LGBTQ news and entertainment
For your entertainment, the entire uncut finale of her cult movie “Xanadu”
As many of you know, I’m not only a fan, but I count Olivia as a dear friend. Like a fine wine, she only gets better with age.
At 63, she continues to make fantastic music, campaign to save the environment and is helping to build the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Australia.
Bravo!
|
| With Olivia during rehearsals for her “Grace and Gratitude” concert I staged for her in March 2010 |
In addition to being a comic legend, well respected by her peers and clearly an upbeat positive woman, Ruth Buzzi continually has one of the most fun Twitter accounts to follow.
If you don’t follow her yet – start. She has some great stuff – sometimes funny, sometimes just plain positive.
How fantastic does Olivia look and sound at 63? This is a true legend.
Cute bit with the kids too.
Fab.
Olivia Newton-John will appear this coming Saturday on the hit Italian TV show “Ti lascio una canzone.”
“Ti Lascio Una Canzone“ will be broadcast and on air “live“ Saturday September 24th on RAIUNO at 9.10 p.m.
I believe Olivia will be performing some of her biggest hits from GREASE as well as “Xanadu” and “Physical” for the TV audience.
News clip about Olivia’s new movie “A Few Best Men”
A couple of quotes from the director Stephan Elliot about Olivia in the film:
“Literally swinging off the chandeliers…”
“Sandy is dead”
I hear the film is a very fun departure from some of Olivia’s other film roles.
Looking forward to seeing it.
Olivia Newton-John quietly slipped into Sydney yesterday to serve as the secret ribbon cutter for tonight’s relaunch of Star City following a landmark $1 billion redevelopment.
The Australian showbiz icon was chosen from a long list of international names after main attraction Lionel Richie withdrew from the glamorous gala, which will officially rebrand the casino as The Star.
It is believed that Olivia arrived on one of the two private jets that have been bought by the Pyrmont gaming mecca to ferry in high-rolling punters from around the world.
“As much as what’s happening with the refurb seems very Las Vegas, it’s still very Sydney and very Australian – she (Newton-John) was a fitting choice,” said an insider.
Olivia will appear at the reopening with Larry Mullin, the CEO of Echo Entertainment Group, which owns The Star and instigated the facelift – the biggest in Sydney’s history. Guests will board a yacht at Campbells Cove in Circular Quay and sail over to see The Star’s grand new harbourfront entrance.
After a short cocktail soiree outside, the crowd of about 250 will head up the mountainous marble staircase for a sit-down dinner at either Balla or BLACK By Ezard , two of the venue’s new waterfront restaurants.
All part of a pitch by Star City – next week to be officially relaunched as The Star – to become the new dominant force in the $60 billion Australian high-rollers casino scene, The Star is putting blackjack and baccarat tables on the penthouse floor of its opulent new Darling Hotel.
In total, The Star is spending $160 million just on winning over high-rollers. By next year, there will be private gaming facilities on the top floor of its newly renovated main building and two private aircraft to bring those known in the industry as “whales” to Sydney from Asia. But The Star does not just want the high-rollers. It has embarked on a $1 billion spending spree to bring a touch of Vegas to Sydney that by 2013 will include a 3000-seat events centre to host top international music acts.
The new casino will employ 1000 hospitality staff, while 1500 construction workers were employed over the past three years on revamping the casino. It is predicted the newly-expanded casino will contribute more than $250 million a year in state taxes by mid-2012.
(read more at dailytelegraph.com.au)
In a recent interview for AOL/Spinner.com, Olivia Newton-John talks about the anniversary of her mega-hit “Physical” and how she almost didn’t release the song.
“I had a bit of a panic session,” she tells Spinner. “I went, ‘Oh my God! I can’t put this out. It’s way too radical! What are people going to think of me?’ I said to my manager, ‘You’ve got to pull it. It’s too cheeky.’ And he said, ‘It’s too late, it’s gone to radio.’ Of course, it went to No. 1 in like four weeks. I’ve learned to live with it.”
‘Physical’ became Newton-John’s biggest hit single in the U.S., where it topped the Billboard charts on Nov. 21, 1981, and stayed there for a total of 10 weeks. The song was accompanied by a music video featuring a headband-wearing Newton-John and a group of muscular and overweight men exercising in a gym.
“It seems like a long time ago,” Newton-John says now about recording the song, “but it also seems like no time ago. It’s really interesting — just recently, I got a call from Brian Grant, who was the director of the . They’re doing a life story on him and I haven’t seen him since we did the video. And then I did it again on ‘Glee.’ They recreated the whole set. It’s sort of following me around again.”
Olivia Newton-John in the recording studio with Marius de Vries (center) working on new dance track by John Farrar.
Yes, for all the fans, this is a new song by John Farrar, recorded by Olivia and produced by Marius.
Marius has produced for artists such as Madonna, Pet Shop Boys, Rufus Wainwright, Kylie Minogue, Josh Groban and David Gray.
More news when it’s available.
I think some Olivia fans are going to be happy…
Olivia Newton-John has spoken out on the issue of “fracking” – the process involves pumping a large volume of water mixed with sand and chemicals into rock to create frissures that allow trapped natural gas to be released.
In her open letter, Newton-John says she is “horrified to learn of the extensive plans for coal-seam gas and shale gas exploration in Australia”.
“The public’s awareness as to what is happening, and the potential consequences to our health and our land, shows that it’s time for some serious inquiries,” the singer wrote.
“Many of my friends and family were not even aware of what was going on until they heard from me,” she said.
While there is a moratorium on fracking in NSW until the end of the year, the industry is set to become a significant contributor to the state’s energy supply, with companies undertaking appraisals in Gunnedah and the Clarence-Moreton basins, home to Newton-John’s Gaia Retreat.
The star is demanding to know evidence that coal-seam gas mining does not pollute drinking water, what chemicals are being used in fracking and why companies are exempt from revealing them.
“Until these questions are answered, I respectfully request a moratorium on the coal-seam gas exploration and mining in Australia until all risks have been fully explored,” she said.