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Rick Springfield and Christopher Cross

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Rick Springfield
An Affair of the Heart

Breaking Glass Picture

Those who remember Springfield as being grumpy and standoffish, something the star readily admits that he was for many years, will be very surprised by this documentary film. It's no secret that Springfield's good looks and long run on TV soap General Hospital made him a big favorite with the ladies but his fan club hasn't waned one iota over the years. With his surly days long past, An Affair of the Heart demonstrates just how fan-friendly Springfield is these days; the singer is shown schmoozing before, during (he brings fans on stage a lot) and after performances, and not just with the ladies. Many of Springfield's fans are true fanatics who've followed his career for decades and who have seen a countless number of shows; some of the more interesting fan stories told here involve a couple that met and got married because they were both fans, a wife who had a husband who couldn't understand the mania until he met Rick and the chronicling of how Springfield once cuddled a baby on stage then stayed in touch with the family over the years to see the boy grow into a young man who now comes on stage and plays guitar whenever the two cross paths. Springfield is candid, funny and quite charming throughout and even though the man is an accomplished actor there's no question here that his affection for his fans is genuine. Quick edits and lots of performance footage make this film a fun viewing for even casual Springfield fans.

Christopher Cross
A Night in Paris

earMusic/Eagle Rock

In the early 1980s if you didn't like the soft rock sounds of Christopher Cross you were in a lot of trouble. The singer's self-titled first album sold a gazillion copies (and earned five GRAMMY Awards) and monopolized radio with big hits "Sailing" and "Ride Like the Wind." Those who have long since donated their worn out vinyl copies of Christopher Cross to Goodwill may have forgotten about him over the ensuing decades but in fact Cross never went away, he's continued to record and now has nine albums under his belt. This live show filmed in Paris in 2012 gives fans an excellent chance to reconnect as Cross, strong of voice and still able to hit the high notes, plays a generous show featuring tunes from throughout his career including deep album cuts like "The Light is On" from the debut platter, the peppy jazz of "Walking in Avalon" from the turn-of-the-century effort Red Room and even some cuts from latest album Doctor Faith. Kiki Ebsen, daughter of the late actor Buddy Ebsen, steps out from behind her keyboards to sing with Cross on "Spinning," bass player Chazz Frichtel shows off his scat singing skills on "Walking in Avalon" and the band is in top notch form throughout. The biggest crowd responses come as expected from "Sailing" and set closers "Arthur's Theme" and "Ride Like the Wind." Cross encores with "Say You'll Be Mine." A Night in Paris is a DVD/2-CD set with the audio and visual programs being identical.


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