Talking 'Tiger Beat,' family ties and keeping it real

By ERIC DEGGANS

© St. Petersburg Times,
published July 25, 2001

Parade a bunch of celebrities in front of a bunch of TV critics to hype their fall TV shows and you'll get observations from thoughtful to sassy and that often go beyond the screen. Times critic Eric Deggans passes along some that made an impression on him.

"I was told if I did it, I had a good chance of having a spread in Tiger Beat. That hasn't happened yet. But I'm working on my pouty look."

-- TV and movie veteran Fred Willard, 61, describing why he agreed to join a sitcom (Maybe It's Me) on the youth-oriented WB network.

"Men I Would Sleep With If I Was Younger and Had a Better Body."

-- author/actor Carrie Fisher on what she would like to call her new Oxygen channel cable series, actually titledMan Talk With Carrie Fisher.

"I have a lot more relatives than I thought I had. I get these letters, 'I'm your second cousin from so-and-so's step-blah-blah-blah.' I'm like, 'Really? My family gets around.' "

-- Jessica Alba, star of Fox's Dark Angel, on the only impact of her fame.

"I just think there are no guarantees in life. I have seen examples of people who stayed married their entire life. But ... no matter how good it looks on the outside or seems at first, you just don't know."

-- Dennis Quaid, recently divorced from actor Meg Ryan, on how he feels about marriage

"People have been asking me 'How is he going to succeed? He's not an actor.' Well, neither are the kids on Dawson's Creek, but people are watching them."

-- Emeril co-star Lisa Ann Walter on working with chef-turned-actor Emeril Lagasse.

"We're going to keep it real, as they say in the street: 'Keep it real.' Whatever that means. I'm black, and I don't even know what that means."

-- Comedian Bernie Mac on his new Fox series, The Bernie Mac Show.

"I'm the only one who could get up this early. And the only one that looks about the same, as well. That's the other thing."

-- '80s pop star Billy Idol on why MTV chose him to speak to reporters about the show Early Years at MTV.

'It doesn't work. You look carefully at any face that's had plastic surgery and some bits look young and some bits look old.'

-- Former Monty Python star John Cleese, host of The Human Face With John Cleese on The Learning Channel.

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