Ask American Profile 6/10/2007

Q Please help my friend and me settle a disagreement. She says an actor on The O.C. was Jennifer Beals’ boyfriend in the movie Flashdance. I say no way—it’s two different people.
—Mark O., Farmville, Va.

Your friend is correct. Michael Nouri, who portrayed Dr. Neil Roberts on the FOX-TV series The O.C., played the blue-collar boyfriend/boss in 1983’s Flashdance. Nouri, 61, has been acting steadily since 1969, when he had a brief appearance in the comedy Goodbye, Columbus. You may have seen him most recently in the movies Invincible, set in the 1970s football world of the Philadelphia Eagles, and Boynton Beach Club, in which he played a retirement-community playboy.

Q My niece is crazy about a new group called Girl Authority. What can you tell me about them?
—S. Silar, Danville, Ill. Girl Authority is a group of nine Boston-area friends, all between the ages of 9 and 14, who are creating quite a buzz with their bubbly, positive pop music geared toward young girls. Their new CD, Road Trip, features retooled versions of Madonna’s “Holiday,” Fleetwood Mac’s “Don’t Stop,” the Go-Go’s “Vacation” and Katrina and the Waves’ “Walking on Sunshine.” The members met through a local theater company in Massachusetts, where they each—at various times—appeared in productions of Annie.

Q Can you tell us anything about Johnny Rodriguez? He was such a good singer.
—Gladys Davis, Toast, N.C.

Texas-born Rodriguez, 56, made the trek to Nashville, Tenn., in the early 1970s, intent on becoming a country music star. He eventually landed a string of hit singles, including “Pass Me By (If You’re Only Passing Through)” and “Ridin’ My Thumb to Mexico.” He continues to tour and perform. Injured last summer when he was thrown from a horse near his home in Fort Worth, Texas, he recovered after 10 days of hospitalization and soon was back on the concert trail.

Q I heard that Drew Barrymore was paid over $1 million for her first movie, E.T., a record amount for a child star, a\nd she was barely 7 years old! Is that true?
—Shawn Wilson, Edna, Texas

Barrymore’s pay for E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial in 1982 was $75,000—not $1 million, but certainly impressive. The child actress made her movie debut in Altered States in 1980 at age 5. Now she’s 32, and her salary has risen considerably: She was paid $14 million for Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle in 2003. Her latest movie is Lucky You, about a hotshot poker player in a high-stakes Las Vegas tournament.

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