Newsmakers: Jon Bon Jovi, Katie Holmes, Kelly Clarkson

Q & A: Jon Bon Jovi
The rocker is now going a little bit country with his new album, "Lost Highway." He spoke to Nicki Gostin.

So is this your country album?
It's almost like my country album.

Are you going to start wearing a cowboy hat?
Didn't I do that in the '80s?

At least it wasn't to cover up a bald spot.
I was just going to say that. Some of those guys do it for that reason.

Like Dwight Yoakam.
Yeah. And he wore tighter jeans than I did.

Did you have to lie in bed and pull them up?
No, no, no, no. I wasn't the fat guy trying to squeeze into them—I was an emaciated rock star.

You must be the only rock star still married to his high-school sweetheart.
That's not true. There's Bono. I can't even say I'm the only rock star whose name begins with B, or Bo, or even Bon.

Isn't your wife a karate expert? Couldn't she kick your butt?
Probably. But I run faster.

You have four kids—but I haven't seen photos of any of them!
That's right. I'm not a media ...

Whore?
[Laughs] Right. I don't show up at every premiere or walk out of every hotel with the kids. It's my profession, not theirs.

I've noticed over the years that you sometimes have a hairy chest and sometimes it's completely bare.
Cultivating the crops. Grow them and cut them down. And then I sell them.

You used to sweep the floor at your cousin's recording studio. Were you a good sweeper?
No! I was never meant to have a real job.

So it's lucky this singing thing panned out. Otherwise, what else would you have done?
Not much. I think I would be asking you if you wanted large fries with that shake.

* * * * * * * * *

How to Spice Up Your Life (and Hair)
Katie Holmes is looking mighty posh. actually, she's looking a lot like Posh Spice. Mrs. Tom Cruise's new short 'do is oddly similar to that of Mrs. David Beckham. Coincidence? The two are friends. And Victoria Beckham is so big in the U.K. that the British press renamed the bob haircut "the Pob" (for "Posh bob"). With the fashionista moving to California with her soccer-star husband, will the rest of America follow in her stilettos and get the same cut? Or is she too spicy? Last week Victoria unveiled her new line of denim to the U.S. press—and to the single groupie who'd waited six hours to see her. So how else will Posh stay busy when she's not getting her Pob bobbed? She's got an NBC reality special, and if all else fails, there's always that rumored Spice Girls reunion tour.

* * * * * * * * *

A Sour Note for a Superstar
Where's Kelly Clarkson been since "Since U Been Gone"? And why is her new album, "My December," getting more bad buzz than that "American Idol" movie? Her first two albums were breakaway hits—one of them was even called "Breakaway"—and sold a total of 15 million copies worldwide. (Never mind what the critics said.) Then she went off to write her own songs for the new album. Word leaked that producer Clive Davis hated it, and that Kelly should've stuck with hitmaking songwriters. The first single, "Never Again," was hardly a smash, and even Simon Cowell's praise—"one of the best pop voices in the world"—didn't help. Last week Clarkson sent out more bad vibes, firing her manager and postponing her tour due to slow sales. Does "My December" really stink? Forget what Simon says—you be the judge when it hits stores next week.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer



To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go