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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Olivia Newton-John coming to The Villages, and planning reunion with John Travolta

Olivia Newton-John comes to The Villages on April 23 and may have another date to keep next year with old pal John Travolta.
Seems like yesterday that Sandy and Danny were going together at Rydell High School. Well, 1978 will mark the 40th anniversary of “Grease.” It grossed over $400 million; became one of the most successful movie musicals of all-time and turned Newton-John (Sandy), and Travolta (Danny) into superstars.

Olivia Newton-John plays The Sharon on April 23.
Olivia Newton-John plays The Sharon on April 23.

Newton-John, 68, told reporters in March that she and Travolta – who lives in nearby Anthony in Central Florida – have talked about a “Grease” reunion to mark the anniversary.
“We are thinking up ways – nothing to announce yet,” Newton-John was quoted in the Mirror of London. “Forty years anniversary of Grease, which I can’t believe. Time goes so fast. It is so exciting.” Here’s a video of the dynamic duo at a 2002 event for a “Grease” DVD release:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WvOWox2o5cU

Newton-John, who plays The Sharon at 7 p.m. on April 23 – may be in the final act of her long and successful career. She is a breast cancer survivor and has been in show business for a half century. It may be time to slow down.
“As time goes on I think of doing less and having more time off,” she told the Mirror. “Every year for the last 20 years, I thought I was retiring and then somebody would say, ‘How about this?’ and it’s like, ‘Oh, that looks fun.’”
The performer said she never lost her love for singing.
“Singing is an expression of yourself, so I love singing and performing. The traveling thing gets a bit tiring of course, but as I say, I have a very lucky life.
Diana Arlt is a local performer who remains a big fan of Newton-John, who has sold an estimated 100 million records.
“Olivia Newton John is still a beautiful woman with a fantastic vocal range and terrific charisma,” Arlt said. “She has always been a favorite of mine.  I love her songs:  ‘Physical,” Let Me Be There,’ ‘Have You Never Been Mellow,’ ‘Xanadu,’ and ‘Magic.’”
One song, however, stands above all others for Arlt.
“Hopelessly Devoted to You’ from ‘Grease’ is my favorite because you can see the love she feels for John Travolta. When she sings about ‘holding on to the end is just what I intend to do,’ it’s very moving.”
Here’s a video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN1gi8oq74g

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta rock out in "Grease."
Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta rock out in “Grease.”

“Grease” was a turning point in Newton-John’s career, Arlt believes.
“I think the movie made her a big star because of the different roles that she played within the same character.
“She starts out as virginal Sandy and goes on to be a real sex symbol.  Couple that with her wonderful dancing ability and you have a hit film and big star in the making. There will never be anyone like Olivia Newton-John.”
Despite the glamour and success, life was a challenge for her, especially after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992.
“There’s something about the word (cancer) itself that’s so scary,” Newton-John told the Susan G. Komen website. “So when I got it, I had to come to the realization—and it took awhile—that cancer isn’t necessarily a death sentence. Millions of women go through it and then lead productive, healthy lives. But at the time it felt overwhelming.”
The disease is a physical and mental battle.
“I meditated every day, did yoga, used homeopathy, ate well—I boosted my inner strength as much as I could. When bad thoughts came in, I pushed them right out. I had what’s called a modified radical mastectomy with reconstruction done to my breast immediately—a woman can be traumatized waking up with nothing there….It was difficult, but I focused on staying positive.”
In 2014, she opened the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in her hometown of Melbourne, Australia.

“I wasn’t sure whether I wanted to get behind having a building with my name on it,” Newton-John told reporters at the time. “It was all very overwhelming. And I asked my mother and she said, ‘Listen darling, if you can help somebody, then you should do it.”
“That was just the most important, basic and obvious answer. So, if it’s something that touches my heart and I feel like I can help, then I’ll do it.”
Newton-John has a daughter, Chloe. Newton-John has been married to businessman John Easterling for nearly a decade.
She told the Mirror that marriage, “is the best thing ever. I have the most wonderful husband and a fantastic marriage, and I’m very, very lucky to have met him.”

Here are Olivia Newton-John’s best-selling singles, according to Billboard Magazine:
No. 1: Physical; 2 – Magic; 3 – You’re The One That I Want (with Travolta); 4 – A Little More Love; 5 – Please Mr. Please; 6 – Have You Never Been Mellow; 7 – I Honestly Love You; 8 – Let Me Be There; 9 – Hopelessly Devoted to You; 10 – Heart Attack; 11 Twist of Fate; 12 – Sumer Nights (with Travolta).

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