Newton-John let's body talk on ABC TV Special
HOLLYWOOD (AP) -“Let’s Get Physical” is the invitation of Olivia Newton-John in her latest album and a television special on ABC airing Monday night.
In fact, the album led to the special, a unique happenstance in today’s TV.
“The album came first,” Newton-John recounts. “I hadn’t done a sole album in two and a half years, and I wanted to try something a little different. More rock ‘n’ roll for a change, more ‘up’ tunes. I was always known for ballads before”.
“We decided to make some video concepts of the songs, perhaps to put them on cable television. Brian Grant is an English director who has done 300 recording films, and he’s very imaginative. We gave him the album and told him to work up ideas. He came back with story boards that were brilliant.
“My manager showed the films to ABC, and the network wanted a TV special. I was surprised. I don’t want to sound detrimental to television, but 1 thought that the numbers were too kind of “new” for network TV. They’re experimental, the sort of thing you might find on cable television”.
“We added some dialogue and a couple of live numbers, but otherwise the numbers are the same as they were originally done each song a three-minute story. No guest stars at least no guests that are stars yet. That’s different from the usual television special.”
At this point in her career, Olivia Newton-John seems to be searching for new challenges. She hasn’t done a concert tour in three years.
She declined overtures for a re-teaming with John Travolta in “Grease II.” Except for European appearances last September, she has spent much of the past two years at home, “catching up on my personal life, seeing friends, being with my animals.” She has a small menagerie at her Malibu spread.
Her last film, “Xanadu,” hit thena tion’s theaters with a resounding thud, though the album was a platinum seller. What happened to the movie?
“I thought the musical numbers were great, but the dialogue left something to be desired,” she commented. “I knew that while we were shooting, but there wasn’t much I could do. Then they changed the whole story midway through production, and that didn’t help. Although ‘Xanadu’ didn’t do well in this country, it was very successful abroad, and I understand the backers recently got their money back.”
Olivia plans a return to Australia next summer to appear in a non musical film, “Kangaroo,” based on a novel by D.H. Lawrence.
By Bob Thomas, Associated Press Writer