'Celebrity Weddings' Special Captures Russell Crowe, Shaq, Others
In Style Captures Stills, Video For Special
POSTED: 1:19 a.m. EST January 16, 2004
Sure, we've caught wind time and again of film star Russell Crowe's gruff off-screen persona -- but don't believe everything you hear.
That's because In Style magazine has captured the gentler side of the "Gladiator" Oscar winner as he walked down the aisle with Danielle Spencer in April -- one of eight high-profile ceremonies featured on "In Style Celebrity Weddings," airing Monday on ABC (10-11 p.m. ET).
"We all know about Russell Crowe -- he looks like a real tough guy and you wonder if he has a soft side to him," In Style national correspondent Cortney Lumpkin told TurnTo23.com in an interview this week. "But there's a picture of him in our February issue and he almost looks teary-eyed. It is so nice to see."
While you won't get to see Crowe's wedding in its entirety, Lumpkin promises that viewers will definitely get the best of the ceremony.
"The moments we capture are the ones you want to see," she explained. "It gives people a feeling as if they were at the wedding. You get to see the side of Russell Crowe that you haven't seen before, so that picture captures it for you."
In addition to Crowe, the popular fashion magazine chronicles the weddings of celebrated film actress Julianne Moore, Lakers star Shaquille O' Neal, "According to Jim" and "Father of the Bride" star Kimberly Williams, country star Wynonna Judd, "Sopranos" star Jamie-Lynn Siegler, rocker Melissa Etheridge and "Line of Fire" star Leslie Bibb.
While the paparazzi make it a habit to crash weddings to get the money shot, In Style is known for its unprecedented access to celebrity weddings. Lumpkin said it all boils down to the magazine's reputation of respecting its subjects.
"We never want to do anything to hurt the celebrities -- we want to celebrate their weddings and show the good pictures that they'll want people to see," Lumpkin enthused.
In the case of the special, In Style had both still photographers and/or video cameras at the celebrations. For example, Lumpkin said, viewers will get see video footage of the weddings of O'Neal and Shaunie Nelson (the couple exchanges 17-carat rings, Lumpkin said), Williams and country star Brad Paisley, and Siegler and A.J. Discala.
The great thing about the special is that it covers a variety of different ceremonies. While O'Neal and Nelson held an extravagant gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Moore and her hubby, director Bart Freundlich, had a mere of 40 guests at their New York brownstone. Williams and Paisley's ceremony, meanwhile, was a "Denim Only" beachside affair, complete with a "mud cake" made with layers of chocolate pudding, crushed-up Oreo cookies, and gummi worms.
Some weddings had themes, if only coincidental, Lumpkin said. Such was the case with Siegler's nuptials, whose "family" wedding guest list included "Sopranos" stars Edie Falco, Aida Turturro, Robert Iler, Dominic Chianese and several other cast and crewmembers.
The "Celebrity Weddings" special also features the wedding of Etheridge and "Popular" star Tammy Lynn Michaels, which Lumpkin says was important to include.
"I think it's such a special part of our special -- I think it shows how far we've come when we can put a wedding like theirs on a prime-time show," Lumpkin explained. "It shows how much open we are as individuals. To watch the love the two of them had was a really neat thing. They became beloved wives. To me, I hope people look at this and realize that they really do love each other and it's OK to accept something like that, even if it's something they don't believe in."
Plus, Lumpkin said, the Etheridge-Michaels wedding had to appear on the special because of the star power of the attendees -- which included Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Ellen De Generes, Jennifer Aniston and former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper.
"That wedding seemed to pull in more A-listers that any of the other weddings," Lumpkin said, laughing.
More Info: "In Style Celebrity Weddings" page on ABC.com
That's because In Style magazine has captured the gentler side of the "Gladiator" Oscar winner as he walked down the aisle with Danielle Spencer in April -- one of eight high-profile ceremonies featured on "In Style Celebrity Weddings," airing Monday on ABC (10-11 p.m. ET).
"We all know about Russell Crowe -- he looks like a real tough guy and you wonder if he has a soft side to him," In Style national correspondent Cortney Lumpkin told TurnTo23.com in an interview this week. "But there's a picture of him in our February issue and he almost looks teary-eyed. It is so nice to see."
While you won't get to see Crowe's wedding in its entirety, Lumpkin promises that viewers will definitely get the best of the ceremony.
"The moments we capture are the ones you want to see," she explained. "It gives people a feeling as if they were at the wedding. You get to see the side of Russell Crowe that you haven't seen before, so that picture captures it for you."
In addition to Crowe, the popular fashion magazine chronicles the weddings of celebrated film actress Julianne Moore, Lakers star Shaquille O' Neal, "According to Jim" and "Father of the Bride" star Kimberly Williams, country star Wynonna Judd, "Sopranos" star Jamie-Lynn Siegler, rocker Melissa Etheridge and "Line of Fire" star Leslie Bibb.
While the paparazzi make it a habit to crash weddings to get the money shot, In Style is known for its unprecedented access to celebrity weddings. Lumpkin said it all boils down to the magazine's reputation of respecting its subjects.
"We never want to do anything to hurt the celebrities -- we want to celebrate their weddings and show the good pictures that they'll want people to see," Lumpkin enthused.
In the case of the special, In Style had both still photographers and/or video cameras at the celebrations. For example, Lumpkin said, viewers will get see video footage of the weddings of O'Neal and Shaunie Nelson (the couple exchanges 17-carat rings, Lumpkin said), Williams and country star Brad Paisley, and Siegler and A.J. Discala.
The great thing about the special is that it covers a variety of different ceremonies. While O'Neal and Nelson held an extravagant gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Moore and her hubby, director Bart Freundlich, had a mere of 40 guests at their New York brownstone. Williams and Paisley's ceremony, meanwhile, was a "Denim Only" beachside affair, complete with a "mud cake" made with layers of chocolate pudding, crushed-up Oreo cookies, and gummi worms.
Some weddings had themes, if only coincidental, Lumpkin said. Such was the case with Siegler's nuptials, whose "family" wedding guest list included "Sopranos" stars Edie Falco, Aida Turturro, Robert Iler, Dominic Chianese and several other cast and crewmembers.
The "Celebrity Weddings" special also features the wedding of Etheridge and "Popular" star Tammy Lynn Michaels, which Lumpkin says was important to include.
"I think it's such a special part of our special -- I think it shows how far we've come when we can put a wedding like theirs on a prime-time show," Lumpkin explained. "It shows how much open we are as individuals. To watch the love the two of them had was a really neat thing. They became beloved wives. To me, I hope people look at this and realize that they really do love each other and it's OK to accept something like that, even if it's something they don't believe in."
Plus, Lumpkin said, the Etheridge-Michaels wedding had to appear on the special because of the star power of the attendees -- which included Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, Ellen De Generes, Jennifer Aniston and former Vice President Al Gore and his wife, Tipper.
"That wedding seemed to pull in more A-listers that any of the other weddings," Lumpkin said, laughing.
More Info: "In Style Celebrity Weddings" page on ABC.comCopyright 2004 by TurnTo23.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
