June 1, 1999
Web posted at: 11:46 a.m. EDT (1546 GMT)

• Kravitz collapses during concert
• Eric Clapton wants his guitar back
• Joey and Monica, more than 'Friends'?
• Cameron Mathison has eye on big screen
• Martin to Menudo mates: Complaining is for losers

Kravitz

HOLMDEL, New Jersey (CNN) -- Lenny Kravitz's concert at the PNC Bank Arts Center was cut short Sunday night after the rocker collapsed backstage, according to reports. Kravitz played four songs before walking offstage and passing out.

The show was cut short; the band continued to play for about 15 minutes without him. Jim Steen, director of marketing for the venue, said Monday the cause of the collapse was heat exhaustion. Kravitz was treated by the house doctor and left on his own, Steen said.

Kravitz, who has been touring with the Black Crowes and Everlast, was the final act in the first concert held at the arts center this season. His latest album, "5," includes the hits "Fly Away" and "If You Can't Say No."

Clapton

LONDON (CNN) -- When a collection of Eric Clapton's guitars goes on sale at a Christie's auction later this month, at least one bidder will have a special connection to the merchandise: Eric Clapton.

The guitar legend gave up 100 of his instruments for the June 24 auction in New York that could raise between $700,000 and $1 million for the Crossroads drug treatment center he founded in Antigua. But now he says he hadn't realized how difficult it would be to part with the instruments, and he wants one back.

"Obviously, I am not going to say which one it is, but it is a guitar that has been around my house for years and I've picked it up in times of great stress like a comfort blanket," says Clapton, who will bid on the guitar in secret.

Clapton still owns about 20 guitars. He says the one he will miss the most is Brownie, the 1956 Fender Stratocaster he used on "Layla," his biggest solo hit. Brownie is the most expensive guitar in the Christie's sale, with a catalog price of $80,000 to $100,000.

"Friends"

NEW YORK (CNN) -- It might be hard for fans of the NBC sitcom "Friends" to picture it: Joey gives Monica a look, and says "How you doin'?" Then Monica runs to his arms and they lock in a passionate embrace.

But producers of the top-rated show now admit they originally conceived a "dark horse" romance between Monica, played by Courteney Cox, and Joey, played by Matt LeBlanc.

"This was before we cast the show," David Crane told the latest edition of Entertainment Weekly magazine. The creators intended this second romance to play off the one between David Schwimmer's Ross and Jennifer Aniston's Rachel.

Ultimately, the producers decided that Monica and Chandler, played by Matthew Perry, would make the most strangely entertaining bedfellows. The pair courted each other this past season, and the response from fans was positive as "Friends" enjoyed a stellar year in ratings.

BERMUDA RUN, North Carolina (CNN) -- Cameron Mathison says he's happy to be playing Ryan Lavery on "All My Children," but he has other goals in mind.

"I would love to move into prime time and films," he said. "That's a long-term goal for me. However, I consider myself very lucky to be working as an actor and on 'All My Children.' If I had a long career in daytime, I would consider myself very lucky."

Mathison, who visited North Carolina for a celebrity golf tournament, said he hadn't expected to fulfill his dream of becoming an actor.

"I come from a professional family," he said. "Being an actor wasn't in the cards. But I would go to the movies and think, 'I could do that.'"

Eight months after his first audition, he landed the role on "All My Children."

Martin

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Riding high on the success of his first English-language album, Latin superstar Ricky Martin has some advice for his former bandmates who rocketed to pre-teen stardom in the group Menudo.

Martin says they shouldn't knock that experience.

"Yes, it was a boy band," Martin told the June 5 issue of TV Guide. "Everything, they tell you what to do."

But, "Dude, you were sitting under the Eiffel Tower when you were 12 years old, and kids in your classroom were reading about it," he reminded former band members. "Complaining is for losers."

Martin, 27, is currently topping charts with the smash single "Livin' la Vida Loca," his self-titled album's first single. He is also on People magazine's list of the 50 "most beautiful people in the world" for 1999.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.