Tag: New Orleans

Go Away With … Maiara Walsh

Jae-Ha Kim

Born in Seattle, Wash., Maiara Walsh was 2 when she and her family moved to her mother’s native Sao Paulo, Brazil. In her tweens, she moved back to the United States to pursue an acting career. After roles on series such as “Desperate Housewives,” “Switched at Birth” and “Cory in the House,” the 25-year-old actress portrays Katniss Evershot in the feature film parody “The Starving Games.” “I love to travel and experience the culture and meet new people,” says Walsh. “I feel like I expand my mind every time I get on a plane to go somewhere new. Honestly? I can’t imagine life without travel.”

Go Away With … Tracey Heggins

Jae-Ha Kim

Los Angeles-based actress Tracey Heggins knows how fortunate she is. Besides appearing in Common’s indie film “LUV,” the statuesque actress also plays Senna — one of the Amazonian vampires — in “The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 2.” “It was so much fun shooting ‘Twilight’ in Squamish (which is halfway between Whistler and Vancouver, B.C.),” says Heggins. “It was a really amazing experience. Then we shot in Baton Rouge going up to New Orleans. There’s no city like New Orleans. We went into all these little voodoo stores, which were interesting. I love the French Quarter. They did a great job of making the French Quarter look like France. I remember when I was in France; I kept thinking how much it reminded me of New Orleans!”

Go Away With … Emeril Lagasse

Jae-Ha Kim

A bona-fide foodie, Emeril Lagasse picks New Orleans as one of the all-time great food destinations. “We have unbelievable food here in New Orleans,” says Lagasse, 51. “There is a season for everything down here — shrimp, oysters, strawberries, crabs. No other place has such a direct connection to the farms and fisheries. You can’t beat going to Jazz Fest and getting a soft-shell crab po’ boy, or jambalaya at Mardi Gras or making a big pot of seafood gumbo on football weekends.

Go Away With … Robert David Hall

Jae-Ha Kim

Best known for his role as coroner Dr. Albert Robbins on CBS’ “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” actor Robert David Hall is also a musician. Hall’s current CD, “Things They Don’t Teach You in School,” showcases his bluegrass and rockabilly sensibilities. Hall — who had to have both his legs amputated after a car accident — has a wicked sense of humor and delights in the fact that Dr. Robbins was designated as being one of the Top 5 Cool Nerds on television.

Go Away With … Carolyn Hennesy

Jae-Ha Kim

Carolyn Hennesy is all over the place these days. She plays uber-cougar Barb on ABC’s “Cougar Town” and eats up the scenery as a high-powered attorney on that same network’s daytime drama “General Hospital.” Hennesy, 48, also is an author who writes the “Pandora’s Mythic Misadventures” series for tweens. Her latest book, “Pandora Gets Angry” (Bloomsbury USA Children’s Books, $14.99), hit stores earlier this month. In April, she’ll release another book called “The Secret Life of Damian Spinelli” (Hyperion, $22.99), which is based on some “GH” characters. In her spare time, the Burbank, Calif., resident enjoys partaking in the art of trapeze.

Go Away With … Scott Fujita

Jae-Ha Kim

Linebacker Scott Fujita is a team captain for the Cleveland Browns and has played football for the New Orleans Saints, the Kansas City Chiefs and the Dallas Cowboys. But his home base is in Carmel Valley, Calif. “Basically, we chose a vacation destination as our permanent residence,” he says. Fujita, who cites National Geographic Traveler as one of his favorite magazines, loves exploring and shares some of his favorite spots.

Go Away With … Exene Cervenka

Jae-Ha Kim

Exene Cervenka has lived quite the life. Born in Illinois and currently residing in Missouri, the 54-year-old artist earned early fame as the co-lead vocalist of the punk rock band X. She co-starred in the 1987 film “Salvation!” with Viggo Mortensen, where the two played a married couple. In real life, the couple followed suit, but divorced after their son Henry was born. When author Michael Blake was writing “Dances with Wolves,” he crashed at her house and dedicated the book to her. Blake — as well as Kevin Costner who would go on to star in film adaptation of “Dances with Wolves” — appears in her cowboy satire “Bad Day” (www.baddaymovie.com), which is available via digital download.

Go Away With … Lucy Lawless

Jae-Ha Kim

Though Lucy Lawless is best known for playing the title character in “Xena: Warrior Princess,” she once made a living as the host of a travel show for Air New Zealand. The program was shown on the airline, as well as on television in Asia, Australia and her native New Zealand.

Go Away With … Joan Osborne

Jae-Ha Kim

Ever since her 1995 hit single “One of Us,” Joan Osborne has remained a strong presence in the music world, collaborating with members of the Grateful Dead, participating in the Lilith Fair concerts and appearing in the documentary “Standing in the Shadows of Motown.” The 47-year-old singer-songwriter is now playing dates nationwide to support her latest CD “Little Wild One.”

Go Away With … Joss Stone

Jae-Ha Kim

British singer-songwriter Joss Stone is just 20, but she has strong ideas about what she likes. And now that she’s got some power in the music business, she’s not shy about voicing her opinions. “I was only 16 when I made my first record so I wasn’t allowed to do what I wanted,” says the bluesy singer, whose latest CD is “Introducing Joss Stone.” “My first two albums were really a learning period for me, which was also a little irritating at times. But with this album, I took everything that I learned and went with it. It’s the first album I’ve made where I feel it’s really representative of who I am.”