Rutland Daily Herald from Rutland, Vermont • 90

instepwith Olivia Newton-John Breast cancer survivor Olivia Newton-John talks about her new CD to raise money for research. Olivia's father was the head of King's College at Cambridge, and her mother was the daughter of famed physicist Max Bom. When Olivia was 5, the family moved to Australia. Olivia had her own all-giri group and was performing on TV at 15. In 1971, she made her U.S.

debut with the hit tune "If Not for You." But it was the film Grease in 1978 that made her a superstar. Besides showbiz, Olivia is quite a businesswoman. She markets Australian wines under the Koala Blue label. Does she drink her own wine? "Oh, yes," said Olivia. "But just a glass.

I'm a cheap date." Sadly, as we went to press, Olivia's longtime love, cameraman Patrick McDermott, was reported missing while on a fishing trip. COVER AND INStDE PHOTO BY PATRICIA DE LA ROSA FOR PARADE; HAIR BY GEORGE FULLER FOR LINES CURVES; MAKEUP BY STACEY SHERMAN; STYLING BY PENNY LOVELL FOR CLOUTIER; SHIRT JACKET BY HUGO BOSS Her grandfather was a physicist who won the Nobel Prize, but four-rime Grammy-winner and movie star Olivia Newton-John has an impressive resume of her own. She sang at the Vatican for Pope John Paul II, was awarded the Order of the British Empire by Queen Elizabeth and opened the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. Can she rate in order of excitement? I cant, she said. They were all so exciting, all so different.

Thirteen years ago, Ms. Newton-John was stricken with breast cancer. As a survivor, she has hurled her name and energies into fund-raising. One recipient is the new cancer center in Melbourne, which was named for her. Im very proud of that, Olivia told me.

But her latest effort is a CD called Stronger Than Before, featuring other cancer survivors, such as Diahann Carroll. Patti Labelle, whose three sisters died from cancer, also sings. It was important to be writing and working with these women, Olivia said. I came up with the concept and wrote some of the songs. It was challenging.

The CD is available through Oct. 31, only at Hallmarks Gold Crown Stores, and benefits the Susan Cj. Komen Foundation. In 2001, Olivia made a Showtime movie called The Wilde Girls with her daughter, Chloe, now 19, who is also a singer an actress. She just finished her first album, said Chloes proud mom.

And Olivia still performs herself I just did 1 0 days on the road with my band, said the youthful-looking star, who has a home in Australia and another in Malibu, Calif. In October and November, Ill do some concerts and the talk shows talking about the music and about breast cancer. The work is there whenever I want it. Im very, very lucky. II People cvcnnvhere ore discovering I uucst ii Whiit tire i inn umitin for? KA your dot lor..