“I am extremely saddened to hear about the passing of my dear mate, Jim Stynes. Though we didn’t know each other long, we formed a close bond and I admired his courageous spirit and passion for life. I have never met anyone so open and so brave – he truly touched my life. Jim’s determination to make a difference for others strengthens my resolve even more to secure the funding for additional research that will end cancer. I really cared about Jim – he fought like the warrior he was and my heart goes out to his beautiful wife Sam and their two children. I will miss my friend.” – Olivia Newton-John on the passing of Australian football legend Jim Stynes
So I just heard that the soundtrack for “A Few Best Men” starring Olivia Newton-John will finally be released in the USA digitally on April 24th.
I know a lot of fans have been looking forward to the release as an indicator of when the movie may make it’s debut here. No word on that yet from my sources, but I’ll post as soon as I hear.
Singing her favourite songs during the A Summer Night concerts is one reason and the other is having Daryl Braithwaite as her special guest. The two used to be classmates at Christ Church Grammar School in South Yarra and sang in the choir together.
Daryl Braithwaite
Best known as the lead vocalist of Sherbet, Braithwaite has also sustained a successful solo career, placing 15 singles in the Australian top 40, including the No. 1 hits “You’re My World” and “The Horses”.
”He was a sweet boy then and he’s a lovely man now,” Newton-John said. ”I get to sing a lot of my songs through the ages. I’m really excited because he’s a great singer.”
The way Braithwaite remembers it, they may have held hands for a second and he recalled the childhood crush in his Melbourne Life column last November.
Otherwise, Newton-John has a packed catalogue of songs to choose from: Hopelessly Devoted to You, I Honestly Love You, Have You Never Been Mellow?, Let It Shine, Xanadu, Magic and Physical.
The Grease star, who revived her movie career in the Australian A Few Best Men and features on the soundtrack, is happily married to John Easterling and after her fight with breast cancer in 1992, she’s fighting fit.
One day in June will also be momentous for the singer because her long-awaited Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre will be opened by Austin Health.
”It will be a wonderful place of healing,” she said.
I love finding out how and why things happen behind the scenes. This is part one of the commentary found on the “Xanadu (Magical Edition)” DVD released in 2009. There’s lots more of this on the DVD.
Really interesting facts and stories from lots of folks involved with the movie including Kenny Ortega.
While even Olivia admits that the film didn’t work, there was terrific music in the movie.
AND she always mentions with glee that she got to dance with Gene Kelly.
Olivia Newton-John’s CD “Gaia: One Woman’s Journey” is now available for pre-order through Amazon for a February 28th release date.
A lot of people had the impression this CD was more along the lines of “New Age” music, but it’s really terrific pop music. Strong vocals and great lyrics make this a terrific CD in my opinion.
Listen to a sample of “Not Gonna Give In To It” from the CD:
Your browser does not support the audio tag.
From Olivia about “Gaia: One Woman’s Journey”: “I am so delighted that this very personal album has finally been released in North America. I wrote all of the songs on this CD in 1992 on my farm in Australia, after completing treatment for breast cancer.”
“Every song reflects that experience – my raw emotions and feelings and my close connection to Mother Earth, Gaia. I am so grateful that now, almost twenty years later, I am extremely healthy and that I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet and be inspired by so many wonderful people – fellow cancer thrivers – thank you for sharing your experiences with me!”
You can find more info about the CD by clicking here. I think you’ll like 🙂
“A Few Best Men” is directed by Stephan Elliott, who also directed the cult hit film “Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.” The movie opened this past weekend to the best box office numbers of an Australian comedy in over a decade. And Olivia has received some of the best reviews of her career for her performance as a straight-laced politicians’ wife who “goes off the rails” during her daughter’s wedding.
ABC Radio National: “The standout moments are all with Olivia Newton-John, who steals the show as the mother of the bride, and the resentful wife of a politico husband. When she’s onscreen the whole thing lifts. She still has an extraordinary magic.”
Urban Cinefile: “A sheep in drag, a runaway floral arrangement and Olivia Newton John as you’ve never seen her before are some of the memorable moments of this riotous comedy. In an inspired piece of casting, Olivia Newton-John is a knock-out as the (initially) stitched up mother of the bride, who later shows that appearances can be deceiving.”
Later this month she begins a concert tour of Australia and Asia. And in June, she will attend the opening of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre – a hospital, research and wellness center in Melbourne for which she has tirelessly raised millions over the past several years. Twenty years ago she was diagnosed with breast cancer, and since then has become one of the world’s biggest advocates for early detection.
A long-time LGBT ally, Olivia recently made a public statement in support of marriage equality: “With respect to marriage equality – I believe that no one has the right to judge and deny couples who love each other the ability to make a marriage commitment. Love is love.”
At 63, this is seriously a diva (and LGBT ally) who can sustain. I think she looks great, sounds great, and clearly shows no signs of slowing down.
Sunday night on The Candi & Randy Show we talked about my recent adventure ‘down-under’ to Australia for the premiere of Olivia Newton-John’s new movie “A Few Best Men” – which opened this weekend to the best box office numbers for an Australian comedy in 12 years!
We also talk about the men of Australia, my stay at Olivia’s fantastic award-winning Gaia Resort and Spa, go on a walking tour of Melbourne with Olivia and a few other adventures along the way.
Plus we play a few tracks from the soundtrack of “A Few Best Men” featuring Olivia.
So hit play and find out what a movie red carpet is like, plus what it’s like to almost miss your international plane ride home.
