My mother, Betty, was an entertainer – she opened up for James Brown, Ike and Tina Turner – and I had an uncle who would work as a chef in a restaurant, 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4. I was young, so he could have been shorter, but in my mind, that’s how tall he was.
I started singing in pubs and clubs around Belfast when I was 10. My dad is a musician, and he took me ’round; I impersonated Tina Turner and Shirley Bassey, and the crowd couldn’t believe what was coming out of this little girl.
The reason we didn’t acquire WCW is an incoming, rotating door, new head of Turner at that time, took prime time television literally out of the deal that we had already negotiated. Once that happened, there was no way to make any sense of it. It was really just a video library and some ring mats.
Alex Turner is one of my heroes – his lyrics are genius.
People don’t connect the girl that sang ‘Mickey’ with the girl who was one of the seven original Lockers or the same girl who was in ‘Easy Rider’ or the same girl who choreographed David Bowie, Tina Turner, and Bette Midler tours. It’s like I’ve led five lives.
Tina Turner is someone that I admire, because she made her strength feminine and sexy. Marilyn Monroe, because she was a curvy woman. I’m drawn to things that have the same kind of silhouettes as what she wore because our bodies are similar.
If I’m on form and I’m not being bothered too much by mental problems or whatever, I can whip out something good. That’s why I’ve done quite a few overdubs for Tina Turner and things like that, because even before she made this comeback I said yes to her, just because I love Tina Turner.
I saw Nichelle Nichols in ‘Truck Turner,’ and she was so good.
I can not regulate Daryl Turner. He’s a union official.
I really like the Doors. I like Kevin Spacey, Bruce Springsteen, Will Farrell, Reggie Watts, Tina Turner, who is also very hot, Tracy Chapman. Beethoven.
Every time there’s a revolution, it comes from somebody reading a book about revolution. David Walker wrote a book and Nat Turner did his thing.
I go to Stanford, and I’m an economics major, not thinking I’m going to do anything with acting. A professor came to the dorm where I lived looking for people to audition for an August Wilson play, ‘Joe Turner’s Come And Gone.’ I gave it a shot, got one of the lead roles in the play.
Singers like her, Patti, Tina Turner, I revere them when I’m in their presence.
One Christmas, Dennis Dermody, the movie critic of ‘Paper,’ gave me ‘Rock Hudson: A Gathering of Friends,’ the master invitation list from Rock Hudson’s memorial service. It’s so great. Everyone’s in it, with personal addresses all bound into a book. Someone else once gave me Ike Turner’s will. I get great stuff.
I was with Ted Turner when he came to see Kofi Annan – the Secretary-General of the UN – to announce his decision to put $1 billion to the service of UN projects and programs.
I have to pinch myself every time I think of getting to work with Kathleen Turner.
I was a Tina Turner fan growing up.
The idea of travelling all over the world singing the same songs sounds like hell. How people like Tina Turner still do it with enthusiasm is beyond me.
When the Atlanta Braves were owned by Ted Turner, he was very passionate and did whatever it took to do something good – and eventually he made money. Labels used to be the same way. Now they’re corporations, and it’s only about their stock.
Robert Osborne either has the best job in the world, or comes very close. As millions of viewers know, Osborne is the resident host of the great Turner Classic Movies (TCM) channel, the most reliable source of pure enchantment in the cable universe.
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