We’ve seen a lot of photos of Olivia Newton John since she passed on, but this has to be our absolute favorite. Billy Idol posted this vintage pic with no explanation of when or where it was taken, but look at those SWEET faces! (Olivia much sweeter than Billy, of course ) We’re guessing it was the 80’s…
Photo: Instagram
Olivia Newton John always held a special place in my heart because of her role in Grease. Grease was written by a guy who grew up in a Chicago suburb like the one I grew up in. In high school there were two groups – the Greasers and the Ivy League style kids. The Greasers had oily pompadours and sinister black leather jackets. The Ivy Leaguers wore penny loafers and v-neck sweaters. Greaser girls wore tight clothes and more make-up. Greasers were less likely to go to college, but they were definitely sexier. Grease, the play, opened in a small theater in Chicago and was SUCH a hit, it was on Broadway the following year – despite the raunchy and politically incorrect dialogue. That’s where I saw it and fell in love. In the film version Olivia Newton John was the perfect Sandy Dumbrowski – and she will always be remembered for that- and the fact that I never heard a negative piece of gossip about her.
(Above, a few years ago, Olivia attended a Grease event with a life size cutout of Sandy.)
Photo: Pacific Coast News
Back in the 90’s when we had an expense account, we used to frequent the fancier restaurants in Beverly Hills. Every once in awhile, there would be a fuss, and Sidney Poitier (along with companions) would be leaving the restaurant, and MANY people (including other celebrities) would stop him to chat. He was always charming and generous with his time with everyone, as we watched in awe. Halle Berry posted this adorable photo of herself with Sidney in Variety along with a nice tribute about how she grew up idolizing him, and how they met and became friends in Hollywood.
Photo: Instagram (Variety)
Sad to hear that rockabilly singer Sanford Clark died from Covid this week. He wasn’t as famous as Gene Vincent or Eddie Cochran or Jerry Lee Lewis, but his deep voice and songs were highly danceable. And he was an inspiration to other singers, like Elvis. Of course, he also had that great pompadour. What happened to rockabilly music? We still see rockabillies at flea markets or thrift stores occasionally, but they are way too scarce. The last time we heard rockabilly music live was a LONG time ago when we saw The Stray Cats…
Little did we know that Pierre Cardin (who just died at the age of 98) created the suits that The Beatles wore in the photo that introduced them to the world. Their fashion was revolutionary at the time and nothing was ever the same afterward. Cardin was enormously influential in creating the mod sixties for both men and women- and design in general. He was openly inspired by the Apollo space program and futurism. Besides clothing, he designed textiles, furniture, and even buildings. Actually he was one of the architects of mid-century modern, which is so adored now.
Bottom photo: the Cardin museum in Paris 2014
The sudden loss of Chadwick Boseman was a horrible shock this weekend. We loved him as James Brown in Get On Up! before he did Black Panther Chadwick was only 43, but he had accomplished a LOT in his short life. Sad to think how sick he was during most of his career. He’s pictured here with Mick Jagger, whose Production Company was responsible for Get On Up! Mick loved Chadwick’s performance in the film.
Photo Credit: BACKGRID-USA
Nobody had a better sense of humor about himself than Little Richard – he called himself “The Bronze Liberace.” His crazy, dance-friendly music was so addicting that we could not WAIT to see him when he performed in Chicago in the late 60’s. We had to go to the Rush Street club alone because no one shared our enthusiasm, but the night was more than worth it. Richard welcomed us backstage, and showed us his makeup tricks and fancy wardrobe. He sent one of his employees to walk us home to make sure we were safe. What a sweetheart. A true original, Richard suffered all his life because he was so delightfully gay, but desperately wanted to be true to his religion. We will never forget his pencil thin mustache, pompadour, and oversize gabardine suit in the early days. Yes, we loved Little Richard’s concert MORE than The Beatles…thanks for the memories.
Above, Little Richard performed in the movie The Girl Can’t Help It
