โข Jennifer stole my heartย ย ย ย โข Little Debbie invited me up to her room โข Call me "the Fourth Child" or "the Sixth Spice" So there we were, on 52nd Street, outside the now-shuttered Roseland Ballroom. It was 1999 and budding movie star Jennifer Lopez was throwing a party for the launch of her first … Continue reading My Divas – J-Lo, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Williams, Debbie Gibson, Beyonceยด, Barbra, Spice Girls
Tag: Showbiz today
These Are Days – 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe, Cat Stevens and Salman Rushdie
โข Idle googling turns up not one but two Natalie Merchant profiles โข Idle gossip about her and Michael Stipe had to be addressed, I guess โข An unplanned blog post. Surprise! The ROTR will return to hibernation. In a spasm of boredom the other day, I googled my name and up came a YouTube … Continue reading These Are Days – 10,000 Maniacs, Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe, Cat Stevens and Salman Rushdie
Superspreader: Spring Break
โข Cramming thousands of kids together on a Florida beach used to be a good idea โข โWhere the Boys Areโ in 1989 โข Rick Nielsen is blasรฉ about half-naked ragers In a post-Covid world, one imagines, an annual ritual such as spring break on Americaโs beaches will be revived safely . . . if … Continue reading Superspreader: Spring Break
Oye Cรณmo Va, Carlos?
โข From Woodstock to the Waldorf, Iโve been in Carlos' fan club โข His Hall of Fame Induction โข Tea time in the lobby By the time I got to Woodstock in August of 1969, all I knew about Santana was a nugget picked up in some alternative music paper: the band was managed by … Continue reading Oye Cรณmo Va, Carlos?
SXSW
โข Austinโs annual music festival makes for a pretty routine CNN piece โข The biggest name to interview there was Matthew Sweet. But thatโs the point * At least I survived another visit to Texas without being hauled into court Me & Texas just havenโt always gotten along. There was that time a sneaky prosecutor … Continue reading SXSW
Not On Walden Pond
โข A transcendental television moment with the Eagles' Don Henley โข The difficulty of making a green new deal with a determined developer. โข Sour grapes about no Concord stand-up I canโt possibly complain about a career that took me around the world, let me meet and talk to fascinating people and rewarded me handsomely. … Continue reading Not On Walden Pond
Elvis had the Flu
โข But a 1994 interview went forward anyway โข Brutal Youth, boxed sets and bootlegs โข Youโve heard the story, now see the video In a blog post here last year, I told the story of what a trouper Elvis Costello was when he showed up for an interview with a temperature over 100 and … Continue reading Elvis had the Flu
More Q and A
โข Interviewing myself again? (I'm an easy โgetโ) โข The first time I did a Q & A with myself, I was rattled by the tough line of questioning. โข Iโll try to do better this time. The following has been edited for clarity and brevity. Mark, was there ever a story that youโve completely … Continue reading More Q and A
My Divas – J-Lo, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Williams, Debbie Gibson
โข Jennifer stole my heart โข Mariah took me up and away......and left me cold โข Little Debbie invited me up to her room So there we were, on 52nd Street, outside the now-shuttered Roseland Ballroom. It was 1999 and budding movie star Jennifer Lopez was throwing a party for the launch of her first … Continue reading My Divas – J-Lo, Mariah Carey, Vanessa Williams, Debbie Gibson
Showbiz Today, CNN – Pt. 2
โข A part of CNN at its post-Gulf War peak โข Covering show business like it's a . . . . business โข When celebrity breaks out, we break in! For the next twelve years, spanning the nineties, I had a most amazing time as a CNN correspondent. โNo heavy lifting,โ is how I … Continue reading Showbiz Today, CNN – Pt. 2
Bolton Bombed
โข Michael Bolton showed me how to generate a smash hit โข I lobbed a lot of softball questions at the pop star โข Canโt anyone here play this game of giving him a decent pitch to hit? The pop star was popping up. And hopping mad. It was driving him crazy, his long blond … Continue reading Bolton Bombed









