SAVAGE STAYS SWEET IN HOLLYWOOD JUNGLE.Byline: Marilyn Beck & Stacy Jenel Smith Fred Savage is frankly fed up with people wondering how he managed to turn out so, well, normal. ``It really upsets me - the image and the stereotypes that come with child actors,'' says Savage, who played Kevin Arnold on ``The Wonder Years'' from ages 12 to 17. The just-turned-21-year-old, a senior at Stanford University Stanford University, at Stanford, Calif.; coeducational; chartered 1885, opened 1891 as Leland Stanford Junior Univ. (still the legal name). The original campus was designed by Frederick Law Olmsted. David Starr Jordan was its first president. and star of NBC's new fall comedy ``Working,'' still gets asked, he says, ``How can you be so normal? Why aren't you an a-- or a prima donna or robbing a bank or on drugs or suing your parents?' ``Why should I be?'' Savage snorts. ``Because I acted when I was a kid? It's not a cause and effect.'' Maybe not, but the Hollywood hall of shame is littered with the headlines of former child stars arrested (Todd Bridges Todd Anthony Bridges (born May 27, 1965 in San Francisco, California) is an American actor. A regular on the Barney Miller spinoff Fish, Bridges is best known for his role as Willis Jackson on the television series Diff'rent Strokes from 1978 to 1986. and Dana Plato Dana Michelle Plato (November 7 1964<ref name="NNDB" /> – May 8 1999) was an American actress who became famous playing the role of Kimberly Drummond in the U.S. television sitcom Diff'rent Strokes. , ``Diff'rent Strokes''), suing their parents (Gary Coleman Gary Wayne Coleman (born February 8, 1968) is an American actor. Coleman is best known for his role as Arnold Jackson in the American sitcom Diff'rent Strokes , ``Diff'rent Strokes'') and using drugs (Danny Bonaduce Dante Daniel "Danny" Bonaduce (pronounced /bɑnədutʃi/), (born August 13, 1959, in Broomall, Pennsylvania) is an American comedian and actor, as well as a radio and television personality. , ``The Partridge Family''; Lauren Chapin Lauren Chapin (born May 23, 1945 in Los Angeles, California) is an American former child actress, most famously remembered for her role as youngest child "Kathy Anderson" (nicknamed "Kitten") in the television show Father Knows Best , ``Father Knows Best''; Anissa Jones of ``Family Affair'' died of a cocaine overdose at 18). ``Kids like me grew up with this albatross of kids who came before us,'' says Savage, who recalls being told throughout his teen years in TV and in such movies as ``The Princess Bride,'' to ``enjoy it now, because your life is going to suck later.'' But it has not turned out that way for Savage and many of his peers: ``Josh Saviano, who played Paul on `Wonder Years,' is at Yale. Danica McKellar (Winnie on `The Wonder Years') is graduating from UCLA UCLA University of California at Los Angeles UCLA University Center for Learning Assistance (Illinois State University) UCLA University of Carrollton, TX and Lower Addison, TX with a degree in theoretical math. Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an Emmy-nominated American actor. He is known for his television roles as the teenage doctor Doogie Howser, M.D. and the womanizing Barney Stinson in How I Met Your Mother. (``Doogie Howser, M.D.'') is in `Rent.' Kellie Martin (``Life Goes On'') is at Yale and is producing and creating her own stuff. Scott Weinger (``Full House'') is at Harvard. Sara Gilbert (``Roseanne'') was at Yale (she graduated in May). ``We learned from the mistakes of the previous generation of actors,'' says Savage, who also looked to the successes of Jodie Foster, Ron Howard and Kurt Russell for inspiration. ``Hopefully, others after us will do the same.'' Bringing the essentials It's been quite a family affair backstage on the Rolling Stones' ``Bridges to Babylon'' tour (as opposed to just a plain affair, like other Stones' tour relationships in other years). We understand that this time all the Stones have had family on hand - including Mick Jagger's wife, Jerry Hall, and their kids. And Mick's elder daughter, Jade, and her older child. That's a Jagger jag 1 n. 1. A sharp projection; a barb. 2. a. A hanging flap along the edge of a garment. b. A slash or slit in a garment exposing material of a different color. tr.v. grandkid grand·kid n. Informal A grandchild. , in case the fact escaped your attention. Besides various loved ones and attachments, we hear that a truck filled with top-grade gym equipment - StairMasters, treadmills, weights, etc. - follows the band wherever it goes. Jagger, especially, attends to his physique, with a regimen that includes daily runs plus an hourlong warm-up before each night's performance. You've got to hand it to him; his energy level makes it look like time is on his side. The videoland view Jenica Bergere A Bergere is a type of upholstered chair, commonly found in the Regence/Rococo period in France in the 17th century. It includes a loose, but tailored, cushion, upholstered back, upholstered seat, exposed wooden frame; arms may be exposed, manchette style or upholstered. , who makes her bow Sunday night as Justine Bateman's replacement on ``Men Behaving Badly Men Behaving Badly is a British comedy, which first broadcast in 1992 on the ITV network, however moved to BBC One (and a later timeslot) from the third series onwards. It was written and created by Simon Nye. ,'' says she considers her predecessor ``talented and funny, and I don't want to put her down - but that seems what everyone else wants to do. I guess that's because she and Ron were behaving, well, badly.'' Now, it's no secret that the replacement of Ron Eldard and Justine on the sitcom came after they made their unhappiness with the show and its management more than evident. At one point, in fact, they delivered such below-par performances that portions of a segment had to be reshot. Jenica says she loves working with Eldard's replacement, Ken Marino, and is happy she's not working with Ron, ``considering what I've heard. He didn't want to be here and made that obvious.'' Ron, at least, did return to tape the ``Men Behaving Badly'' segment that aired Sunday night and showed his and Justine's character heading out for married life elsewhere. Justine declined to do the show, and they ended up using a body double with her face hidden behind a very thick wedding veil. ``It was done so last-minute that they were editing last week,'' says Jenica. ``Crazy, huh?'' At the helm Helen Hunt will be directing two - or more - segments of ``Mad About You'' this season. Write on Sidney Sheldon's latest best seller, ``The Best Laid Plans,'' has set a record: 15,000 large-type books (for people with vision problems) have already been sold. William Morrow kicked off the novel with a first printing of 1 million copies of the regular-type version. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos Photo: (1) Fred Savage ``Working'' man (2) Mick Jagger Grand old time (3) Helen Hunt ``Mad' director |
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