Raevengeance
07-12-04, 07:41 PM
from AIM Today - 7/12/04
http://channels.aimtoday.com/celebrity/becksmith.jsp?p=117
Is Nick Lachey Following the Course of Other Show Business Men, Standing in the Shadows of Love?
By Stacy Jenel Smith
With the new season of "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" underway, fans have noticed that we're seeing a lot of Nick Lachey going to wife Jessica Simpson's gigs and appearances - as opposed to the other way around. Is Lachey's career sinking slowly into the West as Simpson's star shines ever more brightly?
ABC p[arse]ed on his "Hot Mom" series pilot with Gina Gershon. His other non-Jessica television outings have included a guest spot on "I'm with Her," the not-so-popular ABC sitcom about a regular guy living with a super-famous wife, and an "American Dreams" episode in which Nick pretended to be Tom Jones.
His "SoulO" album debuted in November. Variety reported, "While most of America was mocking his wife's confusion over certain food items, 30,000 fans of Nick Lachey bought his first solo album, 'SoulO.'" By contrast, the week's No. 1 record, (Jay-Z's "The Black Album") sold over 15 times that amount -- 463,000 units.
USA Today gave "SoulO" 1.5 stars and a backhanded compliment, saying Nick showed "unsinkable perkiness."
The Boston Globe opined that the record "won't do much to change his primary public image as the perpetually exasperated husband of a disturbingly dim wife."
It doesn't sound terribly promising for his future -- unless, of course, you happen to be among those who believe Lachey's future is already here.
There's a trail left by fellows in show business who've played straight man, or even second fiddle -- standing in the shadows of their beloved.
In 1922, vaudevillian George Burns signed a young gal named Gracie Allen to play his straight man. But in just one performance, George realized Gracie was the funny one and traded her scripts. Their next time on stage, she brought down the house, and there was no going back. Burns and Allen became one of the most successful comedy acts in America for more than three decades.
"Next to Gracie, I was wonderful," Burns wrote in an affectionate biography, 1988's Gracie: A Love Story. "All I had to do was stand next to her and imagine some of the applause was for me."
The title says it all in the case of "I Love Lucy." Everyone loved "that crazy redhead," Lucille Ball, as husband Desi Arnaz referred to her. He did extremely well by playing the exasperated hubby/straight man - while he masterminded the show, built a booming TV empire with his wife, made a fortune - and got some laughs himself.
The down side of entertainment couples who work as teams has been well recorded as well. One need look no further than 1993's "What's Love Got to Do With It," Tina Turner's story of her nightmarish years with ex-husband Ike.
Syndicated Columnists--Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith are featured in over 100 print publications and other media outlets with cutting edge celebrity news and insider scoop. Enjoy their columns daily on CompuServe and Netscape.
http://channels.aimtoday.com/celebrity/becksmith.jsp?p=117
Is Nick Lachey Following the Course of Other Show Business Men, Standing in the Shadows of Love?
By Stacy Jenel Smith
With the new season of "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica" underway, fans have noticed that we're seeing a lot of Nick Lachey going to wife Jessica Simpson's gigs and appearances - as opposed to the other way around. Is Lachey's career sinking slowly into the West as Simpson's star shines ever more brightly?
ABC p[arse]ed on his "Hot Mom" series pilot with Gina Gershon. His other non-Jessica television outings have included a guest spot on "I'm with Her," the not-so-popular ABC sitcom about a regular guy living with a super-famous wife, and an "American Dreams" episode in which Nick pretended to be Tom Jones.
His "SoulO" album debuted in November. Variety reported, "While most of America was mocking his wife's confusion over certain food items, 30,000 fans of Nick Lachey bought his first solo album, 'SoulO.'" By contrast, the week's No. 1 record, (Jay-Z's "The Black Album") sold over 15 times that amount -- 463,000 units.
USA Today gave "SoulO" 1.5 stars and a backhanded compliment, saying Nick showed "unsinkable perkiness."
The Boston Globe opined that the record "won't do much to change his primary public image as the perpetually exasperated husband of a disturbingly dim wife."
It doesn't sound terribly promising for his future -- unless, of course, you happen to be among those who believe Lachey's future is already here.
There's a trail left by fellows in show business who've played straight man, or even second fiddle -- standing in the shadows of their beloved.
In 1922, vaudevillian George Burns signed a young gal named Gracie Allen to play his straight man. But in just one performance, George realized Gracie was the funny one and traded her scripts. Their next time on stage, she brought down the house, and there was no going back. Burns and Allen became one of the most successful comedy acts in America for more than three decades.
"Next to Gracie, I was wonderful," Burns wrote in an affectionate biography, 1988's Gracie: A Love Story. "All I had to do was stand next to her and imagine some of the applause was for me."
The title says it all in the case of "I Love Lucy." Everyone loved "that crazy redhead," Lucille Ball, as husband Desi Arnaz referred to her. He did extremely well by playing the exasperated hubby/straight man - while he masterminded the show, built a booming TV empire with his wife, made a fortune - and got some laughs himself.
The down side of entertainment couples who work as teams has been well recorded as well. One need look no further than 1993's "What's Love Got to Do With It," Tina Turner's story of her nightmarish years with ex-husband Ike.
Syndicated Columnists--Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith are featured in over 100 print publications and other media outlets with cutting edge celebrity news and insider scoop. Enjoy their columns daily on CompuServe and Netscape.