Celebrity Chatter: What Do Stars Want?
You Won't Believe What Celebs Request
We all know just how Diva-esque celebrities can be.
I remember when I was writing entertainment reviews for a newspaper in Pennsylvania. Diana Ross was coming into town for a show at a small venue.
The executive director of the venue told me that his staff was working overtime to accomodate Miss Ross' backstage requests. Her production folks had suggested that red carpet needed to be in places where Ross' shoes would touch, so the backstage area would have to be re-carpeted. Ross' people, however, would take care of such accomodations.
During a show in Pennsylvania at a summer resort, Michael Bolton had spied a set of bright lights leading from a dressing room area to the stage. He insisted the lights be dimmed or turned off. Unfortunately, the resort said that it wasn't possible because the lights were an emergency system that remained on 24/7. Security staff at the resort climbed high atop the lights and placed large, black garbage bags over them to dim them. Bolton's beef was that the handful of people standing between the backstage area and the stage would get a glimpse of him under the glaring lights.
There are other demands made by stars with most of them written into contracts that promoters sign with the star's management. For instance, Jakob Dylan insists that no reference be made to father Bob in any advertisement when his band The Wallflowers hits the road.
According to documents obtained by www.thesmokinggun.com, vegetarian Shania Twain lists specific meal items in her contract. After a list that contains items such as homemade eggless muffins and homemade eggless cookies, (a dozen of each), the final item just says "butter."
For Destiny's Child, fresh ginger root is "Very Important." For Britney Spears, there must be one box of "red" Altoids at each show and one bag of Wow! Doritos. By the way, if you read Britney's Technical Rider, her production team needs to put a spell-check on that list. On the front page, it says that this rider is "an integral part of the agreements and contracts between the Artist and it's representatives..." Um, guys, that's its with no apostrophe.
Who knew that Tina Turner was such a Gatorade freak? Two Orange Gatorades, Two Lemon-Lime Gatorades. And where the heck will the poor schmoe who has to get all the stuff find "Three Organic Uncut Lemons" when Tina makes a tour stop in a one-grocery-store town.
Now, this all doesn't just go for pop stars. Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti will not allow any "distinct smells" near him.
The most hygienically correct request? Elton John's crew must have facilities on site where they can shower throughout the day.
So, what would your rider include? Hmmm.... I think I'll take a case of Twizzlers (must be Strawberry), some Bazooka Joe bubble gum, and a truckload of Reduced Fat Cheez Its. Oh, and of course, 6 24-oz bottles of Diet Pepsi (must be caffeinated).
She told London's Daily Record that "It looks like it's going to happen. They are writing another one. I am going to be Lara Croft again."
"If we can make it a hundred times better, if we can do a whole bunch of new things, think of a whole new sequence, get a great script with everything that nobody has ever seen before - then we will do it."
Jolie said that the film could be ready by next summer, according to the Web site Ananova.com.
There is no word on plans for a Lara Croft Wonderbra, however.
The executive director of the venue told me that his staff was working overtime to accomodate Miss Ross' backstage requests. Her production folks had suggested that red carpet needed to be in places where Ross' shoes would touch, so the backstage area would have to be re-carpeted. Ross' people, however, would take care of such accomodations.
During a show in Pennsylvania at a summer resort, Michael Bolton had spied a set of bright lights leading from a dressing room area to the stage. He insisted the lights be dimmed or turned off. Unfortunately, the resort said that it wasn't possible because the lights were an emergency system that remained on 24/7. Security staff at the resort climbed high atop the lights and placed large, black garbage bags over them to dim them. Bolton's beef was that the handful of people standing between the backstage area and the stage would get a glimpse of him under the glaring lights.
There are other demands made by stars with most of them written into contracts that promoters sign with the star's management. For instance, Jakob Dylan insists that no reference be made to father Bob in any advertisement when his band The Wallflowers hits the road.
According to documents obtained by www.thesmokinggun.com, vegetarian Shania Twain lists specific meal items in her contract. After a list that contains items such as homemade eggless muffins and homemade eggless cookies, (a dozen of each), the final item just says "butter."
For Destiny's Child, fresh ginger root is "Very Important." For Britney Spears, there must be one box of "red" Altoids at each show and one bag of Wow! Doritos. By the way, if you read Britney's Technical Rider, her production team needs to put a spell-check on that list. On the front page, it says that this rider is "an integral part of the agreements and contracts between the Artist and it's representatives..." Um, guys, that's its with no apostrophe.
Who knew that Tina Turner was such a Gatorade freak? Two Orange Gatorades, Two Lemon-Lime Gatorades. And where the heck will the poor schmoe who has to get all the stuff find "Three Organic Uncut Lemons" when Tina makes a tour stop in a one-grocery-store town.
Now, this all doesn't just go for pop stars. Opera singer Luciano Pavarotti will not allow any "distinct smells" near him.
The most hygienically correct request? Elton John's crew must have facilities on site where they can shower throughout the day.
So, what would your rider include? Hmmm.... I think I'll take a case of Twizzlers (must be Strawberry), some Bazooka Joe bubble gum, and a truckload of Reduced Fat Cheez Its. Oh, and of course, 6 24-oz bottles of Diet Pepsi (must be caffeinated).
Say 'No' To 'The Mexican'
I rented the video "The Mexican" last week. It took me three days to watch it. I wondered how two stars like Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt could even make a film that was worse than a day-old burrito.Double-Sized Lara Croft?
Angelina Jolie is already talking about a follow up to "Tomb Raider." The star confirmed the news and revealed that preliminary work has already begun on "Tomb Raider 2."She told London's Daily Record that "It looks like it's going to happen. They are writing another one. I am going to be Lara Croft again."
"If we can make it a hundred times better, if we can do a whole bunch of new things, think of a whole new sequence, get a great script with everything that nobody has ever seen before - then we will do it."
Jolie said that the film could be ready by next summer, according to the Web site Ananova.com.
There is no word on plans for a Lara Croft Wonderbra, however.
HBO's Madonna File
Madonna's Drowned World Tour gets a live broadcast on HBO Sunday from Detroit. I'll be sitting in one of those sold-out seats, but you can watch the show from the privacy of your living room beginning at 9 p.m. Watch for the mechanical bull that Madonna rides. Did you know that it was manufactured in Cheyenne, Okla., and was blessed by a priest there prior to being shipped to Los Angeles for rehearsal? The seat was designed to fit Madonna perfectly, according to the star's publicity crew.Celebrity Q&A
Q. I loved Chris Noth on "Law and Order" and now enjoy him on "Sex in the City." I know he was born in Madison, Wis., but could you give us other info on him? Who is he dating now, where does he live and what are his hobbies and future projects? -- Cindy, Middleton, Wis. A. Noth (whose name rhymes with "both" not "moth") was born on Nov. 13, 1957. His mother, Jeanne Parr, was a reporter for CBS and he lived in Connecticut, Yugoslavia, England and Spain as a child. His father died when Chris was eight years old. One of his hobbies is an acoustic folk club he opened in 1998 in Manhattan with some other business associates. Noth was busy in 2001 starring in Tom DiCillo's "Double Whammy" with Denis Leary and Elizabeth Hurley, and the independent film "Searching For Paradise." He's mum about his love life, but we can tell you that he lives alone in New York City. Michelle Solomon's gossip column, Celebrity Chatter, appears each Monday. Got a question about a celebrity? E-mail us and we'll find you the answer. Michelle Solomon@Celebrity Chatter.Copyright 2003 by Lifewhile.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
