Ask American Profile

Air Supply, Sela Ward, Shadoe Stevens, Higher Ground

What happened to Air Supply, the singing duo from the ’80s? They had so many hits and such a distinctive sound.
—Ruth R., Pennsylvania

Air Supply toured the United States, Canada, and Mexico last year in support of their latest album, Yours Truly, their first studio release in four years. Formed in Melbourne, Australia, in 1976, the popular group was centered around Russell Hitchcock and Graham Russell, with other members coming and going through the years. The band burst onto the American music scene in 1980 with Lost in Love. A string of top 10 hits followed. Five albums later (excluding greatest hits albums), the group’s phenomenal popularity had faded and they disbanded in 1988. A reunion in 1991 produced several albums, but no huge hits.

Who is the dark-haired woman on the Sprint commercials? Has she appeared in movies or television shows? She seems so familiar.
—Ruben N., California

You’ve probably seen Sela Ward on television and in the movies. She currently stars on ABC’s Once and Again in her Emmy-winning role. Ward, 45, also won an Emmy for her role as Teddy on Sisters, which ran on NBC. On the big screen, she has appeared in such movies as The Fugitive and My Fellow Americans. Ward didn’t start out to be an actress. The native of Meridian, Miss., (pop. 39,968) studied art and advertising at the University of Alabama, where she was a cheerleader. A fan letter (yes, the cheerleaders got fan mail) put the bug in her ear that she could be in movies. She moved to New York after graduating and later began a successful modeling career. Ward is married and has two children.

Could you give me an update on Shadoe Stevens? I hadn’t heard anything from him for a while until I heard him as an announcer on Hollywood Squares.
—Ed C., Arkansas

The smooth-voiced Stevens, 54, continues to announce for Hollywood Squares, but his pet project is his role as chairman and president of RhythmRadio, which he co-founded. Stevens says the Internet music company is “the full-color, wide-screen, global Internet music mega-pipeline.” Starting in the late ’60s, the North Dakota native enjoyed tremendous on-air and programming success at a number of radio stations in Boston and Los Angeles. He is credited with creating two of the most commercially successful music formats in the history of radio—album-oriented rock and alternative rock. From 1988 to 1995, he hosted radio’s American Top Forty, and his voice became one of the most recognizable in the world. He also has appeared in a number of feature films and television roles, most visibly as series regular Kenny Beckett on Dave’s World from 1993-1997.

I liked the show Higher Ground. It was a good show for the whole family. Was it canceled?
—Meeker D., Illinois

Yes. The show was lauded for its inspirational and realistic messages but never caught on with viewers. It starred Joe Lando (perhaps better known as Sully on Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman) and co-starred Hayden Christensen, who will play Anakin Skywalker in the next two Star Wars movies. The 20-year-old Canadian beat out some of Hollywood’s big name stars and hundreds of unknowns for the role. George Lucas says he chose Christensen because of his raw talent and the chemistry he has with Natalie Portman, who plays Padmé Amidala. Christensen has been acting since he was 7 years old. He recently co-starred in the movie Life as a House with Kevin Kline.

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