Olivia a hit in London
Olivia superstar Newton-John is approaching 40 with joy.
Her family life is flourishing and business is booming. Now she is ready to show the world that she still calls Australia home.
In a community where entertainers commemorate the milestone birthday by calling up their cosmetic surgeons, the Melbourne-reared star faces her 40s with positive expectations.
She’s back in the U.S. after a whirlwind promotional tour in London where she (and daughter Chloe) wowed ‘em, and the American cable TV giant Home Box Office is about to launch Olivia Newton-John In Australia, a sресial that will highlight songs from her new album The Rumor.
In the hour-long special, Olivia takes viewers on a guided tour from the shining cities of Melbourne and Sydney to the rugged Outback, with stops along the way at places like Cradle Mountain and the Barossa Valley.
After a stopover at what she calls a “Crocodile Dundee-type bar in the Outback”, the climax is a spectacular fireworks display on Sydney Harbor.
Olivia says she’s delighted to be able to offer viewers around the world a real insider’s look at the vast continent she still calls home.
The show, her second for HBO, will also be the shop window for her new album her first since her 1985 hit Soul Kiss.
Olivia says the songs are very different from anything she’s done before they are tunes “about ecology, divorce, and a mother singing to her child”.
Motherhood and marriage are subjects close to her heart. The joy of her life is two-year-old Chloe, who takes priority over everything, and her marriage to actor Matt Lattanzi is considered one of the most solid in Tinseltown. And Olivia has managed that tricky balance juggling a flourishing showbusiness career with that of mother, wife and businesswoman.
For a long time now. Olivia has been concentrating her efforts on her home life and her empire of Koala Blue boutiques (there are now more than two dozen).
But, obviously, the next few months will be crucial for her showbusiness career.
“I’ve got plenty to be thankful for,” says Olivia, who’s eagerly awaiting the reaction to her show.
By Ivor Davis
More from the Down Under, Olivia Newton-John in Australia HBO special.