Wvc Seniors Enjoy Mixed Success In Indoor All-star Games

2 Men Hurt In Attack At W-b Group Home

By AMY LONGSDORF; Times Leader Correspondent
 Sunday, February 08, 1998 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1G 





BEVERLY HILLS- Child star. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Playboy model. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Tabloid queen. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Wild child. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Professional bad girl. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Drew Barrymore has been them all. But now for the first time since making
her film debut as a lovable moppet in "E.T.," the actress is playing nice for
the cameras. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In "The Wedding Singer," which opens Friday in area theaters, Barrymore
portrays Julia, a blushing bride-to-be who dreams of nothing more than a quiet
life in the 'burbs. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With her Mary Tyler Moore hair-flip, modest outfits and apple-pie
aspirations, Julia is so wholesome she makes Marie Osmond look like a scarlet
woman. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Talk about a stretch. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "People think I'm a bad girl but I'm really the opposite," says Barrymore.
"I get all of that bad girl crap out of my system through my work. Now, Julia
I could relate to. She's the woman I aspire to be in a relationship. She's not
one of those people who are trying to rip through the bushes to get to the
other side of the forest. She's a very traditional girl." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Even off screen, Barrymore swears by "traditionalism." For the last year,
she's been involved with 26-year-old actor Luke Wilson, the "Bottle Rocket"
star with whom she's worked on two upcoming movies, "Independence" and "Home
Fries." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In contrast to her usual whirlwind romances, which include a six-week
marriage to Welsh bartender Jeremy Thomas as well as relationships with Hole
guitarist Eric Erlandson and actor Jamie Walters, Barrymore enjoyed a long
courtship with Wilson before falling in love. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I once would have thought that the idea of a courtship was boring and
mundane but I've since come to think that it's the polar opposite," says the
22-year-old. "It's much more sensual and interesting. I predict traditionalism
is going to make a huge comeback." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 So, exactly how traditional is Barrymore these days? &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Pretty traditional. She lists Audrey Hepburn and Shirley Temple as role
models, White Sands National Park as a favorite travel destination and Kraft
Macaroni and Cheese as her only guilty pleasure. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barrymore continues her nice girl streak in "Cinderella," a big-budget
revamping of the fairy tale that's set for an August release. Initially, the
actress was reluctant to play such a wholesome innocent but, she claims, she
was able to inject something of a feminist message into the brew. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "My Cinderella is very demure but she's also incredibly tough and strong
and athletic," the actress points out. "I didn't want mothers to take their
daughters and say, `See, it's the pretty girl who wins.' Now, it's the
underdog with the pure heart who earns the love of the handsome prince." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Barrymore has already decided that Wilson is her Prince Charming. The only
challenge left is meeting his parents. Given her track record in this
department, it's far from smooth sailing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The worst is when the parents hate you," she whispers. "For me usually,
the mother hates me. It's like I'm wearing some big, flashing sign on my chest
that reads; I'm going to corrupt your son." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 With confessions like this, Barrymore easily takes the prize as the least
guarded celebrity in Hollywood. Sipping Evian water in a Beverly Hills hotel
suite, the actress bubbles over with enthusiasm for such far flung topics as
animals (she's a big supporter of L.A.'s Wildlife Waystation), actors
(favorites include Eric Roberts, Patricia Arquette, Sean Penn and Jennifer
Jason Leigh) and cars (she has a Volvo and a VW van). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "What I love about Drew is that she's so sweet," says Sandler. "You know
her twenty minutes and you're having these deep conversations with her that
you thought you could only have with your best friends. She's one of the
easiest, warmest people to be around." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A huge Adam Sandler fan, Barrymore got involved with "The Wedding Singer"
while it was still in the planning stages. Written and directed by Sandler
cronies Tim Herlihy and Frank Coraci, the movie follows the adventures of a
would-be rock star (Sandler) who falls in love with a banquet waitress
(Barrymore) even though she's engaged to marry someone else. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I had the greatest time making this movie," says Barrymore. "It was like
`Purple Rose of Cairo.' Remember how Mia Farrow goes to the movies and always
wants to be a part of them because she's so in love with them? That's me when
I go to Adam Sandler movies. I feel as though I finally got to be a part of a
movie that I would personally pay to see." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "The Wedding Singer," which co-stars Christine Taylor, Steve Buscemi and
Jon Lovitz, takes place in Long Island, circa 1985. It's a setting that gives
the filmmakers plenty of opportunities to crack jokes about Billy Idol,
headbands and skinny leather ties. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ask Barrymore what she was doing in the '80s and she just rolls her eyes.
Her story has less to do with parachute pants and pinkie rings than with the
other symbols of '80s excess: cocaine and clubbing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The woman who has already written an autobiography about her party days
called "Little Girl Lost" admits she's packed a lot of living into the last
decade. In 1982, the 6-year-old Barrymore landed the role of Gertie in "E.T."
She was drinking at 9, coked out at 12, and re-habbed by 13. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Substance abuse, as it turns out, runs in her family. Barrymore is, of
course, the offspring of Hollywood royalty. Her grandfather was the legendary
actor (and infamous drunk) John Barrymore. Her absentee father, John Barrymore
Jr., took to the streets after failing in the business that made his father
famous. After years of being homeless, he recently moved into his daughter's
Los Angeles home. Drew's mother, Jaid, with whom she's estranged, is a
one-time B-movie actress who writes sex manuals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 For Barrymore, the low point of her battle with drugs and alcohol was being
institutionalized by her mother. It's an experience that still haunts her. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "I'll always appreciate every little thing I see and feel for the rest of
my life," the actress says quietly. "I will look at that recorder and think,
`That's beautiful.' I just appreciate everything. Right now, I'm thinking,
`Those curtains are nice.' And even nicer is that window because I could climb
out of it freely if I wanted to." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 After being released from the mental institution, Barrymore sued for
emancipation from her mother. At 14, the actress was on her own, legally and
emotionally. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "It was a scary time," she says. "I had to get an apartment, a job. It was
hard because I couldn't drive so I had to rely on other people to take me
around. I walked a lot of places, which in L.A. is impossible. I had to figure
out what to do with my life. And I had to figure out what kind of persona I
wanted to be." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By the time she turned 21, Barrymore had managed a full-scale comeback. Her
compelling performances in movies including "Poison Ivy," "Boys on the Side"
and "Mad Love" restored her legitimacy as an actr

Drawing On Drew 
Drew Barrymore, Now 22, Says She's Past Her Bad Girl Days, And Playing The 
Wholesome Character In Her Latest Film, `the Wedding Singer,' With Adam 
Sandler Was A Breeze

Drawing On Drew Drew Barrymore, Now 22, Says She's Past Her Bad Girl Days, And Playing The Wholesome Character In Her Latest Film, `the Wedding Singer,' With Adam Sandler Was A Breeze