For Immediate Release on Entertainment Drive
Released by Beck/Smith

Lorenzo Lamas' New Bride Returns to 'Renegade'
Hollywood -- July 2, 1996 -- Lorenzo Lamas, who met his fourth wife, model/actress Shauna Sand, when she guested on his "Renegade" series last year, says she'll definitely be back this season. But in a different role. "She played a gangster's moll last season and did a wonderful job," says Lamas, who might be just a little biased. "Our producer Stephen Cannell mentioned to me that he'd love to have her come down and do a couple of shows. They've developed a character that might be fun for her to play and appealing to our audience. Her character is going to be entirely independent of either of the main characters and will have her own pot to stir." Other than that, Lamas is remaining mum on what the character will be. "It's a physical role...let's put it that way. But I'm not going to tell you exactly what the character is other than you're going to see Shauna in some very tight fitting uniforms." Considering "Renegade's" strong male demographic, that should appeal to his audience. Aside from Shauna's guesting on "Renegade," Lamas says they are not pursuing projects to do together. He says Sand, who graduated from American University in Paris with a degree in international finance, "Is really concentrating on her own individual acting career and the training aspects that she's going through right now to develop her acting skills. I think that now the both of us have to concentrate on being more individual especially in the way this industry perceives us. So we're going to be focusing more on doing things separately, which is healthy and necessary."

Jon Voight/Gregory Hines Planning New Musical
Hollywood -- July 3, 1996 -- Jon Voight is serious about wanting to bring back the non-animated movie musical. The actor, who has a musical project in development with Gregory Hines, says he really misses those Judy Garland-style musicals that were "playful and fun. When I need to cheer myself up, I put one of them on...We haven't had any of those on our list of movie choices in recent years, and it's a shame," notes Voight, who is currently playing a villain in Columbia's big "Anaconda" thriller. "The industry has had bad experiences with some musicals that didn't work, but I think one real success in that realm would bring the genre back," he adds. Voight, who is considered one of the nicest personalities in the business -- though he's made some big splashes as bad guys in pictures including "Mission:Impossible" -- feels that those simple, uplifting musical pictures are actually needed these days. "So much of the present drama is concerned with hatred, anger and violence," he says. "These kind of musicals gave audiences the sense that there is a love story attached to every life, and that, in fact, there is a purpose and a destiny in our lives. We're being given the reverse information in so much of films and literature today, we need a balance." Voight points out the need to "focus on the next generation" in the entertainment industry. Amen to that.

Singer Sheena Easton on Motherhood
Hollywood -- July 4, 1996 -- Singer Sheena Easton says she's glad she waited till she was 35 to become a mother. Easton's adopted two children, Jake, 22 months, and Skylar, 6 months. "If I'd done this at 25 I'd have been a lousy mother," notes the singer. "I was selfish in the past. It wasn't consciously, but I never put anyone before me. I was way, way involved with me, me, me...everything had to be what made me happy, what worked for my career and what was convenient for me. I had to get that out of my system and get to a place spiritually and emotionally where it was enough already with being so self-involved. I got sick of myself and after a long, long time of figuring out what I needed, realized I needed to focus on giving to somebody else a lot more. And it was about bloody time." Easton says the children help her keep everything in perspective. "They don't care if you're supposed to be up at 7 a.m. to go to work, if they want you at 2:00 or 3:00 in the morning they'll let you know." She adds that, "Now every decision I make involves my kids...If I get an offer of work and don't think it's good for my kids I turn it down. That was unheard of in the past."

Townsend Says Berry No Diva on 'B.A.P.S.'
Hollywood -- July 5, 1996 -- Halle Berry reportedly started getting a reputation for being troublesome when she threw a tantrum on the set of the 1995 film, "Losing Isaiah" with Jessica Lange. But Robert Townsend, who's directing Berry in the currently shooting "B.A.P.S." (Black American Princesses), says he's witnessed no evidence of Diva-it is from the comely actress. "You have to check the source. If a director isn't trusting of the artist and says I want you to do this' or I don't want you to do that' and it doesn't feel right to the artist, there could be a problem...But if the actor's done his research and knows his character inside out..." In "B.A.P.S.," Berry plays one of two women who befriend an aging millionaire ( played by Martin Landau.) As far as Townsend's concerned, "Halle is an actress with solid gold instincts and I trust her. If someone's willing to take a chance on something, or willing to do this stunt or that, then you work with the artist -- especially if they're bringing magic. Halle's bringing magic to this. You're going to laugh one minute and cry the next when you see the film."

Copyright (c) 1996 Beck/Smith Ent.


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