Olivia back in gear with special on HBO
By Luaine Lee, Knight-Ridder Newspapers
CENTURY CITY, Calif. Just when everybody thought Olivia Newton-John was the girl next door, she wanted to get “Physical.” In spite of the surprises the Australian singer has thrown at her fans, the slender, blond beauty is as sweet and unpretentious as the girl who cooed “I Honestly Love You” and “Have You Ever Been Mellow” back in 1974.
Looking at the demure Newton-John, dressed in a red T-shirt, flowered cotton skirt and white bobby socks trimmed with lace, it’s hard to believe she is the co-owner of 16 retail stores, the winner of four Grammy awards, the co-star of the most successful movie musical of all time, the source of 50 million record sales, author of several songs and a first-time mother at 37.
She doesn’t think it’s such a big deal. When she startled the world with her rock-tinged music, that was just part of the natural evolution of her career, which began in her home town of Melbourne when she won a talent contest at 15.
And when she gyrated across the stage with her pulsating video for “Physical,” she was just taking advantage of the opportunity that began with her movie, “Grease,” she says.
And playing Barbara Walters for some good-time blokes at an Aussie pub for tonight’s HBO special, “Olivia Newton-John in Australia,” was just part of the job, she says.
Newton-John’s special spotlights her new MCA album, “The Rumour” due in August. It’s her first album in three years. And its release may mean more than a bullet on the charts. “I think this album is going to dictate how I feel about my career because it’s the first time I’ve been in the public eye for a long time,” she says.
“It kind of was an evolution. “Grease” gave me the chance to change direction a lot,” she says. “I got to play a character, and the character got to do the song, “You’re the One That I Want.” That was kind of a more rock image.”
“And from that, I made an album called “Totally Hot,” which was kind of a transition to “Physical.” The things I chose to do in my film career gave me the opportunity to make those transitions, and I guess as I grew I didn’t want to be singing the same songs every album. That would be boring.”
But she admits she was frightened. “I used to get very nervous and get myself in a state and write the lyrics on my hand,” she says. “Before I partake in anything new, I go through the jitters. And then the day of it, I’m fine. But I usually find I start thinking, ‘Am I actually going to have to do this tomorrow?”
Since she became a mother to 21½-year-old Chloe that has changed. “Nothing is as scary as it used to be. Now I take it in my stride because I think there are things more important. This is not the end of the world.”
While she has been promoting the opening of several Koala Blues, her Australian boutiques, her new album is her first artistic endeavor since “Soul Kiss” in 1985. “I haven’t been putting my music out there for anyone to hear or putting myself personally on the line. Since I’ve had Chloe, I’ve been a little more aware. And some of the songs I’ve written for the album have more social awareness.”
When Newton-John married actor Matt Lattanzi 3½ years ago it was another shock to her fans. Lattanzi is younger than she. They met when they co-starred in the movie, “Xanadu.”
“It took me so long to marry because I hadn’t met the right one,” she says. “And also because I was scared of commitment. I don’t know what I was scared of now. Once you get through the marriage ceremony, you’re OK. It’s actually better. I used to think that marriage was the same as living together. The only difference was a piece of paper.”
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