LA: "So, what would you little maniacs like to do first?"Attendees of CES in Las Vegas who also happen to be fans of the cult classic "Weird Science" started feeling a certain '80s crush all over again when Kelly LeBrock made an appearance at the popular technology trade show this week.
A former model turned actress, LeBrock started getting everyone's attention when she appeared in the title role of the Gene Wilder comedy, "The Woman in Red" (1984). But it was her tour de force performance as Lisa, an artificially created "dream girl" conjured Frankenstein-style by two high school nerds (Anthony Michael Hall and Ilan Mitchell-Smith), in John Hughes' gonzo sci-fi comedy "Weird Science" (1985) that made her a full-blown '80s sex symbol.
Lisa wasn't just scantily-clad eye candy, either. Rather than becoming the willing sex partner she was originally intended to be by her creators (in the most innocent John Hughes-ish way possible, of course), the gal from another dimension (or something) takes on a mentor role to the two teenage outcasts, teaching them about self-confidence, social graces and how to woo two "real" girls. She also turns Mitchell-Smith's older brother (Bill Paxton in an unforgettable villain role) into literally a steaming pile of poo.
"Weird Science" was released almost 28 years ago, but LeBrock, now 52, still makes for a near-supernatural beauty. She made an appearance at the Velodyne Acoustics booth to promote a set of headphones, though fans got a bonus flourish when she displayed the "Weird Science" poster that features her 25-year-old self emerging from a bright flash of light as Hall and Mitchell-Smith look at each other in flabbergasted disbelief.
LeBrock still makes the occasional film appearance and recently wrapped the thriller "Hidden Affairs." After the death of her brother Harold in 2008, she began devoting most of her her time to the terminally ill and is currently the celebrity spokesperson for "Club Carson," whose members are children suffering from cancer. She has three children from her marriage to action icon Steven Seagal, whom she divorced in 1996 (and co-starred with in the 1990 action flick, "Hard to Kill").
So ... who's going to dig up their old VHS of "Weird Science" tonight?
