Storyby Lisa YadaoTempo Contributor
The “It” list is here and supplied by an abundance of fresh-facedtalk of the town, all of whom have long passed their days of payingdues and are now primed and ready to take to the wheel.
Here, another edition of The Buzz Factory with a rundown of thosecenter-staged newcomers, filling the buzz in the world ofentertainment.
Rashida Jones (actress, ‘BostonPublic’)
It is not easy making a name for oneself, especially if yourparents are both famous names in the film and music industries.Daughter of Peggy Lipton (TV’s “The Mod Squad”) and Quincy Jones,Rashida has done just that. This past year, the Harvard Universitystudent co-starred alongside Sharon Stone, Michelle Williams andEllen Degeneres in “If These Walls Could Talk II: Women Only” and”The Last Don.” She has also appeared on the TV show “Freaks andGeeks” and is a correspondent for “Vibe TV.” And while many stillmight not know her name outside of mentioning her father’s, Joneswill herself be a name people won’t soon forget, with her regularrole on Fox’s new critically-acclaimed David E. Kelley show “BostonPublic.”
JessicaAlba (actress, ‘Dark Angel’)
Giving Buffy a run for her money this year is the James Cameron’s”Dark Angel,” which features hot Maxim fave Jessica Alba. A veteranof sorts, 19-year-old Alba has already frequented both TV and film,with roles in “Flipper,” “The Secret World of Alex Mack,” “CampNowhere,” “Idle Hands” and “Never Been Kissed.” At 16, Alba studiedunder the tutelage of William H. Macy and David Mamet at theiracclaimed Atlantic Theatre Company. Currently, she can be seenkicking ass and riding motorcycles as the futuristic, geneticallyenhanced vixen Max Guevara and will soon be seen in the Guy Ritchiefilm “The Sleeping Dictionary.”
China Chow (actress, ‘Head OverHeels’)
The product of restaurateur Michael Chow and the latemodel/designer Tina Chow, London-born China is proving she’s got herown star to rise to. Named one of Harper Bazaar’s “It Girls” in 1996,this Scripps College graduate (psychology major) spent years as amodel for Shiseido cosmetics and for both Tommy Hilfiger and CalvinKlein before nabbing a role opposite Mark Wahlberg in “The Big Hit.”Though she was originally cast as an additional character named Paigeon the WB show “Young Americans,” Chow wisely backed out to pursueother ventures. Up next: a lesbian turn in the Mark S. Waters film”Head Over Heels.”
JulianMcMahon
(actor, ‘Charmed’)
“Charmed” fans were introduced to Australian sensation JulianMcMahon last week as a new regular on the WB hit show, playingAssistant D.A. Cole Turner. The son of Sir William McMahon (formerPrime Minister of Australia), the 32-year-old found quiet success onsuch shows as “Will and Grace,” “Profiler” and “Another World” andalso stars opposite Jeff Daniels in the film “Chasing Sleep” beforebecoming the new reason to watch those ever-so bewitching Halliwellsisters.
Tom Cavanagh (actor, ‘Ed’)
NBC’s “Ed” turns the spotlight onto Canadian actor Tom Cavanagh,who first caught attention with his recurring role as “dog boy” onthe show “Providence.” Born in Ottawa, Canada, Cavanagh’s childhoodwas spent in a small coastal fishing village in Ghana, Africa wherehis parents spent years educating locals. A graduate of QueensUniversity in Ontario, where he received three degrees (English,biology and education), Cavanagh found a growing passion in theater.He found minor success as a regular on the TV series “Jake and theKid.,” and also appeared on “Sports Night,” “Viper,” “The Sentinel”and “The Outer Limits” before finding his way to “Providence” and to”Ed.”
Rick Yune (actor, ‘Redline’)
Korean American actor Rick Yune has quite a bit to boast about.Yune was once a qualifier for the Olympic Trials for Taekwondo. Byhis college years, Yune found himself venturing off into thelucrative world of modeling, eventually becoming the first Asianmodel for Polo Sports and Versace. After college, Yune became a stocktrader for SAC Capital. But after studying at the Actors Studio inNew York and doing minor TV work, Yune found himself working oppositeEthan Hawke in his film debut, 1999’s “Snow Falling on Cedars.” Otherprojects in the works: “The Fence” and the Rob Cohen thriller”Redline” with fellow Buzz inductees Vin Diesel and Jordana Brewster.
Fisher (singer/songwriter, TrueNorth)
The upcoming release of “True North” from Kathy Fisher has gainedso much hype that its original date of November 14 was pushed toOctober 31. Virtually an unknown in the music industry, Fisher, whoseonly prior credit was a track on the 1998 “Great Expectations”soundtrack, found friends in Star 100 radio DJs Jagger and Kristi.Upon introducing to their audience an MP3 of Fisher’s, “I Will LoveYou,” it became an instant hit that caught the attention of eagerlisteners hungry for more of this FarmClub artist, even endowing uponFisher a special Commendation from the city of San Diego.
David Gray (singer/songwriter, WhiteLadder)
Though he has released several albums prior to “White Ladder”(1996’s “Sell, Sell, Sell,” 1994’s “Flesh” and 1993’s “A CenturyEnds”), the buzz around Manchester-born David Gray has only been oflate. The release of the album off his label IHT in Ireland foundmuch adulation as it climbed the Top 30 charts; five of its tracksare featured in the film “This Year’s Love.” Success with Americanaudiences, however, came only with the aid of longtime fan DaveMatthews, who gave Gray’s album a U.S. release off his own indielabel, ATO Records. His hit single “Babylon” is stirking chords amongnew fans — positioning him for the praise and recognition that hasbeen long overdue.
