Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
As the son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy Marley grew up in Jamaica surrounded by music. “Jamaica is the root of my music,” says the Grammy Award-winning musician. “I was born there, I was raised there and Jamaica is always inside of me. It’s an impactful place in general for many people. For example, Ian Fleming wrote several James Bond novels in Jamaica at Goldeneye near Ocho Rios.”
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Luna Blaise has been juggling her burgeoning acting career (“Concrete Kids,” “Fresh Off the Boat,” “Surviving Theater 9”) with concert dates to promote her latest single, “Camera Roll.” One of the best parts of her job, she says, is getting to travel to so many different places. “I’m pretty adventurous when it comes to trying new food while traveling,” says Blaise. “I try street cart food sometimes. I love both sweet and spicy foods. I’m very open-minded.”
Actor Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman says, “Years ago I read a quote that I fell in love with that said, ‘I can’t think of anything more pleasurable than a life devoted to pleasure. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. If you enjoy something, there’s nothing guilty about it.’”
Steve Aoki — a world-famous, Grammy-nominated DJ and producer — has collaborated with artists such as will.i.am, Linkin Park and Fall Out Boy. Most recently, he worked on the remix of BTS’ hit single, “MIC Drop,” which was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. Known to foodies as the son of Benihana founder Rocky Aoki, he does philanthropic work through his Aoki Foundation, which supports brain science and research areas.
Recently, a work colleague sent me some Honolulu Cookie Company shortbread cookies. And they were gooooodddd. How good? About as good as the shortbread cookies I used to make way back when.
Tanna Frederick thrives when she’s juggling multiple projects. A co-founder of the Iowa Film Festival and creator of the nonprofit Project Save Our Surf, she is also an avid surfer and holds a second-degree black belt in taekwondo. Frederick, who co-starred opposite James Denton in “Ovation,” recently won positive reviews for her work in Carl Weathers’ stage production of “Danny and the Deep Blue Sea.”
Born in Iowa and raised in Hawaii, actress Kiersten Warren (“Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” “13 Going on 30,” “Bunheads”) spent her youth traveling the world, singing in Baptist churches with her parents. After modeling in Japan for the likes of Fuji Film, Warren returned to the United States to launch her acting career. Her first role was on “Magnum P.I.” Warren resides in the Hollywood Hills with her husband and daughter and has recently completed work on the horror film, “The Invisible Mother.”
After impressing critics with his work in films such as “Antwone Fisher,” Malcolm David Kelley was cast to play Walt on the hit series, “Lost.” Now 25, Kelley is one of the stars of the new Kathryn Bigelow film “Detroit,” which is based on the Algiers Motel incident during that city’s 1967 12th Street Riot. “Detroit is a city with so much history,” says the Los Angeles-based actor. “The people are great and truly resilient.”
Before retiring, Mark C. Lee flew on four NASA space flights, traveled more than 13 million miles, circled the globe 517 times and did an untethered spacewalk. In 1992, he and his then-wife, Nancy Jan Davis, made history by becoming the first married astronauts to fly together in space.
Olympian Kelsey Robinson helped Team USA win the bronze medal in volleyball at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio, but her love of basketball is evident by the number on the back of her team jersey — 23. The number, of course, is in honor of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls, but it also makes her feel close to her Chicago-area roots, says Robinson, 24.