OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN ON TOUR IN JAPAN

Olivia Newton-John in Osaka

Still lookin' good!  Olivia Newton-John was spotted in Osaka this weekend wrapping-up her Japanese Tour.  The Singer/Actress who was seen in Toronto this past September, has been in Japan for the past couple weeks, beginning with shows in Tokyo.  

Our friend MiT caught Newton-John boarding her Van and chatting with some Fans.  MiT was sweet enough to send over a Photo of the moment, as Newton-John is seen above unfolding a piece of Fan Mail.  Aww.  Fans in Japan are another league of wonderful, aren't they?  We sure could learn a lesson or two from them in terms of respect and generosity.

In addition to performing her Classics, she is touring in support of her latest album Grace and Gratitude Renewed.

(Photo credit: Mr. Will-W. via MiT)

TIFF PRE-PARTY FOR PREMIERE OF SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL

The cast of Score: A Hockey Musical did the rounds today prior to its two Gala presentations on TIFF 2010's opening night.  The cast members of Score arrived at the Intercontinental Hotel today for a pre-party and attendees included none other than the legendary Olivia Newton-John.  Newton-John who still looks vivacious, come out after the party to greet hoards of fans at the front of the Hotel along with her husband John Easterling, daughter Chloe and boyfriend.  Although she was in quite a rush to head off to the VISA Screening Room, she posed quickly for a photo with me and signed my Grease Soundtrack a total THREE (!) times as her pink Sharpie failed to show-up on the green of the album cover.

The film is about a boy who becomes a national Hockey hero and is directed by Mike McGowan who was last at TIFF with One Week in 2008.  McGowan of course was in attendance today with his wife and children, as were the film's star Noah Reid, the beautiful Allie MacDonald, Marc Jordan, Hawksley Workman and Hockey icon Theo Fleury.  Nelly Furtado also stars in the film, but was not present today at the festivities.  Score: A Hockey Musical opens in Canada on October 22, 2010 (my birthday!) via Mongrel Media.

Check out some more photos from earlier today:

SCORE: A HOCKEY MUSICAL TO OPEN TIFF 2010

Today's Globe and Mail  quotes TIFF co-director Cameron Bailey stating: “In advance of making this announcement (re: this year's opening Gala) this morning, I was on Twitter and Facebook asking people, ‘Should we open with a Canadian film or not?’ And the response that I got was overwhelmingly, ‘Yes, Canadian’".  So there you have it, Score: A Hockey Musical will be the opening Gala at this year's TIFF which commences September 9, 2010. 

Other than Tim Horton's or Maple Syrup, there is nothing more Canadian than Hockey. The film, shot in and around Toronto, is a coming-of-age tale starring Olivia Newton-John and Nelly Furtado, as well as boasting a litany of cameo appearances from Canadian notables. It should be horrible by the sounds of it, but this is where Canadian Film is at, as still we are struggling to carve our national identity cinematically.  Score: A Hockey Musical will be distributed by Mongrel Media and opens on my Birthday, October 22, 2010.

NEW MUSIC: OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN FT. SUE SYLVESTER - PHYSICAL (GLEE)

Scream.  Too ridiculously good. One thing I cannot deny about this season of Glee is that the story lines continue to be lacking, but the musical component of it all is better than ever. 

Meant to be used as a weapon of humiliation, the kids of Glee dug up an old video of Sue Sylvester (Jane Lynch) and Olivia Newton-John performing a super-hot rendition of her 1981 hit Physical.  But the results were anything but humiliating.  The video they shot not only camped it up, but also sexed it up with some hunky torso-bearing dancers who didn't seem to mind being objectified, while the two vocalists got twirled and lifted.  I love the all the fixings they added to the track from the tastefully auto-tuned bits to the updated bassline.  Everything.

As a friendly reminder, if it weren't for the massive success of this hit single, we might not know who Kylie Minogue is today.  Newton-John paved the way and carved a blueprint for Australia's finest export. 

Check out Physical by Olivia Newton-John ft. Sue Sylvester below in full (audio content owned by Sony Music):