Tag: Olivia Newton-John

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Great review for Olivia Newton-John in “A Few Best Men”

A Few Best Men

From ABC Radio National:

An English lad marrying an Australian girl from a well heeled family invites his English flatmates to support him and be best men at his wedding.

The latest film from Stephan Elliott gives us very broad, sometimes crass comedy, and many jokes about drugs and a kidnapped sheep.

Xavier Samuel plays David, who meets Australian Mia on a Pacific Island. Jonathan Biggins plays her pompous father, a senator devoted equally to his prize ram Ramsy and the idea of founding a political dynasty.

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.

There are some nicely wrought bit performances, but I guess I just didn’t take to The Lads. The screenplay is by Dean Craig, who also wrote the wonderful comedy Death at a Funeral.

If you compare the two, what made Death at a Funeral funny was the restraint of director Frank Oz, who let people get into their characters and then let the absurd situations speak for themselves.

The direction here is encouraging everyone to go way, way over the top: I’m afraid I have to agree with an English critic who wrote: this is the Stephan Elliot of Welcome to Woop Woop, rather than the Stephan Elliot of Priscilla Queen of the Desert.

But hey… if your taste runs to lots of crass: it may give you a good night out. At least to see Olivia Newton-John swing from a chandelier. It’s rated MA.

Listen to the review here.

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Music: “Gaia” – Olivia Newton-John

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Talk about timing.

I’ve just returned from Australia where I spent an amazing few days at Olivia Newton-John’s retreat and spa named Gaia.

I just got a notice that her 1994 CD “Gaia” has been re-released in the US by Green Hill Music.  Great CD that never really got a wide release here before; for years I was under the impression that the songs were very new age due to the title and original packaging.  Wrong.

All of the songs were written by Olivia as she was coming to the end of her cancer journey.  But these are really strong pop songs (Olivia would find her New Age voice in the later, fabulous “Grace and Gratitude”).

“Trust Yourself,” “Not Gonna Give In To It,” “Don’t Cut Me Down” and “No Matter What You Do” are favorite tracks for me.

Check it out on Amazon.

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Olivia Newton-John on marriage equality

Four time Grammy Award winner and star of GREASE, the most successful movie musical of all time, has issued a statement in support for marriage equality. Olivia, who enjoys a wide fan-base including the LGBT community, has been a longtime LGBT ally and friend.

“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.”
– Olivia Newton-John
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From the premiere of “A Few Best Men”

With Stephan Elliott (director) and Olivia and Michael right before they hit the White Carpet
for the premiere of “A Few Best Men”

Olivia Newton-John, Xavier Samuel (also from the Twilight movies),
Michael and I at the post-premiere party for “A Few Best Men”
The cast faces the photographers before the screening
at the premiere

Quick video of the upstairs section of the party right before the cast 
got there.  I ran there when we arrived because the downstairs was packed
already as you’ll see on the video.  I’m a bit claustrophobic, so I went 
upstairs to get a breath of air.  Within minutes the upstairs was packed as well.
Great party for the cast after the movie was so well received by the audience.
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Olivia Newton-John enjoying her latest movie roles

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Olivia Newton-John has truly said goodbye to Sandra Dee with her latest film role.

She plays the cocaine-snorting mother of the bride, Barbara, in the Australian comedy A Few Best Men.

“When I read the script I thought it was hysterical,” Newton-John said.

“She was a character, and I didn’t know quite how I was going to do that, go there (with drugs), but I thought it would be really a blast.

“Really the reason for me to do anything now is fun. Glee was fun, I did a movie in Canada that was a musical a year ago and that was fun, and this was hilarious. It’s a blast, I never thought I’d still be doing it.”

In the film, Xavier Samuel plays the English groom who flies in to marry his Blue Mountains bride. But his three best mates – and one celebrity sheep named Ramsy – are in the way with drunken shenanigans.

Newton-John will be hoping life doesn’t imitate art when her daughter Chloe Lattanzi gets married.

While a date is yet to be set for the nuptials, mum has already checked out her soon to be son-in-law’s options for best man.

“I’ve met his friends, they’re all nice blokes and they’re not coming from another country,” she said.
(source)

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Olivia Newton-John on The Kyle & Jackie O Show

Promoting her new movie “A Few Best Men,” Olivia Newton-John visited The Kyle & Jackie O Show. The video clip above is the second half of her interview.

You can hear the entire interview here.

To explain a bit: on arrival, Olivia was told that Jackie always wanted to sing “Summer Nights” from GREASE with Olivia. So Olivia was asked – on the spot – if she would play along, dress up in GREASE costume pieces and sing along with Kyle and Jackie. Thus, the ‘Pink Lady’ outfits for Olivia and Jackie. Ah, the fun of morning radio.

Olivia played along with the fun.

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Olivia enters the White Carpet – premiere of “A Few Best Men”

I just wanted to give a sense of what it was like as Olivia and her director Stephan Elliott arrived on the White Carpet for the premiere of “A Few Best Men” in Sydney, Australia.

Just as Olivia arrived to face the first throng of photographers, a fan in a wheel chair asked Oivia for an autograph and a photo which Olivia didn’t hesitate to do. Then she and Stephan step in front of the first set of photographers. After lots of flashes, Stephan pulls Olivia over to the first of many interviews on the White Carpet. I panned down the carpet so you could get a sense of how packed and wild the scene was.

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Olivia Newton-john interview for MIX 106.5 Sydney

I got to sit in on a few of Olivia Newton-John’s interviews for her new movie “A Few Best Men” which had it’s premiere here in Sydney, Australia, last night. Thought I’d share this with the fans.

Olivia gets pretty funny at the end of the interview when the radio show host admits/apologizes for an idea he gave Kathy Griffin for when Olivia appeared on her show “My Life on the D-List.”