Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
“When I was young, I wanted to go to Hollywood to shoot movies,” said Park Inje, who directed “Moving” and “Kingdom.” “I always learned from and studied Hollywood movies. But I think right now my dream is very simple. And it’s just to keep working on projects.”
“I want to fly to somewhere that I’ve never been before like Greece,” said The Rose frontman Woosung. “The pictures (I’ve seen) are beautiful. I like nature. I don’t like hiking, but I like the fresh air. Greece has a lot of cool architecture. Yeah, I want to go there.”
“I haven’t traveled at all during the pandemic,” said Emmy Award winner Ashley Nicole Black. “At first, I was spending a lot of my down time taking long walks with my dog — too long. She started refusing the walks! My mom built a gazebo in her backyard with a couch, chairs, fans, a TV, the works. So, our new vacation spot is her backyard with a glass of ice tea.”
“Growing up in Seattle was a wonderful experience,” says musician Jaymes Young. “It was a good environment to get creative.” Young says he is always creating, whether on the road or at his home in Los Angeles. His current album is “Feel Something.”
As part of the group f(x), Amber Liu has grown used to performing worldwide. But this winter marks her first ever solo tour, to promote her mixtape “Rogue Rouge.” Her Gone Rogue tour kicks off December 5 in Chicago. Born and raised in Los Angeles, the singer-songwriter splits her time between L.A. and Seoul. The Taiwanese American artist recently signed deals to be an ambassador with both L’Oréal and Nike. Liu, 26, did this interview while on a break from shooting with Nike in New York City.
“Everyone in England is very snobbish about Los Angeles, saying there’s no culture, it’s movie orientated (and you have to) drive everywhere,” says author Charles Elton. “A few years ago, I rented a house in the Hollywood Hills for the summer and took my children. People were amazed I didn’t rent a villa in Tuscany like everybody in England does. My answer was that the Hollywood Hills look like Tuscany, the food is better, there are first-run movies and shopping malls. What’s not to like?”
“Shameless” actress Isadora Goreshter says, “There’s nothing in the world quite comparable to Los Angeles, but I have visited Russia with my family and was able to see where my roots come from. I am first-generation American, so I was raised immersed in Russian culture, art and food; so Russia, in a way, reminded me of my childhood home.”
“Downton Abbey” fans immediately recognize Brendan Coyle as John Bates, the valet and former British Army batman to the Earl of Grantham in Julian Fellowes’ period drama series. Coyle, 52, now stars in the Esquire Network’s series, “Spotless,” where he portrays an East London mob boss named Nelson Clay.
Actor Sean Astin encourages travelers to “look up. It might sound like a simple thing to say, but don’t have your face in a map or your phone or your stuff. I think most people get to wherever they think they need to get to and then they look up.”
With more than 60 gold albums and 24 platinum records, Engelbert Humperdinck has a voice (and name) that is known to generations of fans. The 75-year-old musician’s repertoire of No. 1 hits includes “Release Me,” “There Goes My Everything” and “After the Lovin’.” He’s currently on tour to support his latest CD, “released.”