That’s Entertainment
By Pete Thompson
I just as easily could’ve used “You’re the One that I Want” as the headline for this column as well. Very sad news that Olivia Newton-John, the star of “Grease:, and a Grammy-winning singer, has passed away at the age of 73. While no official cause of death was cited, Newton-John fought breast cancer for over 30 years. The English-Australian actress also had a successful music career with hits like ‘Physical’ and ‘I Honestly Love You.’
For millions, like me, she will be best remembered as good-girl turned greaser Sandy in the 1978 film “Grease” opposite John Travolta. The film shot her career to new heights and notably changed the role of Sandy from an American girl to an Australian transplant to accommodate Newton-John’s native accent. One of her songs in the film, “Hopelessly Devoted to You” was nominated for the 1979 Oscar for Best Song. That song, along with “You’re the One That I Want”, were written by her music producer John Farrar, specifically for the movie to showcase Newton-John’s voice.
Shortly after news of Newton-John’s death broke, Travolta posted a sweet tribute to her on his Instagram. “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” Travolta captioned a photo of the actress. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny Your John!”
I saw a lot of social media posts about Olivia Newton-John, and in addition to many folks referencing “Grease”, there were almost as many posts about the movie “Xanadu”. In that 1980 film, she danced opposite Hollywood legend Gene Kelly. “Xanadu” also spawned a hit soundtrack, including the song “Magic” which became one of the biggest pop hits of her career.
I’ll close this tribute to O-N-J with a personal memory as I wasn’t the world’s biggest fan, but I certainly remember my sister Pam and her girlfriends playing the original record & songs from “Grease” over and over again! According to Wikipedia, the original soundtrack album was released in April of 1978, so that means a 7-year-old Peter Thompson was hearing those songs endlessly for about a year! I mean, c’mon, is there anyone out there of a certain age that doesn’t know all the words to “Summer Nights”? R.I.P. to Dame Olivia Newton-John.
There’s an old saying in the entertainment business that you’re not supposed to lead with death, but I thought that was worthy of leading off this column. And because I did, I can segue to another actor who has passed away at the age of 83, as we say goodbye to actor Roger E. Mosley, best known for his role as “T.C.” from the original “Magnum P.I.”
His daughter Ch-a Mosley announced the news on Facebook, saying, “We could never mourn such an amazing man. He would HATE any crying done in his name. It is time to celebrate the legacy he left for us all.”
Mosley landed his most memorable role opposite Tom Selleck as the titular private investigator Thomas Magnum in the original Magnum P.I. From 1980 to 1988, Mosley played Theodore “T.C.” Calvin, the owner and sole employee of Island Hoppers, a local helicopter charter and tour van service, who always finds himself roped into Magnum’s cases. R.I.P. to “T.C.”
In other entertainment news, I wrote about the new movie “Bullet Train” last week. Well, the Brad Pitt led movie chugged into the top spot from the weekend box office with $30 million dollars in its opening weekend. According to Rotten Tomatoes, that’s a decent opening for an R-rated original property, but it remains to be seen if it has staying power.
Elsewhere on the box office rankings, it looks like Jordan Peele’s “Nope” will make a profit, but barely. The three movies of the summer really boil down to “Top Gun: Maverick”, “Thor: Love and Thunder”, and “Minions: The Rise of Gru”.
There are two new movies on the streaming services as I think I will check out “Thirteen Lives” on Amazon Prime very soon. You might recall that in 2018, several members of a youth soccer team in Thailand, along with their coach, became trapped in a cave they were exploring when sudden, heavy rains flooded the area and blocked the entrance. Their harrowing rescue took weeks, involved thousands of experts from across the globe who eventually were able to extract them from the cave. Their story has been brought to life by director Ron Howard in “Thirteen Lives”, which stars Colin Farrell, Joel Edgerton, and Viggo Mortensen as the core group of men who were essential to the rescue.
I’m also stoked to check out “Licorice Pizza” on Netflix as well. The 2021 period comedy drama film is both written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson. It stars Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman in their film debuts, alongside an ensemble supporting cast including Sean Penn, Tom Waits, Bradley Cooper, and Benny Safdie. Set in 1973, the film follows the development of a young couple’s relationship. I’ve really enjoyed several films from Paul Thomas Anderson, like “Boogie Nights”, “Magnolia”, “Punch-Drunk Love” and “There Will Be Blood”. In fact, I wanted to see this one in the theater, but never got there. I’m excited to be able to watch it from the comfort of my La-Z-Boy!
Which is where I watch all my regular TV shows too. Not on streaming, but debuting this week on HBO for the 17th season is the NFL-based “Hard Knocks”. This year, the HBO cameras are at training camp with the Detroit Lions. If you’re a fan of football, if you’re a fan of excellent storylines, you simply must check out “Hard Knocks”. Hey, if the Lions don’t seem like your cup of tea, former Eagles running back & coach Duce Staley is a key figure in the series this year. Also, Lions Head Coach Dan Campbell is a reality star who’s just waiting in the wings!
Elsewhere, my girlfriend and I have been continuing to watch “The Captain” on ESPN about Derek Jeter. That’s been a great series. I also have enjoyed a few episodes of “Who Do You Think You Are?” on NBC. The show from Lisa Kudrow and Dan Bucatinsky takes celebrities and follows them as they discover their heritage and lineage.
I’ve watched episodes so far on Nick Offerman, Allison Janney and Zachary Levi. In my DVR and waiting to be watched is the one on Bradley Whitford, the actor from “The West Wing” and other projects. I find the stories to be compelling, and by DVR-ing it, I can fast forward through the commercials!
As always, if there’s something out there I’m not covering or discussing in this column, please feel free to email me at PBrooksT@aol.com
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Pete has been the local “sports guy” at the Jersey Shore since 2004. After a decade with TV 40, he joined 97.3 ESPN radio to talk Eagles, Phillies, Sixers & Flyers with Mike Gill on “The SportsBash” from 2-6 p.m.
Pete is proud to be a “voice” for the annual ShopRite LPGA Classic each June, and does emcee work for groups like the National Football Foundation, The Old Grad Awards, and The 200 Club of Atlantic County. You can hear Pete each Tuesday and Friday on 97.3 ESPN at 5:00pm, and if you see him out & about in the community, he requests that you please say “Hi”. Send comments to PBrooksT@aol.com
