggest growth, overwhelming, highest ups, highest downs, wild. It was an E-ticket ride." Luner, who celebrates her 29th birthday May 12, says her starring role on NBC's Profiler has made her grow up very fast and made her much stronger in terms of who she is and what she wants. "I'm getting to know myself," says Luner, who recently split with her boyfriend after nearly five years of romance. "I focused this year on nothing but my craft. I've dea

Thu, May 4, 2000

Martin Sheen's Change of Heart

Veteran actor Martin Sheen admits it took him a while to warm up to West Wing director Laura Innes. For starters, Sheen had no idea that Innes had already made a name for herself playing ER's sassy Dr. Kerry Weaver when she signed on to direct NBC's White House drama. "But my wife sure knew who she was, and boy, did I get a beating for that," he tells TV Guide Online. "My wife asked me who was directing, and I said, 'Some little girl. Hell, she looks about 14 years old, I don't know her name,'&nbsp;" recalls Sheen. "She looked at the call sheets and said, 'You a------! Laura Innes is directing! She's the best thing on ER, man. You'd better go back and behave yourself.' So I did what my wife told me, and I listened to everything [Innes] had to say." Now Sheen has nothing but kudos for the 'little girl' who is directing him and his West Wing co-stars.

Wed, May 3, 2000

Stephen Baldwin Toys With TV

The famous Baldwin brothers owe their success to the big screen but the youngest of the clan, Stephen, says he's eyeing TV as his next possible career move. The actor, who's currently starring as caveman Barney Rubble in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, tells TV Guide Online that he's looking to land a regular TV gig in New York City that will allow him to spend more time with his family. "I'm actually in development with a couple of folks about a TV show," says the 33-year-old father of two. "If I can convince these folks to do something with me in New York and pay me 3 trillion dollars an episode... then I could just get up in the morning, have my Starbucks, read my Daily News, listen to Howard Stern and be home in time for dinner to see my family. That would be cool." Meanwhile, Baldwin says his kids are "pretty pumped" about their dad's role in Viv

Tue, May 2, 2000

John Leguizamo's Makeup Misery

Despite his best intentions, John Leguizamo somehow keeps landing roles that require him to spend way too many hours in the makeup chair. For his latest roles in the ABC miniseries Arabian Nights (part two airs tonight at 9 pm/ET), the actor had to wake up each morning at 4 o'clock and then spend four hours in a chair as the makeup wizards transformed him into a chubby genie. Even worse, he plays a second character in the miniseries that required seven hours in the makeup chair. For Leguizamo, who went through a grueling makeup process to play a corpulent clown in 1997's Spawn, the routine was all too familiar. "I had vowed when I did [Spawn] that I would never do anything like it again," he tells TV Guide Online. "I had some sort of short-term amnesia. I got on the [Arabian Nights] set and I realized, 'Oh, my God, what did I just do to myself?'&n

Mon, May 1, 2000

Kristen Johnston Finds the Real Wilma

It might seem like just another dopey comedy, but Viva Rock Vegas star Kristen Johnston says she really worked hard at showing movie audiences a whole new side of cartoon icon Wilma Flintstone. The veteran theater actress and star of NBC's 3rd Rock From the Sun says the movie ? a prequel to the popular 1960s TV cartoon The Flintstones ? called for her to present a very different side of the character than the all-knowing matriarch that TV audiences have loved for decades. "I didn't really look at it as playing the Wilma we know," she tells TV Guide Online. "I thought it was sort of important to make her much more innocent and naive, kind of dorky, insecure. So I didn't really play an icon, actually, I just played this young version of an icon." Johnston had always considered herself to be more like the Flintstones' somewhat more laid-back neighbor, Betty Rubble. I

Mon, May 1, 2000

Heather Graham's Jealous Boyfriend

Sexy Heather Graham says beau Ed Burns has some problems watching his girlfriend get all hot and heavy on the big screen. "In some ways he finds it a pain in the neck," Graham says of her steamy love scenes with other leading men in movies like Boogie Nights and Two Girls and a Guy. "But on the other hand, it's probably an ego boost for him because everyone can see he has a sexy girlfriend." Graham seems to have a somewhat easier time watching her actor-director beau heat up the screen. "It's kind of a double-edged sword," she tells TV Guide Online. "You don't want the person you love making love with someone else but you don't mind watching them on the screen because you're going to get them in real life. I like it because he's really sexy." Graham tells us she and Burns were virtually inseparable on the set of her latest movie, Committed. "Ed was there

Sat, Apr 29, 2000

Full Monty Star Squashes Sequel

If Mark Addy gets his way, there will never be a sequel to the hit 1997 British comedy The Full Monty. Addy, who's currently starring as cartoon caveman Fred Flintstone in The Flintstones in Viva Rock Vegas, tells TV Guide Online that it would be "foolish" to try to recreate the magic of the working-class comedy. Still, rumors swirl about a possible sequel. "I think it should be left to stand on its own," Addy says. But the Monty star is quick to add that he'd definitely be up for working again with its scribe, Simon Beaufoy, and the ensemble cast that helped make the movie a hit. "If there was any way of putting together a piece where you maybe use the same actors but with a completely unrelated project, that might be interesting," he says. "It might be a little like the o

Sat, Apr 29, 2000

Heather Graham's Jealous Boyfriend

Sexy Heather Graham says beau Ed Burns has some problems watching his girlfriend get all hot and heavy on the big screen. "In some ways he finds it a pain in the neck," Graham says of her steamy love scenes with other leading men in movies like Boogie Nights and Two Girls and a Guy. "But on the other hand, it's probably an ego boost for him because everyone can see he has a sexy girlfriend." Graham seems to have a somewhat easier time watching her actor-director beau heat up the screen. "It's kind of a double-edged sword," she tells TV Guide Online. "You don't want the person you love making love with someone else but you don't mind watching them on the screen because you're going to get them in real life. I like it because he's really sexy." Graham tells us she and Burns were virtually inseparable on the set of her latest movie, Committed. "Ed was there

Fri, Apr 28, 2000

Dennis Quaid's Family Matters

The Parent Trap was a big hit for Dennis Quaid but the actor's 7-year-old son, Jack, has yet to see the popular 1998 family film. "We just sort of missed it," Quaid confesses to TV Guide Online. "When it came out we were in Montana, and it was like 40 miles to town. It wasn't even playing there at the time." Quaid says he and wife Meg Ryan do have a Blockbuster card but their son always seems more interested in renting titles like The Nutty Professor than any of Mom or Dad's flicks. Which is probably just as well for Quaid and Ryan, who've made a real effort at home to downplay their box-office drawing power. "We make that part of our lives sort of matter-of-fact," says Quaid. "If it does come up ? you know, because sometimes his schoolmates will say 'Your mommy is Meg Ryan,' or he sees a magazine ? we just sort of tell him that, 'Well, look, this is wha

Thu, Apr 27, 2000

Friends Gal's Big Entrance

Friends newcomer Alexandra Holden says she's learned a thing or two about making an entrance from her TV dad, Bruce Willis. Holden, who plays Ross's (David Schwimmer) college coed girlfriend, says the studio audience went absolutely crazy when the popular Sixth Sense star made his debut in the episode that airs tonight. The pandemonium actually created some tense moments for the young actress, who had the unenviable task of accompanying Willis's character and introducing him over the din. "I mean, hollering and yelling and clapping, it sounded like waves," she tells TV Guide Online. "I didn't say my line until the noise died down, so it was weird." It was also a thrill for the actress, who was psyched to work with one of the stars of Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction. And for Holden's parents, it was a thrill to learn their daughter was playing opp

Thu, Apr 27, 2000

Jon Bon Jovi Acts Up

U-571 star Jon Bon Jovi isn't about to give up his rock and roll past, but he's willing to turn down the volume a bit as he focuses on his budding acting career. "I don't think I'll tour as much as I used to," the Bon Jovi front man tells TV Guide Online. Indeed, the band's upcoming 50-show tour, which kicks off in July, is about one-fifth the schedule of tours past. "I would love to be able to do both," says Bon Jovi, 38, whose growing movie r&eacute;sum&eacute; includes roles in Homegrown opposite Billy Bob Thornton, and Edward Burns's No Looking Back. "I look at someone like Sinatra who toured until he was 80 and made 60 movies ? that would be a great life to have. "With the band, I'm the quarterback," Bon Jovi explains. "With [acting], I just show up and do my part. And I can just be an artist, and it's new and exciting; it's a chall

Wed, Apr 26, 2000

Mel Gibson's Favorite Stooge

It probably wasn't fair of us to put Three Stooges superfan Mel Gibson on the spot, but we did manage to get the star to name his favorite knucklehead. "I think Curly was the most watchable," admits the Lethal Weapon star and producer of The Three Stooges, tonight's ABC biopic (8 pm/ET) on the late comedy team. "He really was the shining light of the trio. If I had to be one, I'd be him. But I'm glad I'm not one." Gibson warns Stooges fans not to expect a gag a minute in tonight's biography on Curly, Moe, Larry and (sometimes) Shemp. "You'll find out that these guys had many layers," he says. "And we all do some things that we're not proud of sometimes. They're no different, they're just a little more human in this portrayal." Gibson, one of the most notorious practical jokers in Hollywood, says his love for the Three Stooges goes way back. "I was p

Mon, Apr 24, 2000

Ashley Judd: No Tooling!

Believe it or not, Ashley Judd once turned down a lucrative chance to star opposite Tim Allen on the hit sitcom Home Improvement. Veteran producer Matt Williams, who oversaw casting of the show back in 1990, tells TV Guide Online that the actress made quite an impression on him when she came in to audition for the part of Tool Girl (a role that eventually went to Pamela Anderson and later Debbe Dunning). "After she read I thought, 'My God, she's so talented but this is too small a part for her,'&nbsp;" Williams recalls. "So I called her agent and said, 'I want to create a special role for Ashley. I'll make her Tim's sister and we'll make her a regular on the series.'&nbsp;" But Judd passed, deciding that she instead wanted to make her mark in movies. Lo and behold, 10 yea

Mon, Apr 24, 2000

Elton John: Proud to Be Diva

Elton John says if being a diva means wanting things done his way, he'll gladly accept the title. "As I get older I know what I want and I'm determined to get it, so if that's being a diva then that's it," the pop superstar tells TV Guide Online. "I have a temper and when I feel that my temper is justified I'll use it. But I don't think I'm unreasonable to work with." John's had a hard time shaking the D word ever since his backstage fight with Tina Turner at last year's VH1 Divas concert. Adding fuel to the fire, he recently stormed out of a preview of his Broadway show Aida prior to the final curtain. According to John, the Aida production included music by another composer that he had specifically told the producers not to include in the show. "If I'm not getting the right results, and

Sat, Apr 22, 2000

Elton John: Proud to Be Diva

Elton John says if being a diva means wanting things done his way, he'll gladly accept the title. "As I get older I know what I want and I'm determined to get it, so if that's being a diva then that's it," the pop superstar tells TV Guide Online. "I have a temper and when I feel that my temper is justified I'll use it. But I don't think I'm unreasonable to work with." John's had a hard time shaking the D word ever since his backstage fight with Tina Turner at last year's VH1 Divas concert. Adding fuel to the fire, he recently stormed out of a preview of his Broadway show Aida prior to the final curtain. According to John, the Aida production included music by another composer that he had specifically told the producers not to include in the show. "If I'm not getting the right results, and

Fri, Apr 21, 2000

Natalie Portman Gets Hot and Heavy

Natalie Portman's no big fan of steamy movie love scenes, but the actress says she had her reasons for getting hot and heavy in the new movie Where the Heart Is. "There is a love scene in this film but it wasn't explicit or exploitative at all and I thought it was very necessary for the character," the 18-year-old beauty tells TV Guide Online. "It really shows a shift from a relationship where she's been degraded and not treated as a human being to a very mutual, loving relationship." Portman, whose career shot into the stratosphere with Star Wars: Episode I ? The Phantom Menace, says she has tried her best to steer clear of overtly sexual scenes in order to protect her private side. "When you do things on-screen, lots of people see them and most people are fine and normal. But there is a small percentage of people who are not fin

Thu, Apr 20, 2000

Three of a Kind for Edward Norton

Acting wunderkind and virgin director Edward Norton enjoys watching a good three-way ? cinematically, that is. In his new romantic comedy, Keeping the Faith, good things for the actor do indeed come in threes. "I like the complication of three-way relationships," he tells TV Guide Online. "As an audience member, I've always been a fan of movies like Broadcast News, The Philadelphia Story, some of Woody Allen's films and even Jules and Jim, which is not a comedy, per se, but [it] is about a dynamic between three people over time." Norton must like the number because he direc

Wed, Apr 19, 2000

Ben Stiller Measures Up

What does it take to play a romantic lead opposite Jenna Elfman? For Ben Stiller, it just requires a pair of shoe lifts and a sense of humor in bed. "When I realized I would be able to wear these elevator shoes so I could actually be in the same frame, then I started to feel good about the experience," the vertically challenged Keeping the Faith star tells TV Guide Online. Altering his height was easy compared to acting out steamy love scenes with Elfman in front of the entire crew. "It's always hard to do a kind of intimate scene in a movie, I think, because there are all these people around, and you're pretending that you're alone with somebody in your most private time," he says. "You definitely want to kid around so there's not a weird feeling like this is so serious," he says. "Also, you just want everybody to not make a big deal of it. So you try to have a quiet situat

Tue, Apr 18, 2000

David Hasselhoff Makes Waves

Former Baywatch star David Hasselhoff doesn't hold anything back in his assessment of Baywatch Hawaii! "They need to get their you know what together," he tells TV Guide Online. "Even the lifeguards over in Hawaii were asking me, 'Hey, what happened to the show?' It's like it's all being done in slow motion. I think they're going to get a big wake-up call from all the bad publicity. When we left the show, everything was put in the hands of one person who forgot about the stories we used to tell. It was about more than beautiful guys and girls." Ironically, Hasselhoff gives higher marks to Howard Stern's Baywatch spoof, Son of the Beach. "Howard ripped me off and I love it," he says. "We used to make the same kind of jokes about ourselves behind the scenes. I always said there could be big money in a spoof of what we were doing." Would Hasselhoff do a

Thu, Apr 13, 2000