Olivia Newton-John opens the 2012 AACTA Awards (Sydney, Australia) with “Daydream Believer” and “Weightless” from the soundtrack of her new movie “A Few Best Men.”
“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.
