I was pretty disappointed the first time I saw Olivia Newton-John out of character. An inauspicious opening to a eulogy perhaps, but let me explain: It was 1998, and I was 10 years old. The cast of "Grease" had reunited for a special tribute 20 years after the movie's original release, and I'd spotted Newton-John, who died this week at 73, on TV doing the publicity rounds.