Tag: Olivia Newton-John

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Podcast: Olivia Newton-John On Her Memoir “Don’t Stop Believin'”

For more than five decades, Olivia Newton-John has been one of the most successful and adored entertainers in the world A four-time Grammy Award winner, she is one of the world’s bestselling recording artists of all time, with more than 100 million albums sold. Her starring roles in the iconic movies Grease and Xanadu catapulted her into super-stardom. Her appeal as a performer is timeless. In addition to her music and screen successes, Olivia is perhaps best known for her strength, courage, and grace. After her own personal journeys with cancer, she has thrived and become an inspiration for millions around the world. A tireless advocate for countless charities, her true passion is as the founding champion of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

Olivia Newton-John's new memoir, Don't Stop Believin'

She’s also been an amazing ally to the LGBTQ community for decades. From performing around the world at gay pride events in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Sydney, to the largest ever concert at sea in 2018 when more than 5,000 LGBTQ fans sang along with her. She was one of the very first major Australian stars to publicly come out for marriage equality in 2012 telling the world, “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.” And her Grammy Award winning music video for “Physical,” the first music video to win a Grammy, incorporated a gay storyline without blinking. In her brand new memoir – Don’t Stop Believin’ – for the first time, she shares her journey, from Melbourne schoolgirl to international superstar, in this deeply personal book. Hit play below as I chat with Olivia about her New York Times best-selling memoir, as well as her Cancer Center, Gaia Retreat & Spa, her new skincare line Retreatment Botanics and more. Olivia’s memoir, Don’t Stop Believin’ is available now.

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News Round-Up: March 26, 2019

Some news items you might have missed:

• My girl Olivia Newton-John can add “New York Times Best-Selling Author” to her long, long list of accomplishments. Her memoir, Don’t Stop Believing’ debuts at #12 on the famed NY Times list. Folks are going nuts over the audio book version where you can hear Liv tell her story to you one-on-one in her own voice. Check it on iTunes here.

• The Human Rights Campaign has announced that U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ), one of the many pro-equality champions running for the White House in 2020, will speak at the 2019 HRC Los Angeles Dinner next Saturday, March 30, 2019.

• Removed from the prom ballot for being trans, 17-year-old Dex Frier was added back with the support of his peers and was crowned as part of the prom court.

• Out Olympic skier Gus Kenworthy was NOT having the homophobic social media posts during a Pride ski week at Breckenridge, Colorado.

• Fox News host Elisabeth Hasselbeck said that former The View colleague Rosie O’Donnell’s confession of a crush on her is “offensive” and that she is immediately began praying for O’Donnell.

• Former First Lady Michelle Obama’s memoir, Becoming, has sold more than 10 million units since its release in November. The autobiography is nearing the top of all-time memoir sales.

• Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum singer/songwriter DAYA drops the music video for her latest hit “Insomnia.”

The video throws viewers into rave culture with an epic party; but while everyone is dancing in the club, Daya is alone in a darkly-lit room, unable to join the party as her thoughts stay focused singularly on missing the one she loves.

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News Round-Up: March 11, 2019

Jonas Brothers score their very first #1 song

Some news items you might have missed:

• The Jonas Brothers have officially topped the Billboard Hot 100 with their come-back single “Sucker.” It’s the Jo Bros first number one (previous high was #5) and first boy band #1 in sixteen years.

• Democratic Presidential contender Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) said this weekend that she never supported conversion therapy, despite working for an organization that promoted it.

• Milwaukee beat out Houston and Miami for the 2020 Democratic Convention scheduled for July 13-16, 2020. Since the Democratic ticket barely lost usually ‘true blue’ Wisconsin in 2016, this makes perfect sense.

• This idiot not only got a beat down for grabbing the employee at McDonalds, but he was sentenced to 60 days in jail. The customer was apparently irate he couldn’t find a straw. Watch him get more than he bargained for below.

• Jussie Smollett’s lawyer, Mark Geragos, says the former Empire star is getting ‘gang-banged‘ by the media.

• A Brazilian politician called same-sex kissing ‘obscene’ and suggested it could be punishable with prison time.

• Speaking of Brazil, Donald Trump has invited the country’s newly-installed, virulently anti-LGBTQ president, Jair Bolsonaro, to visit at the White House. #OfCourse

•Music icon Olivia Newton-John celebrates the release of her first memoir, Don’t Stop Believin’.

With her trademark positive outlook, the Grease star shares personal anecdotes including a new afterword (added after the Australian printing) of her stay in her own hospital, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research  Centre, last fall when she experienced a fractured sacrum.

The four-time Grammy Award winner went undercover for a few weeks for treatment and shares how proud she is of the world-class facility.

She also shares never-before-told stories from her 50+ year-old career in entertainment.

You can order the book on Amazon here.

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Olivia Newton-John, Kylie Minogue & Magda Szubanski Honored On Australia Day

Kylie Minogue, Olivia Newton-John, Magda Szubanski

Three Australian LGBTQ allies – Olivia Newton-John, Kylie Minogue, and Magda Szubanski – were among the women announced on the 2019 Australia Day honors list.

On Saturday, Kylie, 50, and Magda, 57, were appointed Officers of the Order of Australia (AO) for their work in the performing arts.

Magda, the former star of the hit TV series Kath & Kim, was also honored for her tireless efforts as a proponent for marriage equality.

“To be acknowledged in this way is absolutely one of the highlights of my life,” Magda said.

She joked that people can now called her ‘Your Mag-desty’.

Olivia was honored with the Officer of the Order of Australia in 2006 for “service to the entertainment industry as a singer and actor, and to the community through organizations supporting breast cancer treatment, education, training and research, and the environment.”

This year, the ‘Physical’ singer received an upgrade, if you will, with the Companion of the Order of Australia ‘for her efforts in health service via the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness’ and Research Centre, in addition to her decades-long acting and music career.

The 70-year-old pop star said in a video greeting: “I just want to say how excited and delighted and honored I am to have this honor bestowed on me by the Governor General. I’m so proud to be an Aussie, and this couldn’t have come at a better time. Happy Australia Day!”

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Olivia Newton-John: “The Rumors Of My Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated”

Olivia Newton-John knocks down exaggerated rumors of declining health in new video

Because my husband, Michael, is Olivia Newton-John’s publicist, it’s been a strange couple of weeks watching as stories of Olivia’s health “rapidly declining” took flight.

It began with that bastion of journalism, The National Enquirer, and then other tabloids ran with it.

This week the story reached Australia where all the rags there also ran headlines of “Olivia near death’s door” or “Olivia on her death bed.”

In reality, Olivia has been feeling better and stronger as she continues treatment for her cancer, and enjoying her Christmas holiday.

Today, she sent this video to let the world know the rumors of her death “are greatly exaggerated.”

Please let me know if Olivia looks anywhere near ‘death’s door” to you 😉

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Music Video: Juliana Hatfield Covers Olivia Newton-John “Physical”

Juliana Hatfield

Alt-rocker Juliana Hatfield announced a few months ago her next album would be a full-on tribute to her favorite singer, pop icon Olivia Newton-John.

Today, Hatfield drops the music video for her take on ONJ’s “Physical” which debuted in 1981 and camped out at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 10 weeks.

“I have never not loved Olivia Newton-John,” Hatfield shared in the announcement for the project. “Her music has brought me so much pure joy throughout my whole entire life. I loved her when I was a child and I love her still.”

Hatfield prefaced the new music video with this statement:

Olivia Newton-John’s lusty “Physical” is a groovy, bouncy song, but my take on it is darker, more aggro, because I don’t think of lust as fun or funny; I think it’s dangerous and disruptive and mostly unwelcome. So that is my interpretation of “Physical”: the human condition is a bummer, and desire a frustrating impediment to serenity.

My visual take on the song is not as conceptual as Olivia’s 1981 colorful workout video. Mine is more of an impressionistic exploration of my own awkward and self-conscious physicality (especially self-conscious in front of the camera/other people).

I completely appreciate that Hatfield brings her own vibrant intensity to this fresh look at the 80s pop confection.

“Juliana Hatfield Sings Olivia Newton-John” debuts April 13th on American Laundromat Records. Pre-order available now: https://www.alr-music.com/

Watch Hatfield’s take on the 80s classic below, plus Olivia’s iconic music video which won a Grammy Award for “Video of the Year.”

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New Trailer Celebrates 40th Anniversary Of GREASE

The most successful movie musical of all time – Grease – turns 40 this year and it’s easy to imagine a huge reunion must be in the works.

The film helped propel Grammy Award-winning pop-star Olivia Newton-John into a new stratosphere, and John Travolta, fresh off of, became a bona fide movie star.

According to reports, the 1978 blockbuster has been fully restored and given an extra twirl of hair grease to ensure it’s still the groundbreaking, uplifting, tuneful, systematic/hydromatic throwback to 50’s fun we’ve all come to know and love.

Word is the flick will be released across 94 Cineworld cinemas across the U.S. in April just in time for more “Summer Lovin.'”

So, who’s still “Hopelessly Devoted” to the massive retro-musical that never tires of reminding us “we go together?”

Watch the new trailer below.

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Happy Valentine’s Day From Olivia Newton-John & Jim Brickman

Olivia Newton-John sings "Valentine"
Olivia Newton-John sings “Valentine”
Happy Valentine’s Day! Celebrating with the perfect song for the day: “Valentine” by Jim Brickman and exquisitely sung by four-time Grammy Award winner, Olivia Newton-John. https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=10156064011507145
Olivia Newton-John sings "Valentine" with Jim Brickman
Olivia Newton-John

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Puerto Rico: Olivia Newton-John Performs For Atlantis Cruise

Olivia Newton-John performs for Atlantis Cruises in San Juan, Puerto Rico

I’m out on the ocean aboard the gorgeous cruise ship, “Harmony of the Seas,” with Atlantis Cruises as Olivia Newton-John was the surprise performer for the gay cruise audience in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

I wanted to share a couple of videos to show not only how terrific Olivia was but also the incredible response from the passengers.

I’m told the performance broke the record for the largest concert held on the open seas. Over 5,000 enthusiastic revelers cheered, sang along and gave love to Livvy from start to finish.

Olivia’s band wasn’t available on such short notice, so she was here solo. But, there just happened to be a full-scale production of Grease performing on the ship, so the production’s “Danny,” T-Birds and Pink ladies jumped in to help on “Summer Nights” and “You’re the One That I Want.”

It was a terrific night, and when Olivia sang “I Honestly Love You” she made it clear the sentiment was coming from her heart.

After the show, she posted on her social media, “This week I sang on the Atlantis gay cruise aboard the stunning “Harmony of the Seas” – the biggest ship in the world! It was amongst the most memorable of nights in my whole career! Fun, warm, loving people who shared those feelings with me! Thank you, Atlantis Cruises, Team Rich and Team ONJ!!!”

Watch some video footage below.

Olivia with the cast of Grease after the concert

DJ duo Galantis performed after Olivia, and she made a point of chatching their show.

The captain of the ship gave Team ONJ a tour of the bridge as we
arrived in St. Maarten